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June 09, 2003

Meloblogdrama

...or "As The Blogosphere Turns"*

...or "Melblog Place"**

What's better than two female bloggers going at it, keyboard-a-keyboard, for the literary enjoyment of us all? That's right! Two hotties duking it out in a commercial over whether a bottle of piss beer is less filling or tastes great!

However, since I'm fresh out of video-based, commercialized beer recommendations that portray women as naught but objects of sexual desire (and men as tongue-wagging, knuckle-dragging idiots, to be fair), we'll have to settle for the blog version.

So, in one corner - Moxie - and in the other corner - MoxiePop.

Round 1

Moxie comes across another blogger blogging under the unique moniker of Moxie(Pop). She's not pleased. She blogs about her thoughts on the matter:

Oh looky here, be sure to check out "about moxie" and "contact moxie"! It's an impostor, be warned. I date back to October of 2000. Everything else is just a cheap imitation. What's that saying about imitation being the sincerest form of flattery?

I had seen someone commenting on friend's sites as "Moxie" and I figured it was just a troll, not identity theft.

Has anyone registered DoocePOP, TonyPiercePOP or Instapunditpop? Get on it, that is if you don't have a mind to think with, or something.

Wow, them's fightin' words, girl.

Naturally, MoxiePop responds:

Some chick thinks I ripped off her site and she sent one of her buddies to harass me about it on AIM. People are swell, aren't they?

This is what her buddy had to say about me in her comment's section:

What surreal pics ... is that a drag queen pretending to be you?

Update: The same guy just e-mailed me and asked "what's with the horrible moxie rip-off?"

I hate people. I hate people so goddamn much it's not even funny.

So, not only has she been accused of infringing upon the (questionable) legitimacy of Moxie's ownership of the name, but her entire faith in mankind has been shaken to its core.

And then - oh hell, just follow the links and read the drama for yourself. Suffice it to say I'm coming down soundly on MoxiePop's side in this little blogdrama.

I don't think MoxiePop meant anything offensive by her choice of blogname. I don't think MoxiePop had heard of Moxie prior to choosing the name (and even if she had, I don't think she had any malicious intent in choosing it). I don't think that simply because you have thousands of readers it means everyone on the internet or in blogdom knows who you are or, for that matter, cares.

What could have been handled, and maybe even resolved, via e-mail was instead put on public display - the high road wasn't chosen, and in Moxie's comments (now closed it seems), her loyal fans decided to see what roads went even lower with needless insults*** and baseless accusations (wait, her site is a copy of Moxie's? I never knew that black and white was so unique). I swear, it was like the Jen Taliaferro "journalistic integrity" hoohah all over again.

Don't get me wrong - I've got nothing against Moxie. I just think she goofed in her manner of handling what she perceived as an issue, and that - perhaps - she let the fleeting fame of bloggerdom become a little more important than it actually is.

Maybe MoxiePop will change her name. Maybe not. Maybe she should. Maybe she shouldn't. Given the way it's been handled, I'd probably not only leave the name unchanged but put the title on my blog in huge, blinking, dancing letters with background music and give-aways.

If nothing else, I bet she's enjoying the traffic.****

* Although, the blogosphere isn't so much a sphere as a microcosm - a wee universe of opinions and whatnot, expanding into the ether, kind of like the universe itself. If you think that's profound, you should lay off the pot.

** OK, that one was a reach. Piss off, already.

*** For instance, accusing her of being a cross-dressing man - an ugly whore - etc. Heck, from the fuzzy webcam pics, she seems attractive to me, but then I'm a boob man.

**** Wait, maybe this was just a ploy to get hits! I'm kidding, of course, but don't be surprised tomorrow if this website is called the World Wide Moxie.