Sunday, December 09, 2018

But the Community Lives On...

Once again our community faces a hosting crisis. The majority of links on our MBS blogroll are for spanko blogs that reside on Tumblr. In a week, that will change, and not for the better.

The corporate geniuses at Verizon apparently decided that they wanted to appeal to a broader range of advertisers, even if that means a significant reduction in traffic. So they invented artificial community standards for a community that once embodied freedom of expression. Compulsory content censorship is becoming a central feature of the Tumblr platform.

Nipples seem to be a big deal to these white-shirted bluenoses. After all, they argue, seeing boobs might harm children. Never mind the actual purpose of nipples.

Nudity is another target. How dysfunctional is it that we humans are so ashamed of our own bodies that they must not be seen? Do we really have to pass this hangup to another generation?

Worse yet, they have an AI-driven porn filter that also tags all manner of innocent photos. It's possible, I'm told, to appeal to human overseers. But many bloggers will decide that it's just not worth it.

Like other platforms before it (remember Delphi, MSN, Yahoo Groups, or MySpace?), Tumblr may ultimately be abandoned and forgotten due to a faulty business calculation. We spankos will again take our clicks and our eyeballs and our interesting content elsewhere. I'm not sure who is going to see all of those new Hobby Lobby and Amway ads on Tumblr, but it won't be me.

Some will say, "This is what you get when you trust a free service." Perhaps so, but this has always been a two-sided transaction. The host gives bloggers a home to present their content. Bloggers give the host a steady stream of traffic they can use to sell advertising. I am not exploited. Nor am I a free rider. I enter this relationship with full knowledge that it can be ruined by arbitrary censorship. And so it is with Tumblr.

I will be removing Tumblr blogs from the blogrolls as they perish, but it will take a long time to sort out everything, especially during this busy holiday time. I will also be restoring relocated blogs as they return to life elsewhere. We've never seen an extinction event on this scale before, but our community has survived similar situations in the past. I am confident we will weather this storm as well.

If you have a new or moved blog, please leave me a comment or send me an email. I will get your links updated as soon as I can.

Hang on, everybody, we're going to get through this!

18 comments :

Abby Williams said...

Hi Bonnie - I just want to thank you for all you do for the community, and also give a shout-out to every spanko out there. Changes like the ones on Tumblr and in society are what have me blogging again, taking the opportunity to stand up and be me with pride, and to encourage others to do the same. You are right - there will be new platforms and new ways for this community to come together. We only get stronger and we are not going anywhere!

Roz said...

Hi Bonnie,

I wasn't actually aware of this as I'm not o n Tumblr. You are right, this community has been through similar events and we will survive this one and find other platforms.

Thank you for all you do for this community.

Hugs
Roz

Hermione said...

Hi Bonnie,

As soon as I read the news on CNN I thought of you and your wonderful blogroll. It will quickly be depleted as I am sure spanking blogs will be part of the cull. What a shame! But maybe, like Abby, bloggers will return to Blogger or Wordpress and share words instead of pictures.

Hugs,
Hermione

Domhnall the Second said...

Bonnie is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken, she is the star to every wand'ring bark

STEPFATHERMIKE said...

THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT BONNIE I'VE FOLLOWED YOU FOR DECADES BECAUSE YOU CARE ABOUT OUR SPANKO COMUNITY ABOUT A MONTH AGO MY TUMBLR BLOG "BAD GIRLS & BAD BOYS SPANKED" WAS DROPPED BY DUMBLR WITH NO WARNING NO REASON I HAD OVER 8500 FOLLOWERS ....I'VE BEATEN CANCER TWICE SO FAR AND I DO MY NEW BLOG "THE CONTINUING ADVENTURES OF STEPFATHER MIKE" WHILE I'M GOING THRU CHEMO FOR A THIRD TIME AND NOW TUMBLR IS GOING TO CANCEL THAT TOO SMALL POTATOES WE'LL FIND SOMEWHERE ELSE TO POST EH GANG? ...THANKS FOR LISTENING BONNIE .....MIKE

ronnie said...

Bonnie,

I too hope that others will bring back their blogs to Blogger/Wordpress and share their writings with us again. I think Hermione could be right that some spanking blogs will be part of it of the cull. I hope not.

It's a shame that I wont be including any Tumblr sites in my 'In with the New' posts.

Love,
Ronnie
xx

Erica Scott said...

Why am I not surprised at any of this? (sigh)

Fondles said...

I've taken down my tumblr account but i don't think i ever updated you on that so I'm still good link-wise i think. it's sad to see so many spanko blogs perish. But as you say - our community will survive this too! Thank you for all that you do for us!

Billyg218 said...

I am determined to stay in touch. I love your insights and the topic is so exciting

Enzo said...

Bonnie - Your writing on the demise of Tumblr is the best post on the subject I have read. I agree that the community will be okay and move on to other platforms (not so sure they will migrate or return to Blogger). I believe this may be a cyclical thing; being forced from platform to platform. Good time to remind people to back up their sites wherever they are hosted.

Bonnie said...

Abby - I’m delighted to see you posting again! I invite everyone to visit The Little Red Schoolhouse and join in the spanko fun.

Roz - Yes, our community will survive this test just as we have before.

Hermione - I expect that some Tumblr bloggers will relocate, many will walk away, and a few will try to stick it out under the new rules. In any case, I doubt the stream of spanko content is likely to slow for long.

D2 - I appreciate your kind words. I do what I can..

Michael - That’s the spirit! Thanks for your continuing contribution.

Ronnie - I am confident that we’ll come back strong.

Erica - We’ve seen this movie before...

Fondles - It is sad, but maybe this change will open some new opportunities for bloggers. I hope so.

Billy - Thank you!

Enzo - That’s a good suggestion about backups. Thank you!

James Stephenson said...

You and I probably have two of the longest blogrolls for (mainly) spanking related sites. I've spent hours separating out those in jeopardy from the new Tumblr regime. When the dust settles I'll probably run through your list and see what I'm missing - feel free to do the same.

Minielle Labraun said...

This is so depressing! I am disgusted at what the powers decide is inappropriate content.
I don’t have a tumbler account but maybe my art is considered too much? Hmmmm.

Emerging Lurker said...

Bonnie, thank you for all you do to keep the community strong. EL

Anonymous said...

Tumblr has been garbage for years anyway. The spanking community on Tumblr just keeps reposting the same 100 or so pics that have been going around for 15 years! I can count on one hand how many times a year I even see a new pic. So its no great loss that Tumblrs spanking community is gone. People stopped posting fresh material like 2 years after the spanking community started on there. Whats worse is that the people from Tumblr that are creating new sites are just reposting all the same 20 year old pics from Tumblr! I mean why even start a new site if you're gonna do that? What's the point? So yeah.....Tumblr corporate sucks for their censorship crap. But the Tumblr spanking community has sucked for a long time anyway. Absolutely stagnant. Has not moved forward in any conceivable way in years. So Im not crying any tears over this one.

Anonymous said...

Bonnie,
I love the fast that you post blog links, but I hate any and all that are hosted on tumbler. If I have to login... I don't. I just don't have the patience to try to remember the password to login even if they (at Tumblr) sends me a link to login.

Maybe you could make a note on each of the links, where they are hosted so that I know which ones to avoid AND more importantly, you know which ones to correct when the censorship goofs find their next target.

J C R said...

I had to 'de-spank' my part spanking Tumblr to keep it safe but fortunately the best posts around spanking are on my "Joann'es Dorm" blog which is listed here. It's frustrating cos it is a part of who and what I am I can't even reference.x0x0 Jo Kitten

STEPFATHER MIKE said...

I SEE THAT I'M ON YOUR LIST AGAIN IAFTER ALL THIS TUMBLR MESS AND TRANSFERING TO BDSMLR I FINALLY FEEL LIKE I'M HOME AGAIN THAT I'M ON YOUR SPANKING BLOG LIST THANK YOU BONNIE YOU MADE AN OLD MAN VERY HAPPY LOL

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