I would like to get your thoughts on our link guidelines. We have about 520 links now. That's our largest blogroll ever at MBS. I'm pleased to be able to offer readers a broad variety of links to spanking sites reflecting different perspectives and types of content.
It's clear that many readers appreciate these choices and I have no plans to eliminate any active links. Quite the contrary, I'm contemplating whether it would be appropriate to loosen some of the restrictions now in place.
Here are the factors I employ today to determine whether to link a blog. I eliminate from consideration any blog that has one or more of the following attributes:
- Sites that are not organized as a blog with dated posts
- Blogs that have not been updated in two months or more
- Blogs that are private or require a registration/subscription
- Blogs that lack significant spanking content
- Blogs whose primary purpose is advertising
- Blogs that contain little or no original content
- Blogs that depict real or fictional children or non-consenting adults as spankees
- Blogs that feature extremely graphic or offensive content
- Blogs with considerable text in a language other than English
- Blogs authored or frequented by minors
- Blogs that advocate abuse or exploitation of women
If your answer is something else or some combination of these, I invite you to express it in a comment.
15 comments :
I love that you spend so much time finding the new blogs and introducing them to everyone! I'm sure it takes a lot of time and energy for you to do that! I'm sure that many others besides myself appreciate what you do and the fact that you link to our blogs!
Thank you, Bonnie!
I just want to say thank you. By far the most traffic to my blog comes through yours!!!
Hi Bonnie,
Your rules are fine and have served us well. I agree with most of them, but have comments about some:
Rule #6 - With the introduction of tumblr blogs, it's pretty difficult to exclude blogs with little original content, since most tumblr sites do more reblogging than posting something new.
Rule #7 - Recollection of childhood spankings appeal to many people and are the foundation of much spanking fiction, so this rule might be relaxed a bit.
Rule 9 - Blogs written in languages other than English should be included. Although it would be hard to see whether the rest of the rules apply if the blog is written in a language you are not familiar with, the dates and pictures will give you some idea of its appropriateness. And you will doubtless have readers who understand the language and will let you know if the blog is offensive.
BTW, I voted for the final choice in the poll:-D
Hugs,
Hermione
Hello Bonnie,
Bottomsmarts is indeed something like The Official Guide to The Spankingworld.
Now, I don't know how to keep my personal ideas out of this, but I'll try.
This were my thoughts on the possible choices.
Bullet #1, I would like to choose this one, I should choose this one in its generallity, but I know it is impossible, because it is stated to generally.
Bullet #2, Never noticed that M/M was not excepted. Is there a special reason for this? You have no problem with all other lettercombinations.
Bullet #3, Well, everybody can have a recollection, but a special site does not seem legally acceptable.
Bullet #4, Is that even a reason?
Bullet #5, As a Dutchman, I would think it nice if you could accept English and Dutch sites, but that is an endless road.
Bullet #6, Cannot say anything else but YES
Bullet #7, True, True, and that for a work of love. But this is an argument only you can use.
So, I voted for Bullet #6, with a question mark about the M/M spanking.
It would be fantastic if you found a few great M/M blogs! Unfortunately, I haven't found one that I really liked so far (especially none that wasn't mostly about pictures). Finding at least some nice M/M picture blogs should be possible, though.
Blogs in different languages might be interesting as well, given your international readership. And I agree with Hermione. In my experience, most Tumblr blogs don't contain any original content but only reblogged pictures originally posted by others. So, keeping the rule about original content up for other kinds of blogs might be difficult.
By the way, I didn't participate in the poll because I didn't find an answer that really fit.
Bonnie: Interesting rules.. I agree with most but suggest tweaking...
M/M blogs MUST be allowed, if they fit the guidelines that exist for M/F, F/M, F/F, or is their an unwritten anti gay bias? Posting M/M that fit the other guidelines would encourage more of this consensual type.
With a translation button available to be put on every blog, any language should be permitted... and if you do not want to read, simply the pictures should show suitability, and any reader who finds it unsuitable could contact you.
I believe tumblr are not blogs in our sense of the word, and you should put them in a different category lower than the list of all blogs. I find most people leave my site for tumblr, and I am toying with how to make them less attractive, so that people read and discuss with fellow TTWD enthusiasts. Tumblr can be simply to easy to update, and stay at the top of your blog list.
I would strongly endorse no childhood stories or fantasies or blogs that even fictionally spank children, unless the photos show adults dressed as children.
Keep up the fabulous work you do, and my wholehearted compliments for your efforts.
Publicizing that being spanked or spanking someone can be fun for both, lead to fabulous sex and/or better harmony, and that the spanking MUST BE consensual,
bottoms up
RED
Hi Bonnie,
I think that childhood recollections are nice, as long as they are clearly marked as such.
I personally am disappointed whenever I follow a link to to a Tumblr blog because it is rare to find one that has original content. I would vote for noting which blogs are Tumblr.
I think that including non-English blogs would be nice, but it is difficult to then gauge whether something is graphic or offensive.
But I do think the current system is wonderful, so these are only small suggestions rather than any complaint. :)
Bonnie, Happy Consensual Spanking Day. from one of your greatest admireres. I heartily agree with all your eleven ( 11 ) rules. You are our 'spankable den mother'. And for the foreseeable future will be.
I voted to allow blogs that are written in other languages than in English. I can understand that it is hard to tell what is written on some of them and therefor it is hard to see if they are fully adult and consensual but I think that some of the picture based ones, like JPColorgallery should be allowed in.
Although it's not my thing, I think that M/m bloggers should have a chance to mingle with the rest of us, as well.
Prefectdt
Thank you all for your great responses.
There has never been a prohibition against M/M blogs. I have yet to find one that fit within the guidelines. However, there has been an explosion of new M/M spanking blogs recently and I haven't had an opportunity to visit them all.
I don't mean to discriminate and I don't want anyone to perceive MBS that way. Last time I asked this question, a strong majority said they were not interested in M/M spanking. So I didn't push it. But fair is fair.
Tumblr blogs continue to be controversial. Granted, some of them do repost the same old photos. But there are others that are wonderful, original blogs complete with text posts. It's not right, I think, to paint them all with one brush.
Sometimes, when people criticize Tumblr blogs, they really mean photoblogs on any platform. I denote these in green so that readers who prefer to avoid them have that opportunity.
I banned blogs featuring recollections of childhood spankings because I am concerned it might inspire someone to harm a real child today. I think that's the right call, but in doing so, I exclude several well written and otherwise on topic blogs. Likewise for fictional accounts of childhood spanking. I really appreciate your insights.
I will rethink the English-only guideline. It's never been absolutely ironclad because I do link a few non-English blogs with relatively little text.
I always felt bad because there are quality Spanish and French blogs that send MBS a lot of traffic. I should reciprocate, right? Stay tuned on this question.
In blogging as in life, we learn and adjust as we go along. Thanks for helping me think through these issues.
I agree with you Bonnie, on some of the International blogs. Because there some excellent ones, in French, Hispanic, German, Russian, Scandanavian, Israeli, Dutch, and Oriental blogs. One does not have to know the language, to enjoy them. Just have a 'spanking good time' with them. Mankind was mean't to explore.
I think you've been doing great with the rules you have, and I trust your judgment to change them as you see fit.
I don't think you need to specifically include Tumbler blogs because they are plenty easy to find. But if you think they have the right kind of content, that's your call.
As for childhood memories, I doubt that posting them is going to make any difference in what people do with children. There are so many people in our society that think it's okay to hit kids that, frankly, posting them might act as an antidote.
I think a good rule for the BDSM community might simply be that hitting children is unacceptable because it teaches them the wrong things. It teaches them that it's okay to use force to get your way when we want to teach them the opposite. And, of course, there's a strong sexual content to spanking which I think is simply inappropriate for children. So, perhaps you can look beyond the content to what the story teaches people, and make your decision based on that.
As for M/M blogs, I'm not looking for them, but I think you should include them when you feel they fit in with the others.
Now, let's see if you can hit the 1,000 mark!
Hi -
Just catching up on your posts.
Let me say that I appreciate the fact that you list so many blogs and take the time to categorize them for your readers convenience.
My two suggestions (if you are still taking suggestions that is) -
1) It is you blog so always do what works for you. this should be a labor of love and not "a job" and since the system isn't broke, so to speak ,so no need to fix in my opinion.
2) What if rather than one long blog roll you resort into 6 blog rolls based on your categories. This way if someone is interested in only Model blog or feels like reading that day they can go to that specific list and locate these blogs easier. Does that make sense?
Thanks again for all your time and energy.
Such a big work to have collected all these links over time! : )
Personnaly I'm a bit lost in so many links, even with this colour chart (which is crucial, thanks for that!) Basicaly I'm always in search of ORIGINAL content, and you tend to always see the same pictures and drawings everywhere...
But thank you for this huge links collection anyway, cheers! : )
Six - Don't look for me to jump into linking dozens of non-English blogs, but there will be a few.
RP - I get all sorts of reader reaction regarding the photoblogs (whether Tumblr or otherwise). Some love this content. Others won't even look at a text blog if it's hosted on Tumblr. I am inclined to err on the side of being inclusive. On the other hand, I am sensitive to concerns about lack of original content. For now, at least, I will continue to view blogs on a case by case basis.
I agree with everything you said about children and those points definitely factor into my decision.
I just added a M/M blog today!
Enzo - I've considered separate blogrolls, especially earlier this year when Blogger's blogroll widget was broken. But then as now, the issue is maintenance. The color coded blogroll is handwritten in HTML/CSS and it's fairly complicated (at least for me).
When I encounter a blog but don't recall whether it's currently in the blogroll, I need only look in one place today. Checking in six places would require a lot more effort. In fact, most of what I do in maintaining the blogrolls would grow proportionally. At this stage, that's more than I'm ready to take on.
Thanks for your suggestions!
Alex - That's a fair point. Truly original content is rare. I wish I could predict in advance which blogs will produce unique original work. As it stands, I tend to err on the side of inclusiveness lest we lose those few spectacular nuggets.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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