This afternoon, the blog passed 12,000,000 all-time hits. While still smaller than some of other sites in the top ten legal blogs, we just passed 11,000,000 not long ago and we have continued to grow. I am very proud of our community and our attempt to offer a place for civil and responsible conversation. I encourage our regulars and visitors to continue to avoid the personal attacks and name calling common elsewhere on the Internet.
The continued growth of the site shows that our approach to blogging resonates with a good number of people. I continue to be concerned in reading comments that take personal shots and use insulting language. I hope that the recent debate over civility in legal blogging will reaffirm the need of our regulars to avoid insults and personal jabs. If you do not like a person’s take on a story, there is no need to characterize the writer or the writer’s motivations. Let’s deal with the ideas and leave the ad hominem attacks to other sites.
Thanks again for making the site such a great success.
Here are the list of countries represented by viewers and commentators on the blog with the first being obviously the most prevalent:
Country Views
United States
Canada
United Kingdom
Germany
Sweden
France
Australia
India
Philippines
Ireland
Singapore
Jonathan Turley
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Threadjack
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meander%5B2%5D
Yes it does leejcarrol,
If you’ll recall someone said something to dredd about jacking threads for his personal use…… If you take the time to read this entire thread…… You’ll see others do the same……. And then complain about someone else doing the same thing…..there are words for that….and right now…..they escape me……
I seem to recall this thread was about civility….. Who knows what one will morph into….. Weather/Climate Change was a great one for awhile…….
OS,
That is more like fireworks than grilling!
I’ll have to admit, I’m tempted to try the pressure washer trick next time, but I think I’ll stick to the more traditional non-LOX grilling methods. 😀
Oro Lee
almost hate to admit it but i have steamed crabs with a steam cleaner. worked good but it blows the seasoning off.
p.s. never microwave crabs
Oro Lee,
Thanks for the Nicole Sullivan video. I hope those who tend to respond to negative stuff take 12 minutes to watch it.
Nothing like a couple of gallons of LOX (liquid oxygen, not the fish) and some good quality charcoal briquettes.
Gene,
This is how geeks grill things. Your fish ought to take about .0003 seconds to cook well done.
Maybe this will speed up the scaling, Gene —
LK,
“Guest Blawgers, what are they; blawgers, commenter or both? Some of the GB threads go off the rails because trolls attack the GB and the GB responds.”
Both. Our posting articles doesn’t restrict our commenting. As for GB threads “go[ing] off the rails”? I see that no more frequently in GB threads as opposed to the Prof’s threads. I notice trollery favoring topics rather than posters (with exceptions like anon of course who have a distinct personal nature to their agenda). However, as Kevin pointed out, not all trollery should be left unchallenged. For example, those that promote blatant lies (holocaust denial), those that engage in “The Big Lie” technique (which only succeeds when left unchallenged) or those that engage in defamation. Lies can only become perceived truths if left unchallenged. I submit revisionist history – both the standard type and the type anon was attempting to deploy above against Dr. Kesseler (and by extension others and the forum itself) – are lies that merit address.
“The Professor doesn’t comment at all. He just puts up a posting and moves on. Some of his postings receive a hundred comments, some receive four. He doesn’t answer questions and doesn’t respond to personal attacks. If a posting needs updating or revision due to changes in the situation he does another posting and doesn’t comment on that one either. His lack of engagement is an attribute of his position and reinforces that position. It’s a matter of defining and reinforcing a role.”
And that’s his role of choice although certainly some of it is mandated by his multiple professional roles.
“Our GB’s generally do resource rich postings and will add links and references as the discussion progresses or actively engage in the discussion as a commenter. Many postings are in-depth on a subject so I know that they have been edited down and there are probably many links and ideas that are not included in the posting. It is the natural progression to insert them in comments as the discussion progresses.”
True enough. I know that is something I have done and do and I’ve seen other GB’s do it as well.
“But writing is an art and like all art, one does it and puts it out there and that’s that. Artists don’t go back and retouch a painting or re-write a chapter because the critics panned it. They seldom get in fist-fights with critics.”
In the days before the Internet, I would have agreed with this statement, but this is actually something I address in the next installment on propaganda. The Internet has fundamentally changed and/or created a new form of writing. What used to be locked to the static page and read in relative isolation barring academic discussions of literature or papers is now capable of being a dynamic and interactive exchange when the medium of choice is the Internet. A blog by its very nature is a dynamic and interactive exchange whenever comments are allowed. Otherwise, it is simply a diary, an essay, or some other traditional static conveyance.
“We all know that the GB’s are going to be attacked as a concept or personally so why play that game?”
Because some of those attacks fall into the areas of exception. If someone said “I think that article sucked”? Don’t care. If someone said “That idea sucked”? A defense of assertions is critical for a marketplace of ideas to function; claim and counter is an essential dynamic in determining which ideas sink or swim. Just so, if someone is propagating a bad idea, it deserves to be challenged. If someone said, “You suck”? Past a certain point that merits response but especially when that claim strays into defamation of known persons. Just because “we all know” something is going to happen doesn’t equate to having to suffer fools gladly or that we should. Not all trollery is created equal. They are like insects. While you may not worry about spiders, you’re going to get out the spray if you see roaches.
Now, if you’ll pardon me, I going to read a bit more of the blog before I finish cleaning the horde of fish I caught today.
Just keep in mind, W=^..^, that “may you live in interesting times” is a curse in Chinese.
you know I haven’t seen it, but I’ve added it to my list of things to see…and yes, I don’t think thing could get anything but interesting! ( and in a good way I hope…)
Woosty,
I love your avatar — reminds of more of 2010 than F&L, especially the graffiti. Don’t know if it’s gonna be good, don’t know if it’s gonna be bad, but it ought to be interesting!
…have never seen such a poised and judgemental person call so many people trolls (in 1 fell swoop) in my life. 🙂
Oro Lee
1, June 30, 2012 at 1:25 am
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I love this video, thank you for posting it.
(unusua) (I notice a lot of typos when I post- sry quick fingers and funky keyboard – bad combo)
AY fun, sad, interesting all at the same time, a free ticket into some very unusualy psyches…..((*_*))
ooooooooooooh, gotcha…
Woosty–“fear and loathing” wasn’t meant to be descriptive, it was a Hunter S. Thompson reference. HenMan is right–it seems like something you might see on an ether bender (or so I imagine…). I really like it–honest!
I agree with you guys about {W(t)=^..^ for all t <= now}'s avatar. Definitely brings thoughts of fear and loathing to my mind, if you know what I mean…(Slarti)
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!
fear and loathing? really???? 🙁