Sunday, July 26, 2009

In The Future...

...comments will have to be approved before publishing. Clearly some of you people can't seem to handle the freedom of an un-moderated comments section without turning it into a depressing and juvenile swamp of imbecilic behavior.

If you don't like it, well puppies, like Rhett Butler said, "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

Likely a good decision. It never ceases to amaze me just how shallow the shallow end of the gene pool can get.

StPaulSnowman said...

Thanks for taking a stand. It has been a great run and I will miss your special brand of sass. But "big mother" monitoring the comments.......that cooks it for me. Be well and thanks for the great job you do. St. Paul Snowman.

Anonymous said...

please mama, we'll be good.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Snowman, "big mother" monitoring the comments is a tad overblown, and unfairly judgmental. There's a big difference between what you suggest, and Mama's stated intention - to weed out the depressing, juvenile, and imbecilic comments which do nothing but stir up trouble and drag the blog Mama has worked so hard to build up, down. Respectfully, if you'd rather lay with dogs than participate that is your choice, but for the 1st time I'm truly suprised at you.

Anonymous said...

Who approves the comments? Mama or BlogSpot?

Ed said...

The problem, I think, is when there is so much filth to scroll through that it becomes tiresome and too much trouble to look for a gem in the shit. Don't mind provocative or boundary pushing, but I for one will not miss the the outright vulgarity for nothing but shock value to dander raising. I think this blog is smarter than that.

Anonymous said...

well said ed

Anonymous said...

Mama its a shame it had to come to this, and that some of the children could not control their addiction during your absence... While I thinks its a shame about moderating the comments I can see why it has to happen, and feel that it is probably necessary. Some of the comments left on the last post were simply vulgar, immature, overthetop, and even a little bit scary.

You have always known the right way to steer your blog, and I'm sure that this decision like all your other will be a wise one.

many thanks, and keep up the hilarity and sass that makes the reading so enjoyable!

Anonymous said...

Rock On Mama!

Baroness Rebecca said...

You go, Mama. Kick those children out. We didn't like them anyway, and they really lowered the tone in this joint.

jbeebs said...

Thank god and thank you mama!

Anonymous said...

Hopefully Mama PLEASE don't ever approve anything AVG Joe has to say.

Viva! said...

These things happen, can't say I blame ya Mama.

Anonymous said...

Good move.

Shallow Wannabe said...

oh my the so called land of the free is changing rapidly. Get over it. If you take these comments seriously You HAVE A PROBLEM.

If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen

Anonymous said...

What about the spontaneity lost waiting for a comment to be approved. There goes the rapid communication between posters. Will the comments be reviewed twice, three times a day? Mama has other things to do. This will sterilize the site. Im gunna watch for a while just to see if i am right but not post.

Anonymous said...

I generally don't read the comments section b/c it's generally pathetic drivel! As a long term reader of this blog it never used to be like this. All the crazies seem to have come out the woodwork in the past 18 months. Will be much better when modertated.

StPaulSnowman ... Don't let the door hit you on the way out! ... Drama Queen!

Anonymous said...

Ditto from me also. Well said Ed. Sorry you had to make the decision Mama but I understand entirely.
Peace
Joel

NewYorkQueer said...

I have thought of this site as a refined and amusing place to take just a moment each day for a well written, sarcastic, ironic and witty observation on life in all its oddity focused through Mama's sharp eyed de-boning of celebrity real estate. That the hate filled and joyless take the time to leave comments here mystifies me when they have so many other venues.
I am not a fan of censorship in a public forum but I think of this as Mama's private musings made available as a privilege, and as people are fond of saying, not a right. Feel free Mama to do as you wish.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Mama! Mama's blog posts are pretty funny and not tame at all. Most comments, similar to Mama's posts, are bitchy, funny and often, outright hilarious. Unfortunately, like any good party, there are always people who want to crash the fun and typically have no sense of boundaries, love sharing their extreme social disorders, appalling grammar and psychotic need for attention with the rest of us. Maybe if they get the right meds and a little therapy, they can learn to post like adult human beings, and join the party again.

Miss Vero said...

Oh Mama,

I've have read everyone of your posts and I believe you-me (as my Grandmammy used to say), I appreciate the work it takes to scour the the internet and put together a blog.
Please know that many folks support and admire you.
As one who has also asked herself many times, "Lawd, why do I bother?" it never ceases to amaze me the level of hate and ignorance some are so willing to exhibit, but just remember to hold your head high Hunnie and press on.
I can't tell you how, well not in a comment forum, but you have influenced and inspired me and I'm so glad to know you're out there.
Thanks...MWAH! and please...let me pour y'all a big ole pitcher of gin and tonics at my place anytime!

Anonymous said...

Some of you are clearly in such dire need of some sort of real life social interaction or hobby if it even matters to yo that Mama is going to approve comments.

This blog is a guilty pleasure, and why the comments can be entertaining, I'd like to believe most of us come here for Mama's comments.... sadly, those of you bitching and complaining are the ones who didn't and thus are the ones who caused your loss of freedom of speech because you're the ones who were behaving like animals (you didn't even make it to the children level).

I feel bad for you if you are upset that Mama is modertating comments... its her right as blog owner and if it bothers you its a pretty sad commentary on what's going on in your life.

Anonymous said...

A few things:

I'm sorry it came to this Mama. It means more work for you, which is a drag.

Moderating comments isn't the same as editing them. I have a family blog on with this same blogger forum. You just see the comments then post them or not. Given Mama's public persona, I don't see her taking a heavy hand, just weeding the absolute idiots who post in the previous comments section. (I let my 8-yo daughter post a silly--and anon--video on YouTube, I had to moderate comments. You wouldn't believe the nasty vicious things people would write about a little 8-yo girl!!!)

I hope if we behave, she'll go back to open comments. I'm sure the asses will flood her with nasty comments, though, just to try to get her goat

Lastly, the idiots ruin everything.

Really lastly, rock on Mama. Don't let this take the wind outta your sails. I appreciate what you do.

Seattle Lady said...

Some of you people are just too much.

Mama can't win for losing here. People complain when she doesn't delete or enforce registration or moderate because of all the angry, hostile and vulgar comments and then people complain because she is going to moderate to keep out the worst of the bad.

I'm with you up there...if you got a problem with the moderating, you're probably one of the people who gets off of flaming others and making lewd comments just to get a rise out of people.

Go on wit yer bad self Mama. Moderate away.

Anonymous said...

'Shallow Wannabe' and a couple others, no one takes garbage seriously, but the odor emanting from it does become problematic. Heat in the kitchen is fine, but when the family pet decides to eliminate in the middle of the floor, you clean it up and throw it out. "You don't chit where you eat", or where you read for that matter.

I've been frequenting this blog for years now, and know for a fact that Mama is not about censorship. Merely filtering the garbage to keep a place livable is an entirely different matter altogether. No one can argue that Mama hasn't been beyond patient, and gone above and beyond to avoid having to intervene.

:{} avg joe said...

Well all I can say is that when a 85MM estate is listed for 5MM that is when the market will back to normal

we are far from over and there is another wave of foreclosures coming, this time from high net worth individuals

just sayin

:{}

avg joe

Anonymous said...

I sure hope we get a "doozie of a post" after all the time!!

K said...

Lots of bloggers moderate comments, and it's their right to do so.
No big deal.

Lilithcat said...

Can't say that I blame you, Mama!

Mary Legallet said...

thank you, mama. I had stepped away for a while because the comments, once the perfect icing to your cupcake, had just become so awful.

Dan Smith said...

Completely agree with taking action but think a better (easier on Mama) implementation would be to turn off the Name/URL & Anonymous posting.

Curbed LA recently did this and it has had great impact without the authors having to approve comments and without stifling the spontaneity of the good "conversations".

People behave better with less anonymity.

Anonymous said...

It is mama's house and she makes the rules, but its a damned shame this one had to be made. Just another thing for mama to have to do, approving comments. Who on Earth would have ever thought that a blog on celebrity real estate would attract such trolls?

Anonymous said...

Hi Mama - I'm glad you finally broke down and are going to mod the comments. Your children have been running amok... I'm sorry about the increased workload on you though - but here's another opportunity to tell you that you never fail to brighten my day! Hugs from Sunny in Denver

Anonymous said...

Ive posted here before saying , so many people come here just to be nasty and mean. They all degrade the houses being shown and the people who own them.... its cute to be funny but some of the people that come here are just down right know it alls and love to shock with their lewd comments... sorry I wasnt brought up like that infront of or behind a computer screen. I agree with Ed stating this blog is much better than that. Seems like some of the bloggers are really children, even tho mama uses the term loosly.... time to grow up and deal with the consequences of your actions.....

angeleyes said...

It's very gratifying to see the positive response of so many who appreciate and value Mama's blog. If it would make Mama's job any easier, I'd be willing to log into a Google account or whatever in order to post here. I actually created one awhile back for just that purpose which I've never used. It made my day to see several names show up today that I hadn't seen in awhile :)

Anonymous said...

Discipline the children. Good idea!

Anonymous said...

Blogs are supposed to be about the open & free exchanging of ideas (or so I thought)...while I understand why Mama wants to "approve" the comments before they are posted, IMO at that point she should just eliminate the comments section altogether, because "approval" will not only, as someone already pointed out, disrupt the spontaneity and conversationality of the comments section, it will also sterilize it...after all, what will be the criteria for approval? Use of profanity? (profanity CAN be used intelligently, for emphasis...)...or when someone disagrees with Mama, or posts an opinion that doesn't jive with her own? Just seems to me the comment section will become so bland and sterile if it is "monitored" that, like I said, at that point, s/he should just eliminate the comments section altogether if she feels she has to censor it...the true fans will still come to read what Mama has to say...once you allow censorship in any form to get its foot in the door, you are climbing a very slippery slope...

Anonymous said...

I think our Mama has already started the moderation as nearly all of our comments thus far and so clean! Kudos to you Mama - I do so wish the crazies that are hovering about would vamoose. It makes it even worse when your loyal readers try to chase them off - they just don't go away. Miss Vero - you echo my sentiments so well. Thank you. And Preppy Pauper - you are a doll. Thank you Mama. I read you every day and enjoy every minutes of it.

Anonymous said...

omg!
pretty soon you'll be like perez...
having two other people write your blog for you and rolling in money.
bravo!
but
sorry for the inconvience.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:41: Like Perez?? Lawd I hope not. Mama's got more wit and class in her pinky finger than Perez had in all of his pre-weight-loss body.

Anonymous said...

Well done, Mama -- I remain a huge fan. Love your acute observations and hilarious essays. Looking forward to more...

auntiekim said...

Thank you Mama. I used to faithfully read the witty comments, but stopped awhile back because of the nonsense being posted. I hope that eventually you can lift this restriction, if only to decrease your workload. I've been reading you since the very beginning and I'm so appreciative of the time you spend gathering the info and writing in such an entertaining way. Pay no mind at all to those who bitch about this change in policy. This is your blog. You get to make the rules. If they don't like it, screw 'em. 'Nuff said.

Anonymous said...

This is still my very favourite blog in the whole wide world! I just love mama's take on things, and her use of the english language truly inspires me. Admit it...how many of us say terlit now? LOL

Anonymous said...

4:24, IMHO you're overreacting. I honestly don't believe any sanitizing of comments is involved or intended in the new policy. If you've been following Real Estalker since the early days, you'd see the pattern that has been escalating because of one very disturbed puppy in paticular. It couldn't continue. Had to be stopped.

Anonymous said...

If the comments are going to require "approval", I think that should be defined somewhere on the page (as to what is acceptable) so that posters don't waste their time writing a post, only to have it rejected...

Anonymous said...

well I think the people that come here and do that have no respect for "Mamma" and after all it is HER blog.. no? And all that crap about free speech blah blah... not everyone wants to read filth and lewd things.. simple..... its Mammas blog and I for one am glad she is taking a stand.. thanks mamma ...

Anonymous said...

4:24, unless you've completely missed the lengthy and truly disgusting 'comments' Mama has been forced to delete on an almost daily basis lately, I don't understand your concern for the 'rights' of people who don't have a single appropriate thought to express. One even left a comment threatening to track Mama down and inflict bodily harm for removing his nasty ramblings. Shutting the comments section off as you suggest is equivalent to throwing the baby out with the dirty bathwater, and caving to the psychos.

11:40, see above. Chances are you're not a raving lunatic, so it's highly unlikely anything you write will ever be rejected.

Anonymous said...

My Friend Snowman, I'm a bit sorry about your reaction, tho freedom of speech is a very personal thing and I respect that. Hopefully you've had a night or two to sleep on it. It's never too late to return here, should you rethink your position. For myself, freedom of speech is also personal, yet I get why this very calculated measure was forced upon Mama. I'm fine with it, given the circumstance. Mama was painted into a corner. You're too good of a guy to drop out after all these years. Eh? Hoping it was only a knee jerk reaction that you'll eventually rethink. And if not, best to you always.

angeleyes said...

I totally agree with Sandpiper's reasoning and conclusions, and also hope that Snowman eventually decides he does too :)

StPaulSnowman said...

Sandpiper and angeleyes, your kind comments are much appreciated. "Knee jerk reaction" pretty much sums it up. The only regret I have is the time delay with poor Mama having to play hall monitor. I don't want to read or scroll through dreck any more than any of the chillun but one of the best aspects of this site is connecting with others who delight in Mama's posts and add information and insight to the properties and celebrities she skewers. It ain't easy pressing your nose against the outside of the kitchen window watching the party going on inside! It is simply too good and too much fun to miss out on!

angeleyes said...

I'm so glad Snowman. Mama's blog is ridiculasly addicting, isn't it, lol

Anonymous said...

Oh goodie, Snowman is back. Happy dance!

gwen2xs said...

happy dance here too. (though i suspected nuthin but nuthin would really keep snowman away)