Monday, August 4, 2008
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High School Drama in the Blogosphere [Disclaimer: This article and video is only targeted towards a select few who know who they are. Chances are that if you aren't one of those few, you'll either be bored or insulted unnecessarily. Feel free to ignore this if you haven't publicly insulted me in the last four or five days.]

There are some weeks that I'm really ashamed of what I do for a living. These last few days have been reflective of that feeling. I posted what I thought was an evenhanded article on Friday afternoon about the 'early retirement' of the editorial staff from Profy.com. Somehow, for at least a few bloggers, this has turned into a "let's trash Mashable and Mark Hopkins" festival. These are folks that I've up until recently regarded as friends, allies and peers.

I say "up until recently" because some have really said some horrible things about me.

These things are so insulting and quotable that I'm really considering making them a permanent part of my web design here - enshrining them in the template. When you watch the video, you'll hear most of them, but let me put a few of the choice quotes here for your perusal:

"..if you are paid to be journalistic [Mark], then you my friend are a shitty journalist."
- Aaron Brazell, owner of TechnoSailor.com

"Mashable just chooses what they think is sensational enough to bring eyeballs (like in this case) ...there are much better places to reach people who actually care."
- Svetlana Gladkova, editor of Profy.com

"'Word comes to us?' 'Multiple sources?' I've been asked why I never tried to write for any 'A-List' blogs. Answer? I'd rather learn how to do it right ... in this case, I see little reason why anyone would want to be anonymous. I thought you were better than that, Mark."
- Andrew Feinberg, Washington DC commentator for TechnoSailor.com

"'[Mark] handled a hard story well' - I'm not even sure where to go from that. I'd be interested in hearing Editor Ostrow or Owner Cashmore's views on this post. Overall I'd say the post lacks consideration. I think I will have a response to the initial Mashable post this weekend - I'm really disappointed in Mashable on that post."
- Allen Stern, owner and editor of CenterNetworks.com

"I forget that the tech blogosphere is so much like high school and that there are many who believe it’s more important to be first than it is to get the story right."
- Cyndy Aleo-Carreira, contributor to The Industry Standard

Here's the bottom line - no one has been able to dispute any of the facts I've put out. Not a single one. I got the story right. I got the story first. What got people upset is that I didn't tell the story they wanted it told. Instead of admitting that fact, a few folks decided to pick the piece apart and focus on the process rather than what the heck is going on over at Profy (and perhaps the blogosphere as a whole) that would cause a whole editorial staff to walk out.

In this video, you'll hear me get all hot under the collar. I'm frankly sick of this high school drama, butt-hurt over nothing, childish behavior. We're supposed to be professionals.

Up until this point, it has generally been my policy to make nice with folks who come after me, even those that try to build a blogging career out of nitpicking my editorial policy. This has brought upon my life nothing but grief and a receding hairline. I simply don't have the patience or the health to expend upon this crap any longer. I can't believe I'm saying this, I'm starting to understand why Mike Arrington is such a prick to most of the blogosphere. He gets this crap all the time.

I don't expect apologies or personal emails or even comments from the folks I mention in this post or in the video. I'll say this - I hope it was gratifying, because it's your last chance to take potshots at me and call me a friend. This is the last time I wipe the slate clean. Disagree with me if you like (I love a good debate), but if you publicly denigrate my craft, my abilities or my person - we're done.

I'm not going to lose sleep over you. I'm not going to declare war on you. I'm not going to embargo your sources or not link to your blog. I'm simply going to never assume you have anything but your own best interests at heart, and will continue to stab me in the back if it means you might get ahead or a few more pageviews.

I'm simply too weary of doing nothing wrong and having to apologize for it.



Download the MP4

Labels: aaron brazell, allen stern, andrew feinberg, cyndy aleo-carreira

posted by Mark "Rizzn" Hopkins at 5:18 PM blog comments powered by Disqus