Robots Win

**modiFIed** · 06-09-2011, 09:20 AM

It's official - enjoy yourselves on the forum, soulless machines. I'm sure you'll have many intriguing discussions.

I'll check back in a few months and see how you're doing.

I don't know, maybe.

**bigm141414** · 06-09-2011, 02:23 PM

I was only a matter of time. Be kind to us o robotic overloads......

**Slow Dog Noodle** · 06-10-2011, 09:03 AM

I'm with you Modified. I remember a time, and not too long ago, when this forum was a cool place. Um, relatively I guess. But its just not anymore. I thought for the longest time that computers would always make things better. Color me mistaken.

If Yoshimi doesn't come soon it may be too late.

**marsjams13** · 06-10-2011, 09:37 AM

Originally Posted by Slow Dog Noodle

If Yoshimi doesn't come soon it may be too late.

Haha, nice.

**modiFIed** · 06-10-2011, 10:21 AM

Or Gamera. He'll save us.

**po-m** · 06-11-2011, 04:02 PM

Same same. This is depressing. :(
I'm also quite convinced that everyone is secretly reading The familiar and laughing at me behind my back. Jerks.

**katatonic** · 06-15-2011, 05:09 PM

.... ?

**Ellimist** · 06-26-2011, 08:20 AM

**fatwoul** · 08-11-2011, 05:20 AM

Good to know it isn't just me who thinks this place is floundering in sucktitude.

Great way to celebrate my 10th anniversary on this site.

**fatwoul** · 08-12-2011, 02:29 AM

Who's Wolfie?

**Ellimist** · 10-15-2011, 12:06 PM

I think the robots are gone.

**fatwoul** · 10-16-2011, 03:08 PM

But you're not. Unfortunately.

**LJonesy** · 10-17-2011, 10:23 PM

Fatwoul if everyone else left but you you'd just be talking to yourself, and you already have facebook for that.

**Slow Dog Noodle** · 10-18-2011, 06:20 AM

You know, not everyone is on facebook.

**fatwoul** · 10-18-2011, 10:33 AM

I do have Facebook, but everyone on my friends list finds my status updates fascinating. Particularly popular are things that I just thought, how much I like biscuits, and things I'm annoyed about.

**LJonesy** · 10-26-2011, 03:51 AM

Abuse friends for publicity? Fill me in magda? i'm missing something here, haven't been keeping up with the PR that's going on here

**heartbreak** · 10-26-2011, 04:03 AM

Originally Posted by Magda

Even if I think that fatwoul's fuss is a bit silly, I wonder too, what kind of place this has become, especially with the hectic PR activities that are going on here (and at other places, which seem to be the more appropreate superficial platforms). I don't even have 99 "friends" on Facebook (and I don't look at them as a "list" either), and I will certainly not abuse them for somebody's publicity.

I have less than one hundred friends on facebook as well. Most of them acquaintances. Not sure what that has to do with anything, but to play devil's advocate a bit, how is spreading word about something via facebook or other online social sites any different from previous word of mouth? wouldn't it make sense that these kinds of things be handled on different platforms vs the forums, we all pretty much visit the forums regularly so we generally know what's going on (as all announcements that get posted there get posted here as well), there are a lot of other fans out there though as well who don't frequent the site, isn't this just the equivalent of going down to the town square and crying the latest updates? and is spreading information like this really abuse? how is it any different from telling them to go see the latest movie we saw or to read the latest book we read or to try the latest restaurant we ate at?

Note: If it is in anyway not clear, I am definitely interested in hearing the opinions to these questions discussed in more detail.

**Ellimist** · 10-26-2011, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by Magda

Give me something extremely personal

Like something printed on your outward appearance that people see anyway?

If they don't feel comfortable sharing it, they won't.

Originally Posted by Magda

But the Facebook activities are very anonymous

How's that? This site is anonymous. Facebook most definitely is not.

**fatwoul** · 10-26-2011, 08:37 AM

Originally Posted by Magda

Even if I think that fatwoul's fuss is a bit silly.

"Chill off", moron.

My "fuss" as you call it was about the idea of the forum being moderated more than it used to be.

The fact that you have few facebook friends is entirely unsurprising.

**fatwoul** · 10-26-2011, 08:44 AM

Originally Posted by Magda

But that’s exactly my point: to deliberately get branded with such a thing means a very personal decision, because it is forever. Even if someday they decide to remove the tattoo, the remains of it will remind them forever, because you cannot remove a tattoo without any vestige. So what is the bargain: Give me something extremely personal, and you’ll get (perhaps) an

card. I mean, everybody who has been around here for more than one year, and also who has got such a tattoo has most probably done much PR already in the background, by recommending the book, by buying copies as gifts, by giving his or her enthusiasm and so on. It was nice to get a Christmas card last year, and I am very flattered about that and the lines in my personal copy of HoL. That was a personal exchange. But the Facebook activities are very anonymous – it’s only a PR act. So what I think is: everybody who turns up at Redcat and has a tattoo should be on the guest list anyhow and get a free beer.

Talk about "silly fusses", that crap takes the biscuit. Anybody who thinks they can remove a tattoo later when getting a tattoo really shouldn't be getting a tattoo. A lot of the time it barely matters what the tattoo is about, as it represents a time in a person's life just as much as an affiliation with a book, or band, or whatever. My own reminds me far more of a fun holiday than it does the book upon which it was based. My next one is a feejee mermaid having a fight with a jackalope. No more sensible, probably equally ill-advised, but that isn't the point.

**nikhsub1** · 10-26-2011, 09:48 AM

Seems fats de friended me?

**heartbreak** · 10-26-2011, 11:22 AM

Originally Posted by Magda

Heartbreak, it is not only about sharing a link, it's about manipulating your FB-friends to like it, on top of it. So you need far more then 99 people whom you convince. That's what I don't like. (Why is there no "Don't like"-button on Facebook?)

PS: "...going down to the town square and crying the latest updates". That's my point, too. It would be more honest just to ask for a little help - without a price in return.

But its the individual who chooses whether or not to try manipulation in order to get friends to click the like button. It's like the dumb "99% of people won't have the courage to repost this, will you?"

A town cryer is going to get information spread by making it interesting to those who hear it, interesting enough to make other people want to tell other people about it. You can choose to get likes by telling your friends, "Hey, if you're my friend, like this." or you can make it interesting enough so that people like it. No one is directing you to take a certain approach.

Whether or not I have enough people that know me on facebook to compete in such a competition doesn't matter. All it means is that that kind of contest isn't suited to me.

**fearful_syzygy** · 10-26-2011, 01:05 PM

the best (i.e. worst) part of the giveaway is the fact that it doesn't even have to be your own tattoo (or the latest one, your own MZD-inspired artwork). Also as far as I can tell, it just goes to the first however many people who post something, irrespective of the quality or ownership status of the content posted. And for this people are to be rewarded? For acting like mindless automata?

so, like, I raid someone's DeviantArt and post their work on MZD's facebook page before anyone else, and I get the Burning Man card, not the person whose work (or arm) it is. Fabulous.

**heartbreak** · 10-26-2011, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by fearful_syzygy

the best (i.e. worst) part of the giveaway is the fact that it doesn't even have to be your own tattoo (or the latest one, your own MZD-inspired artwork). Also as far as I can tell, it just goes to the first however many people who post something, irrespective of the quality or ownership status of the content posted. And for this people are to be rewarded? For acting like mindless automata?

so, like, I raid someone's DeviantArt and post their work on MZD's facebook page before anyone else, and I get the Burning Man card, not the person whose work (or arm) it is. Fabulous.

I think the only one they did that was first come first serve was the reciting of the intro to T50YS. The artwork/tattoo submission is a random drawing. People are also asked to submit links to where they found the artwork/tattoo. Maybe the originators are also entered and/or they are planning to use them for something else that might have benefit to the originators.

**heartbreak** · 10-27-2011, 05:51 AM

Originally Posted by Magda

I am afraid

I think this might be the root of all of this.

**fatwoul** · 10-27-2011, 11:41 AM

Originally Posted by nikhsub1

Seems fats de friended me?

On FB? Oh yeah, I did that ages ago.

**heartbreak** · 10-28-2011, 04:13 AM

Originally Posted by Magda

Thanks for reminding me, HB. Of that: http://www.houseofleaves.com/forum/s...l=1#post135883, about a year ago. Which really shows the basic problem.

Ah I see. Their evil is rooted in your imagination. *nods*

**modiFIed** · 10-28-2011, 01:14 PM

What's all this then? Is something going on?

I saw that I got an e-mail from MZD the other day but I only read the important ones carefully (the ones from my broker and the DJ at my favorite club) so I think I missed the point. I skimmed it - something about a rehash of the ghost story night last year in LA.

You know, authors are just like anybody else these days - always gotta be scrapin' up a living somehow.

I guess he could publish a book too. That'll bring in some coin.