Love Your Neighbor

I swear this is my last post on the subject. I promise.

This weekend, I heard many stories about "Community" and how valuable it is, how adorable it is, and how much its cherished. I too agree. Community is a wonderful thing, and something I also experienced here among the Dating Bloggers until last Friday when suddenly I was kicked out without warning and for reasons that had nothing to do with me personally.

There are posts all over about respecting your fellow blogger and blogger family, as if those of us not in the "Community" are somehow lacking.

My community is about love and understanding. Its about freedom. Its supportive in agreement and disagreement. Its a family that can fight and still have each others backs, and welcomes others .. not shuts them out.

This is my community.. 

Below I've written what it is that I believe my community is about.. the standards that I believe a true community wanting to grow should be about.

My Online Ethics:

"I love my fellow onliners as people. I like to think that I treat them with kindness and respect and dignity. (I try.. no one is perfect)

I believe in free speech and will uphold anyone's right to express their opinion or viewpoint even if I don't agree with it. I also reserve the right to publicly disagree with anyone's opinions or viewpoint. 

I do not however believe that disagreement gives anyone the right to harass, name-call, personally insult, or use anyone's private secrets against them (aka hitting below the belt). I reserve the right, and support others rights, to delete or ban or publicly call attention to anyone who is abusing their right to free speech in order to bring down another person or to cause another person strife or pain. 

I will not actively pursue to shut down, harrass, or otherwise hurt another person's livelihood or project. I will not join in anyone elses efforts to do so, nor encourage anyone to do so. I do not agree with bullying in any way, shape, or form.

I try to disagree when I disagree with as much tact and respect as possible. If I find myself continually in disagreement with an individual, I will stop following or stop reading their posts to minimize my contributions of negativity.

I do my best to be as equally free with praise as I am with disapproval, and strive to always find the best in everyone.

I will follow and unfollow people only based on my own experiences/perceptions of their content and behavior. I will not blindly follow anyone elses suggestions or give in to peer pressure. I will not demand that others follow or unfollow anyone or promote or not promote anyone in order to gain or remain in my friendship or following.

I will not ostracize or abandon friends who have shown me love, because they do not always agree with me."

This is my definition of community. This is how I love.

How do you become part of my community? Say Hi. That's a good place to start, and we'll go from there.

Breach Of Trust

After the debacle on Friday, I strongly considered closing shop.

As it turns out there are 30+ bloggers in category Blogger B vs Blogger A.  Of those 30+ bloggers, I found out two of them were people I considered to be good friends.

So that I'd not received an invite or heads up or even consulted at all.. Hurt a lot. 

Not to mention the numbers of other bloggers in their group.. which I didn't know who was or wasn't in the group.. and found myself wondering.. Who do I trust now?

I received several DM's through Twitter of people showing me their support and agreeing with my post on Friday. I wondered if these people DM'd me out of fear that showing public support would adversely affect them. I know I wasn't the only one hurt, distrustful, and a little scared.

I wondered throughout the weekend about "what if I say something negative about someone? will I be next?"  Because lord knows I cannot keep my mouth shut if I think someone's talking a bunch of BS.

Then I found out that some private information that I'd given to people because I trusted them.. had been told to people I didn't authorize..

The smoke coming out of my ears nearly set off the smoke alarm.

The amount of betrayal and whispering behind closed doors that I felt was going on.. I'd not experienced since High School, and is not something I ever want to experience again.

So I spent most of this weekend out.  If I was home, I'd think about my computer.. and this.. and I'd get upset. Being home was stifling.

I hung out with friends I've not seen in months. I drank vodka. I drank beer, and I even tried to kill myself off by eating fries that I was pretty sure I was allergic to.. They were damn good though.. until I got sick.

It honestly wasn't until Sunday night.. after a very fun afternoon of beer drinking.. that I started to relax and put things into perspective.

As much as I'd love to be able to.. I can not control what other people do or say. I have to accept them for their choices, and move on to what is going to make me happy and what I can live with.

I can only be me.

So I'm back. A little worse for wear.. a little less trusting (I know, who'd have thought that possible?).. and with a little bit bigger middle finger.

I've got some juicy stories that I've yet to write up..  So don't worry.. fun fun will be had here again...

Follow Friday Drama: Count Me Out

I'm a bad girl. I've been scolded. I've been unfollowed. I've been blocked and unblocked and reblocked again. In this activity, I have been told with whom I can and cannot be friends or suffer the same treatment.

For those of you not "in the know", there is a major rift dividing the Dating Blogger world.  There are two people who do not get along (ok more than two, but there are essentially two sides) and for the purpose of this post.. I'll call them Blogger A, and Blogger B.

They both have their reasons of why they are fighting, and each feels fully justified in their stances and behaviors.

Blogger A vehemently disagreed with Blogger B's initial posts and attitude, and honestly Blogger A's initial position was not unfounded.  Blogger A then decided that Blogger B needed correcting.

Blogger B has posted some great posts and some "OMG you have to be posting this just for the controversy" posts.  Blogger B's initial posts and attitude even had myself thinking that Blogger B needed some education.  But over time Blogger B has grown to be an excellent dating blogger.

However, Blogger A's initial "attack" on Blogger B, caused Blogger B to be hurt and wounded. And the fight escalated.

Both Bloggers have their benefits and their detriments. Both at one time or another, I've considered to be friends of mine.

Blogger A is not an easily likable person. Blogger A is often negative and judgmental in their approach to people and situations.  This makes for good reading, and good discussion. Blogger A has a great following of dedicated readers who love that no-bullshit approach. It's actually one of the things that first drew me to Blogger A's blog.  Plus the fact that Blogger A allows me to disagree without fear of retribution.

Blogger B is a very nice person and has grown to blog very nicely. Blogger B has a great perspective on dating and life, and their posts are always insightful. Blogger B has grown a good following based in their fresh perspective and flirty ways. Blogger B truely has a very sweet-heart personality once you get to know them.

I sort of understand Blogger A's perspective on Blogger B, but yes I do think that an apology from Blogger A is needed.  But both sides have spread rumors and bad talked each other. No one is an angel here.

I also do not like being forced to choose a side. I'm no longer in HS. I no longer feel the need to deal with this.

I've known Blogger A almost since my "birth" here. Blogger A's been nothing but nice to me. Blogger A has never lashed out at me for being friends with Blogger B. Blogger A did mention it once, but has not (to my knowledge) held it against me. 

Blogger B and I are recent friends. We started rocky as I disagreed with Blogger B's initial attitude and perspective. I got blocked and wasn't told why. Then Blogger B's attitude changed and I started liking what Blogger B was saying and posting. Through strange round about ways, Blogger B deemed me safe to talk to and unblocked me. The blocking it turned out had to do with my friendship with Blogger A.

Then today, I posted some #FF tweets. Including both of them in the same tweet.

I'm told I lost followers. Blogger B has unfollowed me again. (and to tell you the truth, it hurts every time someone blocks me. it shouldn't, but it does.)

I am a peacemaker. I don't like to be in the middle of fights, and will do my best to resolve the situation. I've tried, but it is no use.

So I'm done. I don't do this politics crap.. I never have. 

If you want to be my friend.. be my friend. I won't be toyed with, or given ultimatums. I won't let you dictate who I can and cannot associate with.  If you don't like my friends, thats fine.. not everyone likes everyone.. I won't require you to like them. I also won't require you to drop a friend that happens to be an enemy of mine. (Hell I hung out with friends of Hock's last night without a problem)

I either trust you as a friend or I don't.  You either trust me as a friend or you don't.

But I tell you both this.. Blogger A and Blogger B.. until you two can live as friends, I will not RT or Mention either of you on Twitter. I will not be publicly friends with either of you, as your fighting has now really hurt me.

Its days like today, that I am ashamed to be among the "Dating Bloggers".