[ping.sg] The Under-Currents

There is only one other thing more annoying than the people who had nothing to do with a matter saying a lot things about it just for getting traffic to their site. And that is the kind who are unaware of what has transpired acting self righteous.The screen-capture shows one such individual.

Before I begin, let me point out the fallacy of a so-called social media guru goondu’s argument. First of all, Daphne had commented in the posts I am referring to, and so she does know what has transpired but chose to sit back and did nothing to rein in her attack dog. So does that settles the matter on who is being retarded here? Let me just say I wished your ‘retardation’ can be better applied to flames instead [pun intended].

However, since there will be those who thinks he has a point, I believe it is best I make matters clear, even though I am standing the risk of losing a friend for doing so.

I had not want to bring this matter up originally because others would accuse me of stirring shit. And for the same reason I did not ‘ping’ this post and will mostly use cached copies when linking the articles. But for those who would insist I am stirring shit then be reminded that when you let someone get away with it by saying her remarks are made in a personal capacity, then don’t make any noise when I say something in relative privacy here!

Anyway, I recalled on more than one occasion I argued with chillycraps [cc] over this, at times we probably vowed never to talk to one another again in private due to violent disagreement. I raised the matter again with cc when dk raised hell, and it had made cc quite annoyed. In fact, when I told him about this again earlier, cc said he doesn’t want to hear about it anymore.

But before I begin, let me just say dk and cc both loved the community in their own special way. I admire cc for his forbearance and long suffering – in silence – even though I think cc should just put down ‘the cross he is carrying’ and speak up.

The matter began somewhere in late May, where there was a slew of posts from bloggers about their crush, and on 28.05.2008, someone launched a unprovoked attack on un-named invidual(s). And the reason which inspired this post is found here: see ‘A comment made during the first incident’ .

In the blog post, the labels shallow blogger and serious blogger were used. It left people scratching their heads wondering who are the people being referred to here and in private some of us felt it has created a rift. After all, this blogger has actually asked the people who are unhappy to leave ping.sg.

I was also quite annoyed looking at what was written because I have also on several occasions spoken out against the postings lacking quality. I was under the impression that my private feedback over channels like Windows Live Messenger and G-talk were being discussed behind my back and instead of telling me straight off to end it, this public spectacle is created to send me a message. It was much later, I found out that cc was the one under fire, as he had mentioned on Twitter he wanted to take some time off from ping.sg and return after the ‘Crush Fad’ die off.

I had no clue why Daphne was upset with that, and what she has told this little puppy to make it equally upset enough to be inspired into making that blog post and a subsequent one. I can only guess it was because cc was being like the show stopper. But whatever the reason was, cc and I were even more annoyed with the subsequent post which continues to build a case over a non-existent issue – i.e. the ‘issue’ of ‘serious bloggers making a fuss out of shallow postings’. I initiated a brief flame war with the puppy on Twitter after that.

Subsequently, I believe cc and I separately asked Daphne to meet up with us, and discuss measures on how to clarify the matter and ‘officially’ put an end to it. Daphne refused the moment she heard about an ‘official statement’ to end this. In her opinion, the puppy wasn’t referring to anyone, and thus this is nothing more than a dispute between bloggers and has nothing to do with her. I had the generally impression that her opinion is that since no names were mentioned and only we are the one who openly thinks we are the one mentioned, then it is just our problem and not a community one.

On top of which, even if we are unhappy about it, the matter is already dying off and no one cares anymore. And to emphasize that her decision in this is final, she told me in a private G-talk chat in no sterner terms (not exact words): ‘You can leave if you don’t like it. I have a forest and I won’t give it up to keep two trees. I have work to do and many things like the Ping party to attend to. I am very busy.’.

I was speechless even when I put aside my perhaps mistaken impression that we are close friends. After all, I recall there was once, under a difficult circumstance a long time ago, nocturne had said this to me: ‘Don’t expect any favours from me because we are friends!’ .

But I wasn’t asking for favours. I had expected her to exercise her responsibilities as a community manager to mend the rift. Not to mention one she has caused in her casual chit chat with another blogger. In fact, as a matter of 20/20 hindsight, I would suggest she talked about her pressures when managing the blogger’s community on ping.sg with non-bloggers in future, or like Hillary Clinton said: Can’t take the heat? Leave the kitchen!.

After all, who knows if some trigger happy blogger won’t just take her comments out of context and make a big fuss over it? But as history has proven… Daphne never learns.

A Personal Opinion on DK’s Post

I came back to the office with a splitting headache in spite of the fact I had a great lunch – mutton bryani + a pint of Kilkenny – with a great friend on Friday afternoon. And before I reached the office I had canceled all my ‘Friday lim-jiu sessions’ as I think I want to rest early for the next day’s Haw Par Villa Picnic.

A few minutes after I returned to my desk, my MSN was abuzz with incoming messages about DK’s blog post titled: Are you in the ping.sg “in group”? (The post was a result of a post made here [pic].)

It was clear to me that DK was upset over a particular paragraph in that post. And I could empathise a lot with how he is feeling at this point of time since I was also become pretty upset about a month or so ago over a couple of groundless postings built on top of just one word: shallow.

On looking back at how ‘damage control’ was done over those postings, I could see some similarities.

A comment made during the first incident

can u all pls stop quarreling abt this already?

yes the word ‘shallow’ wasn’t used in any post or twitter, no i didnt create the story, n no im not going to explain anymore right now.

its over. live n let live.

ppl shdnt speculate abt who these ppl were (more than 3) n dont draw ur own conclusions. pls.

kris wrote that post cos he was upset tht i was upset. that is all.

i nvr intended to make a public spectacle of this. in any case, those ppl who think tht the community no longer fits what they r looking for, well, our doors are always open for u if u wanna come back one day.

thats all i have to say, n now i have doubts abt writing my own explanations anymore. i dont want any more eyes on this matter.. really. [source]

A comment made during the second incident

ok.. i believe that it’s time for me to say something. afterall, this huge hullaballoo was created and imagined from something that i wrote.

so here’s my official statement:

i’m going to watch my DVDs 🙂

BYE! [source]

On both occasions, the choice of words created a brouhaha. On both occasions, there were no proper explanation. On both occasions, the step to diffuse the tension by taking up responsibility for a bad choice of words or statements was never taken.

But looking at DK’s case in specific, I think he had it even worse than the first case. At least the comment for the first case had even looked like a plea – if not a demand – to put an end to it. However, the comment of the second case has pretty deftly and summarily dismissed DK. It practically also trampled upon dhope‘s attempt at reconciliation with contempt – though I’ll leave it to dhope to draw his own conclusion. In fact, it almost seems like a deliberate choice in doing so to make almost everyone else who had made a comment look stupid. If I had read further in between the lines, I think I would even detect a smirk in there. And frankly, that’s really not hard to imagine.

But wait, just who the fxxk asked me to imagine things anyway? Maybe I should call 1-800-DREAM-WORKS to see if they have any use for that imagination! But really, no one really cares how I feel or what I imagined anyway. I won’t delude myself that how I felt matters. There maybe those who disagrees completely with how both matter is handled but that’s not the same as caring about how I felt.

By the way, I think it’s better for me to end my post – before I hear the chorus of sycophants and ball carriers saying: ‘If you don’t like it and you are so unhappy, you can always leave. The ‘community’ can always do without you.’

Alternatively, you can just dial this helpdesk number: 1-800-WHO-CARES. (Dial this number too if you think I cared about your counter opinion to what I am saying here.)

Nuff said. Have a great weekend ahead – It’s REAL.

Nuff-Nazis… Sieg Heil! LOL!

This is quite amusing. Hot on the heels of blogger Limetouch’s ban, now blogger sisuahlai is banned for 2 weeks (or was it 2 months?) on Innit. At first, it seems like the nuffnang clowns have learnt a little from the previous bad publicity as a result of Limetouch’s ban and have made an attempt at a lighter touch this round. But I was wrong. Behind what I perceived as a lighter touch, was a threat to sue!!

Now I must say I felt Limetouch was lucky. And here’s the next best part: poor sisuahlai first a public reply on his blog, and then some anonymous coward citing some ‘rules on confidentiality’, seems to have scared him into removing it. Bleah!! [Update: The entry has now been reposted after he obtained ‘permission’ to do so.]

But the good news is… Shadoxfox [whom I called 邪道狐 in Chinese] has a screen capture of sisuahlai’s post here, so all of you can see sisuahlai’s reply in its full glory.

As I went through nuffnang’s letter, I find this the most amusing. I quote:

‘What you have said in your blog is misleading in nature and would cause uncertainties among the bloggers who are not as informed as others.’

Can I say I am LMAO [laughing my ass off] when I read this? Frankly, just who, other than the very people running, or perhaps working for, nuffnang are any the wiser when compared to the rest of the common bloggers? In other words, the condition that ‘bloggers who are not as informed as others’ does not exist – the simple reason being that everyone is about just as informed as the others, not!

If that condition exists, then why does sisuahlai seem less informed than the rest (since he’s been asking all those questions)? Why are there certain bloggers privy to matters which sisuahlai or other bloggers are not? Should not certain knowledge be common and made known to all bloggers on nuffnang’s corporate website to prevent such… uncertainties? * In Darth Vader’s Voice * “I find your lack of a public, corporate response… disturbing.”

Oh… I forgot, absofxxkinglutely no corporate announcement of that sort exists on nuffnang corporate website. It has appeared to me they have always preferred to selectively answer to only certain bloggers in the comment section as they deem fit. Now no wonder they can now brag about ‘bloggers who are not as informed as others’ !

It’s a condition that exists on their own making!

Well done, nuff-nazis [short for nuffnang nazis]! Is this where I do the straight arm salute and scream ‘Sieg Heil!’ ? And sing ’nuffnang, nuffnang ueber alles?’

Anyway, now that I have started raving, and I have put myself into a writing mood, I might as well also talk about some of the new things happening in Blogosphere, and the one I wanna talk about is sgping.com.

When the news broke, I was wondering what uzyn’s response will be. But after awhile, I realized that it probably doesn’t matter to uzyn at all. After all, Uzyn has been rather passive when innit came up, so why would uzyn give a flying fxxk to sgping.com? From what I gathered, uzyn mentioned at the ping party last year he put ping.sg together because he simply wanted to be able to read blog posts of people in Singapore. So, putting up ads on ping.sg – i.e. using ping.sg as a means of income – appeared to me to be an after-thought, unlike sgping.com which made it clear they are going to share the earnings with bloggers.

Anyway, many bloggers registered at ping for no other purpose other than an avenue to publicise their blogs. That ping.sg turned into an avenue for some to make new friends was almost a side effect. In other words, there is no conflict between ping.sg and sgping.com.

While elements within ping.sg users have talked about the lack of loyalty among pingsters who publicised sgping.com thru ping.sg, I beg to differ. (There maybe an element of ‘politics’ behind some did what they did, but I would prefer not to talk about them in public nor to get involved.)

First of all, there was never a question of loyalty. It has been clear to me that many bloggers have no loyalty other than to themselves and / or to the few bucks they can earn from monetising their blog. In other words, signing up to both sgping.com and ping.sg would give them the best of both worlds.

sgping.com can serve as an indirect means of monetizing one’s blog, while ping.sg continues to serve your purposes. Unless sgping.com moves more aggressively to make itself a virtual social activity outlet, at this point of time I don’t see a conflict between the two.

Now that I have get this off my chest, I believe some may consider I am making a sales pitch for sgping.com. As I have said before, some may even consider this a seditious and subversive posts and probably call for my head.

Whatever the case is, I do hope that the people running ping.sg are way more enlightened than the nuff-nazis, since ping.sg and nuffnang are pretty different. But if they turned into ping-nazis, there’s nothing much I can do about that anyway. All I can say is this:

Relax… you have a life beyond ping.sg. Don’t be too uptight about such small stuff.

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