I have a dilemma here: lose a writer or lose an aggregator. Before I go ahead and make a formal decision, I think I should hash out details of my dilemma and show my readers exactly how I feel about this situation.
As you all may know already, DeafRead.com (one of BOC’s aggregators) made an announcement that a blog (CochlearImplantOnline.com) is banned from DeafRead’s list of blogs. Regardless of their policies (although after investigating their guidelines, there is nothing to indicate that the banned blog has violated any of their terms), this is considered a form of censorship. Bucket of Crabs do not accept, condone, or encourage this kind of behavior whatsoever.
We, the writers, hold the first amendment of the United States Constitution as a human right. It was never and will never be a privilege.
In DeafRead’s latest entry, Tayler justifies DR’s move to ban the blog on these grounds:
“One of the DeafRead Guidelines mandates that published entries should not promote or market a product by a blogger affiliated with the product’s provider. The exception is being that of the company sponsoring DeafRead.”
Yet, none of the DeafRead editors back this with actual proof. This cannot be accepted.
According to the banned blog,
“My website is absolutely not a website for profit nor a commercial website, and it has no affiliation with Cochlear. Cochlear absolutely does NOT direct me how to create nor maintain my website nor give me any money to maintain my website. Cochlear Awareness Network is an organization that is no different from DBC and NAD. I’m just simply a VOLUNTEER member of the ORGANIZATION, not an employee for a business.”
Also, I’ve investigated her blog and discovered that she is not endorsing a certain brand of cochlear implants. One can check out her “about” page and see that she offers a wide range of options regarding cochlear implants.
I do not see clearly what rules the blogger has violated. Another point I’d like to address from Tayler Mayer’s entry is when he wrote, “However, product promotion of any type cannot exist in the entry itself.” So, on that basis, I request that DeafRead editors remove Ella’s Vlog/Blog from their list because she is, for starters, profiting directly from marketing Deafhood. I’m sure there are several other blogs doing the very same thing, take John Egbert for example.–his blog promotes his organization: DBC. If these blogs are allowed to sit on DeafRead’s list of blogs, then cochlearimplantonline.org should as well.
My dilemma is simple: lose a writer or lose an aggregator.
My writers and myself have not violated any of BOC’s policies of open dialogue, know no taboos, and never accept, condone, or encourage censorship.
I ask DeafRead editors to reconsider their shameless censorship of a fellow blogger (whether I agree with them or not) or Bucket of Crabs will have to remove itself from DeafRead’s list of blogs.
-Der Sankt
This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2008 at 7:47 pm and is filed under Bucket of Crabs, Rights, blogs, deaf, politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Thank you so much for supporting free speech and for giving the situation a fair and thorough analysis. The point is not for everyone to agree, but for all opinions to be respected and heard. I appreciate your support!
– Elizabeth, of http://www.cochlearimplantonline.com (and proud of it!)
how is this any different than joey baer’s blog promoting sprint pagers when you can see that sprint advertises on his blog?
OH BECAUSE SPRINT SPONSORS DEAFREAD!!!!! big steaming fucking pile of horseshit if you ask me.
okay.. how would it be different if Tayler said ‘ I dont like her’
and banns her - its his site, his right.
STFU and cry elsewhere
I’ve read the blogs, the post entries and the comments as well. I’ve seen Taylor’s replies as well as Rachel’s replies.
I’ve got to say with Rachel’s honesty and with Taylor’s lastest knee-jerk actions, Rachel is much more believable. This is why I have closed my primary blog - The Expatriate solely because DR became too deaf-centric.
I rarely go to DR, I go to the RSS feeds and they are much better. Lately DR has been energy-draining and it’s not for me. I go where I can enjoy my reading.
May I have permission to link your blog to mine? I do enjoy your blog, it is part of my daily reading. :)~
Guy in midwest,
Why don’t you take your own advice and STFU.
Bucket of Crabs is my website, it is my decision (along with my co-authors) to endorse and participate in DeafRead or not.
Patty,
Aw, thank you so much for your compliment–it warms me heart up. Oh yeah, you can link anything of mine to anything of yours (Just as long as Sprint sponsors it! haha).
Elizabeth,
It is my pleasure to stand by my fellow bloggers in defense of their rights. I read your blog and found it really interesting–this fiasco might not be so bad after all…Publicity is publicity, yes?!
-Der Sankt
You can see more of the Tayler hypocrisy madness at http://www.hear-for-life.org/news.html I just uploaded this morning.
I concur and I am in such awe at the ignorance and stupidity of many commenters that supports Tayler in many comments within several blogs in DR regarding this issue. Candy is at a melting point……
Okay. How is this a dilemma as you stated - lose a writer or lose an aggregator? You’ve explained the aggregator part. What about the writer part? That’s totally unexplained.
humm,
My writer will no longer write for Bucket of Crabs if we stay on their list with their appalling decision to censor a fellow blogger on “impartial” grounds.
And the Bucket of Crabs team do not want to lose this writer.
I hope that clears things up.
Candy,
Maybe McConnell and Paotie can set up a truly impartial aggregator. There seems like a market for that now…umm, ain’t that a thought?
I believe Bucket of Crabs is quite clear on our stance. The lack of response and apology from DeafRead for treading muddy waters and staining a fellow blogger will surely result in withdrawal of Bucket of Crab’s listing on DeafRead.
-Der Sankt
At first I couldn’t understand whats the meaning of your title til I saw Nesmuth961’s comment.
It made a sense to me!
He’s the big crab that pulled his people with disabilities down in his own “Deaf Advocacy” website (bucket)
Thanks for helping me to understand the meaning of your title!
Thanks!
My aggregator is very impartial. It just exposes the truth in which many deafies have misinterpreted and misunderstood as insults.
Richard Roehm
Der Sankt wrote:
“Maybe McConnell and Paotie can set up a truly impartial aggregator. There seems like a market for that now…umm, ain’t that a thought?”
PLEASE! Pretty Please?????
I am going to talk to ASL/CI Community to wihdraw its blog as well.
I am totally turned off with DeafRead!!! But we need to stay as a family of like minded bloggers and readers…. new aggregator anyone??? Hear for Life? I am not too sure because of the title.
\
Excellent response. Jodi
Opened my eyes,
I think the general idea was this: Earth is a bucket. Each and every one of us are crabs stuck inside that bucket.
C’est bucket of crabs
Thank you, jodi.
-Der Sankt
I’ll give you a kiss on the cheek.
I’ll bookmark this.
I read Tayler’s DR Blog in the recent comment area….he *KNEW* that Rachel was a volunteer.
It appears censorship. It is true the deaf community online is struggling to cope with the input from CI people, and knowing their opposition to CI’s and even hearing aids and oralism at times, CI input was always going to be contentional, however instead of addressing this, they have looked for a ‘loophole’ and found it via advertising, albeit a dubious and grey area.
In the UK, CI’s are mainly via a government provision, America is very much private by the look of it, so commercial in nature, I would have thought as that is the American way of things they could cope with the ‘MacDonald’s’ approach to implants, did the offending blog advertise price lists and companies ?
That would not be acceptable, however praising or supporting the CI is a right for any blogger to hold. If the ban was in support of deaf culture, then it is wrong and censorship, and will backfire on them. I’ve never really noticed, but is A G Bell banned from deaf.read too ? I’d rather SEE this group bogging here, because then debate about stances will happen and perhaps a meeting of minds and views after time, might happen, banning never solved anything, a warning should have been given about commercial plugs, then if that was ignored fair enough.
White Ghost, this truly bothers me. If Taylor “knew” Rachel was a volunteer, this has to be an extremely ignorant case of “putting the carriage before the horse” situation.
So far, none of the DR editors have been able to prove concrete evidence of Rachel’s “paid” volunteerism. If one of the DR editors continues this, who will be next to given the boot?
This only goes to show the quote “ignorance is bliss” is not true. Ignorance has to be the worst disability.
I truly pity those who are inflicted with this.
Didn’t Taylor once state this beautiful quote in his vlog? - “To have freedom of speech, you have to give freedom of speech.”
Sorry Taylor, but you truly need to retract those words yourself publicly.
I agree with Taylor and his team Rachel should have been banned long ago with her ofensive blogs about deaf people
I like the idea of a new and inclusive deaf aggregator. I wish I had the technical know how to create it. I would then say to simply let DeafRead go their own way and continue further in their decline. If there is someone who does have the technical know how to set up a new aggregator, she may be in my house. - Rachel, are you reading this?
I was funded by the Oberkotter Foundation for a while. We also got funds from Cochlear Americas as well. Setting up an aggregator is a lot of work. The php types are confusing. Google Reader itself is a good aggregator if everyone can learn to use Google Reader, he/she will be updated every day.
Another aggregate is not the right way, if we are to convince certain vested areas at deaf.read that diversity is now HERE, if we retire then this will label the entire cultural deaf community as isolationist and separatist as well as against free speech, this would no doubt, suit some who love the sound of their own blog anyway, but it would be a huge backward step for culture which appears on the ropes already, it isn’t, but they lack the will to stand their ground and start inclusion as a matter of course, a culture cannot thrive in isolation, the only reason it did before was because the access wasn’t there, now it is coming, they need to start using it, not abusing it !
More deaf aggregate sites are the solution. Trying to fix something thats not broken is not the way to go. Tayler doesn’t see its broken, thats a fact. He is a hypocrite, thats it, period, and end of story. So get your thinking caps on and build more sites to pull people away from Tayler’s hypocritical empire.
KT Bhadikurani
I use “Hearing For Life” as the funders like it that way and we get over 600 hits per day which is pretty high for a aggregator site just a little over a month old. Were totally inclusive from the deafhoods to the oralists.
I wont object to more aggregator sites popping up. I encourage others to build them. Competition is healthy.
If people misinterpret my actions as insulting or putting people down, thats not my problem to deal with.
One thing for sure, I wont be brazen like Tayler has been.
Richard Roehm
Thanks for the clarification.
Humm,
Pas de probleme!
-Der Sankt
If you want me to help you set something up Ben, let me know.
[...] Problems with DeafRead An example of how deafread doesn’t cater for an international audience Is Censorship Acceptable? DeafRead chooses to remove CI Online from their site! Deafread, you want full disclosure?! [...]
[...] Problems with DeafRead An example of how deafread doesn’t cater for an international audience Is Censorship Acceptable? DeafRead chooses to remove CI Online from their site! Deafread, you want full disclosure?! [...]
[...] Problems with DeafRead An example of how deafread doesn’t cater for an international audience Is Censorship Acceptable? DeafRead chooses to remove CI Online from their site! Deafread, you want full disclosure?! [...]
Hi there!
I wanted to e-mail you personally, but I couldn’t find your e-mail address. I just wanted to personally thank you for taking your time to show your support on my situation with DeafRead.
Thanks again!
[...] Der Sankt [...]
[...] Problems with DeafRead An example of how deafread doesn’t cater for an international audience Is Censorship Acceptable? DeafRead chooses to remove CI Online from their site! Deafread, you want full disclosure?! [...]
[...] Problems with DeafRead An example of how deafread doesn’t cater for an international audience Is Censorship Acceptable? DeafRead chooses to remove CI Online from their site! Deafread, you want full disclosure?! [...]
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