There’s lots of new changes on the site whether you see it or not. For starters, the site is “skinned”. I’m in the process of making a back-end CMS (content management system) that controls my links, fonts, and now the guestbook.
As you can see, I haven’t added the “Sign my book” function yet. And as you can tell FROM the most recent date… it’s been awhile. It’s almost painful to read some of the entries and remember what they were for.
A lot of history here.
No, I’m still off until March… and with a series of brand new redesigns. But a few things have come up…
A ghost FROM the past has come back to haunt me in the form of a legal action next month that requires my undivided attention. The fact is, this case shouldn’t be. Of course, you know how the court system in PA works:
- Plaintiff open his mouth.
- Judge looks at defendant.
- Defendant has to prove their innocence.
I’ve never seen such stupid horseshit in my life. I have to prove this dickhead has no case, rather than the judge asking what evidence the plaintiff has to justify wasting our time. Otherwise I have to deal with my stuff being auctioned again to pay whatever the judge awards this clown just for filling out three forms and showing up.
Oh yeah, and he’s in a wheelchair too. Tell me how my odds are.
I’m torn here…
I’ve always been enamored by the concept of us all HAVING a sense of “community”. Aside FROM the typical things that communities do, like get together, have barbeques and block parties and good times…
… there comes times when you have to take out the trash.
Some people rise to the occasion, and some people don’t. I remember the outrage when we heard that a married adult blogger asked an underage girl to masturbate on her web cam, when another turned out to be a manipulative prick that hurt people and hid behind their charisma, when another led us to believe she had a daughter dying of cancer…
The list goes on over the years. The offending parties end up being chased to the outskirts of town with torches and pitchforks… and we never hear FROM them again.
In a strange, ironic twist… a post FROM a dear, sweet friend showed up in my referrals today to remind me that there are people that care… and there are people there for you when you need them.
There’s more to it though. Lots more. You can ask anyone that gets involved… there’s a price to pay. You get the “Why don’t you mind your business?” email harassment. You make enemies for life. If you don’t get enough backup, you get the shit kicked out of you for all to see.
Been there done that. More times than I care to remember.
It’s a big-ass community now. The stakes get higher and higher.
Do we start taking the “mind your business” route?
Do we take it when we stand more to lose than gain?
Do we do it even after we’ve been burnt so many times in the past?
I don’t want to give out particulars just yet (it’s not political, ok?). I’m very interested in what you think.
Is it worth it to get involved in the web community anymore?
Is it time for some of us to hang up our badges as “Net Police”?
You can even post anonymously and/or not leave an email.
To make this new phrase easier for Americans to understand, Kool-Aid™ has a new line of flavors…
If all you see is a graphic that says “Launching March 1st”… well, that aint it (and don’t ask!). The new site is currently in propagation and you’ll see it in the next day or two. There will be tons of stuff added in the next few weeks, some PHP magic and my pushing some scripts FAR beyond the limits it was originally designed for.
