Triberr is a blog amplification platform, not a place for private clubs.

Apologies: A follow-up.

You may recall I recently wrote about the lack of apologies we seem to be moving toward as a culture, and how this is severely hampering our likelihood of taking responsibility for mistakes. It would appear I’m not done with the topic.

 

Last week a discussion began on the bulletin board of a group I’m following in Triberr. I plan to talk in depth on Monday about what it means to “follow” a tribe, but for the sake of this post, let’s just say I am subscribed to the group’s feed so that all their blog posts are easily visible for my viewing pleasure.

 

Definitions for those not “in the know”:

BLOG POSTS. As in, published for public consumption.

 

TRIBERR. A “blog amplification platform”. That’s Triberr’s description, not mine. Triberr bills itself as a platform which amplifies public blog posts. For absolute clarification, let’s just say it one more time. Triberr is a blog amplification platform.

 

I want to make sure we are all in agreement on these terms because what follows is truly baffling, and I want someone to explain just WT-flying-F is happening in this particular tribe.

 

First, a recap of the situation.

I am a blogger, and am looking to grow my readership. As such, I am a member of Triberr, which is to say, I fully endorse and utilize a blog amplification platform in order to (follow me here) amplify my blog.

 

I am the chief of one tribe, and a member of several various other tribes, the members of with which I particularly enjoy engaging, both inside and outside Triberr. But because I joined overlapping tribes when I first signed up on Triberr (meaning that many members were in the same groups), I began to feel as though we had become a somewhat incestuous pool of blog-sharing. I wanted fresh meat, so to speak. I was hungry for new material, both to read as well as to share with others.

 

Much the way a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, a blog amplification platform can only be as successful as the people who are doing the amplifying.

 

So I began following (or, as I like to call it, “shadowing”) other tribes. As a follower, I am privy to a group’s blog posts, which is completely awesome because it’s basically equivalent to subscribing to several RSS feeds all in one convenient location. Moreover, being a follower as opposed to a member, I can afford to be extremely picky about what I read and/or share, since it doesn’t impact either their stats or mine. This works out to an ideal situation for both the blogger AND me: Someone is getting material shared through no efforts of their own and with no expectation of reciprocation, while I get to read whatever I want with zero obligation to share. Sounds like the perfect set-up, if you ask me.

 

Nobody asked you, Andi-Roo.

Per the aforementioned post on apathetic apologies, an individual whom I shall henceforth refer to as “Chief” posted a discussion on the bulletin board indicating that another individual whom I have dubbed “Poopsie” suggests I might not be an ideal tribemate; Chief goes on to say that she will delete a friendly comment I made on her blog if Poopsie has a problem with me stopping by.

 

Wait. What just happened? Who the fuck is Poopsie? I looked her up and we have never been in a tribe together. Not ever. I don’t know Poopsie from a Walmart greeter, but apparently she has beef with me. That’s kinda fucked up, considering that to this day we have still never exchanged a single word… but… okay, whatever.

 

I left a somewhat self-deprecating response to this, admitting that, YEAH, I might not be the most awesome tribemate, since I don’t share material that I don’t like. I followed up by adding that, since I’m not a member of this tribe, that shouldn’t be an issue, and that while I didn’t understand Poopsie’s major malfunction, I’d stop shadowing the tribe if that would solve problems.

 

Because look, people. Triberr may be a blog amplification platform, but Andi-Roo is merely a blog amplification PERSON — and at that, a highly material driven individual who doesn’t amplify caca. And yes — “caca” is a subjective term. But see, I’m the boss of me, so it’s okay for me to be subjective.

 

Enter the Passive-Aggressive Apologist.

Moving on. So this guy gets all bent out of shape over me not sharing everyone’s posts. I’m like, UM — hello? Remember just then when I pointed out that I’m not a member of this tribe, so I don’t have to share ANYTHING if I don’t want to? DUH.

 

I call him the Passive-Aggressive Apologist because, while he did say he was sorry and that I wasn’t, from his perspective, doing anything wrong, he couldn’t understand why I was getting all bent out of shape myself. Which kinda made his apology null and fucking void. Hence the nickname.

 

Some people are nice.

Not everyone had grody things to say. One really sweet individual in particular stands out because she spoke up for me when she totally didn’t have to, explaining that while, YES, I’m not great at sharing every single one of my tribemates’ posts, I am a decent tribemate who ONLY EVER leaves positive comments. (Meaning, I might be a bitch here on my own bloggy-blog, but I mind my Ps-n-Qs when I’m on someone else’s turf!) She made a point of stating that she and I share membership in other tribes, and she has never had any issues with me as a tribemate.

 

Or something to that effect. At any rate, THANK YOU FOR SPEAKING UP ON MY BEHALF.

 

Another nice person also spoke up on my behalf saying something along the lines of, “Free sharing is great!” I wish I could remember which tribemate this was, because — THANK YOU FOR *GETTING* ME.

 

I’d love to copy their words of kindness verbatim, but I can’t do that. Which sucks major donkey balls and also? Seriously pisses me off. You’ll just have to trust me when I say that two people in this tribe were NOT ashole-ish. Rather, they were quite awesome and I would gladly return the favor.

 

Douche moves ensue.

Next thing I knew, the whole conversation was gone. Did I already mention how much this pisses me off? Well, let me say it again — that was pretty god damn fucked up, Chief!

 

The Chief speaks:

“Guys, I deleted the stuff about a non-member of our tribe. I’d love it if we could let the topic die now. Clearly people have conflicting, strong views about this individual and I feel as though I accidentally got in the middle of something. I didn’t realise that this forum is public. I am glad to know that it is, although I wish it weren’t as I will be a little more careful from now on. I really didn’t intend to hurt or offend anyone.”

 

Oh, really, Chief? You’d love for the topic to die? Someone — “Poopsie” — has major beef with me and you want the whole thing to just… stop? How convenient. I’d like if it had never actually STARTED. Because I’m still sitting here asking my , “What just happened?”

 

I would sure like to know what the “conflicting, strong views about this individual” are. I don’t even KNOW this person, yet she is apparently talking shit about me to you. WTF is that? You feel as though *YOU* “got in the middle of something,” huh? Yeah, I can get that, BECAUSE SO DO I. Would someone like to tell me what I stepped into by merely following this tribe?

 

Next up: the Passive-Aggressive Apologist

“no worries, mate . . . the voyeuristic Follower quality triberr now added to tribes is, at first, a bit unsettling . . . and you are so cool. In the long run it’s all small stuff. Onward and upward to another topic…”

 

And now I’m a god damn “voyeur” for wanting to read your blog posts? HELLO, if you want them private then (a) don’t publish them, and (b) don’t push them through a blog amplification platform! I mean, seriously — what part of BLOG AMPLIFICATION PLATFORM aren’t you understanding?

 

Or are you referring to my ability to read your bulletin board? If so, that’s pretty fucked up, because it’s not like I was just sitting there waiting for updates so I could spy on you people. HELLO, when someone posts on a bulletin board in a tribe to which I belong or follow, I receive an email of that message, through no doing of my own. I have nothing to do with it. All I know is, I’m sitting at my desk reading my email when suddenly I find out some chick named “Poopsie” is talking shit about me… and that maybe others are talking shit about me, too. And I’m supposed to just drop it like nothing happened.

 

I’m being made to feel like a fucking Peeping Tom for daring to say, “Hm, this tribe might contain some decent material! I think I’ll read some of it and share what I like! Hoorayz for everyone!”

 

Next up: Gallows Participant

“Yeah. I went to the main support area to ask about our situation and they basically said: Stuff here is all for public consumption. So our private option remains email. ”

 

Jesus Christ, people. I totally didn’t mean to intrude on your little elite club of fucking private writers. But again, what part of “blog amplification platform” gives you the idea that Triberr is the place for private clubs? You should probably move your asses over to Google or instead of hogging up space on a PUBLIC place that’s dedicated to sharing material. You aren’t in the right area of the blogosphere if you want your shit to stay private.

 

And seriously? You went and asked Dino how to make your bulletin board LESS bulletin board-ish? Because you want to continue being allowed to talk shit about someone? Or what? I still am stunned, floored, and amazed beyond comprehension as to just what the fuck it is you people think I’m doing by daring to enjoy your material and volunteering to disperse it to the blogging world at large. You are kind of noo-noo.

“Overall it’s a good reminder that nothing in cyber space is private. OK this is particularly open, and more open than we thought, but if someone wants to see something, chances are they can. For ever. ~Chief”

 

Yeah. Go figure. A public platform is… PUBLIC. What a strange fucking concept.

 

You know what? I hope you treat the next person who stumbles across your secret club better than you treated me. I totally don’t understand what you guys are trying to achieve. I only wanted to help, and instead got spit upon. Guess I’ll go promote someone else… someone who will be more appreciative of my efforts.

 

Assholes.