Blogcritics: Comments on Who Pissed in your Corn Flakes?

Comment by Jan Eggers

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 11:41:00 EST

I once heard of a "man" whose drink of choice was after-shave lotion. I think he went too far, and all of the hairs actually fell off of his chest.

Comment by Zudfunck

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 11:28:30 EST

From pissing in Corn Flakes to drinking KoolAid spiked w/grain alcohol, it's all here ain't IT? God Bless the Bloggers, each & everyone!

Comment by Eric Olsen

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 08:56:40 EST

The real drink of men is Koolaid and grain alcohol

Comment by Al Barger

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 02:47:35 EST

Hooker went looking for Ripple for my Christmas, but it seems to be hard to find even on the near North side of Indianapolis- and I ended up with Night Train. This loses the Sanford and Son and Kevin Nealon references, but gains the groovy Guns n Roses song. It's all good.

Comment by Jan Eggers

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 01:53:15 EST

Yah, Robert Mapplethorpe can kiss my ass. Wait a minute--not literaly. As for the preferred drink of men, it's Ripple, not Night Train--haven't you ever seen Sanford and Son? Jeez. As for hookers, Homey don't play that, but I have got just the woman for you, Al (note this is a news story, not a pornographic link--sorry Al).

Comment by Al Barger

Wed, 31 Dec 2003 00:52:40 EST

What is it with all y'all pinkos wanting to drink pee-pee and look at Robert Mapplethorpe pictures and such? Why can't you just go for Night Train and hookers like regular guys?

Comment by TDavid

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 19:47:14 EST

Yikes, Ghandi must have been inspiration for that scene in Waterworld.

Comment by Jim Carruthers

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 17:46:24 EST

Thankfully, I avoid the piss in cornflakes, and just put vinegar on my chips. (Though Ghandi did advocate drinking ones own piss as a therapeutic measure). What's important is to keep the online stew from becoming toxic.

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:50:08 EST

Jan, the topic of comments is most interesting. You are right that many a well-written post gets little or no written comment. It happens to me all the time! People tend to either disagree, agree, add some relevant piece of information that updates or augments, or respond to other comments. You are right about comments tend to generate more comments and it is the first one or two that are the hardest to "buy." The early comments tend to set the parameters and the tone for more comments and people like to pointed in one direction or another - it's easier. I recently increased the Most Recent Comments lited on the front page from 10 to 20 just for that reason. Comment on!

Comment by Victoria Pitt

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:41:21 EST

I come here to be smug. ;)

Comment by Jan Eggers

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 15:38:58 EST

Perhaps well-written reviews are ones that do a good job of hashing out a good number of the arguments for and against the given topic. Maybe they are not so open to challenges--which is what I think most responses to hot-button topics qualify as. I have seen comments that simply express agreement or encouragement, but if one is simply looking for approval, then on should share one's writing with one's mother--not with strangers. In fact, that is why I came to Blogcritics: to see how my ideas react with all sorts of people, many of whom are ideologically different than I (and I do feel disappointed sometimes when I get no comments--try, try again). There is also the phenomena of groups and social pressure. In the book, "Influence," by Robert Cialdini, the author explains that we tend not to go to someone's help when nobody else in a group of strangers is doing it (as he shows in his example about the woman in New York who was beaten, raped and murdered over an hour or so as at least 30 people watched from their apartment windows--nobody even called the police or shouted at the attacker). It's like there is some sort of pressure in the group to do what everyone else is doing--not standing out. Well, apply this to blogs. I guess I am more likely to respond to a post that has already gotten several comments--other commentless entries sometimes just float by (even when I am interested in them). Cialdini says that when you are in a group of strangers, and you want help (say if you think you are having a heart attack), then you should single a particular person out. Maybe this would work with blog entries: ask a specific Blogcritic for feedback and maybe others will join in.

Comment by TDavid

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 14:11:27 EST

Eric - more comments come from hot button topics here than from well written reviews. Some of the best reviews I've read here had either zero or one comment on them.

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 14:06:41 EST

I don't think blogs overall tend to be overly negative - I think that they - and especially a popular culture news and reviews site such as this one - tend to be either highly positive or negative. Those are the kinds of reactions most likely to draw a written response. It's just human nature.

Comment by TDavid

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 13:45:01 EST

Zudfunck - write for yourself first and readership second. Write because you enjoy writing, not because of what the critics say about or directly to you. As you'll learn quickly (too many) critics can contradict themselves and cross up their own points of view. And then there are some trolls here like there are on every other website with significant content. I didn't visit your blog but if it's a more of a personal blog, as many blogs tend to be, then why really care what others think about what is written there? As for commenting, I think it's great when you get comments on your writing (spam and trolls aside). Sometimes you can learn a great deal from those who disagree with you on something. Something to keep in mind, happy blogging to you! :)

Comment by Eric Olsen

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 11:42:46 EST

"Archives" in a general sense is just everything that has ever been posted to the site, which is more or less all still available. You can use to search box at the top to look for something specific, or key words, etc, but it won't work to look for authors. At the top and bottom of every post there is a link to all the posts by that author, and you can also link to the category and/or subcategory. In other words, for this post, you could find everything by Zudfunck (this is his first post), and you can also click over to a list of all Et Cetera posts and Et Cetera: Internet posts. Hey Zud, very interesting thoughts to sort of pull us out of the box, so to speak. Thanks and welcome!

Comment by debbie

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 08:00:41 EST

How do you get to the Archives?

Comment by Al Barger

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 01:25:32 EST

Like Cthulhu, the evil one whose name must not be spoken, I find myself summoned to this thread. Yeah, me and the Diva have a bit of history here. Feel the love between us. Yup, give me another six months to work on her, and she'll be hanging out at Charlie Daniels concerts, hollering for "The South's Gonna Do It Again."

Comment by Jan Eggers

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 00:28:55 EST

If you are interested in finding out about Blogcritics Bloggers, then check out the archives. I found "Our happy hate crimes :)" by Al Barger to be compelling (it got well over 100 comments). Don't ever bring up Randy Weaver or David Koresh when Al Barger or Mac Diva are watching. I just made this mistake, and it started again (see InstaPundit Glenn Reynolds, paranoid). Of course, this is the type of blogging that you are referring to (it all started with a debate about the politcal leanings of Instapundit). I don't have a problem with it, and I especially like when people add humor (Al Barger and Mac Diva do this well). There are other types of things going on with posts and comments, though. I just posted On Being Offended, which I think has a positive message about tolerating the views of others. Keep in mind, though, that critics tend to criticize.

Comment by Jan Eggers

Tue, 30 Dec 2003 00:02:44 EST

Hal Pawluk pissed in my cornflakes. Mac Diva pissed in my cornflakes. Al Barger pissed in my cornflakes. Eric Olsen pissed in my cornflakes. I saw Goody Proctor with the devil. I saw Goody Nurse with the devil. And yes, I confess it: I am a wizard. I hate everybody, and there is no disguising it with pretentious good intentions. "[H]anging him in public, naked, with dignity nowhere near to cover his ugly frame!" Isn't that what you are supposed to do with a wizard? Just what are you insinuating by calling me, "You." Are YOU in league with the devil? The government? Are you finding delight in our piranha frenzies? Are we like guinea pigs in your giant observational experiment? You prod us with your words from a distance and smile when all is going according to plan? Is that a holier (bloggier?) than thou attitude that I detect in your language? "A sinister cabal of superior bloggers." Okay, I guess that qualifies as bloggier than thou, so you are off the hook. Actually, I just realized it. I pissed in my own cornflakes and blamed all those other people so as to boost my self-esteem after such a shameful act. And that is also why I blog.