Ben Goldacre and/or carefully selected contributors from the vast leftist conspiracy are invited to join me in maintaining a weblog that does allow comments now that Nadine Dorries has thrown her toys out of the pram and decided that she has 'no time' for feedback on her 'weblog'.
Because Nadine's site is so poorly built, she lacks visible relevance and a credible/comprehensive inbound link spectrum. Therefore, it should not take too much effort to ensure that *this* weblog provides a competitive alternative for the search query 'nadine dorries'.
All we need to do is find a few bloggers who are less-than-impressed with the circumstances surrounding the sudden closure of comments at Nadine's website, so they can kick things off with the required Google-juice.
Won't be an issue, frankly.
Of course, Nadine could make this blog surplus to requirements in moments. Shall we give her the weekend to think about it? Just to prove that we're reasonable people?
Drop me a line via bloggerheads DOT com AT googlemail DOT com or - *gasp* - submit a comment.
16 comments:
Well said, Steve.
In case it's not clear, the basic plan is to simply link/mirror Nadine's output and provide a facility for feedback on these individual items.
Yes, outright abuse will be deleted without hesitation.
(But, let's face it, in the current blogging climate any outright abuse is most likely going to be the work of a Tory sock-puppeteer trying it on with a joe-job.)
I posted a comment to your blog before you closed comments Nadine.
It was a reasoned criticism of the Minority Report.
I ended by saying "Bet you don't post this"
You never did
(reposted this to correct a couple of typos)
Excellent, and well done
I hope people don't joke about with this site: its really a very sensible response to Nadine Dorries' contempt for meaningful engagement and democratic debate.
You work for us remember Nadine.
Blogs ALLOW COMMENTS - including ones that express views you may disagree with. If you don't allow comments then its not a blog, its just an internet propaganda sheet. How comfortable you are with dissent and actual debate is not the issue here.
Come on Nadine - you are a politician in the Commons - that means listening to the views of, well, commoners. Not just ones that share your rather strange take on reality. You are free to hold and argue for whatever views you like - but you have to be willing to defend those views in public. IT'S YOUR JOB, and you cant run away from it.
I'm quite sure that if you re-open your blog to comments, and stop censoring ones you don't like (rather than abusive ones - which is fine) then this blog will be quite happy to shut up shop.
Until then just watch how the internet can bite back at people who don't respect free speech - especially when it is their specific and paid responsibility to do so.
Surely without comments, Nadine doesn't have a blog so much as a website? Trades Descriptions anyone?
Without comments it was not even a Newsfeed, more on musefeed. I have posted a picture last night of the moment that Nads won Timbo (the other one silly) in a raffle. Or was it vice versa? Which is nice.
That is nice, isn't it? Perhaps Nadine can consult with her friend Tim Montgomerie over the weekend. Tim's all kinds of expert at this blogging malarkey, and is sure to point her in the right direction regarding comments.
I sent this comment to Nadine's Propaganda Page:
"You wrote in the minority report about "detailed information about Wyatt’s evidence...which could only have been passed on to the journalist concerned by a member of the Select Committee."
It could have been obtained from here: http://www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/SDAevidence.pdf, could it not??
Are you going to retract or correct this comment which implies that information was leaked by a member of the select committee - or do you stand by it?"
Some blogs allow comments and some don't. But closing comment 1) because people disagree with you and you only want fawning repsonses, and 2) giving a blatantly trumped up reason for the shut down is very low class.
Already googling at #5 for nadine dorries ;)
Rattitude - a fundamental part of blogging is allowing responses with trackbacks or comments. Not allowing other means it's a common or garden website, but not a blog.
Dave: Even if one doesn't accept your point (I agree with you, BTW) Rattitude's point stands. Nadine's sudden and strategic withdrawal was a poor show.
On another matter... I offered Nadine the weekend to think about it and the offer stands, but early signs are *not* good.
Nadine has just published this:
"A constituent asked me today why I had stopped accepting comments. One of the reasons has a lot to do with people posting the same comment 30-40 times and blocking up the email account. Another has to do with the amount of anonymous comments, over 50%. Commenting brings out the strange in people and some of the comments I have are too rude/weird/ odd to be posted and it was becoming truly tedious having to wade through the rubbish."
Notice how close she comes to yelling "Mentally unbalanced obsessive stalker(s)!" here.
Ah, more smears. That'll help...
Personally, I believe that Ms Dorries must do three things to resolve this situation:
1. Acknowledge that she censored perfectly legitimate and politely worded questions concerning her report.
2. Accept that the claim she made regarding the "leak" was entirely without basis and withdraw the claim.
3. Offer an apology to Ben Goldacre and to those she censored and then smeared.
Tell the truth, in other words. I can't see how this can be portrayed as anything other than an entirely reasonable request.
If Ms Dorries continues to present her fictitious version of events however, google juice ahoy...
Fantastic! I too am a fraustrated person who has tried to comment on the self promoting, egotistical blog of Nadine Dorries. It is embarrassing that a MP feels it is apropriate to behave in that way and make so many unproffessional ad hominen attacks on people. The post, directed entirely to making personal insults about Dr Harris' bulging eyes, nicknames and time spent in make up is a particulary bad example. She lives in some kind of fantasy land where she makes incoherent arguments and refuses to accept perfectly polite and rational comments about them. Well done for setting this up!
I guess I am happy to see easy access online newsletters like the Fish&Wildlife Assocation's and HSUS's as blogs. I dare say they knew from the beginning that the comments feature would start an uncontrollable flame war--hence they never used it. But I visit the blogs daily for their news and current events coverage.
Just a quick note for the record...
the basic plan is to simply link/mirror Nadine's output and provide a facility for feedback on these individual items
This plan was revised when Nadine started taking the piss with claims of vitriol, stalkers etc.
Posts that are unrelated to the central matter of comment withdrawal will, however, be linked/mirrored without initial commentary from me.
If such posts appear.
(For a lady who won't allow others to have their say, she sure appears determined to have hers.)
Post a Comment