09-05-01 @ 8:45 pm EDT

Remember how not that long ago I said I went to PA without trepidation and posted the link to BF to invite newbies to come along and join? How I said it wouldn't be any trouble and I wouldn't be rebuked this time? Sheesh. I take back everything I said.

I went and posted the link early yesterday. A few people answered, saying yes, we'll check it out. One of them said, "This is G. (the webmaster). He posted this on AIH (a competing site) also. I've been a member of the site for a while now..."

Um...excuse me, answerer, no, I am NOT G., and why you thought you could tell everybody I am (it was an anonymous question--like only webmasters can plug their own sites?) is beyond me. This person, I've seen them around before and had no trouble with them, so I contacted them privately to say I had posted the invite and not G. Sorry for the confusion. I THOUGHT that was the end of it.

I log on to BF today and what do I see? G. had to defend himself in the posting area. Clarified that he had not posted either of the plugs referred to, though he had no problem with the person(s) who did it, BUT he didn't like that it had been done anonymously. A few others replied defending him as well. Apparently he had posted a clarification on PA as well, and another BFer had gone over to argue and plug the site too.

I went to PA to see if I had gotten any more answers to the plug so I could rate them and be done with it. And try as I might, I could not find the question I'd posted. Where was it? I finally figured out the exact URL and...it just took me to the main page. The plug was gone. Deleted, I assume.

WELL...what a nice double standard they've got going on PA. I've seen COUNTLESS plugs for AIH over there, including one person who posted like ten plugs in different categories all at once, running other items off the main page. (They didn't even have to do this, as most members check out ONE category exclusively anyway--one plug in there would have reached them all.) THOSE weren't deleted. Yet I didn't see any mention of BF there today. Not my question, and I didn't see any from G. or the other guy who said he'd post. All gone.

I publicly answered G.'s post on BF and apologized YET AGAIN for my mistakes. Why do I even bother trying? I'm not mad at him, but I'm mad at the guy who said G. had asked the question and at whoever decided the plug was so damned offensive it had to be deleted. Some people. You know, it's VERY nice netiquette to state that you KNOW who is asking an anonymous question--especially if there's absolutely nothing there to give the asker away! (And in this case, there WASN'T--it was pretty much just the URL and "Hope to see you there!")

So of course, now I'm pissed. The first time I invite ONE person, as I was led to believe was allowed, I get chewed out three times. The site finally goes public, I invite people again as is expected, and NOW I start THIS crap! That does it. I give up. NO more invitations to join that site from me! Which means that poor K., and J., whom I'd like to see show up, will just have to be invited by someone else. I'm tired of this. Every time I decide to take the initiative it screws up royally. No more of that. Other people can invite them, or they can show up on their own!

This really pisses me off...I can't even turn in a circle without screwing something up! >:(