9rules: the truce

I’ve just been reading Mike Rundles always articulate and reasonable sounding comments about what 9rules is doing on my last post on the subject, so baring any major developments its true time. I’ve sent Scrivs an email asking him to clarify a few points, but certainly in the last 12 hours a lot of stuff has come out that is interesting. I’m still going to disagree on the criteria of the purge but I respect there right to do so. See any of the last 5 or 6 posts + the comments for more info.

Lessons for other blogs and blog networks though:
1. If you are making changes that are likely to be controversial be open, up front and honest about it. Keeping secrets is difficult. Purging people for reasons other than stated up front causes rumor and gossip. Open conversation helps, particularly when you get the ball rolling. If you don’t bowl first (cricket term) you lose control of the message.
2. Listen to the feedback from your blogs and bloggers if you are going to work on other projects….such as porn blog networks.
3. Take Mike Rundles comments as an example of how to control your response without the anger….reasonable, calm words go a long way in calming situations, whilst angry words only inflame things.

Update: I’m not going to write a new post on 9rules because I really just don’t want to deal with all the emails I’ve recieved any more, including a number of people close to me who have said words to the effect of “shut the f*ck up”. Scrivs has chosen not to respond to my questions, which he is entitled to do, however silence usually equals guilt in my books. I’ve responded and wished him well in his future endevours as a pornographer, given that the clash between running a family friendly 9rules network and a smut fest is totally lost on him. To the other people at 9rules, sorry if I went a bit harsh yesterday. Some of the questions I’ve asked are the exact same ones I’ve received from some 9rules members privately. I can only conclude that lessons will be learned from this entire shemozle by 9rules, and many others in the industry as well.