The day I was called pathetic
Well. I’m a believer in karma you know, I fully believe that what comes around goes around, so I have to wonder what I did to deserve the week I have had. Let’s recap, shall we?
1. A recurrence of the depression I have suffered from since my late teens, for which I take an antidepressant every day, and for which the antidepressant is apparently not working.
2. An anonymous comment suggesting that I can not “declare my independence” if I do paid posts, and ending with “independence, my ass”. Nice.
3. And now, a public humiliation on one of the biggest blogs there is. That’s right, I was made fun of on TechCrunch today. Now, to be fair, I was not named specifically, my blog was not linked to, but comments I posted on the PayPerPost message boards were copy/pasted into the article, with the word “pathetic”. I was blasted for “freaking out” over losing my PageRank and lamenting the loss of income potential. One sentence was described as “a winner”, and it was not a compliment.
I’ll be honest. I read the post, which was linked on a PPP message board thread, I read the comments (most of which called Mike Arrington all kinds of names, but some that agreed that I was getting what I deserved for “shilling” for PPP), and then I burst into tears. I cry very rarely, but this hurt. My poor husband, who had today off, went to run and errand and came home to find me sobbing on the couch. He promptly bundled up Kaitlyn and took me shopping for Christmas stocking stuffers at Target, followed by lunch at Blimpie’s, and then I felt much better.
And the support I am getting on the PayPerPost message boards is unparalleled. I defy anyone to show me another company that has a community like PPP’s. My fellow Posties are outraged not only at TechCrunch for treating me so horribly, but for the fact that he came to our message boards looking for something to criticize. And that he picked on a Mom just trying to earn some extra money to help her family.
I’m not going to link to the post, but if you really want to read it, you can find the post at TechCrunch. It’s the one titled “payperpost users freaking out”. I’m not embarrassed to admit that those are my comments he is making fun of. I was feeling very emotional that day, and while I admit my comments were pretty hysterical sounding, it doesn’t excuse someone calling them pathetic. Mike Arrington doesn’t know me, I guarantee he never visited my blog, he was just trying to be controversial and drive traffic to his site. As usual.
That’s all I’m going to say about that. This weekend, I’ve got more great DVD reviews for you, plus I’m giving away a copy of Shrek the Third starting tomorrow, so please stop by this weekend if you can. And now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to eat deep dish Chicago-style pizza and watch “Anchorman” on HD with my family. Who definitely do NOT think I am pathetic.
{HUGS} - It’s been a rough week… Enjoy your weekend, Elizabeth.
Elizabeth,
I’m no longer a member of the PPP boards, but I want you to know that I think Arrington’s an ass for what he did. As a matter of fact, I did tell him that using a few more words. He’s beyond pale and quite frankly not worth the dirt under his obnoxious feet.
Also, I was reading the thread at the boards a few minutes ago and saw that you apologized to a member there. I don’t think that person needed an apology. As a matter of fact, I personally believe that her and another owe you an apology for coming in that thread and baring their claws.
Keep on keepin’ on and don’t let them get you down. There’s a whole big Internet out there and you’re too good to focus on their negativity.
Good luck and God bless.
Tee-Thank you! I really appreciated your supportive comments on the boards, too. Have a great weekend yourself!
I just emailed you again (I swear I am not stalking you). Great post. I am hoping you bought yourself some goodies too.
*hug* Anybody looking for a fight deserves the bad reputation they will eventually get from it. Anybody choosing to attack a mom that is doing her part to support her family? He has lost any respect from me.
You have worked hard to “build your blog”. You have the right to be upset at anything that will have a negative effect on it- or your earnings from it. Your blog is successful because of what YOU put into it. We, as your readers, support you and appreciate all the time and hard work you do for us. Thank you, Elizabeth. You are wonderful.
I no longer frequent the boards because I don’t find a sense of community there. I just don’t but I respect you and your blogs and you are in no way pathetic. You have great blogs with fantastic content. I enjoy visiting them and I am subscribed to your feeds.
Arrington is a jerk. He blew off blog World Expo because he “forgot”. Whatever. He’s a loser and just looking for blogging fodder. And the followers who comment decrying you and other PayPerPost bloggers think ever fart that Arrington blows is a sweet as a morning dew on a daisy.
What Tec Crunch/Arringtion did was wrong and sad in a way, are they really that desperate for content that he need to pick on people. What you said on the boards, was something most of us are feeling, we are all losing money we depend on, most of the members of ppp from what I have seen do paid post because they need the income for real expenses not extravagant bull that others claim they need. Try to move on and know that you are supported by much better people then Arringtion.
I don’t think you are pathetic. I certainly believe Michael Arrington resembles that description as well as a few other descriptions which may not be polite to post here.
Cheers,
Snoskred
Oh girl…you deserve to have a great weekend and maybe even take a mini break from blogging. People can be so insensitive. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with you trying to earn extra money for your family and if this is route you choose, so be it!
I really don’t visit the PPP boards much, so I missed all this. I don’t think I’ve ever visited TechCrunch, and I don’t plan to now. It doesn’t sound like a very nice blog!
You are not pathetic. You are a real person with real feelings, and maybe sometimes that gets lost in the world of the Internet.
Have a good weekend. Tomorrow is another day, and next week will surely be better, right?
BTW, I wrote a post about this. When you get a minute, take a look.
http://minimariescorner.blogspot.com/2007/11/taken-hit.html
Love, Marie
I just keep thinking about the common theory of why some men drive big trucks. I think Arrington is absolutely compensating.
You already know how I feel about people who aren’t nice. Especially when they aren’t being nice to my friends.
I am going to say this one more time. You are above all this foolishness. I know it’s hard not to go to those site and to read each and every word of what they say so, I won’t even tell you to ignore them. I will however beg that you not allow this to affect your household. Your family adores you. Truly adores you and they need you!!!!
I take 150 mg of Wellbutrin everyday just to resist the urge of choking an asshole on any given day. Geez. Geez. Geez. I am pissed beyond pistivity!!!
Please someone send me the link to this BS thread. You know I’m not up on these cool links and stuff but, I want to see it. I have something up my sleeves and it will NOT BE NICE! That’s all I gotta say about that.
Hugs to you and I hope this weekend promises to be a really exciting one for you and your family!!!!!
well if no one else has said it yet, I wanted to bring up the possibility that Arrington could be “Anonymous” - I mean there were a TON of responses in that thread and he quoted not one but TWO of your posts specifically. Sounds like vendetta to me. Maybe he should change his last name to ArrOGANT, it’d be much more fitting.
Steve Martin once said “Reviews for someone like me come in three packages. One is justifiable praise, the second is justifiable criticism, and the third is, “This is only published because he’s a celebrity.”‘ - this is not only clearly the case in this situation, but so obviously so that he just looks as small minded as he is.
I love you. Don’t give a sh*t about what people like him think. How they’re better than everyone else because they’ll never have the need for extra money. They’ll never have to worry once in their entire life about paying their bills. Go out and get a real job? You HAVE a real job.. And Michael Arrington is just plain a real ASS for assuming he knew everything about you because you do PPP’s.
I just want to say that I went there and left a comment to defend you.
You are a very good person! You do a very good job with your blog and love coming here and read everything you post!! Even the PPP ones!!! You are awesome!!! I could not help but to find this and defend you. As your friend I felt the need to do so!!
Chin up E!! Try not to let this boy get you down!!! Will be thinking of you and hope you have a good night with your family!!!
Hey there! I hated to hear about all of this…what a mean thing to do! I hope you are feeling some better…
Who’s pathetic? When you hate something as much as he hates PPP, doesn’t anyone with a life avoid it, ignor it, ect. That guy is a loser.
I read the article and realized that was your comment that was quoted. What a pompous jerk that assington is.
He’s the one who’s pathetic. At least we make our ’schilling’ without having to bash another human being.
I like your husband’s therapy for the blues
((hugs))
I haven’t seen the post, nor do I want to see it. Why do I want to satify that man with another UNIQUE hit to his blog, but I will say, I am a SAHM of 2 that also does paid blogging. I lost my Page Rank of 3 to a 0. It made me so annoyed!! I do it for the income, so I can stay home and raise my OWN children, not have a daycare do it (I am not saying it’s bad, daycare is NOT bad). It really sad they targeted us because they knew tageting PPP would get them no where. Hang in there… Our readers love our blogs for US not the number!! *HUGS*
I am so upset about all this. I am so sorry you’ve been subjected to this horrible person. I am stopping by to say hello and to send you a (((hug)))
Sorry you feel so bad. I hope things improve real soon. One things for sure… Mean people just suck!
Arrington is an ass who has failed to mention quite a few times how he makes ALL of the money on TechCrunch. I read his post and didn’t realize he was referring to you-I usually dismiss anything he says because 99.9% of the time he does it to get attention. Notice the attention he’s received from all us Posties since he’s started bashing PPP from the beginning? He never cared about any of our blogs in the past, why is he suddenly so concerned? Because someone other than the freaking selfish, self-proclaimed A-Listers are making money-FINALLY.
KATNL-This is the link if you want to read it-
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/11/29/payperpost-users-freaking-out-over-google-pagerank-nuke/
Those comments he quotes at the beginning are posts I made on the PayPerPost forum after seeing all of the available opps I could take plunge down to almost nothing.
Who are you? It’s driving me crazy trying to figure it out! Even the name of your blog doesn’t sound familiar!
JJ, I love you too! I just read both of the comments you posted on TechCrunch, and all I can say is, someone ought to be paying YOU to write. You express yourself so well. Get that blog of yours built up so you can start making some money off of it!
Let them talk, Elizabeth! I’ve joined PPP recently, and I was impressed to find something that finally works. Speaking about being pathetic: I think those people who strive to build themselves a glorious career, and to gather fortunes, working day and night, only to realize when they are in their 60s that they were never home when their children needed them, that’s pathetic!
So let them talk and do what you need to do. Your children will probably thank you.
Tight Hugs*
A lot of people, even those who are not member of PPP, are behind you in this.
Keep doing what you do. Cheers!
Hugs to you.
Seriously, before the zerofied PR event, I didn’t know so many non-PPP bloggers against us. I thought if you don’t like a blog, just leave - it is a personal choice. Why have to attack someone personally? And also, if Google is so much about policing the search engine, they should de-index those plagarizing sites. Every now and then I see my contents being copied word by word on those sites, but they are ‘live’!
Anyway, like Vienna said, we are all behind you on this.
Hope the weekends cheered you up!
Suzette-Thank you for the kind words! And yes, why doesn’t Google focus their energy on those horrible blogs that scrape my entire posts? It is so creepy to see my own post title in my incoming links and realize that someone else has posted a story about my kids on their blog.
I’m ready to decorate for Christmas now!
When I first read about it, my immediate thoughts were what a frigging below the belt class-LESS act that was.
You did absolutely NOTHING wrong (millions of people make similar type comments everyday! we’re shooting from the hip, we’re upset, we wanna whinge and whine - SO WHAT! It’s our right!) so don’t allow some maggot infested brain with very possibly a small dick affect you in the least.
Honey, you have more dignity than that and it needs no proving. I’m sending some hugs your way anyway just to let you know that lots of us are behind you in this. Really.
Ack - Bossy’s new mantra is Let It Go. (We’ll see how it works out for her, by the way.)
I don’t think you’re pathetic either! And I want some of that pizza!!!!