KarmaGirl vs. JavaBrain

Published on August 23, 2004 By KarmaGirl In Blogging

After much consideration, I decided to change my presence on JoeUser. Why is that? Because, life is too short to deal with things that you don't have to.

So, I would like everyone to meet "JavaBrain". JavaBrain is a nickname that I used prior to becoming "KarmaGirl". I quit using it because people always assumed that I was a male Java programmer. (Java being for coffee, not programming). Why is JavaBrain now important? Because JavaBrain is now my admin alter ego.

To be clear: "KarmaGirl" is just me. "JavaBrain" will be the admin.

When you see a post from KarmaGirl, it just me. Not an admin. If you don't like what I say, you don't like me, and that is fine. Delete my comments, blacklist, do whatever you need to do. But, if you see "JavaBrain" make a comment, it's an Admin comment, not just "my" opinion. People can't seem to realize that I have my own opinions, so the only way this can be clear is by having to names.

So, with that, I have also decided to clear some other things up that I have let slide too long:

1) Don't email me for little things. That means- don't email me because somebody you don't like has commented on your blog. You have the power to blacklist or delete comments. You don't need me to "look at it".

2) Don't ask me to visit your or a friends blog to read it and comment on it, especially if you decide to flame me afterward because what I said wasn't a glowing review. If you ask me to look at your blog, don't expect me to. History has shown that this a a stupid idea on my part since people seem to just like to turn my comments into a flame war if they don't agree with me. If you really want my opinion, I'll give it to you, but it's an honest one.

3) Don't email me about "personal attacks" unless it is true. If you email me and I look into it and it's not a real attack, you will go into my "boy who cries wolf folder" and be ignored in the future.

4) Nobody gets paid to admin this site. Matter of fact, this site loses money, it doesn't make money. Don't tell me that you will get me fired from JU because I said something to you.

5) In the past, I have received email over people being banned. I was told that the "sites bottom line will suffer" if that person left. It won't. There isn't a "bottom line". The site is free, therefore it doesn't have a profit. One person will not make or break the site even if there was money involved. People come and go all the time and the site still increases in popularity.

6) Don't ask me to feature your article.

You won't see many comments from "JavaBrain". People take admins too seriously (except for when they should, for some reason). I simply don't want to deal with it anymore. I'm an admin to help the site- that's it. I don't get paid for doing it. I don't get some power trip from it. I admin other sites that actually make money, so in reality, I should be spending *very* little time here and more time at those sites if all I was concerned about was money. So, don't send me hate mail. I won't read it. If you don't like me, blacklist me. I don't care. This is a blog site. It's meant for sharing thoughts and opinions. Not all those thoughts and opinions will agree. If you get upset over what a stranger says to you, then you need to rethink why you write at all.

So, KarmaGirl is just an average user. But, if you see "JavaBrain" comment, please pay attention.

Peace and happy blogging.

Comments (Page 1)

Gene Nash

on Aug 23, 2004

Umm, Miss KarmaGirl? I have this friend with a really gee-whiz neato article. Maybe if you could just read it and you could comment favorably -- my friend could really use the encouragement -- and then maybe put in a good word for getting it featured then I'm sure we could all just get along and the site would be super profitable and no-one would have to get hurt.

Okay, so I shouldn't have sent you that email. I'm sorry, already!! There was no need for this thinly veiled, obvious personal attack. Are you trying to drive me from the site or something?

Seriously, you should publish a collection of the dumbest e-mails you've received. I wanna see this.

KarmaGirl

on Aug 23, 2004

Seriously, you should publish a collection of the dumbest e-mails you've received

I would, but there is no way that I can compete with the email that Brad has received. He has had people who wanted to build shrines to pray to that he would die of cancer bleeding from every orifice. Who can compete with that?

Ravenblack

on Aug 23, 2004

I was once made a moderator of a forum. I used to have fun there with everyone before I became a mod. I did consider myself well-liked. For some reason, the moment I was made a moderator, things began to change and people treated me differently. I was terribly inexperienced at the time being on the net for a little over a year. And I was badly hurt. I was being trolled, being provoked left and right, and for every little opinion, I was being attacked - name calling, people saying I was abusing my power and all that sort of crap. I mean here I am doing something for a community I care about and in the end, all I got was crap from most of the regulars. In the end I resigned. Even after 2-3 years, I never regain the joy I used to have in that forum community. The only reason why I even occassionally pop back at the old hangout is because I still have a few real friends (net friends who eventually became my real life friends), and that's all I care about.

Just to add: this site is fine! I don't know if this means anything to you, KarmaGirl, but thank you.

KarmaGirl

on Aug 23, 2004

I don't know if this means anything to you, KarmaGirl, but thank you.

Actually, that means *a lot*! Thank you for your understanding.

It's always a "grass is greener" type thing. Everyone thinks it would be "cool" to be an admin. Then when you are, you realize that it's really just a bunch of politics and work. Not a lot of fun. But, I think that having my admin side separate from my "self" should help.

Ravenblack

on Aug 23, 2004

>> I think that having my admin side separate from my "self" should help.

I think it would too. The 'admin mode' should keep misunderstandings of roles to a minimum. I never really understood why on some forums admins have two user names - now I think I understand why they do that.

BlueDev

on Aug 23, 2004

Thanks for the heads up KarmaGirl. I too have had a short stint as an moderator at a forum and just basically had to stop doing it. It was too hard to separate my regular forum posts from my moderator posts. Very difficult and frustrating. I think having two identities will make it much easier.

Oh, and about those emails. . .

Gideon MacLeish

on Aug 23, 2004

Karma,

For the record, I have always appreciated your work as an admin. I know you guys have an incredibly difficult job.

I am extremely grateful for the exposure JoeUser has given me as a writer. As I try to step out of the ranks of amateurism, I have a place where I can point interested parties to see the substance and nature of my writing...and that's something that's hard to buy at any price.

I don't know about the other joeusers, but I get kinda proud when I do a google search and one of my (better written) articles come up. This wouldn't be possible without the work that all of the admins have done to make this a great site. THANK YOU!

Oh, and, if I throw paper wads at javagirl once in awhile, ignore them. It's just my bratty 3rd grader side showing through...lol

KarmaGirl

on Aug 23, 2004

Thank you for all of your kind words, they are very appreciated!

LW, I am keeping an eye on that "odd" one.

Draginol

on Aug 23, 2004

I usually just ignore the emails I get. I used to try to answer them but most of the time they're just people who want me to do work for them that they could easily do for themselves.

It is also always interesting when people who aren't paying anything demand to be treated like a customer. They're not customers. The site is here, people can use it. If they don't like it, they are free to leave. I rarely ban anyone but I also don't sweat people who are playing the points system or complaining that their article didn't get featured. Thast last complaint really annoys me because even as-is, their articles are going to be more read here than anywhere else they have it.

I think some people should try oppening a blogger account or blogspot or yahoo or whatever blog account and see how many people read their blog there. They have no idea how good they have it here and it's all free. 99% of people I think are pleased with what we do. But when you're volunteering for something, in your free time it defintely gets old having some guy or gal complain about how you're not doing enough for them. By per hour contracting time is $350 per hour (i.e. that's what SD charges companies for my time). So obviously pretty much anything I do here is in my spare time.

SSG Geezer

on Aug 23, 2004

I agree with LW on the "Creepy". Good Luck KG/JB

crimson

on Aug 23, 2004

I'm glad Karma Girl is not going away entirely.
Nic

joetheblow

on Aug 23, 2004

Cool idea. Plus, I didn't know JU was loosing money, does buying Blog Navigator help JU or Stardock in general?

If the site ends up in the land of the lost, how do we get our blogs out? What way could users help in keeping JU alive?

Draginol

on Aug 23, 2004

Well right now JU is in beta.

Eventually there will be a way to buy premium accounts which will give you more features. We just haven't had time to do it.

JU doesn't lose much money, it's not a very expensive site to run presently. Karma's point was that bloggers aren't doing US favors. We want people to enjoy themselves but we don't want them to start treating us like we're their hired hands. We're happy to host their blogs and promote what they write for free. But they shouldn't kid themselves into thinking that their blogs are the business. When people start being able to create premium accounts then they'll be customers.

Muggaz

on Aug 23, 2004

4) Nobody gets paid to admin this site. Matter of fact, this site loses money, it doesn't make money. Don't tell me that you will get me fired from JU because I said something to you.

that was too funny...

Good Idea Karma... Personally, I think you are doing a super job, and for what it's worth, Brad also is appreciated proabbly more than he realises... I guess what I am trying to say is that JU is a totally awesome place, and we really have you guys to thank for it, and I just want to doubly emphasise that thanks coming from me, because quite frankly, I am a jerk

BAM!!!

Jay Walker

on Aug 23, 2004

I imagine having a site populated with well-written blogs will attract more people paying for those premium accounts (when that happens). Sites populated with crappy blogs would, I suppose, have trouble charging anything for premium accounts. So in the sense that popular bloggers here are building up the popularity of this "free" site - I suppose thinking about those folks like their important customers wouldn't hurt the bottom line (when it arrives in the black).

So there is a mutual contribution from people like mignuna - she helps to build the popularity of this site with the popularity of her blogs - and she gets someplace to post her thoughts. Frankly, based on mignuna's blogging and the like, I can envision a future economic return for JU far easier than I can for mignuna.

In any case, nice to see the admin function being hived off. Yes, most people are more sensitive to criticism from those "above" them in any hierarchy.

JW

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