Going through changes…

First of all, I need a guinea pig. After coming home from work on several occasions and finding 700, 900, even 1100 spam comments on my site I finally decided enough was enough from the spambots and installed word verification. But since I am perpetually signed in and I don’t go back to work until Monday to check on a remote computer, I’d appreciate someone leaving me a comment just to verify that it works. I know I had only 4 spam comments overnight so maybe someone’s figured out a way to beat the program or it went on the blink – regardless going through four is a heckuva lot easier than seeing that I have 1100, just saying “screw that” and deleting the lot. It’s quite possible I may have deleted a few legit comments doing it and for that I apologize.

Next are the links. I added the link to the Robert Joseph Banks Congressional campaign. Lending credence to the accusations in yesterday’s Washington Times about Banks being a Gilchrest-backed ringer is the fact that his website is simply a screen and a contact address. Maybe the website will evolve as time goes on but for the moment the charges leveled by State Senator Nancy Jacobs and others seem to be legitimate, not a “vast right-wing conspiracy” as Banks himself answered.

Sadly, I also had to take off one of my favorite links because it appears that Crabbin’ is no more. So we all lose what was generally a good summary of news related to immigration and border security. Hopefully this is a temporary thing but I fear that “ddcrabb” has left the blogging scene for good, at least as an active participant. He’s always free to add his two cents on monoblogue, though. Maybe he’ll be my guinea pig for the word verification.

Finally I have to respond to a post in Salisbury News yesterday. While I’m glad Joe appreciates my political coverage and the attention to detail I exhibit as I craft my posts, I have to take issue with him ragging on my support of the local music scene. Besides the fact that thinking about politics 24/7 gets really boring after awhile, there’s a purpose behind expressing my interest in bands, as there’s a reason I have a Myspace page and generally separate blog there.

I’m trying to take a long-term view of changing society in general and one place my interests are congruent with those of the next generation is musically. To me, there’s nothing wrong with using those posts as a hook to snare the attention of those who are of my daughter’s generation. This technique is sort of like various churches using the appeal of a more laid-back and casual service to attract a younger generation to their services.

And I think I’ve walked that tightrope pretty well, as my political influence rating is generally among the top among Maryland blogs yet I can get away with non-political posts like my music coverage and Shorebird of the Week.

So that’s the deal, and even though the bulk of my article was about changes, one thing I refuse to compromise on is writing about what interests me. Ask the people I spoke to Thursday if I haven’t done it with at least some success.

Late edit: I just added another recent link, that of the Camden Neighborhood Association.

Author: Michael

It's me from my laptop computer.

7 thoughts on “Going through changes…”

  1. Politically, we may part on a number of issues, but you sometimes appeal to my libertarian tendencies . . .

    Musically, you enjoy a harder edge than I do, generally, but I like the fact that you take the time to cover the local scene as you do . . .

    Overall, though, what I like best about your blog is the attention to detail and the focus on principles, not personalities . . .

    Don’t worry about Joe . . . he’s the National Enquirer of the Shore . . . a “tab-blog,” so to speak . . . you, on the other hand, are the Heritage Foundation, the National Review, & Spin all wrapped up into one . . .

    Keep it up . . .

  2. Spam is fun, isn’t it?? Man, I was hoping I’d get to be the guinea pig. I wanna be a pig! I wanna be a pig!! Wait, what am I saying?? Maybe I should stop right here.

    Hey, keep writing about local bands, sports, and the other things that interest you. It makes this blog what it is.

  3. Micheal, I must say your commitment to the local republican party is true, informative and detailed and hardly liberial bashing. Maybe sometimes more detailed than I care to explore being ADHD, reading comprehention is a problem, I’m better retaining oral information, but do the best I can. Like OceanShaman said you are good at what you do and keep it up.

    I have a music blog now just to keep me spending less time on issues on blogs too controvercial for me to participate, and trying to keep it positive. Our blogs, are “our” blogs and although I am not getting many comments I know people are looking just from the spike in my profile views, and if people don’t like it, they are just a click away from excape. If nothing else I am building a nice musical archive myself for my own entertainment.

    I very seldom drink or go out to listen to music any longer. I used to live in bars between working in them and drinking in them, so I miss a lot of local bands now days. However I do have a resource (Here) to explore band options if I do care to go out and thank you for that.

    I’m trying to post older, obscure music that is artistic but not critcally acclaimed by main stream music, a few are of course. I have been looking for “Odd Couples” not often if ever recorded together, or just tracks I haven’t heard in an ion.

    Bob Dylan & Johnny Cash in the studio, Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood, U2 with Mary J. Blige, Eric Clapton and Duane Allman, Billy Preston and Eric Clapton doing George Harrison’s “My Sweet Lord.” Oceanshaman is my nieces hubby and he has a link to my blog on his site, it’s called “Blast from the past.”

    I started the whole thing willy nilly and after I tried googling my blog I found about 20,000 blast from the past sites, so I added “Blowin’ in the wind” to it to narrow down the google search. It’s not a lot to comment about, with the music I try to add some historical references, dates recorded and so forth. At least nobody has posted, “You old fart…… your music sucks.” LoL Having said that I better prepare for several posts like that ; )

    My taste in both politics and music may be slanted and different from yours, divercity is a great thing and hope you don’t change a thing. Thanks for alternatives……..Tim

  4. I hate to say it Michael but it took almost an hour to get your first comment during prime time, that’s not good.

    Secondly, as for the music thing, this is your Blog and I truly believe you do a very professional job with it.

    Sadly, we are of very different backgrounds Michael. You see, I would have cut off 11,000 spam messages, oh, probably a yhear or two ago when it first started and NOT sat through all that crap just so people didn’t have to use the anti spam BS. That one borders on a very serious Dee, Dee, Deeee, Michael. LOL

    As for oceanshaman, aka, Chris Llinus, Bite Me you F/N Convicted Criminal.

  5. The copious amounts of spam are actually a recent phenonenon (within the last month) so I think the nasty comment on your part is out of line.

    As for taking an hour to get my first comment, perhaps someone wanted to put a thoughtful comment up first (as oceanshaman did) instead of some of the ones you’re saddled with. I’d rather have five or six good comments than 100 of some of those you get, regardless of the number of readers.

    I’ll borrow a phrase I’ve come across on occasion that describes our sites:

    On your site, great minds think alike.
    On my site, great minds like a think.

  6. What? Huh? I don’t get it? LOL

    900 comments in 5 days, not too shabby Michael and I deleted a TON of them as well.

    There’s no question many comments were not exactly what I’d like to see but at least people are talking.

    So Michael, do tell us your thoughts on the racism problem within the Fire Department?

    My guess, you’re too scared to rock the boat, therefore you should be a Blogger, IMO. Having a pampered site simply means you take baths instead of showers in order to cleans every nook and cranny without having to actually do all the work yourself.

    However, you still sit in dirty water. Your site is simply too verbose for most.

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