CAN YOU IDENTIFY THESE ANONYMOUS BLOGGERS?
It’s no secret that The Palmetto Scoop was an anonymous blog for the first three months of its existence. But then I decided to do the right thing and reveal my name.
After all, it was only fair to the folks of whom I was critical — and those I praised — to have a name to respond to. Plus, since I “outed” myself, I’ve been having a whole lot more fun blogging.
And now I want to help some folks in the South Carolina blogosphere who are desperately clinging to the shadows of anonymity see the light by revealing their real identity.
Many of these individuals have engaged in very nasty, personal and borderline libelous attacks on countless individuals in this state and beyond. In an effort to give their “victims” (I use the term loosely) a chance to fight back, I need your help to find information that leads to finding their identity.
If you have any information, please email editor@palmettoscoop.com or use the Tip Line.
Feel free to get creative and have fun sleuthing, I just ask that you don’t break any laws. And please, don’t stoop to their level.
Anyway, without further ado, here are the Top 5 “Most Wanted” offenders:
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PICTURE
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PEN NAME
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BLOG
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INFO.
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1
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John Vierdsen
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Not much is known about this nutjob except that they are or were a political insider and a huge Alabama football fan. They first hit the blogosphere in June 2008 and their existence has so far baffled nearly everyone. But with a penchant for vulgarity and making very nasty, personal, libelous attacks, it’s only a matter of time before they are caught. It’s also possible that this is more than one person, as their character assassinations are reminiscent of the "Magic Bullet Theory." | ||
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2
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Waldo Lydecker
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This person came out of nowhere at some point in the spring of 2008. Not much is known except that they are gay, probably male, hail from Washington State or Oregon and currently live in the Upstate. The mere mention of homosexuals in a negative light is enough for this person to make someone an enemy for life. And like the others on the"Most Wanted" list, that means an onslaught of hateful, cowardly personal attacks with a hefty dose of curse words. | |
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3
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Not Very Bright
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One of the few South Carolina bloggers to achieve relative respect and prominence in the blogosphere while retaining anonymity, this person’s identity has remained a mystery for more than two years — mostly due to the fact that they engage in almost none of the personal attacks that have landed their liberal cohorts on the "Most Wanted" list. That said, this person has made moronic, unapologetic partisan politics part of their obnoxious forte. | |
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4
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Mattheus Mei
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This individual has been on the scene for a while, yet remains nameless and quite mysterious. A devout liberal and likely a gay Catholic, they occasionally take a break from their love of personal assaults on conservatives to post cooking recipes and religious doctrines. False claims and foul language are certainly not out of the ordinary for this person. | ||
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5
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Clay Pit Crew
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The folks (possibly singular) running this rag have been accused of doing everything from forging documents to stealing content — and it almost got them sued by a local newspaper. They’re likely "Republicans" and almost certainly based out of Aiken. There have been numerous rumors as to their identity, but all have been circumstantial. These rumors have largely died down as the site had become less and less active, but it would still be nice to find out who they are. |
This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 3:56 pm and is filed under Around the state, TPS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Nice- calling in a hit on bloggers you disagree with. Although I think I might sympathize with you going after Vierdsonian. Blog wars drive traffic, after all.
Slightly related comment- if you could identify these people with information they gave you in confidence (like the “will not be published” email address), would you? Would it be any different if you could identify them by their IP address?
How far “over the line” would a blogger/commenter have to go for you to disclose this information? Would it make a difference if you knew there were specific conflicts of interest (a la blogging from McCain or Obama headquarters), as opposed to just being some dude wasting time on the internet?
Rob W. - Most of these folks have made vicious, vulgar, and/or nasty personal attacks on many people including myself. Well, maybe with the the exception of Not Very Bright… that one is more about blatant curiosity.
I’m fine if people want to attack me, I’ve grown quite used to it. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to respond or defend myself. Same goes for a lot of people in politics.
But it’s hard to fight back when the person doesn’t even have the courage to use their real name.
Now, while I do agree that everyone has the “right” to remain anonymous, I also agree that, just as happened with me, everyone else has the “right” to find out who they are. If you’re going to run into the political arena and take pot shots (sometimes libelous ones) at someone, then prepare to have them come after you.
So I’m going to try to make it easier by removing the cloak on some of these folks. That goes for right or left or in between. I just want to catch the ones I don’t like first.
I have a whole lot more respect for folks like Micah Snead and Tim Kelly and Jennifer Read — all of whom share a mutual dislike for TPS — for having the courage to use their real name than folks like Vierdsen and Waldo who cower in the shadows. So I’m going to find them and I’m going let everyone know who they are.
It’s hardball, and they stepped up to the plate to play, so… batter up.
Oh, and trust me, not a single one of these folks has or would ever give me anything “in confidence.” Anyone who does give me something in confidence is always protected.
good 4 u McFogle. Im sick of em so Get em good!
Perhaps you should start with the basics of sentence structure and ensure your use of singular and plural pronouns is correct.
Wow. We’re two weeks out from a humongous election, and this is what you’re writing about? Seriously??
I can’t imagine why the Republicans are doing so poorly this time around, seeing as how they know on to focus on the really important stuff.
But hey, but you’re right about one thing…personal attacks are not my style. In fact, I’ve deleted comments left on my blog about you that crossed the line. You’re welcome.
I’m sorta too old and too busy for silly blog war crap, but I’m interested in any examples (with links) of my “moronic, unapologetic partisan politics” that are part of my “obnoxious forte.” Seriously.
The other day, in my continuing effort to elevate the discussion in SC blogdom (clearly not working), I wrote on why I am supporting Senator Obama . I’ve yet to see a similar post from the conservative SC bloggers. When you tire of the juvenile stuff, maybe you could try something like that and explain your reasons for supporting Senator McCain. Other than that you are getting paid to do so.
The rest of this is seriously junior high.
“I can’t imagine why the Republicans are doing so poorly this time around, seeing as how they know on to focus on the really important stuff.”
“I’m interested in any examples (with links) of my ‘moronic, unapologetic partisan politics.’”
NVB - I think you proved my point for me. Don’t even need a link.
Adam - Speaking as a conservative with plans to vote for McCain, NVB sort of has a point about the relevance of this exercise.
A lot of people have full time jobs outside politics. They can’t blog openly and freely because they do business with people of all political stripes. Are they any less entitled than you to have a blog?
If you are successful in outing these bloggers, the practical result will be fewer voices in the SC political blogosphere.
A rather transparent effort to silence those who disagree with you, if you ask me.
All that said, this is your blog and your reputation.
Sand Hill,
Funny you would mention transparency. That’s precisely what I’m going for here.
As for being able to “blog openly and freely,” what about those they attack who want to respond “openly and freely”? What about their rights to know their accuser?
I’m an ardent defender of the right to blog anonymously. But I’m also an ardent defender of personal responsibility.
A lot of good people have had their reputations seriously damaged or destroyed by some of the garbage that comes from anonymous blogs. Look at the Sarah Palin “covering up her daughter’s pregnancy” stuff that was everywhere.
If someone doesn’t like what I write, that’s their problem. But at least they know who to address and at least I am restrained by the thought of knowing that everything I write has my name tacked onto it.
Not so with the folks who hide in the shadows. And some of them need to be held accountable for the things they’ve written
Adam - You are in the court of public opinion not law. When people attack you anonymously, everyone else takes that into consideration and gives you points for being out in the open. Plus you have a pretty loud megaphone to “respond ‘openly and freely’”.
love you too
Mattheus Mei is Matt Butler - you can see his facebook profile here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=12601736&ref=mf#/profile.php?id=12601736&v=feed&viewas=12602076
at least when you take off the paper bag, this one’s cute.
but srsly. grow up, guys.
I don’t have a blog so nobody bothers me do da.
When are you going to write a book?
“Can You Believe I Get Paid For This? (And So Can You!)”
I’ll pre-order today.
Are you kidding me? Outing people for almost any reason is wrong and unethical.
You started a blog and allow comments. If you don’t like comments then you can eliminate them or ban certain people from leaving them. The whole idea of a blog and comments is that it generates thoughts and discussion. It is completely presumptuous for you to make a decision about why or why not someone else wishes to remain anonymous.
If you don’t like what they write then you have complete control to stop it. Don’t puff your chest out like some adolescent and try to pick a fight. Maybe you should rethink your positions or make good counter arguments to support your views. It’s your sandbox. If you don’t like sand being thrown in your eyes occasionally don’t go crying to mom….or in this case, getting other bloggers to do you dirty work.
So, take your left hand, slap yourself in the face and say out loud, “GROW UP!”
Sand Hill has a point - blog readers ain’t dumb, nor are the traditional news media types who refer to us. They’re going to place a higher level of trust on those whose agendas and identities are known, than those who are unknown.
Sure I’m not happy about the anonymous bloggers, but they generally don’t have as much credibility out there, so if they’re willing to shortchange their efforts, then that’s their choice. It’s a shame, because some of them aren’t half bad and putting their name on their work would allow them to have a lot more credibility when discussing the process they’re trying to inform and influence.
But, in all fairness, when considering bias, one has to consider more than just their identity. It’s a common criticism that many major political bloggers are also employed, so it’s often assumed their posts are intended to benefit a client. Even when they may be straight-up, honest, and sincere, how can we really know that?
Since I work in the private sector, I’m fairly immune to those shots. However, I make a point to never discuss anything related to SCDOT, since my employer is in the highway construction businesses. If I started discussing such issues, how would you know if I was sharing informed and objective insights, or just lobbying for something which might benefit my employer? You really wouldn’t, so I don’t go there.
I’ve exchanged emails with Mattheus, or Matt, and even helped Matt get a speaker for his Young Catholics group, so I’d hardly call him anonymous.
In closing, I’m curious as to why you’re throwing out speculation about the sexual orientation of the anonymous bloggers? I’m not sure where that’s a relevant criteria.
Fogle, aren’t you a member of the “Media Bloggers Association?” What does the MBA say about anonymity? Oh, here it is:
A note on anonymity
As a general rule, the MBA does not accept bloggers as members anonymously or pseudonymously. We believe that bloggers should own their own words. Also, we are a member organization and we have to know the identity of our members. At the same time, the MBA recognizes the value of anonymous speech and knows it has a storied and valuable history. We are willing to make exceptions and have done so, but this is done rarely and only when there is a clear and compelling reason to do so. If you blog anonymously or under a pseudonym and wish for us to make an exception please let us know.
As far as I know, none of the bloggers in question has applied for membership in the organization, so as an MBA member, you should - apparently - “recognize the value of anonymous speech.”
And yes, anonymous speech does have a storied and valuable history. I doubt you’ve ever heard of the Federalist Papers, but I urge you to consult Wikipedia or the 8th Grade American History textbook you never read to find out who “Publius” was and the role those anonymous writings played in the development of our nation.
People blog anonymously for all sorts of reasons. Some don’t want to piss off an employer or potential clients and customers who may not share their political views; some might want to protect the identity and livelihood of family members; some just may not feel comfortable putting their name out there for wackos on the Internet to exploit.
What else does MBA - your organization - tell us? Oh, yeah, here it is: transparency.
“Transparency: Clearly disclose conflicts of interest including personal relationships, financial considerations or anything else that might influence or appear to influence your independence and integrity. If you accept payments from advertisers or sponsors, clearly demarcate advertorial from editorial content.”
So let’s disclose just how much your employer and its clients are paying you for your blogging, buddy.
As for your respect - I neither need it or want it. So here’s a gratuitous personal attack to get me off your list: you are a petty, insignificant little asshole who’s wasting valuable food and oxygen that could be better consumed by productive members of humanity. Fu*k you. [Edited for vulgarity]
Snead - That’s the title of my life. I’m definitely writing that book right after the election. Thanks for the idea.
Let me see if I understand this correctly?
You attempt to “out” people because you disagree with them on political issues. Any strong writer will use logic and wit to win over readers. Creating a silly “witch hunt” only hurts you as a serious writer/blogger.
Use your site to “attack” a blogger’s poor writing with strongly written opinion pieces. One can use something called “logic” to make a solid point.
Name calling and implying one’s sexual orientation only hurts your credibility. In the end, a public writer should not be attacking people on race, religion or sexual orientation. It turns off readers and some may view it as disguised racism.
Adam, this is awesome, anonymous writers are useless, and cotent of writing matters for nothing. Just look at William Shakespeare, it was likely a psuedonym and since we will likely never know for sure who wrote the stuff it is obviously worthless right? (no, I am not being serious)
In addition, your reasoning that ‘because’ some anonymous bloggers say libelous things, or launch baseless personal attacks, why don’t you make this seeminly pointless mission to out THOSE bloggers who use their anonymity for what you deem harmful purposes.
Otherwise your point seems to be very lost on me, and probably any other objective reader out there. This blog appears to be going down faster than Paris Hilton in the back of the Limp Biscut tour bus.
I know for a fact that Adam doesn’t get paid to blog so most of you are way off. But don’t you think you know so much! It is really cute how smart and “in” some of y’all think you are.