Wednesday, February 18, 2009

And Kausfiles, too

Last Night:

No Carping. We're Bloggers!

Tumblr Goes Denby: The founder and CEO of Tumblr, David Karp, announced that five blogs in his "community" critical of Web personality Julia Allison have been taken down because they were "derogatory" and constituted "harrassment." ... I suppose Karp can kick whomever he wants off his site--but that's exactly what seems to be going on here. It certainly smells like a CEO protecting a friend. (Allison says "I haven't asked David to take down any sites in a long time." Oh.) ... Note to tumblr bloggers Alex Balk and Elizabeth Spiers: Hope you stay on Karp's good side! .... P.S.: Allison sees Karp's action as applicable, not just to his "community," but the entire Internet:.

There is no reason the internet should remain in its current Hobbesian state of nature. Someone needs to begin the long process of setting basic standards of decency online.

This is an argument so new it's already old. But Allison is a peculiarly unappealing complainant, having attempted to build a career out of exposing her private life in public on the web. Now people shouldn't be able to criticize her with the same vigor with which she promotes herself? ... P.S.: Here's a google cache for one of the sites tumblr deleted, Reblogging Julia. Seems pretty tame--at least by Atlantic standards! ... P.P.S.: Doesn't Allison understand that the only thing worse than having five sites devoted to trashing you is having four sites devoted to trashing you? [I think she does!-ed You're not suggesting she'll be happy to see this item too? This item is vicious! She'll never recover from this item!] ... 11:26 P.M.

2 comments:

  1. Loving this Kaus summation of the central irony of the Tumblr purge of Julia Allison-related sites and her cheering on of same:

    "Now people shouldn't be able to criticize her with the same vigor with which she promotes herself?"

    Exactamente. Live by the blergh, die by the blergh. It's the great wheel o' internet life, and not even a Pretty Pink Headbanded Princess can stop it.

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  2. Love that Slate was onto her. I know a top editor there who had never heard of her, and was happy to be warned in case she ever pitched any stories to them.

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