Last Shreds Of Sanity

Showing posts with label Writer. Show all posts

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Blog Trolls...Do They Really Think They're Anonymous?

A family member found my blog this past Tuesday. It's my SIL. LMAO! I have no clue how she found me {I don't reveal my full name online} or even why she is going through it with a fine toothed comb...OK, I am 99% positive that she is looking for ammunition to use against me somehow. That's the only explanation I can think of right now.

I am sure she thinks I have no idea she found me, though. But guess what? I have a hidden StatCounter that tracks EVERYONE'S IP address, length of visit, location AND longitude and latitude {From SiteMeter}. I can see where you are, what Internet provider you are using and what pages you read. I can also see which of my graphics and pictures she illegally downloaded. {My blog is copyrighted}. I also know she was at work {The IP address comes up as the name of the medical office she works for} and should be doing just that, working, instead of trolling through my blog for 8 hours, two days in a row.

And what was with coming to my blog at 1 o'clock yesterday morning? Damn she was on it until 3 am! Does she really have nothing better to do? Guess not, huh? She doesn't even like me, why is my blog so bloody interesting to her? She's never treated me like I was part of this family...EVER. Or really even been cordial to me.

Well, hell...I AM a good writer, damn it!! I haven't been personally asked to write for five, count 'em, five other sites for nothin'!

She was back on again yesterday. All freaking day! AGAIN. Since 11:30 am? Damn, woman, you that bored? I wonder if she'll come back today. Probably, considering she hasn't quite read every post and finished going to every link...yet.

I must be simply fascinating! Oh, who am I kidding? I freaking ROCK!!

Please note: If you are going to troll my blog, visit my friends {Yep, I can see that, too} and go through each and every post I have ever written, why don't you just leave a comment and be done with it? Anonymity isn't what it used to be. Not on the world wide webby, anyway. There is always a way to track your visitors and block IP addresses.

By the way, why , exactly, did you subscribe to my blog? {I can see that, too} And just to reiterate, my blog and all it's contents are copyrighted. And unless you have express permission from moi, ANYTHING you download, print out, etc., is a violation of that protection/law, so I suggest you delete them now.

Blog Trolls are so annoying, aren't they? I'm hoping she got a good eye full and enjoyed herself. I guess she must have, since she has read damn near every post I have ever written, clicked on every link and downloaded nearly every picture! {Again, so not cool and totally illegal because I am copyrighted. Not that personal boundaries or etiquette have ever meant anything to her.} Oh, well. I have never written a single thing here on my blog that isn't completely true or my personal opinion or belief. I just report the facts, Ma'am!

I almost forgot...she clicked on my Amazon links. I'm dying over that one! I have had Amazon for over a year and made bupkis. Now my SIL clicks on them and I may have made some extra dough from it, so it's not all bad.

Bonus time: All her trolling has sent my stats through the roof! I have so many page views and returning visits, now!

I also found a couple of great posts about Blog Trolls while I was surfing for images earlier. The descriptions of them are hilarious! I am sure many of you have had at least one of these different types of trolls at one time or another. I think it's funny how we all know a "stalker" that fits into one of those categories. "She who must not be named" anyone? LMAO {A shout out to my MomDot Mafia peeps: BAAAAAAAAAAAAAA}

The holidays are going to be extra fun this year. LMAO

Want To Read More? Go -->>

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

What Draws Us To One Another? And How Did The Mean Girls From High School End Up On The Net?

I was thinking about this the other day. What, exactly, draws us to one another? I mean in the virtual world, of course. What makes you say "Hmmm, I am going to check out that blog?" Is it the title? The description? The header image? Or is it a combination of things? What keeps you reading? Have you ever gone to a new blog expecting one thing, and then been sorely disappointed once you started reading?

And then, once you start liking the blog, and in a way by default the author, do you truly feel as if you know them? As if you really are friends, even though you have never met them in person or spoken to them on the phone? I know I have some readers that I communicate with by email AND they still comment on my blog (you know who you are). I cherish that. I really do. I consider them my friends. I also cherish every comment I get here.

We, all of us bloggers, try to make our sites look good. An easy to read & navigate template is a must, in my opinion. I have gone to blogs where the colors were so bad/bright/dark that it made my eyes cross & gave me a headache. Needless to say, I didn't go back to that site again. We also, I think, try to write good posts that will keep our readers' attention in some way or another. Whether we are trying to be funny, quirky, crazy or serious & informative, I think we all try to make our content cohesive, somewhat rational & engaging. I know I do.

I want you to come in, sit down & read a while. Of course, I have always wanted to be a writer. I have written short stories & poetry since I was a girl, oh so many moons ago. We all want that "comment love". That validation of our words. I get almost giddy when I see that I have comments. They are just awesome. To me, it's like getting guilt free chocolate covered caramel candies.

This also brings me to my other point. "Blog Cliques" and 35+ year old women who act as if they are still 15 year old cheerleader/Prom Queen/Members of the "Cool Kids" who use the Internet to publicly and intentionally hurt other bloggers. This unfortunate, yet widespread, phenomena confuses me. Aren't we all adults here? Aren't we supposed to be mature and able to move on past "High School Mean"?

I'll admit there were some people in High School who I did not get along with because I wasn't in the popular clique. They also, for lack of a better term, thought that their shit didn't stink. I can't stand people like that. Not then and certainly not now. But for the most part, I got along with almost everyone I went to school with.

I have known one of my oldest and dearest friends, Sarah, since the 9th grade when everyone would get us confused (including our then best friends) because we looked so much alike. We subsequently became known as "The Twins". My best friend, Carol, has been my best friend since 1991. We knew each other pretty well in High School, but lost touch for a couple of years after graduation. And I could not imagine my life without my friends. They are my sisters and I love them. But, I digress, again...

As I was saying, why do these women (and men, I suppose) feel the need to publicly "Blog Flog" someone else? It is the strangest, most rotten & immature thing I have ever witnessed from an adult. The Internet has essentially become a virtual High School Quad for those adults who are only mature in years, not in mind. It is sad, really. Are those people really that dissatisfied with their own adult lives that they would want to relive their teenage years in perpetuity and on a truly global scale?

I enjoyed High School, for the most part. I was even good friends with some of the "In Crowd". I met my husband in Junior High. We started dating Senior year. But I do not want to relive it all or be who I was then. Today, I am a Christian, Wife, Mother & Friend. I like myself, well almost always, anyway. High School was 20 years ago (or more, for some of you). My 20 year (HOLY CRAP!! REALLY???!!!) High School Reunion is this summer. I am not sure if I am going, but my best friend, Carol, is thinking about flying out here so that she can go with me and my Husband. If she does fly out, then I'm going. If not, then it will all depend on how much they are charging for tickets. Another tangent, sorry...

What I want to leave you with is this, do not feed into this inane bullcrap. Please. Try to remember that you are supposed to be an adult. This kind of behavior is not OK at any age. The Internet & personal blogs should not be used to hurt others. What are you teaching your children when you act like this? If your life is so terrible that you need to do these things, then you need a whole lot of God & a few years of therapy. And remember, when you write these things on your blog or in a forum of some kind, you are not just typing words on a screen, you are intentionally hurting another flesh & blood human being who has feelings & a heart.

If you have a problem with someone online, then contact that person via email, privately. Oftentimes it is something that is a complete misunderstanding and can easily be cleared up. I want you to realize this...the Internet is forever. Delete does not always remove the offending words or images. There is always someone, somewhere who has downloaded it somewhere else. Think before you type.

{This post is dedicated to my friend. You know who you are}