A wee bit hypocritical there, Ed

[Lemur866]

@Merkwurdigliebe

What a fucking joke…

Here I was getting excited about the new server, when in reality it sucks and fucking Ed Zotti is using it to fucking push his bullshit books that nobody wants to read.

Fuck Ed and his books.

Yeah. Fuck Ed and his books. Wait, what’s the name of this message board again?

[Revenant_Threshold]

@Lemur866

Well, the Straight Dope books are collections of Cecil’s columns, so Comments on Cecil’s Columns is the forum that specifically flogs the Straight Dope books.

Except they’re also up on the site, which costs nothing, and in the Chicago Reader, which is free but does get ad revenue. And the point remains that there is a sole forum dedicated partially to the entire SD column/book catalogue, and now a forum dedicated solely to a single book, and one that isn’t related to the SD at all.

This whole site is a blatant advertisment. In other news, the Pope shits in the woods, and Soylent Green is a sled.

True, but no-one’s acted as if that isn’t so. In this case, that it is a blatant advertisement has gone quite unremarked upon.

[Guinastasia]

@Airman_Doors_USAF

It’s their sandbox, it’s their rules, but it’s also got a stink to it that just won’t go away.

So basically, Ed’s forum is the cat using the board as a litter box?

[Nancarrow]

Amusing thing I noticed: several other threads opened about this. In which one, Marley said “I’ll close this, and change Cisco’s thread title”. (to make it more descriptive, to stop the flow of new threads)

I was about to come in here and tell you to stop mooching. Then I had another look at your post… edited to add “thread tools permitting”.

Well, it’s a pity the thread tools aren’t all up yet. Especially for moderators so they can do their job. But as long as Ed can plug a new book, fuck the functionality, hey?

[Q.E.D]

@Nancarrow

Well, it’s a pity the thread tools aren’t all up yet.

I dunno, reading through this thread, it appears the tools are out in force today.

[LurkMeister]

@Ed Zotti

This forum is for any discussion inspired by my book THE BARN HOUSE: Confessions of an Urban Rehabber, which went on sale 9/2/2008. It’s customary nowadays for authors to have a blog, and in fact I set up a page on blogspot that you can get to at www.edzotti.com. But if you want to comment about the book, the page redirects you here. I did it that way because I’m not enthusiastic about the blog concept, in which somebody posts great thoughts, to which others are invited to respond. That’s always struck me as pompous. My great thoughts, such as they are, are in the book. I’m more interested in having a conversation about the subjects the book covers - fixing up old houses, living in the city, the Brotherhood of the Right Way, and so on. Since the book was just published and the board’s working slowly right now this forum will probably be pretty quiet for a while, but with luck it’ll pick up by and by. Meanwhile I’ll post links to pages of interest as time permits.

(bolding mine)
So which is it? Is this forum for discussion inspired by Ed’s book, or is it for conversations about the subjects the book covers? I’m unlikely to buy the book based on the title alone, as I have little interest in urban rehabbing, but the second bolded portion of the quote implies that the book is about more than just what the title says it is. (In which case, Ed or his publisher needs to learn a bit about marketing, as he seems to be depending on word-of-mouth to get people interested in those other subjects to buy his book.)

If Ed wants the forum to cover topics other than his book, than I suggest that naming the forum after his book is very misleading. Why not a more descriptive title like, say, “Urban Rehabbing”.

At least we got an explanation for the Brotherhood of the Right Way for those of us who aren’t going to buy the book, though.

[hajario]

@Marley23

“The upgrade was only done so Ed could sell The Barn House” is paranoid, or at least it’s nonsense.

I’m glad that whatshisname worked all weekend so that the upgrade would be done in time for the book’s rollout but over a month after when it was promised.

[Revenant_Threshold]

@Revenant_Threshold

True, but no-one’s acted as if that isn’t so. In this case, that it is a blatant advertisement has gone quite unremarked upon.

Upon further checking, i’ve discovered this isn’t the case. From the thread on this in ATMB;

@TubaDiva

Ed works for Creative Loafing/The Reader and has for many years now. The Barn House was excerpted in the current Reader, in fact, and this new forum area is part of that publicity.

I’ll refine my remarks to “that it is a blatant advertisement went unremarked upon until people started questioning it”.

[Marley23]

@hajario

I’m glad that whatshisname worked all weekend so that the upgrade would be done in time for the book’s rollout but over a month after when it was promised.

You think Jerry only worked on the upgrade this weekend?

[Q.E.D]

@Marley23

You think Jerry only worked on the upgrade this weekend?

What else did he do, since you seem to be informed of his work schedule?

[Marley23]

@Q.E.D

What else did he do, since you seem to be informed of his work schedule?

Emphasis on this weekend, bright eyes.

[Q.E.D]

@Marley23

Emphasis on this weekend, bright eyes.

Learn to write clearly. Or use italics or bold tags, Sparky. Then you won’t be misunderstood so much.

[Lemur866]

@Revenant_Threshold

Upon further checking, i’ve discovered this isn’t the case. From the thread on this in ATMB;
I’ll refine my remarks to “that it is a blatant advertisement went unremarked upon until people started questioning it”.

But…wait, what? Should they have had a sticky at the top of the Forum explaining to all of us that the new forum named after Ed’s latest book was an attempt to promote Ed’s latest book?

[Marley23]

@Q.E.D

Learn to write clearly. Or use italics or bold tags, Sparky. Then you won’t be misunderstood so much.

And Q.E.D. wins another argument with his fabled wit and incisiveness. So, “You think Jerry only worked on the upgrade this weekend?”

[Interconnected_Series_of_Tubes]

This is completely fucking ridiculous. I’m going to sue the shit out of Cecil and make him replace my scroll wheel. I mean, that’s like another whole line I’ll have to roll through AND GOD DAMN IT I’M GETTING FIRED UP JUST THINKING ABOUT IT.

[Q.E.D]

@Marley23

And Q.E.D. wins another argument with his fabled wit and incisiveness.

And you’re a moron for thinking the way you emphasized it in your head is the only possible way to read it.

“You think Jerry only worked on the upgrade this weekend?”

[Revenant_Threshold]

@Lemur866

But…wait, what? Should they have had a sticky at the top of the Forum explaining to all of us that the new forum named after Ed’s latest book was an attempt to promote Ed’s latest book?

No, not at all. I would have thought that the initial post explaining what the forum was for would explain that it was an advert for Ed’s latest book. But no, it’s apparently only for discussing matters covered in the book, as there are no forums appropriate for such things already. A simple acceptance of the plugging nature of it would’ve been appropriate.

[Tamerlane]

@Merkwurdigliebe

Jesus Christ what a fucking nightmare.

Nightmare? I’m hoping that’s ever so slightly hyperbolic on your part.

Me, I raised a quizzical eyebrow, shrugged, then proceeded to ignore it. It’s a little tacky, I agree. But I don’t quite get some of the stronger rections here.

[Marley23]

@Q.E.D

And you’re a moron for thinking the way you emphasized it in your head is the only possible way to read it.

Yup, got it, which is why I clarified it in my last post, and the post before that. And if necessary, in the next one.

[Q.E.D]

@Marley23

Yup, got it, which is why I clarified it in my last post, and the post before that. And if necessary, in the next one.

I got it the first time you clarified yourself. It was the apparently needless snark with which you did so that grated on my nerves. Capice?