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May 11, 2005
When is it Spam?
220 Rants & Raves - Choose One!
K., I need help here. So I visit this site which I will not bother to name. But, I will describe. It is tha kinda site that's a meeting place for university students. It's a virtual place where they can discuss all types of issues, ideas and just pass tha time. On this site there's an entertainment board. I czech in.
The space is active for sure. A dozen or so cats on tha regular. Folk chattin' on everything from tha latest blockbuster movie to tha latest pop star to whatever they feel passionate about. Dudes rantin' - Ladies supportin' - s'a bustlin'.
So I post a little introductory piece about myself and my interests. Of course tha site link comes up. I am promptly erased. Now I realize that my link is most likely tha cause of this. I've already lerned that lesson. But scanning around, I see linx to all kinda big budget shit. There's paid for advertisin' on tha site. Again I start to question myself.
Either way, I'm pissed about tha censorship - however justified. So I drop my rant about being erased - understandin' that I probably deserved it. Tha rant is promptly erased. (Like) both posts spend less than a minute on tha board. S'like frickin' fort Knox! I drop a polite query. I am immediately censored again but this time "moved" into a special e-room for "delinquents" :)
This quiet webspace is only readable by myself and a moderator. The moderator is mad 'cause I'm self promotin' - not discussin'. He says that all promotion is paid for on the site and that all posts that are deemed as self promotion or complaints about removal are immediately removed. I ask two questions. 1. Why isn't this made apparent on the main page? 2. What about all tha people promotin' tha blockbuster films and international pop stars?
About this time the head moderator gets involved. He tells me that he has in fact just changed the message board "rules" to state that folk can't be self promotin'. I ask, "where are these rules posted?" He doesn't answer. I again pose the question, "Why is it OK to promote the latest teeny-bopper star but not the cat on the corner with a band?" Again - no answer.
My theory: This site is a sponsered site. Where does that money come from? Do those people want us discussin' things that don't make them money? Further more - to link from their space to another that discusses more things that don't make 'em money - how does that make 'em feel.
To sum it up: I realize I was wrong here. This site was paid for by (say) Mr. X. Mr. X has interests in big budget entertainment. He has every right to "protect" his interests. My question to you is "Why tha secrecy?" Why is the site disguised as a general discussion site for students? Why doesn't it state the limitations right on the main page? I really wanna kno. Who is Mr. X tryin' ta fool?
Posted by i220 at May 11, 2005 09:50 AM
Comments
The questions posed here seem kind of rhetorical. Maybe promoter guy should try sites that are actually devoted to independent music rather than general boards. Just a suggestion.
Tom
Posted by: Questionz at May 11, 2005 10:11 AM
I remember at school I took a course in pop culture. One of the premises they taught was that all advertising is esentially based in lies. To support this argument they claimed that high-end products have shied away from advertising with the philosophy that "only shoddy products need to advertise - quality products sell themselves." This philosophy has since changed but the notion that advertising is false is still interesting. Nothing can ever be the absolute best, all is subject to opinion and what you sell is more often a lifestyle than a product. A lifestyle which is in fact impossible - a pipe dream. If you consider all uv this to be true then you are not only one synical cat but you also have to view anything with a .Com i-suffix as lies.
Rambling.
Posted by: Scholar? at May 12, 2005 03:14 PM
sounds to me that once again, its all about the almight dollar. brittney spears or some other non-talent is bringing in the big bucks, so this promotor is really misrepresenting his/her website. sounds like a scam to me.
angel
Posted by: ANGEL at May 13, 2005 01:00 AM
cat. i know you've had this resistance before in other forums. i know you've accepted blame and humbly apologized and explained your mission to said cats, even if you didn't have to. just remember this - it's the revolution baby, and it ain't gonna come easy! rock on brutha.
Posted by: finnay at May 18, 2005 01:47 PM
You said it cat! S'all good - just needed sumptin' ta put in this category that was interestin' - and said Mr. X provided me with a nice rant. Either way - I'm on the look out for independent promotion sites now. Get enuff of the MJ and J-Lo updates siftin' thru tha regular news, LOL!!
Peas.
Posted by: Matty at May 19, 2005 07:52 AM