Internet: Serious Business
I’ve heard of no such blacklist by gun blogs of The Truth About Guns. The accusation that there is one should probably be supported with evidence. After all, I seem to run across their stuff often enough when making my reading rounds. I don’t link often for the same reason I don’t link anti-gun blogs often. I don’t regularly read either.
I don’t read anti-gun blogs for the same reason I don’t read bigots. Why expose myself to such stupidity? Or astroturf? Those who are on the wrong side of history aren’t worth reading. I do read the various blogs of national gun control organizations and link to them to shame them when they say something stupid. And that happens a lot. ETA: To be clear, TTAG is not anti-gun.
As to why I don’t really read TTAG, a few reasons. I realize the icanhascheezburger model of lifting someone else’s pics and commenting is a formula for blog success, but it’s not my thing. When something hits TTAG, I’ve already seen it. Everything on the front page today, I read yesterday.
Also, bad etiquette to lift entire posts.
When I briefly meet two guys from TTAG at the NRA convention, they made it pretty clear they were in it for the free stuff. The blog is a money making venture. Good on ya and I wish you luck in that. But the rest of the gun blogs are about community.
August 19th, 2011 at 9:58 am
Thanks for responding to our post.
As the post stated, the blacklist is unofficial. And I will not name names because I don’t wish to burn bridges. If you wish to discuss that particular aspect in more detail, please ping me at guntruth@me.com.
TTAG is not an anti-gun blog. Period. I have written well over a million words in the last year-and-a-half defending the Second Amendment. In no uncertain terms.
If you mean you don’t read the anti-gun blogs to which we link, my reasons for doing so are in the editorial. I believe the best way to expose anti-2a arguments is to expose them.
TTAG is a blog. We blog. We adhere to fair use provisions. But we also write a tremendous amount of original content, including reviews. We also try and do as much original reporting as possible. Which is not very often because we are not profitable.
I run TTAG at a loss for three reasons. First, I believe in what we’re doing. Second, I enjoy doing what we’re doing. (As do our unpaid writers.) Third, I want to make money doing this, so I can cover my expenses and pay my writers.
No gun website has any obligation to link to TTAG. Obviously. If we don’t float your boat, fair enough. But I’d ask that you reconsider some of the opinions expressed here. They simply don’t reflect the reality of what we do.
August 19th, 2011 at 10:04 am
I in no way think TTAG is an anti-gun blog. And anyone who does, I don’t think gets it. I appreciate the work you put into gun issues.
I’ve still heard of no such blacklist.
I’m a good capitalist and appreciate you trying to make money. Go for it. It’s a beautiful thing. But, with respect to the other gun blogs, you seem to lack the sense of community. And that’s my real issue.
August 19th, 2011 at 10:30 am
I read TTAG occasionally.Usually after I’ve gotten my Gun and Politics information correct, with citations, liks, and good analysis, FIRST. That saves a LOT of time as TTAG is 90% rehash, 5% new content, and 5% Drama LLAMA.
I’m not real fond of TTAG carrying water for or highlighting things that support the Anti-Gun argument. Let the opposition carry their own water and do their own work.
The other issue is that TTAG seems to spend too much time tearing down others who have been working longer, harder, and very effectively for gun rights and civil rights.
From comments on Robert’s article: we have seen the enemy and it is us …
Robert’s “I’ve heard but won’t tell you who” style of “Open” and “Transparent” reporting will accomplish his goal: Page views and Drama.
August 19th, 2011 at 10:41 am
I’m not getting 30,000 hits/day on my blog. I must be getting blacklisted, too.
August 19th, 2011 at 10:51 am
Where’s the love guys?
Seriously, if I/we get it wrong—sorry “when” I/we get it wrong, ping me at guntruth@me.com. I will respond STAT, fully aware of the likelihood that I’ve made a mistake. And making the changes that need making.
Meanwhile, how would you have me reach out to the gun rights and/or gun blogging community? Seriously. I link all the time. What can I do to help?
August 19th, 2011 at 10:58 am
Saw 2 Trolls who were thrown off of other Blogs my friends write in the comments section. His Blog, His rules. So whatever you chose to do, Unc, it’s Your Blog, Your Rules. As for me, now that I’ve seen his Blog, I don’t think I’ll be going Back there. My Eyes, My Rules.
Funny thing about the First Amendment. It says you have Freedom of Speech. Doesn’t say ANYTHING being forced to Listen to that Speech, nor Read about it. Been in those countries in my past. Don’t understand why someone would give space/links to those who would destroy the U.S. Constitution, turning us all into Serfs. But, so far, it’s a Free Country.
August 19th, 2011 at 10:59 am
People don’t like to read assholes. Imagine that.
August 19th, 2011 at 11:00 am
Bubblehead,
I never said ANYTHING about forcing anyone to link to TTAG. Or read it. Perish the though.
August 19th, 2011 at 11:03 am
As for advice, I think just chill out a little. As I said, Internet: Serious Business.
August 19th, 2011 at 11:05 am
Trolls, they’re all the same.
August 19th, 2011 at 11:06 am
I don’t think anyone is trolling.
August 19th, 2011 at 11:12 am
There’s been issues with Farago rubbing people the wrong way, just check out when he was editor of TTAC…
August 19th, 2011 at 11:24 am
“I never said ANYTHING about forcing anyone to link to TTAG. Or read it.”
No, you merely stayed that anyone who does not link to you our anti-gun sites does not respect the First Amendment.
Which is bullshit.
August 19th, 2011 at 11:37 am
stayed/stated
our/or
Damn you Swype.
August 19th, 2011 at 11:55 am
I love how Farrago says he’s blacklisted because he links to anti-gun sites, and he links to anti-gun sites so his readers can see “both sides,” but he won’t link to people he thinks have blacklisted him so his readers can see their side.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
Sigh. I thought I explained that: I don’t want to “out” the sites because I’d like them to reconsider their decision. If that’s not good enough—and I fully understand the contradiction—I’m sorry.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Unc,
No need to go that far back. Tuesday they copypasta’ed an entire 10-paragraph post of mine. (One long enough that I’d have to shave some words if I wanted to mail it to Kathy in exchange for a check.)
That’s just bad form.
Funny how you and Insty and a few other people were able to link to it properly…
-T.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:38 pm
What Tam says.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:39 pm
They did the same thing to me August 11. Lifted virtually an entire post for hits on their site. But it’s OK because apparently it was ‘courtesy’ of me…
Do the right thing and link…
August 19th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
It’s not good enough, because you look like you’re making things up, at our expense, for linkbait. And it appears to have worked.
You want to know why I don’t link you? Because things that you say aren’t terribly insightful. Or witty. Or original. I’ve followed links to your site a dozen or so times since you started, and not once have I been compelled to come back on my own. I have 77 RSS subscriptions, so it’s not like I’m terribly picky.
August 19th, 2011 at 12:44 pm
It turns out all the traffic TTAG gets is from bloggers checking to see what content they ripped off that day.
August 19th, 2011 at 1:13 pm
Maybe the reason nobody reads or links to TTAG is that, well, it kinda sucks.
I’m not a blogger, I just read a few of them, and TTAG doesn’t really offer anything interesting or new, and often times seems condescending and impersonal. ‘Too cool for school’ if you will (Ironic considering this weekened’s photo captioning contest.)
Dispense with the conspiracy theories, and perhaps consider Occam’s Razor.
August 19th, 2011 at 1:27 pm
The one thing that a lot of assholes do not get is that other people who disagree with their opinion may be assholes too… So if you are acting like and asshole and other assholes treat you like an asshole you shouldn’t piss and moan about it like a whipped bitch because you brought it on yourself… I make some comments here that other people detest and they sure let me know it.. However I do not take it personally and get a persecution complex… Grow fucking up TTAG!!!
August 19th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Since I don’t read TTAG, I guess I won’t know when they rip me off. Oh, and I don’t read TTAG because I like to read original content, straight from the source…
August 19th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
TTAG gets linked by Professor Reynolds on a regular basis. I should be that lucky.
August 19th, 2011 at 2:08 pm
It’s not that TTAG is anti-gun, it’s that Robert Farago is a jerk. All of the obnoxious posts full of fail are his. Not all his posts are obnoxiously idiotic, but all the obnoxious idiotic posts on the site are from him. Some of the other writers are pretty good.
August 19th, 2011 at 2:18 pm
TTAG lost me when Robert Farago over reacted to Adam Winkler.
Adam is the first serious person from the other side who will listen, be rational, and move his position our direction or at least take the pro-2A position seriously.
Comparing him with Sarah Brady (and deciding he’s to the left of her) while being hysterical about it… Well, that shows me that Robert has poor judgement.
-Gene
August 19th, 2011 at 2:56 pm
I think Mr. Farago is just a bad writer and while he tries hard he doesn’t accomplish much. A lot of rehashed articles and a lot of junk that we don’t need. Also the one time he linked to me he produced very little traffic for me which is an excellent sign that nobody reads him. So this is not a matter of blacklist but a matter of not being competitive in the market.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:01 pm
You guys fight like high school girls.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:03 pm
Everyone’s a critic. And that’s fine with me. I don’t edit ANY comments for content, but we do not allow flaming. If a comment crosses the line—towards the site, its authors or a fellow commentator—they are warned. We’ve only banned two people in 1.5 yrs.
For the record, we do not lift entire posts. We cut and paste paragraphs with analysis and ALWAYS link to the original source. We have never received a single complaint in that regard. If you have one, ping guntruth@me.com.
We’ve built our traffic one post at a time, with thousands of articles, much of it original content. But yes, we’re a blog. We do the blogging thing. As best we can. As best I can.
One more thing: please remember that we’re a mainstream site. I will never surrender my faith in the 2a, but I am writing for a non-gun audience as well. It’s a big tent. All are welcome. Even if I’m not.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
Robert, you’d best check your facts before shooting your mouth off to Tam.
Here’s her post: http://booksbikesboomsticks.blogspot.com/2011/08/formative-experiences.html
And TTAG’s word-for-word re-post: http://thetruthaboutguns.com/2011/08/daniel-zimmerman/safety-tip-remember-your-chamber-checks-always
Yes, attribution is given. But the Internet isn’t supposed to do that. It’s RUDE. Pull a key quote or paragraph, then link back. Not the entire darned thing /unless you ask and get permission to do so./
YOU didn’t do pull-and-post, but Dan Zimmerman did.
I’m headed over to my site and dropping TTAG from the blogroll. And do NOT claim “First Amendment” violations for this. Because if you do, you only show how darned little your understand ANY amendment.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Mr. Farago,
Bullshit. (And I have saved a screencap.)
August 19th, 2011 at 3:23 pm
You’re definitely welcome, any time. But I’m guessing you’re sort of newish to the gun culture.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
I’ve seen you guys do this many times, not just here but on a number of the other gun blogs too. One of you decides you don’t like somone and then the rest of you pour on support for that idea exaggerating the offenses, even inventing some.
I find the whole discussion kinda funny because to me you’re all in the same boat, Farago included. You’re all gun-rights extremists who cannot be reasoned with. The idea that there’s an internecine war going on between two factions of the extreme fringe, is pretty funny when you think about it.
Traffic-wise, I’m a nobody in the blogging business, but my ideas are big and they make sense. The result of that is I’ve been blacklisted and boycotted on many of your and your friends’ blogs. Along the way, I happened to see Weer’d Beard call for a boycot of The Truth About Guns too. He said it is not a pro-gun blog.
You know as well as I do what happens when Weer’d writes something like that on his little journal. Bob S. and Linoge pick it up and begin repeating it, then Mike W. gets into the act. Bigger guys like Sebastian and you Uncle might or might not verbally support such bullshit, but you support those who do it.
So, yeah, Robert’s absolutely right when he says he’s been boycotted.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:27 pm
Well, sure, if you’re insane.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:46 pm
“Tam Says:
August 19th, 2011 at 3:22 pm
Mr. Farago,
For the record, we do not lift entire posts. We cut and paste paragraphs with analysis and ALWAYS link to the original source. We have never received a single complaint in that regard.
Bullshit. (And I have saved a screencap.)”
BUUUUURRRRNNNN!!!!
August 19th, 2011 at 3:47 pm
“For the record, we do not lift entire posts. We cut and paste paragraphs with analysis and ALWAYS link to the original source. We have never received a single complaint in that regard. If you have one, ping guntruth@me.com.”
See, this is why people don’t like you Farago. Instead of taking responsibility for your actions you’ve decided to lie. (quite poorly too) Just because you didn’t receive a complaint doesn’t mean you didn’t lift Tam’s entire post.
August 19th, 2011 at 3:48 pm
“Traffic-wise, I’m a nobody in the blogging business, but my ideas are big and they make sense. The result of that is I’ve been blacklisted and boycotted on many of your and your friends’ blogs.”
MikeB – The reason you’re not welcome at my place has nothing to do with your ideas
August 19th, 2011 at 4:20 pm
“For the record, we do not lift entire posts. We cut and paste paragraphs with analysis and ALWAYS link to the original source. We have never received a single complaint in that regard.”
And if one were to expand the conversation to include things that are not strictly “posts”, we both know just how egregious that particular bald-faced lie really is, do we not, Robert? …About as bald-faced as the copyright stamp on images.
In other news, it surely would be nice if MikeyB would turn in his “Vicitm Card” – that thing got revoked the second he started advocating for the pointless abridgement of individual, Constitutionally-protected rights.
August 19th, 2011 at 4:51 pm
No need to go that far back. Tuesday they copypasta’ed an entire 10-paragraph post of mine. (One long enough that I’d have to shave some words if I wanted to mail it to Kathy in exchange for a check.)
This is why no one links you, dude. I quote sections of people’s material regularly myself, but I’d like to think I try to just put in a teaser, or only enough so if the page goes poof, people have some context for what I’m talking about. But you pilfered her whole post, or at least one of your contributors did. That kind of shit isn’t going to endear you to people, especially when your goal is to make money. I certainly won’t link you as long as I see shit like that happening, and that’s not the first time.
August 19th, 2011 at 5:50 pm
Looks like you got your links now, guys. This spat is popping up all over the place.
August 19th, 2011 at 6:42 pm
“Looks like you got your links now”
Which was the whole point, of course.
August 19th, 2011 at 6:46 pm
I avoided linking him in my post for the exact reason I do not want to drive traffic to the asshat.
I had no idea what the hell was going on when I read Alan’s post yesterday. I started to write a comment which turned into the post above. I talked to Alan while writing it and he gave the the skinny. The whole thing in my view centers around “Don’t Be a Dick”. Farago is a total Dick and he seems to think that he is some how exempt from common courtesy or protocol because he’s being “fair and balanced”.
Dude, news flash, most every gun blogger in this COMMUNITY is more fair and balanced than you are cause they’re NOT a dick. Yeah, MikeB is banned from most places, but that’s because he’s trolled and worn out his welcome. I will post parts of something someone wrote (usually one or two sentences at most) and link the source. Re-posting the whole thing is a sign of a total douche bag. Evidently this is not the first time he has done it either, and he has attacked those who are well respected within the community.
The guys motivation is money and then acts upset when he pisses on members of the community and they tell him to F-off.
We don’t need a blacklist because your behavior just tells us bloggers to stay the hell away from you. If I was still running the site I’d make you douche of the day in a heart beat.
Huhh… maybe I should start that site back up this weekend and give it a uncle motif of one liners with links. I’ll dedicate the re-founding to TAGG.
August 19th, 2011 at 7:26 pm
Yeah but being cryptic doesn’t really draw attention to the issue.
August 19th, 2011 at 7:29 pm
I was not aware of this post.
I have removed it from the public view from site (the link still works). I apologize to the original author and I’ve told Mr. Zimmerman to avoid making the same mistake in the future.
Please rest assured that I did not read this entire pst (another slip-up). This is NOT our usual practice. And I will make sure that it doen’t happen again.
If there are other examples, I will remove them as well. Again, my apologies to Tamara Keel.
August 19th, 2011 at 7:54 pm
Excellent. That’s what folks are getting at. They like their credit.
Thanks!
August 20th, 2011 at 3:05 am
You guys know perfectly well that what Farago just said about that not being his normal practice is true. You knew that before too. Yet, once someone like Tam throws out the accusation, the rest of the weakling sycophants swarm around repeating and repeating. Next thing he’s an “asshat,” for crying out loud, do you people have no integrity at all?
As far as my being banned, Mike W. is full of it and covers that up by blindly supporting people like Tam when they make absurd accusations and by calling everyone who disagrees with him a liar. Even the blog host admitted that I have big ideas. Thst’s why I get banned.
August 20th, 2011 at 5:36 am
Robert Farago and Mikeb302000 BFF 4Evah!
Trolls seek their own kind.
August 20th, 2011 at 10:08 am
You guys know perfectly well that what Farago just said about that not being his normal practice is true.
Except it is not.
He has copied entire posts from Tam in the past, and reprinted graphics from me without proper attribution despite a rather clear copyright stamp included on the image (in fact, he indirectly attributed it to the Brady Bunch – great journalistic integrity there).
Once is an accident. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.
And, dude, we have so many different records of you repeatedly lying through your teeth (up to six times in a single comment thread), you are going to get nowhere playing your cute little “Victim Card”. Turn it in already.
Also, reading comprehension fail – the blog host called you insane. Did that not make it through your narcissistic cloud? Amusingly, I dare say you just agreed with him…
Is anyone else amused that the only person defending Farago is Michael Bonomo?
August 20th, 2011 at 4:06 pm
Also kinda neat that when the owner of a piece calls foul he tells them to go fly a kite, but when the community is looking at his bad form, he suddenly is all sorry.
Brigs visions of Bill Clinton apologizing for cheating on his wife (that time).