I’m stunned. I found out this week that more of my favorite blogs have been deleted from Entrecard (or left the community), and some are getting deleted for stupid things like their widgets not showing up in Internet Explorer. COME ON, this is a qualification for Entrecard?! Just about every blog will be intermittently deleted because of technical problems with Internet Explorer!
Hey, Entrecard- you have had a whole lot of technical problems over the months, much, much more than us bloggers all combined. Cut us some slack for tech problems, would ya? After all, that’s what we did for you!
Some EC bloggers are complaining that they “can’t see others’ widgets.” So these bloggers are instructed to report the offending blogs to the EC Higher Powers. I have a kinder, gentler solution: Mr. Blogger, why not post a comment on the widget-less “offending” blog, and ASK the blogger if they realize their widget isn’t showing. Wouldn’t that be more courteous than reporting to the Widget Gestapo where the blog will be instantly deleted? And maybe it’s a problem with your browser, Mr. Blogger?
I used Firefox for dropping Entrecards, but it seemed that half the blogs I visited had no widget. How could this be? I tried Opera browser, and lo and behold- widgets! So I use Opera to drop cards. Actually, I am so impressed with Opera’s speed and reliability that I use it all the time now.
My point is this: a little bit of understanding and common courtesy will save an unsuspecting blogger a heck of a lot of teeth-gnashing. And there IS such a thing as taking “quality” standards too far, ya know?
You see, at first, quick and decisive deletions of blogs from Entrecards was touted as the way to get rid of “splogs” and spammy blogs. Then there came “blog quality” guidelines, very vague in my opinion, where GOOD blogs were suddenly deleted from the system. Some were deleted because their web servers were down, others had Internet Explorer tech problems, others up and left out of disgust for these new stricter and arbitrary regulations.
I’ve read at the forum that EC doesn’t give bloggers a “warning” of impending deletion because they “don’t have the time or resources.” Um, well all of this irresponsible and accidental deleting and reinstating is eating up a lot of resources, too. Won’t you err on the side of your fellow bloggers?
The whole thing is unjust and makes me sick to my stomach. Entrecard, I think it was better when you had splogs in the system. At least we bloggers had some say in the matter whether we wanted to visit and drop on such blogs. Now, Entrecards seems bent on devouring its own. Somehow, like the Patriot Act and the meaning of the word “terrorist,” “splog/non-quality” has morphed from “someone who does harm” to “someone who doesn’t fall in line with our way of thinking.” It’s also really scary that just by speaking out about these injustices, I’m really afraid that my blog may get deleted!
Graham at EC (if you even read our blogs): This community had a lot going for it, but within a few short months you’ve completely turned around and made EC another blue-blood country club hell-bent on stifling creative freedom and controlling blogs. I hope I don’t get deleted from EC, because I like the traffic and I love the people I have met through it (some of whom are now deleted, sad to say). I’m hoping my rant, combined with the rants of others, changes things. I think that the greed, arrogance, and exclusivity have gone too far.
28. October 2008 at 12:52 pm
I wasn’t aware EC drops blogs without even a warning. I think that’s awful too!
28. October 2008 at 1:11 pm
Bravo for you for speaking up. Lately I have really considered leaving ED myself due to their new policies. But, just like you I have found some really great new blogs, such as all of yours, that I really enjoy reading.
However, in my opinion, I think they have way over stepped their boundaries too. Some times I feel they are running my blog and not myself.
Example: I love my music on my blog. Many times I would try my best to match a song to the post of the day. Now I have always known that most people would rather not listen to music on blogs when they are reading. But, it was always their prerogative to simply stop coming in.
Now I am forced by EC to have my music shut off and I miss it. I think EC is going way beyond what any forum has a right to in dictating what and who has a quality blog.
After all, without us they would not be growing like that they are. But, if they don’t start treating us as their customers they may just find the growth will diminish and they will simply have been a flash in the pan.
Now if they read your post they will also see my comment. So if we go down…we go down together!!
Have a great day:-)))
28. October 2008 at 1:49 pm
thanks for this entry, i have no idea about this until now that you have speak out on this matter…
28. October 2008 at 7:15 pm
I saw one someone’s blog today that they were deleted because their blog was more then 50% ads. They got reinstated, they didn’t explain if they deleted some adds or what. But as far as I could tell they didn’t hardly have any. This seems ridiculous. I’ve seen blogs with tons of ads, I have ads, I hope I don’t get deleted. And I don’t think that should even be a consideration.
29. October 2008 at 11:47 am
I couldn’t agree more or say it better! It’s totally unreal seeing some of the people who have been deleted or just plain up and left Entrecard. Really sad. And to me, giving no warning has to be about the rudest thing I’ve ever heard. Just speaks out that Entrecard doesn’t care about that blog. But then I have about come down to believing that if your not in the “in crowd”, then your nothing to Entrecard anyway.
29. October 2008 at 12:04 pm
Yep! What Rebecca says is so true. They seems some were so incensed with audio loading on sites that they got their way and had many blogs deleted. The tattle-tail concept is very troubling.
29. October 2008 at 10:35 pm
I know you are happy and I am too, that Entrecard will now give a warning before deleting, with some caveats. It seems reasonable. Ecarders should read the EC blog to know the full skinny and clear up any problems, asap, if they get a warning.