One Whiner Bitching Doesn't Ruin A Worthwhile Endeavor

I had my first problem with one of the Gonzo Blog Carnivals. To be more accurate, there was a problem with someone who submitted a post. The fact that we didn't have any problems through first nine speaks well, I think, of the series.

The Gonzo Blog Carnival Series is not the biggest carnival in The Blogosphere. It is, though, a carnival where efforts are made to provide the greatest benefit possible for those who choose to contribute posts.

Let's face it, when you submit a post to a carnival you have faith it is going to be handled in a way that will be beneficial to all involved. The track record of this carnival is a good one. One person who seeks to impose her belief system on other people is seeking to damage this effort. All because she lacks understanding. And, it appears, that she is a self absorbed person who goes into the spoiled brat mode when she doesn't get her way. Being a musician in addition to an attorney, I suppose, can make it worse. Artsy craftsy people are at times delicate flowers.

Awhile back I published a post titled Don't Know Much About Blog Carnivals --- Seize Opportunity By The Throat. The post provided an overview of the Gonzo Blog Carnivals to that point.

Since then we've had carnivals on education, relationships and memes.

It was the meme carnival where we had a problem. The problem was with a self important attorney. Self important attorney; is that repetitive?

If you go to her blog you will see a well written tale about how she was mistreated; how respect was not given to a post she wrote about her dead father. Accusations are made in that post that in no way resemble any intention anyone had or any action anyone took.

This manipulative bitch acts like she didn't know what the carnival was about. Here's the post for the carnival she entered. Here's another post where you see the themes of our carnivals are clearly shown. When you enter you know what your signing up for.

This person wanted to have control and it was not her position to be in control. She stands on a soapbox yelling and screaming about how she defends the first amendment and artistic expression. At the same time she, when it is in her interest, seeks to limit freedom of speech and squelch artistic expression.

Things I Wish You Would Know About My Father. A wonderful post. The problem is that, given the response of the blogger, it was never a meme. It was never meant for another person to write about the thought, what they want you to know about their father. To read her account of this situation you would think the title and/or the content of her post was changed. Neither happened in any way.

This goes back to the whiney, bitching post she wrote that is full of inaccurate statements, misinterpretations and worst of all bad advice. I won't address the fact that she's one of the holier-than-thou types who feel endowed with some superior insight.

A whiney attorney is hard enough to take. Whe she presents herself as an authority on a subject she clearly has little knowledge of it's difficult to turn away from the post. Similar to driving by wrecked cars, mangled on the side of the road and having to look.

You will see carnivals, our Relationships carnival for example, where it is basically a list. That carnival, in fact, didn't have graphics or anything else. It was only a list; which is fine. The Education carnival had a narrative written around the posts. That was great. The meme carnival, about which the attorney from Lodi is bitching, took what I thought was an interesting approach.

When you do a meme you craft it from your point of view. Whether it's, list weird things about yourself; or what wouldn't people know about you; or do this five question interview; or answer questions about books; it's endless. The bottom line is there is a subject or a task you are asked to do. That is the type of post which was to be submitted for this carnival. It was understood that those were the posts people were submitting. Given that, the carnival host took a meme approach. He provided an example of what his answer would be if he was doing each of the memes himself.

So, the blogging attorney wrote about things she wishes you would know about her father. The host gave an example of something he's like you to know about his father. The attorney took one negative comment and came up with, the host of the carnival hates his father. If he does that's fine just as it is that she loves her father. That's not the point; the point is that it is a meme and every person who does it is free to express their own point of view.

Worse yet, she said that the host referring to his father as a prick is profanity. If you understand what the word prick means - which I'm sure she does because she is one - then you know it the characterization of a person based on their actions. She also picked up the word bitching from the title of this post and said it was a gender specific slam. Bitching is an action, not a characterization of a person whatever gender they are.

What was it George Carlin said about dirty words decades ago?

If you've ever seen a television show or a movie where two people tell their version of a story and then see what really happened you understand what I'm dealing with here. Her twisted version of what happened is staggering when you understand what memes are, know how carnivals work and when you are a writer who blogs not a blogger who writes.

Attorneys communicate for a living. Part of that communication is writing. The problem is that most attorneys write for other attorneys. I would not generalize; there are attorneys, simply because they are human beings, who are able to function as writers. This attorney blogs and writes. The fact she writes for a web based writing group makes her think she's a writer.

I will stand by this statement until I die. Writers blog and bloggers write. That does not make a blogger a writer.

The bottom line is this. The Gonzo Blog Carnival is an endeavor which has the goal of benefiting bloggers who participate as hosts and bloggers who submit posts. If you want to benefit from participating in blog carnivals come along. Everything is done in good faith.

Posts submitted for the Gonzo Blog Carnival Series do not come with conditions. Rules are set by the host in concert with me. If I'm uncomfortable with any rule I reject it. I work with the host to make sure the rules are in place that will work for their blog. You see what the carnival is about and you see the rules.

When you make your submission it does not come with the power to control how the carnival post is created, what content is included or how the commentary reads. If you have the need for that control, don't submit a post.

Many carnivals reject posts and you never know about it until the carnival is published; we contact everyone if we see a problem with their post being included. They may ask for us to have another look, they may bitch. People are given the opportunity to make their case for the post they chose and given the opportunity to submit a different post. This is consideration and effort that is rare in blog carnivals.

I would have told the blogging attorney to shove her head back up her ass. If it were my decision the post would have stayed in the carnival. As it turned out the three or four emails she either copied me in on or sent me directly were not seen until the following morning. Thankfully TheSpecialOne was frisky as the last day of Spring wound around.

The host is more kind hearted. He removed the post. That's all well and good. I will not be intimidated and I will not be manipulated. This is my carnival series and it will be run as I see fit. I have worked with bloggers, new and experienced, for most of the time I've done this blog. I have helped new bloggers get started or to gain greater success. I've helped experienced bloggers in one way or another.

The Gonzo Blog Carnival Series will stand on its record of success. As for the blogging attorney who thinks herself superior. You are dismissed.