All is well!
Posted on 06/02/2011 5:37:38 AM PDT by darrellmaurina
All is well!
And civil.
Don't forget civil
Five trackers, *34* cookies...and that’s just from clicking the initial link.
This is the first I knew about this.
Our web hosting provider is the same one used by a number of other newspapers in Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee. While cookies have become a standard part of the web, I have nothing to do with the mechanics of how our web hosting company runs its operations.
Please alert me if any of those cookies or trackers turn out to be problematic. Again, while the presence of cookies is not a surprise to me, this is the first time anyone has raised the issue. If there is a problem I can raise the issue with our web hosting company.
OK, Shibumi, I appreciate the change in tone. Also, you and Salamander got my attention here. I had no idea.
I understand the implications of internet privacy. I can assure you that whatever those cookies are doing, I'm not getting any sort of report from my web hosting provider about them... and I'm quite sure if they were using that info to track viewers, they'd be offering the information to us at a fee so we could use it to provide targeted ads (which we don't do, by the way).
My guess without knowing is that these cookies are purely mechanical in nature to make the graphics on the site work since we have not enabled any of the features such as requesting people to input their zip code which would allow any sort of identification of readers or their location. There is an option to register, but because the commenting engine is on a separate website, www.pulaskicountyweb.com, there is no need to register and most readers do not do so.
As websites have become more and more graphics-intensive, it's become necessary to put more and more “stuff” on them to make them work. I'm not happy about that. In addition to privacy concerns, this is rural America, lots of people still use dialup, and anything that slows down a site for dialup customers is a problem.
We also don't do targeted ads, as many newspaper websites will, based on items in the browser history. I check my cookies periodically and since I spend a lot of time on newspaper and television station websites, there's always a long, long list. Targeted internet advertising is something we simply have not chosen to do, and I don't think our software is even able to do it without buying an upgraded web hosting plan. Personally I see no economic benefit in that level of tracking, and even if I saw an economic benefit I do not think I would want to do it.
I have said repeatedly that if this website wants full content posted, while that is a highly unusual request, it will be followed. The owners have the right to set the rules. Your links have pretty much convinced me that is what the owners of this site want, but there's more to what Jim Robinson and Admin Moderator said in those links than just the issue of posting full text articles.
I have a private message in to the site owner and admin moderator asking for clarification not only on this but also on several other items. I'm still in the process of reading nearly a thousand comments on the two links you posted. There are several other issues in the comments by the Admin Moderator and Jim Robinson that could become issues besides the ones that you and several other people raised.
You don't know me, but I'm an i-dotter and t-crosser. Now that I know a rule exists I want to make sure I understand it.
So just post full content - OK?
Whaddaya think, Gunner? Should we tell him about the "Loony Bun Rule?"
"If you have the AIDS it can be cured by shooting up bleach!"
This public service message brought to by Clorox.
I thought you were leaving...
Longest suicide note I’ve seen in a while, and they usually don’t have sequels...
I hope someone makes up your mind for you soon....
I've been here for years. To my knowledge I have had no problem with anyone on Free Republic until this week. Now this uproar happened.
Right now I'm still trying to figure out what happened. Why should I walk out just because a half-dozen people got mad who may or may not speak for anyone besides themselves?
If I've violated a rule, fine. I have no desire to do that. It looks to me like in December 2010, a rule was established that I knew nothing about. However, there's more in the links provided that have December 2010 and May 2011 dates than just the issue of full-text versus excerpts — I can see at least two and possibly more additional concerns. That's why I've sent private notes requesting clarification and I'm waiting for an answer.
This is a large board, I assume the administrators are busy, and it would be quite unreasonable for me to expect an immediate answer to late-night questions.
I've said it before and I'll say it again — if the rules here require posting full-text articles rather than excerpts, I'll do that. However, that's not the only issue.
IMHO, information about the Joplin tornado is helpful. I’m willing to relax the blogger rules in this case. But I’m nobody around here and I certainly can’t grant exceptions.
FWIW
That makes it even more of a bleeding shame that it wasn't posted HERE.
Can you point to one single post that ask you to leave?
We are only asking, as the owner of Free Republic has stated, not to use Free Republic to drive hits to your web site with teaser posts.
Bring your content, share your link. If folks like what they read they can follow your link back to web site.
I bow before the great Blog Overload and beg for mercy. I plead ignorance on the basis of my newbie-ness.
I throw myself on the mercy of the Court and offer a most pleasing sacrifice to the great and powerful Blog Overlord: Warner Todd Houston. Wilt thou forgive my shameful crime?
;p
Errr.. Warner is the Dean Of Bloggers.
He was driven insane and vanquished by the Blogger Overlord.
Sheesh, don’t they teach history anymore???
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