Pat's Fantasy Hotlist: For the record. . .

For the record. . .

Checked the giveaway inbox this morning to randomly select a winner for one of the contests, when I discovered that I had received quite a few emails asking why I hadn't yet replied or when I was planning to post my response to what I guess is the latest teacup tempest in the Blogosphere.

I've been on vacation for the last week, so I have to plead ignorance here. I have absolutely no idea what you guys are talking about. So I can't really comment on anything, as this just might be something that's been taken out of context.

I'm told that Larry, Jonathan McCalmont, and Aidan have been kind of talking shit about me and pissing on the Hotlist for hosting giveaways, etc. Needless to say our vision of what blogging should be about has always differed, and there's nothing wrong with that. Now I have no idea if these posts contain what can be construed as personal attacks against me and my little virtual sandbox or not, so there's no point in my "striking back" so to speak.

Ethics are supposed to be in question, as is the fact that I prefer to be the most popular SFF blogger around instead of a decent reviewer. Well, according to some, any chances I ever had of becoming a decent book reviewer went down the crapper ages ago, so I guess I have no choice but go for popularity.;-) But again, since I don't know what was said or implied about me, I can't make assumptions. So I will refrain from commenting on this. . .

Don't even have the links so you can read for yourselves what this is all about, though I figure that some of you will post them quickly enough. Interestingly enough, for the last year or so the Hotlist has been the target of a lot of negative criticism. And yet, the traffic never stopped to increase, so I figure that even a dumbass like me is doing something right.

As much as I'd like to expound on this, I have to split. Got a babysitting gig with my goddaughter today. And there you thought that running a popular SFF blog was all glamorous!:P

Seriously, once again this appears to be just another case of too much navel-gazing and a misguided sense of self-importance. SFF blogging, in this house at least, is supposed to be fun for the blogger and the readers.

People have to stop taking themselves so seriously. . .

26 commentaires:

TheDude said...: Don't the other blogs host giveaways too? Why target this one specifically?

Personally I don't see what the problem is about having them. Ethics have nothing to do with the subject since this is a private blog.Does it help make the Hotlist popular?Damn right it does and congrats to Pat because of it.

The same thing goes for your reviewing skills. You're not being paid to make them, you give your sincere and honest opinion about the book and that's it. The others blogs do exactly the same thing and I don't see what qualifications they have to say that their reviews are better than yours.

Anyway, just wanted to say that I regularly visit and enjoy all the blogs mentioned in the post and I think that this type of arguing is unnecessary; 11:41 AM
ediFanoB said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 11:43 AM
ediFanoB said...: Pat, I followed the heated debate. But after reading your post I abandon to post the links. Your answers fits.

The number of your follower and reader should be answer enough.; 11:45 AM
Unknown said...: Pat, just keep doing your own thing in your own way and rise above the drama.; 11:50 AM
Larry Nolen said...: Funny thing about all this is people presumed I was referring to you in a post that was devoted to general ennui. I wasn't and said so directly a couple of days later when quite a few commented with that presumption.

But it is a rather good attitude to have about all this, I'll admit.; 12:01 PM
Shawn C. Speakman said...: I don't understand. There is absolutely no mention of Pat or this blog on Aidan's post. There isn't even an "implied" reaction to this blog. His post is directed at many blogs that are moving toward giveaways and away from their initial foundations.

Some of those who commented on his blog have mentioned this blog, but not Aidan specifically.

For Pat to mud-sling before reading the post in question is troublesome to me.

I suggest you read these posts, Pat, before you actually start condemning their blogs. That way when you write you are informed properly.

As any good blogger should be.

Just my "unwanted" two cents, I'm sure.; 12:17 PM
Anonymous said...: Pat was mud-slinging?; 12:22 PM
Shawn C. Speakman said...: Anonymous: Did you even read the post?

First Pat says:

"So I will refrain from commenting on this. . ."

And then what does he do?

He comments on it:

"Seriously, once again this appears to be just another case of too much navel-gazing and a misguided sense of self-importance."

That, Anonymous, is a mean thing to say and is quite sad since it is against a list of people he made earlier in the post that he isn't even sure said anything bad about him.

Lazy, lazy, lazy. Welcome to the blogosphere!; 12:52 PM
Anonymous said...: "Seriously, once again this appears to be just another case of too much navel-gazing and a misguided sense of self-importance."

Shawn, he said "appears" not "is". I read the post again and nowhere does Pat condemn anyone or their blogs. He looks quite baffled by this whole episode, if you ask me...

Rebecca; 1:21 PM
Luis said...: I love the hotlist just the way it is. Keep up the great work, Pat.; 1:45 PM
Shawn C. Speakman said...: Rebecca: Then why write the post in the first place? Just to say he doesn't know what was said and that's it? To try and assuage those people who were writing him emails letting him know about the "infractions?"

That takes two or three sentences, not paragraphs and paragraphs:

"Hi Everyone, it seems there is something going on out there in the blosophere that might be directed at the Hotlist. Just letting you know I haven't read it but will soon and will respond soon. Cheers!"

You see? See how easy that was?

Instead Pat -- whether intentionally or unintentionally -- turned it into something it isn't.

Ahh, the power of the word and how reckless some people are with it.

This entire thing is misleading. Just look at what TheDude wrote in his first comment. "Why target this one specifically?" No one targeted anything!

Lemmings! I swear to God! Do your own research. Trust no one! ;); 3:16 PM
Jaltus said...: Shawn,

He is likely referring to the comments on the blogs and not the blogs themselves. Please note he never says the blog writers are to blame, he said the entire episode, a much larger sphere than you are allowing for in his post.; 3:38 PM
Thomas said...: Some of the stuff that's been said about Pat and this blog:

JonathanM:

Pat has certainly been influential. Given how well his promotions draw crowds (they're certainly not going there for his writing) it was unavoidable that loads of other people would start doing it too. Especially given how free a lot of publishers are with their review copies.

*

I think people like Pat and the others who do as many give-aways and press releases as they do interviews or reviews clearly place more importance upon the "being part of the community" side of blogging. I suspect that being really popular is far more important to Pat than being recognised as a decent critic or any sense of satisfaction he might get from really 'nailing' a review.

*

If you define "good" purely in sociological terms then I suspect that Pat is one of the best critics out there because he's one of the most widely read.

Where I disagree with you is in thinking that only sociological terms are relevant to matters of aesthetics. Pat may well be one of the most widely read critics but he's not the best by any non-psychotic yardstick.

I'm happy to say that the internet is a pretty weak selection mechanism for quality. The best sites are seldom the most popular and degree of popularity has only a tangential link to quality.

*

Aidan Moher:

And, hell, we all know that the original comment about giveaways was just a (deserved) jab at Pat, anyway.

*

There's more but I don't have the time to peruse everything that was written to find it all...; 3:44 PM
Anonymous said...: Shawn,

Except Pat never said he was going to read it or respond in more detail. What he posted was a half-assed response to an alleged dustup that he only heard about second-hand. And it was intentionally half-assed because this whole thing isn't worth both cheeks. That's what I got out of it anyway.

For what it's worth, Pat, this is pretty much the only book blog I read. I've heard about a ton of books and writers that I otherwise would have missed, so thanks and please keep doing what you're doing.

(Not Rebecca, by the way); 3:59 PM
Jim Shannon said...: Yawns......; 4:10 PM
James said...: This has got to be one of the most pointless, dull debates I've ever seen in the genre blogosphere.

Why it all kicked off in the first place is beyond me - so Pat does a lot of giveaways. Who cares? Seriously, it's his blog and he can do what he wants with it - he's certainly not done too badly so far.

There's no rules for running a genre blog, no requirements or constraints. Furthermore, there's nothing wrong with hosting book giveaways. Each blogger is utterly free to do what the hell they want. If you don't like a blog for whatever reason, don't whine about it - just don't read it!

Seriously, what is all the fuss about? I love the passion you get within this genre, but sometimes it is so self-defeating.; 4:34 PM
Aidan Moher said...: Wat?

My blog post wasn't even about giveaways, but rather about what it was that inspired me to blog and why I had fallen off the face of the blogosphere recently. And the only place I mentioned Pat's blog was in a comment on Larry's blog where I inferred (incorrectly, as Larry later pointed out) that his original comments were targeted towards Pat.

People should read the discussions, before making any sort of judgments, please.

~Aidan
A Dribble of Ink; 7:02 PM
Shawn C. Speakman said...: Ron: If that's the case and Pat is referring to the comments and not the blogs themselves, then he needs to go after people other than the blog writers. I haven't read the others, but I know Aidan hasn't said anything malicious in the least about this blog. It's not in his character to do so and when Pat lumped him in with others when he hadn't even read the damn posts, it shows a laziness and -- more than likely unintentional -- maliciousness toward the other blogs.

I've known Pat for quite a while and I know he is an upstanding guy. He does a great job here for what he intends his blog to be. But when someone makes a mistake I point it out. And this post was a huge mistake. One should NEVER respond to something that they are ignorant about. Not when they are in a position of responsibility. Why? Look at this discussion and see how some of you guys are hating on blogs that did nothing in the least wrong.

It was his own readership that misled Pat. All I'm saying is he needs to verify on his own what has been said and not believe everything he reads in his Inbox.

I think that is pretty simple. And not out of bounds.

Aidan: And that includes Pat as well as his blog readership.; 8:27 PM
Chris said...: Shawn:Look at this discussion and see how some of you guys are hating on blogs that did nothing in the least wrong.

Nobody has said disparaging things about Larry, Aidan, or Jonathan. No one has called their mothers' honour into question. Where do you see people hating on other blogs?

I see a few comments encouraging Pat to not let the drama get to him. That's encouragement. Unneeded encouragement, given Pat's original post, but encouragement nonetheless. That's not hating on other blogs.

I see a couple of the bloggers that Pat mentioned chiming in to say they weren't actually referring to him in their posts. Obviously, they're not hating on their own blogs.

I see one person quoting comments that refer to Pat. That's attempting to show what sparked the supposed drama; not hating on the source-blogs.

I see a few people responding to your interpretation of Pat's original post and/or other comments. That's not hating on other blogs. They're not even hating on you for it.

I see one deleted post. Perhaps that was a huge hate-fest, but it's been deleted.

The closest thing that I see as someone hating on blogs and/or their readership is your "Lemmings!" crack. And even that is weak hate-sauce, in the grand scheme of things.

You're blowing people's reaction here out of proportion. Just as the people who originally sent Pat the "OMG are you gonna take that?!" emails blew things out of proportion.; 9:06 PM
Anonymous said...: Screw 'em. Just keep on doing your thing.; 9:45 PM
Pete in Sheboygan said...: I've been reading fantasy for 35 years and look at Pat's site for the news and release dates in the genre. Don't we read for entertainment, folks? I've never listened to reviewer in my life and think that you people definately need to chill. Pat's right when he says this is supposed to be fun. Stop anylizing or stop reading!
Pete in Sheboygan; 10:50 PM
Patrick said...: Well, I guess it's just as I thought. . . Nothing I need to get involved in.:-); 11:41 PM
Larry Nolen said...: Pretty much. You just need to get back to posting some of those amusing photoshopped images of Tairy that are floating around. That'll garner you more universal praise, I'd imagine! ;); 11:43 PM
Anonymous said...: I follow about a dozen SFF blogs for different reasons. A few bloggers I consider personal friends and I'm actually interested in their posts about their lives.

Others I follow for genre news, reviews, alerts about new cover art, and some (including this one) for the community. I like to listen to people who are like me.

I use a feed reader and skip over stuff that I'm not interested in. Each blog fills different needs and none of them fills all needs.; 12:22 AM
Vic K said...: The biggest complaint I have about any SFF blog is that they all seem so heavily weighted towards sci-fi over fantasy, and male authors over female. (Like there's a difference? A good writer is a good writer regardless of sex, colour, race, weight or age...)

But despite these issues, I enjoy reading the blogs, and Pat's in particular. I think his reviews tend to be more open-minded than the average, and his interviews are of a wide range of authors and make for excellent reading.; 5:54 AM
Jebus said...: Fuck me but don't some people take themselves just a little too seriously?

ALL you bloggers should be able to do whatever the fuck it is you wanna do - be an ace reviewer, be a mouthpiece for the publishers, be whatever it is you are gonna be. In the end, who gives a shit?

Besides, the Internet is for Porn.; 9:02 PM