Twitter refuses to uphold their TOS, denies responsibility or accountability to its users and the backlash is brutal. That's the story in one line but let me delve a little deeper.
Popular blogger and twitter user Ariel Waldman has been harassed. Several online communities/tools/utilities or whatever they would like to call themselves this week are being used to further that harassment. Ariel contacts the powers that be at Twitter and attempts to get them to intervene and uphold their TOS which clearly states.
" You must not abuse, harass, threaten, impersonate or intimidate other Twitter users"
Twitter then cops the fuck out, in a huge way. Ariel blogs about her experience and there is much support. Twitter employees attempt to do some major damage control as this story spreads like wild fire across the blogosphere. They succeed in only making them look more irresponsible. They back peddle and go through a series of excuses. First it appears they say they are afraid to ban the abuser because of lawsuit retribution, then they say they will rewrite their TOS to remove that section because they are not a "community" website but a "utility" website, they then settle on the theory that Ariel wasn't abused enough to take action and uphold their TOS.
You can read all about this here and here and here and here, its everywhere.
http://arielwaldman.com/2008
http://getsatisfaction.com
http://news.cnet.com/8301
http://www.zeldman.com/2008/05
http://blog.wired.com/business
http://www.briansolis.com/2008
http://blog.twitter.com/2008
Why am i writing about this social network site I'm not a part of nor have any desire to use? because it draws an interesting parallel to a small local provider/hobbyist community site based in OC and LA. They too refused to uphold their TOS when i was harassed by a member(s). I will not be naming them because i refuse to give them any publicity but those in the know .... KNOW who they are.
My harassment was 10 fold to what Ariel describes, i was called a "cunt" on so many occasions i cant keep count, i was accused of all manor of felonies and was chased around their "message board" in an attempt to ruin my reputation and in the escort biz your rep is pretty important. When i reached out to the administration i was denied help. I was told that banning abusive members was "too time consuming" or "futile" because the offending member would just "make a new account" that i should acquire a thicker skin, ignore the constant attacks or to leave the board. They passed the buck and told me to contact my local PD but took no action themselves. After the harassment reached the point where my real name was posted in their site, my personal information investigated and passed around though their system and links to my real life posted, I asked a high level administrator face to face what had to happen before they would take action and i got brushed off and shrugged off with the same "its futile" answer. I also came to know that while much of this harassment was going on one of the administrators of the site was involved. When i would write the anonymous "admin" account asking for intervention that often the one doing the harassing was the administrator i was contacting. That administrator was eventually removed because of an incident with another user who happened to be male and a lawyer. I suppose he was taken more seriously then me.
Eventually i opted to not participate on that site any longer because i felt my personal safety was compromised some really crazy things were going on, things i contacted my local PD about. Threats of kidnapping were the scariest. Outing of my personal information and the harassment i suffered on a daily basis really made it not worth it. I thought id take the out of sight out of mind approach. It continued without my presence on the board and does to this day. To date and to my knowledge no one has been censured, chastised reprimanded or admonished in any way for this behavior.
Recently the same site made a move at reinvention they now officially call themselves a "social networking site" my belief is they are trying to shield themselves from liability from running a prostitution message board. They now have a way to collect money to run the site and have a "community moderation" feature where you can delete members or silence them if enough of the community agree on the action. However that "feature" doesn't not abate them from responsibility or accountability to their users as they would like members to believe. This particular site has degenerated into a huge cluterfuck of nastiness. All it is, is people being abusive to each other, its painful to read.
There are situations where the administration will intervene and delete messages, silence members or delete accounts. There are 3 unspoken rules, they are listed no where on their site you're expected to "just know them" if you discuss law enforcement, drug usage, or that you have met other members of the site at a social function your posts mysteriously disappear. However on that site you are free to board stalk, demean, insult and harass other members with no recourse.
Its much more extreme then the Twitter situation but it boils down to the same core issue... Social Networking sites and their responsibility to their users. Some seem to want to not be responsible at all, they make excuses and don't step up to the plate. Harassment on the Internet is a serious issue and it seems to touch a lot of peoples lives. If you create a service/site/communications tool I submit you DO have a responsibility to your users. If you chose to turn a blind eye because it's too hard of an issue to deal with then you end up with what happened to this local prostitution site i was a member of..... it degenerates into crap, loses its usefulness and people no longer want to be associated with it.
So i again ask the question...what has to happen before this kind of online harassment is taken seriously? Does someone have to die for some of these new social networking sites to address this issue and to be responsible to their membership? They rely on the "its futile" "its only the Internet" "were the messenger" arguments to shield themselves from responsibility but will that really shield them when some thing tragic happens?
I hardly think so and i for one sure hope it never gets to that point but i like others see the writing on the wall.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
The Twitter Situation
Monday, May 19, 2008
Oh Hell No!
If you live in a 5 million dollar house in the hills high above LA. If you spend half of the time you book with me bragging about your wealth and all that you have. If you expect me to be impressed with your material achievements and to visibly show you how impressed i am with many ohhs and ahhhs and oh wows and then expertly drop to my knees and suck your cock like a champ because you're such the big man on campus...
THEN FUCKING TIP ME.
I'd be much more impressed with a couple extra bucks quietly slipped in my pocket then the boat you want to blah blah blah and endless drone on about ..... while i giggle and flip my hair like the Barbie doll you mistakenly thought i was.
Im sorry but pretending like i'm impressed with your stupid stuff .... is EXTRA.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Know your rights...
Today marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations. Bloggers all over the world are writing about human rights today to bring attention to the fact that all people are born with basic rights and freedoms that include life, liberty, and justice.
On that theme, I find it significant that today the California Supreme Court struck down the state's ban on same-sex marriage as unconstitutional. 4 long years in the making and its about damn time already.
"In contrast to earlier times, our state now recognizes that an individual's capacity to establish a loving and long-term committed relationship with another person and responsibly to care for and raise children does not depend upon the individual's sexual orientation,"
"We therefore conclude that in view of the substance and significance of the fundamental constitutional right to form a family relationship, the California Constitution properly must be interpreted to guarantee this basic civil right to all Californians, whether gay or heterosexual, and to same-sex couples as well as to opposite-sex couples."
MA is the only other state that allows same sex marriages though New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey and Connecticut permit civil unions. This decision is a victory for gay (and human) rights. The Gove-o-nator says he will not pursue this further. So California has set the tone, i wonder if the rest of the nation will follow suit. I for one hope they do, the Government shouldn't dictate to us who we can build a family with.
As for what our Presidential hopefuls think about the issue...
MaCain thinks this is a states rights issue and that all states should decide for themselves. Both Clinton and Obama oppose same sex marriages but support civil unions. All three oppose a constitutional amendment that bans same sex marriage. Whatever... they are all playing the semantics game and refusing to take a stand.
For shame on them all....
Know your rights!
...and now in California you have the right to marry the partner of your choice even if they are of the same sex!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Carne Asada is not a crime!
I was raised in east LA and even now live in a predominately "brown" neighborhood. Though i am Italian by heritage, i am Latina in my soul. One of the things i love is a late night run to a local taco truck. Often when I'm returning from an outcall after hours and hungry, i will stop at a local truck for a tasty meal for just a few bucks.
It seems now the local taco trucks in east LA are under attack. On the 15th of May a new ordinance will essentially make harder if not impossible to do business for these truck owners but that's not all. It will also Criminalize selling a taco! I'm an entrepreneur and i definitely support the little guy making a buck in an unconventional manner. I'm also a taco eater and i support an LA residents right to eat taco from a taco truck! The food is tastier, cheaper and often available when nothing else is.
This ordinance has come about because "brick and mortar" restaurants are complaining about unfair competition. It's been called a turf war, the Jets and the Sharks only with carne asada and tortillas. The big loser in all this is the consumer i.e. You and ME! again because of unneeded and biased county regulation we are having our choices taken away from us. I don't want to be forced to go to a sit down restaurant and pay a higher price for a less authentic product, especially in this shaky economy. We are all tightening the belt and the taco truck is a useful option in that endeavour.
Tonight 8pm to 12am is...
Taco Libre! Show your support (Tacos El Galuzo, at 5555 Whittier Blvd in East Los Angeles) Enjoy your last LEGAL taco in East LA. Don't forget to use your voice and sign the petition Save Our Taco Trucks
First they outlaw the Bacon Dog now they want to take away our taco trucks.
Carne Asada is not a crime!
Friday, May 9, 2008
If i was a firefly i'd light up my ass at night!
Green Porno: Is a series of short films inspired by the bizarre and often weird way insects and other creatures .... do it. It was conceived by Isabella Rossellini who's long been a favorite of mine, not only because of her infamous performance "Blue Velvet"but because shes always been a creative force. Green Porno is her directorial debut and what a way to enter the directors ring... gloves on tight, trim and lean and ready to knock your opponents block off.
Green Porno is overtly sexual, humorous, titillating and just plain beautiful to watch. It's a sneak peak into the underground sex world of creepy crawlies.
It premiered at the Sundance film festival and the Berlin and Tribeca film festivals and now you can even get it on your mobile phone (if you have Helio). In fact it was designed with the tiny screen in mind and many of its creative choices were made for that purpose.
Green Porno! watch them all
The promo..
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Are you a cop?
It's one of the more prevalent urban legends in the sex for money game, believing that if you ask an officer of the law straight out "are you a cop?" he or she must answer truthfully and spill his little law enforcement guts. Somehow asking that magic question will free you and you will no longer be eligible to go to the clink for doing something illegal.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Let me make this very clear.. cops are allowed to LIE. they can do all kinda of things when undercover to try to stop the bad guy (in this case consenting adults who want a little transacted naked fun) when working a drug case they can not only sell dope, but use it... what in the world makes people think that on a sex for money sting they couldn't do the same. Though i have been lucky enough to not ever have to come in contact with that side of the biz, i know ladies who have. Cops can touch you, get naked and of course LIE. I personally know a escort who after having sex with the undercover was arrested. Talk about insult to injury, his word against hers. Is that common? doubtful but that doesn't mean it can't and doesn't happen. What they can not do is entrap you, let me rephrase that. If they entrap you (ie though their actions convince you to commit a crime you were not already predisposed to) you have a good chance of getting that charge dropped at court. You still get arrested, finger printed, photographed and you still have to hire a lawyer and go to court. That solicitation charge is still on your record. Expunged records still have a footprint, so even if you go to all the expense and effort to get that charge wiped from your record someone somewhere will be able to see at some point you've been arrested.
fun huh?
Here are some interesting discussions and ridiculing of those who so blindly believe that what they've see on 70's TV shows like Starsky and Hutch and Baretta will save them from a night in the pokie.
Expert Law
Yahoo Answers
Erowid Vaults
Erowid Vaults have the most interesting and prolific one and though their slant is drugs, it's the SAME THING were talking vice.
It all boils down to there is always a risk when you ant to break the law (even a stupid one like prostitution), I'm sure for many that's part of the fun. So minimize your risk as much as you can. Ladies don't take unnecessary chances, screen your potential clients to make sure he's not only a nice guy but is who he says he is. No exceptions to your rules, it keeps you safe and free. Gents do your home work, know who it is you're seeing. That Playboy model who isn't established, doest have a website and is very explicit about her "menu" isn't really going to give you the world and then some for 150 bucks... think with the big head. It's the best way to stay out of trouble and out of the long reach of the law.
Now anyone can get sloppy or make a mistake and get caught up, its not the end of the world, it happens to the best of them.. if it does happen just wear it like a badge of honor....
But don't forget ... there is no magic question that will keep you safe and free, only using your brain can do that!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Sharing the prejudice of experience
you girls rock ;)
Friday, May 2, 2008
I believe i made my point...
“You can lay down and die, or you can get up and fight
but that's it -- there's no turning back.”
I'm not sick from champagne, I'm sick from the sea
Oh i'm the mend now, i was too sick to post. i was only well enough to swig NyQuil and watch every episode of "deadliest catch" ever made half in and out of a fever induced stupor.
Yep i now know more about crab fishing then you!
