Addressing Concerns

Last Updated on July 6, 2008

I have recently received two messages from readers, one in the form of an email and the other in the form of public comment left at “Patrick’s Place 2” that I think should be addressed.

The email reads as follows:

Hi Patrick

I was going to leave you a comment but it couldn’t all fit. Here it is. Feel free to address any of it if you like as if it were a comment all could see. 🙁

Hi Patrick

You bet there is a dark cloud hanging over the land. It didn’t start last week with what happened to Armand, it has been present since last autumn…when long established journalers began to disappear. People will come and go, but in about a four month spread I counted at least 10 people gone. No doubt a number of reasons played into their decisions, and I don’t hold any ill will toward those who have left, but I did notice a general drop in morale. The election time was rough, and not everyone behaved themselves as well they could, again I am not the behavior police, but if you are jogging through the neighborhood and there is back stabbing and mean spirited comments here and there…it promotes a morale problem. This thing that has happened to Armand has me concerned, recent issues on my own journal have me concerned, I feel like I have been in some sort of transition for a very long time. The situation with Mara being taken down as a Journal Editor’s Top 5 pick because she used a bad word, the situation with Dan Wheeler, and on and on and on. Speaking for myself here…I don’t know what will fix the MANY questions and problems that started months ago, and as much as I feel bad about what happened to Armand, and I am sincere about that, I don’t know that the constant dwelling on the subject with no new info helps us feel any better. The constant pondering’s of our friends about whether they may or may not jump ship doesn’t help…it makes me want to never jog the neighborhoods I love here in the land because maybe I will find my neighbors all moved in the middle of the night. If I don’t go and visit those I admire…will they still come and visit me? Will I wake up and be completely alone like when I first began Ellipsis and hope someone finds me? Or maybe I am better off it they don’t. Is it ok to say, I can’t do neighborhood jogs anymore because it hurts to see my friends leave but by all means take the time to come and see me. How selfish would THAT be? Maybe there is something to be said for the coldness and non-community feeling of the other blog services. I just want to be a writer, but it’s nice to have friends to share your writing with. people you can count on…but at what personal cost?

Carly 🙁

The reason I am dwelling on this situation is not to “rub AOL’s nose” in the mess, nor do I expect any kind of public apology for what has been done. I am simply trying to find out what the rules “officially” are. And that’s a lot easier said than done.

If this were some kind of straw poll, it would show that there are far many supporters in this little drama than those who wish it would go away. But even I wish it would go away…to the extent that I wish it would never have happened in the first place.

Let’s be clear about something: I am not trying to be the “voice” of the AOL Journals’ community. I am not trying to speak for anyone other than me. I am sharing with you what I have been told so far for two reasons:

First, I think it is important information those who journal within the AOL space should be aware of. Second, those of you contemplating contacting AOL on your own should have some warning — in my opinion — of what you will likely be up against. There is no easy way to get answers.

There is definitely a nice sense of community within the AOL journals group, and it is one I would like to remain in. I do not think it unreasonable to make sure that I understand what the rules are so that I can stay; nor do I think it’s unreasonable to question rules for clarity when I am not clear, (or if it seems AOL’s own employees aren’t clear) about the specifics of the rules currently in place.

“Blogger,” from what I can tell so far, doesn’t have much of a sense of community at all. “LiveJournal” seems to have one, but I’m not wild about most of the layout options I’ve seen there.

The point is, I’m not looking for a hosting service with a better community, or even one as good as AOL. I’m merely looking — and have found — service where I can back-up my content. If AOL should decide that “Patrick’s Place” is in some way offensive and violate its own policy by deleting the entire journal without giving me the chance to remove the specific violation, then I will not have lost my journal completely. If I “simulcast” on two different hosting services, that doesn’t mean that I’ve left either community.

I understand the concern about losing people in the “neighborhood.” But even if some of us were to move across town, I have to believe that the friendships formed within the AOL Journals community would transcend AOL itself. That is, people would continue to read each other’s journals no matter where they ended up. We live in a society that is no longer brand loyal. It has been suggested that I am something of an oddity because I have maintained an AOL account for ten years. It is inevitable that some of us will relocate. I would never consider ending a friendship with someone online simply because they moved their journal. Those who have kindly suggested that they would follow me hopefully know the feeling is mutual.

The comment at “Patrick’s Place 2” reads:

I usually enjoy visiting your journal. I recently started participating in your “Saturday Six.” But I will not do so here. I know my opionion may not matter to you~ and I don’t care. I know that AOL did something that may be “unforgivable” to some, especially you, but truly, to up and leave AOL journals and all of the faithful readers you have their IMO is quite childish. Get over it. Things happen. Not everything has an explanation. I agree AOL has SOME customer service issues… several in fact… but you are dragging this out and making a big deal out of something that did not even happen TO YOU. I understand your concern. So does everyone else. But be an adult. Keep asking questions to get the same answers (none) if that makes you feel better. But at some point you will have to make a choice~ and you will have to move forward with it. Hope I didn’t step on any toes.
Princess Niaylah
http://journals.aol.com/princessniaylah/Justtosay/

The first thing I would say is this: when you call me “quite childish,” tell me that I need to be an adult, suggest that your opinion may not matter to me but that you don’t care whether it does or not, then basically threaten to leave my journal if I make a move from one service to another — a move, incidentally that has not even happened — then it is clear that you do wish to step on toes…mine.

Let’s not play games with pleasantries.

The “Saturday Six” will, hereafter, stay at the AOL version of “Patrick’s Place.” I thought I was clear in the explanation that this was an experiment, not the definite look of things to come. I wanted to see how it would work. That’s all. If you can’t forgive me for making one experiment, then I’ve clearly already lost you as a reader. Too bad.

My question is, why would you enjoy — and play — the “Saturday Six” at the AOL journal, but not be remotely interested in playing if the same content was on a different blog? My identity for my readers shouldn’t be “AOL” or “Blogger,” but rather “Patrick.” I wouldn’t change anything about my writing style depending on who was hosting my blog. Does this mean that if I moved my journal — at some point in the future — to my own website, you’d stop visiting there, too? Isn’t that a bit of an overreaction on your part? (I’ll do you the courtesy of not calling your logic “childish.”)

If your favorite musician had always published their music with American Gramaphone Records, then signed a new deal to publish future albums with Capitol Records, would you stop listening to them? How is their identity defined by the company that distributes their song?

My point here is that you either like what I have to say or you don’t.

It’s as simple as that.

If you disagree with me and wish to take the time to say so in a comment, that’s fine: I’d be happy to read it. If you take offense to something I’ve written and decide never to come back, I might eventually notice that you were no longer leaving comments (if you ever had) and might wonder why. But there are plenty of lurkers who read for months and never leave a comment; I might just as well think that you were one of them. But if you really do enjoy this journal and my take on things, it shouldn’t matter where I host those views.

Why would you call me “childish” if I were to leave AOL, then turn around and tell me that if I did so, you would be leaving my journal? Isn’t it the same thing? If I’m wrong to leave AOL over this, isn’t it as wrong for you to leave me as a reader because my address changed? I don’t understand the difference.

I do not consider it “abandoning” my readers when I make clear what the alternate journal’s address is. I would consider “abandonment” a case of me cancelling my account, deleting everything overnight, and telling no one where I’d gone. That won’t happen…unless AOL kills my account without giving me the chance to mention a forwarding address.

The only “abandonment” implied in the comment is the reader’s abandonment of me. And I must wonder why that would happen.

And one final note: as I have tried to explain before, though I am not Armand, and that my journal wasn’t deleted, if AOL employees do not have a clear understanding of what does and doesn’t constitute a TOS violation — not to mention the normal procedure for investigating an alleged violation — and if we can’t get clear definitions of what a violation and the proper procedure is, then how can we assume that we couldn’t be next? Are we supposed to just go on as if nothing happened and pretend that we couldn’t sign on some day and find that the same thing had happened to us?

Sorry, I value the work I put into this journal, and those of you who share the AOL community with me, to simply walk around in rose colored glasses and pretend that everything is as it always was. If that in itself makes you want to stop reading, then I’m very sorry to have lost you as a member of my audience. I can only ask that you give it some time and visit again one day. I promise that I do not intend to talk about this forever.