tonight i hate the web :(
June 10th, 2008i’m not a web chick that gets on her high horse and complains that things are unfair. i might be naive but i like to think if you’re good at what you do, you’ll be recognised for it - regardless of your sex. you might hear me on twitter bitching about boys, but it’s all in jest. in other words, i’m not a feminist in any way.
all of the above said, tonight i had an experience that i found both disturbing and upsetting. it’s not the the first time that i had logged on to Ylive and i thought it would be good to log on, chat to some friends and update people about my job given the number of tweets i’d had asking how it was going.
within a couple of minutes, the chat room was being swarmed by “anonymous” users making crude comments about me and what they’d like to do to me. i’m not naive and i can normally handle most of that stuff. but people telling me to strip and offering me money to perform acts is in no way acceptable and makes me hate the web.
i’m enough of a web-o-holic to not let this deter me. i know that the majority of people are good and it’s the minority that ruin it for the rest. but somethings for sure, i won’t be using Ylive again (especially when you find that some of the people making crude comments are also my twitter followers).
sorry for the rant, but the whole situation made me really disappointed. everyday i work to create communities, harmony and open conversations and it can take just a 10 minute experience like that to take so much away again. my final words - if you’re going to be a total scum bag and make horrible rude comments, at least have the balls to show your face!
btw - thanks to @innonate @kastner @jaygreasley @ryancarson @keirwhitaker @grahamgilbert @adamstac @jamfactory @alashcraft for showing up and being nice… x
June 10th, 2008 at 11:06 pm
You’ll always have someone out ruining it for the rest, and unfortunately if your female your more likely to get targeted by these idiots.
Its a bit disappointing Y!Live doesn’t do anything about it? Never used it myself, but surely they could be looking through chats and banning these people, or at least warn them. Unless they already do something similar? I don’t know.
I also get days/nights where I hate the web, very unfortunate when your whole career is based upon it.
Andy
June 10th, 2008 at 11:14 pm
Ah, the joy of scumbags. Don’t let them get you down though - there’s a wealth of geniunely lovely people out there who will fight the good fight with ya! (Don’t count on me for that though, I managed to wade in to the murky depths of Y!Live after you’d already left, then forgot I’d left the window running in the background, only to come back to it later to find you’d come and gone a second time…)
In the meanwhile concentrate on the fact that, unlike the trolls out there, you’ve got a personality, character and IQ far greater than the average spotty adolescent teenager (and I’m including the so called ‘men’ at Y!Live in that bracket).
That and the awesomely desctructive “Block” button for those who were following you on Twitter.
Keep the posts rolling - I for one would miss them…
June 10th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
That’s terrible news. I hope you’re ok. Is there a way of better verifying the people who use services like ylive?
I think this points to a certain problem I have with sites and anonymity. I think anonymity should be an opt-in process, perhaps a reputation system where the visitor/user can only say stuff if you provide some form of reputation, like links to your own twitter feed, website, online presence. And for the publisher (content maker, you), to choose to only seed to users who have a certain level of reputation (or no holds barred free-for-all) in a conversation.
Sorry for the rambling, just got back from the pub. I hope this doesn’t deter / miff you off so much that we see less of your web presence.
Mike
June 11th, 2008 at 6:17 am
Stop whinging like a bitch. You’re hot, so it’s to be expected, period.
June 11th, 2008 at 7:05 am
Andy - Thanks for your comments. I think that there might be a way of barring certain individuals - but there were so many on there, I decided it easiest to leave.
Nat - As always, you’re lovely. The posts will keep coming, have no fear - where else would I feed my random requirements?
Mike - That sounds a great idea, and I for one, would be the first to back it.
Anon - What a surprise that you’re anonymous. I think that there’s a compliment in there somewhere, so that’s how I’m going to take it. But are you telling me that there’s only a certain demographic of users that can expect to use live streaming features without having to be subjected to tross? (my new word for gross trash btw!)? That’s total BS!!! I have as much right to interact on the web as anyone else without having to put up with that crap. So there.
June 11th, 2008 at 9:20 am
@Anon - wtf? An unbelievable statement, think about it for a second; where does that argument stop, what is the ultimate extension of that statement?
Truly hideous.
June 11th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Hullo - you’re a welebrity, a girl, british and a geek! Get over it!
June 11th, 2008 at 12:36 pm
[...] Tonight I Hate the Web (Mel Kirk) – There are some complete idiots on the web. [...]
June 12th, 2008 at 9:04 am
http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2004/03/19/
June 12th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Hi Mel!
I haven’t used Ylive so I don’t know how it works.
Is there no way to change the Ylive settings so that users have to login or something like that, then you will know who is sending you abuse, or at least make it a hassle for someone to send abuse!
Abuse on the Internet seems to be taking off, I’ve heard of people being abused on twitter as well. But thats a different story.
I hope it stops soon.
June 12th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
David - thanks, I’m glad that there are some people out there, trying to maintain standards!!
Anon - firstly no I don’t see myself as a web celebrity of any kind and secondly how does being British and a girl mean that I deserve abuse?
Gez - genius - thanks for making me smile.
Jonny - I really don’t think there is a way to change that, but to be honest I’m not keen to go back in any hurry anyway. You’re right, it does seem to be spreading, but hopefully they’ll get bored and climb back into their caves
June 12th, 2008 at 6:38 pm
Have you thought about blocking the anonymous’s IP?
Also, Twitter has nothing on Plurk