Why I moderate comments

For awhile, this was the main commentor on my blog.

One of the conversations that have been brought up on the Ultimate Blog Challenge Facebook page deals with the subject of moderating comments. So given the fact that I am running behind today, and I just marked another comment as spam on another blog that I maintain, I thought that I would state (probably again as far as my regular readers are concerned) why I moderate comments on all of my blogs.

[For those who are curious about what other blog is getting spam comments, it is the Celtic Soul Jewelry and Pottery blog. And my wife would like my regular readers to know that you can always special order a mortar and pestle in the Cobalt Blue color--it is one of the glazes that turns out perfect 99% of the time.]

The reasons that I moderate all blog comments is two-fold.

The first reason is that I have been involved in certain amount of flamewars and troll baiting. As in I write something, and then trolls come out of the woodwork with pitchforks and torches to tell me that I am someone's sockpuppet. Odds are that before the end of the month, I will upset another another such soul who feels the need to put me in my place. While I do allow a certain amount of those comments to go live...because they generally amuse me...I do have my limit. For instance, implying that me and my entire readership would have blended into Germany 1939 just fine crosses the line as far as I am concerned. Double standards concerning scholarship and what is fair to say also disturbs me. Therefore, half of the comment moderation is about keeping the sockpuppets and trolls inside what I consider to be their proper limits.

The second reason is that I get a certain amount of spam comments. Like the person (or robot) that keeps trying to comment on the video post about the Cobalt Blue mortar and pestle on the other blog--their comments are all about fake sexual organs, famous people, and where you can buy items that will give you the experience of bedding said famous people. And that is the PG-13 version of their comments. (And for some reason, they believe that a large part of my audience reads German--too bad for them that I do read some German and Yiddish...and their mouths [or keyboards] should be washed out with soap.)

So anyways, those are my reasons for moderating all the comments on the various blogs that I maintain. It is not a power trip, or that I like doing that much work, or even the fact that I am a classy act...it is the mere fact that I feel that there are people out there who probably would have been looked down upon by me even when my parents were living in the trailer park.

Anonymous comments are not proof

One of the things that I have been thinking about lately is how much weight one should place on blog and forum comments made by anonymous people. And by "anonymous," I mean people who either openly post as an anonymous (and perhaps unregistered) user, as well as those who use a handle such as "the Golden Dawn avenger"--a handle that actually tells you only that the person behind the handle has a big ego.

There are two reasons why I have been thinking about this.

One, I am in the process of setting up a blog to collect all the book reviews that I have done in various places. I have needed to do this for awhile. It has become more urgent, due to the fact that I am starting to recieve books from some GoodReads drawings that I recently entered (I have recieved the first two books today).

Do I allow comments on the Book Review blog? Or do I just refuse to allow comments through? And does it matter either way? (Please note that my book reviews were called into question earlier this year...by anonymous and faceless people.)

The other reason I have been thinking about anonymous comments is watching the comments being made on one of my blog posts on this very blog. There has been one person who has been pointing out dirt about Robert Zink--provided that you place any stock in comments that direct you to other comments made on another blog by anonymous people.

Personally, I do not need to hear anonymous comments about Zink to have an opinion of the man. After all, I had internet dealings with the man (we are not favorite people of each other); plus, I have done some "exit counseling" with some of his former membership--enourgh to know that I am definitely not suited to be one of his students.

The same holds true of several other people in the Golden Dawn community. Between the grapevine and my own interactions with people, I have a really good idea of who is what type of lunatic without having to read anonymous comments about them. And I am sure that they feel the same way about me--we all know that I am a lunatic with a soapbox.

And honestly, I find that the way that anonymous comments are presented as "proof" painful to watch because of the double standard that is applied to them. Simply put, an anonymous comment is considered to be proof when it supports your stated conclusion, but is considered a falsehood when it does not support your argument. If it is undermining your competition, an anonymous comment is proof and perfectly acceptable because people need to be able to present evidence without fear. But the same comment is it attacks your position must be coming from the political sock puppet of your enemy and is a complete lie, therefore anonymous comments should never be considered proof that you too are special type of lunatic.

Of course, most proof in the occult community tends to be treated the same way. Scholars have a double standard applied to them (if they support your argument, they are a good scholar; if not, they are a fraud who should be kicked out of the academy). Business practices and recruiting techniques are ok when you use them, but fraud when other people use them. A simple statement of a claim of ancient knowledge is accepted point blank by one group's membership while the same type of claims are considered lies when made by another group.

It is enourgh to make one want to declare that everyone is a liar and a fraud. And far more simple too. Of course, I have gotten to the stage where I am just starting to ignore any comment that is made by someone that I do not personally know. But let's be honest, being called a neo-nazi and told outright that it is ok for others to destory one's reputation because you do not belong to the one real Golden Dawn makes one dislike anyone who stands behind "anonymous" or "enemy of all false GD Orders" and calls you names.

So do not expect me to accept blog and forum comments presented by anonymous posters of proof of anything. After all, I know enourgh people who are posting using their real names that I do not need to see evidence that is untraceable. You would not accept my statements as proof if I hid my identity, so why should I trust you when you do the same?

Ok I have read your advertisment (blog advice)

Open letter to the person who attempted to post the same comment three times on three different entries:

Dear blogger,

I am glad that you like (?) my blog. But I have a policy of not allowing comments through that are thinnly veiled advertisements---especially ones that are little more than a series of keywords that you are hoping that the search engines pick up on. Furthermore, you really need to brush up on your English, for instance "I really lie your blog" is not the same as "I really like your blog." It is nothing personal; my opinion is based purely on your comment context; it is simply that I would like you to actually comment on the context of my blog, rather than simply post an advertisement for yours. In other words, it is for business reasons, including SEO reasons, that I am not going to let your comment through.

A better way to get me to link to your blog is to write real comments that add something to the discussion. You may not realize this, but search engines are programmed to ignore, or to devalue, sites that use the advertising tactics that you are using. What you really want to do is to be a valuable member of my community, therefore making me think of you as a friend, or at least an interesting expert in your field, and getting an organic in-post link to your blog; this type of link would actually carry far more weight with the search engines than the link contained in your canned blog comment.

Yours in the Great Work,

Morgan Drake Eckstein

Are flame wars good for business? (Blog Advice)

My superpower is pissing people off. Seriously.

One of the things that you see quite a few new bloggers do is to attempt to please everyone. There is a problem with this approach---you tend to end up with a vanilla blog that no one reads (not even your own mother). Awhile back, I started to read blogs written by pro-bloggers (bloggers who were making a living by blogging). And all the pro-bloggers seem to think that you cannot have a successful money-making blog without upsetting the occasional reader.

This opinion made me reconsider the recent policy by some to shut up anyone whose opinion upsets someone else. What if avoiding the flames is actually harmful to business?

(By "business," I mean getting eyeballs to your blog.)

Looking around at the various Golden Dawn blogs that I am aware of, I was stuck by the pageviews of the blogs that shouted flame war the most, allowing the most trollish comments through---the more irate the comments, the more views they exhibited.

Now, I will admit I was not scientific in my approach; I was using the numbers from the widgets that bloggers willingly displayed. I am not sure if the numbers can be gamed or not. What I do know is that if the numbers are even half-right, these people who are fanning the flames and allowing trolls to post are getting a lot more pageviews than I am.

And over the last few years, I have watched two Orders basically run campaigns where they claimed that others were attacking them. It reminded me of the tactics that various bad governments used to control the minds of their population. I don't foresee either group changing their tactic any time in the near future. Obviously, instilling the fear of others into their membership is good for their business.

Now, I am still not completely sure that flame wars are good for business, nor am I sure if they are bad for business. But I do know one thing for sure. Trying to avoid a flame war is bad for my business. Let me explain.

Over the last year, there have been several times that I had a really good blog idea...then I would realize that it would upset someone, and I would not write the post. That is right: the fear of causing flame war prevented good blog posts from being written. It is the French method of losing wars---surrender before the fighting begins. (Leave your rage about my bad attempts at humor in the comment section.) Basically by allowing the internet fire department to control my writing, I went silent which just gives the victory away to anyone who is willing to buck the trend.

Look around the Golden Dawn blogosphere. What do you see? A lot of silent blogs. I suspect that it is because no one wants to post for fear of causing a flame war. I am not sure that it is good for business. I know that it is hurting my own business. Is it hurting yours?

One Lone Nut in a Mixed Bowl of Nuts

I mentioned briefly in a previous blog post that Pat Zalewski wrote his latest Golden Dawn book, Alchemy and the Golden Dawn, for a single student. (Maybe "student" is the wrong term, maybe "friend" would be a better label---I am just not sure.) Then I got mail. It happens.

Yes, Zalewski wrote his alchemy book with a single student in mind. It is not just marketing hype. There is actually a student out there who was responsible for this book being written. A single student.

Hathoor Temple had a saying that even a Neophyte could function as a Secret Chief. I think that aphorism is related to my father theory that all it takes is one "bad" neighbor to start mowing their lawn and putting in a flower beds to get an entire neighborhood to fix itself up. Or maybe not.

All I know is that I have seen changes in the esoteric community before that could be traced back to a single member of the community.

Should we thank this student or condemn them? I am not sure. Time will tell.

So why hasn't this student weighed in with their opinion of the book? (Really?! I am surprised that someone asked this question.) It is the height of brilliance that this student has kept their mouth shut about their involvement. If it was you, would you admit to it?

I know that there are people just dying to know who this person is---just so that they can use this person's inexperience against them. You know that they are going to get a mailbox full of invites from groups and teachers worse than Pat's once their identity is figured out. "Gee, if you needed Pat's book, then my group is just perfect for you also."

Besides, one of the facts that is oath bound is the identity of the tradition's membership. If this person does not want to admit that they were involved, they do not have to. Even when you are a known member of the tradition, you do not have to tell all about your memberships. Personally, there are a couple of groups that I held memberships in that I would never publically admit to---though in all fairness, the groups would prefer me not to mention being a member either.

And yes, I actually know the student in question. It is a small tradition.

And no, I am not responsible for guiding this person to better teachers, friends and groups. They are free to associate with whoever they want to. Just like they are free to read whatever they want to. It is their time, energy and money; they can spend it however they want to.

They are a lone nut in the big bowl of mixed nuts that is the Golden Dawn community.

Now that I have answered my mail about this, I still have one more comment to make.

David Griffin mentioned in a comment to the blog post in question that he wished that Pat would have just gave this person the manuscript and left it unpublished. But let's be honest, David. No one forced you to read the book; you could have saved your money and time. Other people have reviewed the book without reading it---you could have done the same.

And seriously, I am not sure that it is your duty to protect the whole Golden Dawn tradition. People get exactly the type of instruction that they are ready for. It is part of being human. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, "It is all a matter of life experience." Sometimes people need to experience certain teachings and people, so that they can grow.

Putrefaction is an ugly, smelly, disgusting process. But it is necessary. Trying to avoid it, just slows down the acquistion of...well, the important stuff. Take for instance, my compost pile. It is ugly, it is smelly (sometimes), and there are bugs, worms and noisy birds that fed there. I am sure that my neighbors are not fond of my compost pile. Yet I need to have it if I ever hope to restore the soil of my garden without having to use expensive (and ultimately toxic) fertilizer every year.

Pat Zalewski's book serves a purpose. Eventually, its readers will move onto a better understanding of alchemy; it is a necessary way-station in their alchemical understanding. Trust the process, and take comfort in the fact that people get exactly the type of teachers they need to match their level of development. Embrace the putrefaction.

Blog Advice on Moderating Comments

One of the decisions that a blogger needs to make is whether they are going to moderate (manually approve) comments or not. This decision should be made relatively early in the life of your blog.

For me, it is simply a question of what set of pros and cons you want to deal with.

Manual Approval of Comments

Pros: You can keep flames, slander, libel, and insults out of your comment section. Regular readers will also occasionally use a "Don't publish this, for this comment is for your eyes only" comment to privately communicate with you. You can also prevent publication of the most blatant advertising.

Cons: It takes time to moderate comments---the more readers you have, the more time it consumes. And some people will be impatient and claim that you have refused to publish their comments when in fact, you haven't even seen them yet. People will also be upset if you decide not to publish their trash talk.

Automatic Approval of Comments (with or without a verification of human intelligence)

Pros: You don't have to worry about making time to approve comments---in other words, you can post and forget. A hundred people can comment in an hour, and you do not have to do anything for their comments to appear on your blog.

Cons: You have to trust human nature. You will have to manually delete any comments that you wish would not have been posted, including insults, flames, libel, slanders, and advertising---unfortunately, other people will have seen these comments and spiders will have cached them. You will be accused of aiding and abetting flame wars. And sooner or later, you will end up with advertising you do not want in your comment section.

In my case, I chose to manually approve comments. There is one blog that I run that I might change my standard policy for, but it is not occult related (for the most part).

Seriously?!

Oh yes, I am siriusly deranged.

Sometimes, I read the comments left to some of my blog posts and I find myself saying, "Seriously?!" 

Why yes I am a pirate

For the record, yes I am a pirate (someone active in at least one file sharing community). I am also a writer and creator of material. I can see both sides of the issue, therefore it always amuses me to blog as if I completely favor one side or another in the whole piracy issue.

(Watch my posts---one day, I favor the pirates, the next day those who are manning the walls.)

It is also amusing that Zinkyleaks is unaware that Nick Farrell, Darcy Kuntz, Pat Zalewski are more than likely aware of the fact that I spend time on the file sharing sites. And if they haven't figured out that I am a pirate...well, I would be surprised.

(I cannot guess whether Chic and Tabitha Cicero are aware of my activity...personally, I have no contact with either one of them.)

I have never made any secret of the fact that I spend time on the file sharing sites. I have talked about doing so on my blogs, including this one.

Likewise, I don't bother disguising the fact that I am a creator and writer on the file sharing sites. You would be surprised the number of writers and creators who are also present on the file sharing sites. Now, I am not sure how many of them are actively running a torrent program in the background, but I assume a couple of them are.

And yes, I have downloaded stuff still under copyright. In fact, it is safe to assume that anything created by someone who was still living after 1940 is still under copyright. Unfortunately, a lot of it is out-of-print.

I started torrenting for out-of-print games (oy, I am a nerd). Then I started to download the latest espisodes of my favorite television shows (I do not have cable and I am impatient---oy vey, I am a nerd). And yes, I have downloaded a lot of occult books (I guess that is the cherry on top---I am not sure if it gets me nerd points or not).

And pirating has not stopped me from buying occult books, television seasons, movies, and role playing games. (I get my music from iTunes; they are also beginning to serve as my substitute for cable.) If Pat, Darcy or Nick showed up at my house, I would ask them to sign my copies of the books I own that they wrote...I am sure after they saw the pile of books I own by them that they would realize that they are not losing any money---at least, from me.

And I have shared part of my own work with the file sharing community. I am an author; and if I am going to get pirated, then by god I am pulling the trigger myself.

But I am not sure that I am guilty of hypocrisy. After all, I have admitted on more than one occasion that I have a vested interest in seeing both the creators of new material and the torrent sites survive. For me, the whole situation is more a muddy grey than a pure black and white.

And if you did not catch it, not only am I a writer, I am also a pirate.

(A big thanks goes to Zinkyleaks for inspiring this post. How do you like those huevos?)

Talking about BS reasons to deny entry to a GD group

Frater POS in response to my last post stated that a lot of the reasons for denying entry were BS (I am paraphrasing here); I then asked him to please give examples. His response turned out to be longer than a brief comment, so he posted the answer on his blog: Doing Magick. I must admit that I have heard some of these reasons used also, and I agree that they are BS.

Click here to go to Frater POS' blog: Doing Magick.

Comment to Frater AIT (Geometry and the Western Tradition)

Once again, there is a comment I would like to make; but because of the silliness of web browsers and quarks of blogspot, I can't. For some reason, some blogs slip the security (prove that you are a real human) response box behind a another box where you can not actually see it and/or use it.

In this case, it is just a quick note to Frater AIT (Heavens Within Earth) post about Geometry and the Western Tradition.

I personally have done some private work with this. It was an interesting experience to take college algebra with a decade-plus Golden Dawn experience under my belt. Some of the equations and what they do are mystical for me. It was especially true when a tutor (in the Community College of Denver mathlab) explained to me why we can not divide zero by zero, an explaination I automatically associated with Ain Soph Aur.