Subscribe to
Posts
Comments
NSLog(); Header Image

Professional Flame Wars

I'm involved today in a bit of a professional flame war. Rather, I'm being baited, but have thus far (and will continue to) resisted the wiggling worm with the buried hooks.

A blogger who disagrees with my opinion (and, the overwhelming majority of the time, the facts) on a certain topic essentially accused me of "selling out." He's said that my opinions - and the opinions of seven other individuals with whom I work - have been bought and paid for by another company simply because they advertise on the site.

This, despite the fact that my opinions were well formed prior to my first conversation with this company (regarding any topic!) and the clause in the advertising contract explicitly stating that advertisers have no impact whatsoever on site content.

Anyone who has ever gotten to know me in real life can also attest to the fact that my opinions are strictly my own. I may occasionally agree with someone, but I certainly don't change my opinions for anyone. Not my wife and not for a few bucks to cover hosting expenses. I can be persuaded, but money is not the way to do it. A good, sound argument is.

At any rate, this is how people such as the one of whom I speak attempt to get under your skin when they have nothing else to fall back on. It's a lame attempt at painting me as a shill in order to discredit my opinions. It's really quite laughable. This person's opinions are of the "John Dvorak talking about Apple" variety - filled with so many holes and intended, it would seem, simply to cause a stir and to get some attention. The facts are rather clearly on my side, while his side is purely emotional (and egotistical).

Fortunately for me, I'll have nothing more to do with this person directly. I'll respond now and then to third parties inquiring about the situation, but as of today, I don't even subscribe to the guy's RSS feed. I bid farewell to the waste of time thinking about him and what he has to say has become. Adieu!

One Response to "Professional Flame Wars"

  1. Whoa, you mean Dvorak's authoritative tone doesn't mean he actually knows what he's talking about? MY WORLD VIEW IS SHATTERED! Shattered, I say!

    Full Disclosure: This message paid for by the Committee to Do Something Or Other.