This ain't Hell, but you can see it from here

Category: Administrative

  • The new This Ain’t Hell

    Although Just A Grunt raised legitimate doubts in my mind last night, we’ve decided to plow ahead blindly with our forum which will be installed on Monday by some guy I’ve never met. The blog will remain the same, with the same bloggers you’ve come to know and/or love, but the forum will be all yours within certain limits to be determined. As I mentioned yesterday, Ponsdorf has volunteered to moderate it and I’ve asked Claymore to help him and they’re going to run the show.

    For the bloggers out there, I intend that one area will your place to drop off links to your own blogs that you think will interest us – think LGF’s Link Viewer and Conservative Grapevine. maybe that’ll make up for all the times you’ve sent me links and I didn’t use them. Sorry.

    But, like I said, it’s going to be all yours. Please clean up after yourselves and keep your feet off of the furniture. I’ve moved the liquor cabinet to another URL.

    Of course, I encourage you to hit the tip jar to help us defray some of the costs of this professional installation and I guarantee that anyone who hits the tip jar this weekend will be exempted from any associated fees I might impose down the road if that ever becomes necessary. Kate is our first Charter Member.

    Also, all of you who have posting privileges are welcome to post this Open Blog Weekend, if you’ve a mind. I’ll probably be around to resolve any issues you might have with the blog. Just email me and I’ll get you straight. If anyone else wants to blog this weekend, let me know. That includes Don Carl, NHSparky and GI Jane who’ve been registered here for years and haven’t posted in ages.

  • Input requested, please

    The other day, our friend Zero Ponsdorf asked me, once again, if I’d consider adding a discussion forum to This Ain’t Hell in which you guys could start topics and flame fests about things that interest you.

    In the past, I’ve always shied away from the idea – mainly because I remember what an asshole I was when I did the forum thing. My last banning from a forum was the impetus for starting this blog (I think I still hold the record for more than 50 suspensions at The History Channel forums). My membership at Democratic Underground lasted about 30 seconds after my first comment back in 1999.

    To convince me to change my mind, Ponsdorf offered to handle the moderating duties at the new forum. Now I know that forums added to blogs have varying degrees of success. Powerline seems to have done a good job at it while Little Green Footballs recently closed their Lizard Lounge.

    I also remember we had a great time when we live-blogged the presidential debates last year, so I’ll admit that the idea has some merit, at least initially.

    Well, I’ve done some shopping for software and figured the cost out and the technical aspects of it, and all that’s left to do is ask y’all if you think it’d be worth my time and expense. Judging by the number of tips we get, you guys have great ideas for discussion – unfortunately, I can’t use them all so this would give you an outlet.

    However, I don’t want to spend money and time on a project that ends up having me, COB6 and TSO the only ones writing on it. We average about 2600 readers every day – as you can tell from our comments, most of them are silent. A discussion forum that has silent readers is pretty useless.

    Initially, I plan to have participation to be absolutely free just like the blog, but I’m not promising what the future will look like – I don’t think my wife would understand my English if I tried to explain to her why we can’t eat this month so you guys can discuss the merits of flame-broiled burgers vs. grilled cheese sandwiches.

    So leave me some relatively constructive comments on how much, or little, you’re excited by this suggestion from Ponsdorf.

  • Open Blog Weekend

    Remember last weekend that I opened up blogging here for three of our good friends here at This Ain’t Hell? It worked so well that I’m thinking about making it a weekly thing. I actually got an opportunity to do something besides stare at my screen.

    Claymore has already written two blog entries that he plans on posting, so I was wondering if anyone else wants to become an honorary TAH co-blogger for the weekend? Yes, Army Sergeant, everyone is eligible – even you.

    All you have to do is register (at the bottom of the sidebar) and then email me that you want to blog and I’ll fix it so you can post. Skye and Marooned in Marin are still able to post if they want as well.

    I can’t get TSO to even look at the blog on weekends (he doesn’t answer his phone either – playing WoW in his basement) and COB6 has gone to the Kentucky Derby, jet-set hipster that he is. So step up and be a TAH blogger.

  • I’m working on comments

    As many of you know, I’m finally taking a vacation starting on Thursday. When I’m not doing this;

    I plan on smoking big-ass cigars and drinking rum here;

    We’re going to Panama for Carnival for the first time since 1978.

    I’m working on a solution to the recent spate of spam we’ve been getting and I want to keep comments open to everyone, including the drive-bys (they seem to get the regulars all wound up) so I’m dedicating myself to finding the perfect answer before I leave (at O-dark-thirty) Thursday. I don’t know how well the internet is going to work poolside so guess which I’ll give up for the other. Here’s a hint;

    I’m working on some plugins and I don’t know how they’ll work. So keep on commenting – I promise I won’t lose comments or delete them. If they don’t show up immediately, don’t sweat it, I’ll find it.

    UPDATE: Thanks to all of your snarky comments, I think I’ve got it fixed now. Only one troll ended up in spam and I think it’s probably because he pasted his comment into the comment box.

    I think I have fixed  it so well now that you ladies can use all of the cuss words you want – you men control yourselves. You can also put two URLs in  your comment now.

    So now I don’t have to think about ya’all. But you know I will.

  • ProTroopsTube

    I just got this email;

    Dear Friends and Pro Troop Supporters,

    Have you ever visited YouTube and noticed there is no specific category for “Military?”

    Have you also noticed that while there are tens of thousands of military videos, you have to wade through group and video titles such as “Gays in the Military,” “Military Fairy,” “Gangs in the Military,” or “Military Air Drop Bloopers?”

    Finally, have you noticed that some excellent military videos seem to disappear because they offended someone’s politically correct sensibilities?

    Well now there is a new place for patriotic Americans, who support our troops, to post and categorize all of their videos to share with their pro troop friends. It is now available for loading your favorite military videos

    The email is from my boss at Talon, Mike Connelly from Eagles Up. The website URL is at www.protroopstube.com. So use it and visit it when you get a chance. I’m going to put a link in the sidebar.

    Speaking of links, TSO got us a coveted link in Iowahawk‘s list of Superfriends. Visit the funniest guy on the internet every time you get a chance.

  • Comments fixed

    It looks like my comments hamster quit working last night but I’ve got him going again, I think. I know about 15 of you tried to write comments last night but they’re lost now.

  • The Liberty Tree Network

    Two of my favorite bloggers Kate from Blatherings Blog and Beth at Blue Star Chronicles have paid us the greatest compliment – they’ve asked us to join their new network of blogs called The Liberty Tree Network. You can read the history of the name of the group (pre-Revolution history – my favorite kind of history) at the link. Kate wrote that she really enjoys ya’all’s comments over here says that’s why I got the offer – because of my unique readership (she doesn’t know half of your uniqueness).

    So what does this mean? Nothing much to you guys except that you should visit the blogs down in that Liberty Tree widget in the side bar when you’re tired of our yammering. That’s what I love about blogging – readership isn’t a zero sum game.

    I’m honored that they asked us to join them, and I’m honored that you guys got us this recognition.

  • Comments function is wigging out

    For some reason, all comments are being sent straight to spam – even TSO. I didn’t ban anyone and I’m working on it, so keep leaving your comments and I’ll fish them out of that yucky spam folder and post them for you.

    UPDATE: OK, I disabled the spam filter until the developer gets back to me on a fix. So prepare yourselves for a flood of crap.