Some people write because they missed creative writing in college. Ohters blog for dollars. Either way, if you don't want to get booted off of the net, be careful what you say, where you say it and how you say it! Fox news is not the place to bash Pat Buchanan, for example.
Most think we live in the land of the free and home of the brave. When it comes to google, there is not much freedom, despite their note to the contrary. There is also not much bravery. Blogs which are well thought out but controversial in nature may leave you talking to the wall. If they don't eliminate your blog, they may build a wall around it so only you can read it. That way, they are not cutting off free speech, right?
With as much namby pamby mush on the net you would think we all love each other and get along. Then that loving author gets in her car during rush hour and meets the loving guy just out of the pub and all hell breaks loose!
First, where to put your piece. If you put your piece in the wrong market you are likely to get the boot! This is not a pitch, just a tip. If you like controversial pieces, try Free Press Release. So far these guys published everything I wrote. If you have good content they play ball. Free Article Submission Service On the other hand, my favorite blogging spot, Blogger, has given me the toe end of a hard boot more than I want to admit!
Experienced writers knows your title gets readers. If the title is not interesting most people figure the blog won't be either. The problem is, if you write hard hitting stuff with a hard hitting title, the censures may hit you back! I like controversial writing. I am after the rare reader with an open mind. I am also after the reader with a closed mind...the more he blows off the easier he is to identify. Both readers respond better to a controversial title!
For example, I recently wrote a piece titled, 'no one wants to help a Mexican'. That got me vey well read for a few hours. Then I got censured. The title was written for an ignorant reader who confuses Mexican Nationals with Hispanics. A citzen of Mexico is proud of being called a Mexican. I was trying to find help for a little boy in Mexico dying of a rare disease. Considering national origin is a protected class of people against discrimination, this was a strong statement against prejudice. The fools who flagged me probably never read what they were flagging, or maybe they did!
I learned a controversial title needs balance. Too much controversy means censure. Blaze, Blaze, Blaze means no one wants to read it. I should have spent more time working on it.
Then there is the polically incorect blog. I am not talkng about being anti-gay. Rather, I am talking about a frank piece about one of the computer fat cats on the net, like Hewlett Packard. It is politcally incorrect to attack the company that makes the printer you use to print your blog articles. There are a lot of people who are net savey and how would they read my stuff if I could not print it?
I had an awful experience with HP. Loss prevention specialist Daniel Bulnes denied my warranty on my HP Pavilion laptop after it burned my leg. In warranty process I found out HP laptops are not really laptops they are notebooks, and notebooks may burn you if they come in contact with you skin. HP really said that! I also found out HP had put a repair charge on the computer without ever testing it.
I went after HP like gang busters. Why not google 'rip off report, hp pavilion' if you want a laugh. I also took on CEO Mark Hurd because he said the customer comes first in his Bio. My article stayed up on the net until I made the stupid mistake of emailing everyone I could think of at HP with a copy. The next day I was persona non grata with Blogger.
So what do you do to keep yourself out of the censor's cross hairs? First, freecom of speech does not apply to computer giants. Second, be careful what you put in the tags. Even if you are using the person's name in the piece, they will label you as spam if you use the wrong names. If you have to mention a name, put it in the first and last paragraph for the web crawlers to find and leave it at that.
Finally, be careful how many places you point updates and renditions of your blog. CNN writes a piece and it get printed again and again in a thousand different places. If you try that in a controversial blog you are a spammer! You are illegal and your blog gets removed! Bad boy!
Finally, choose your hosting site carefully. Fox News likes Pat Buchanen, Blogger Likes HP!
If it makes you feel any better, some of the best writers in history have been censored. Lady Chatterly's Lover was subject to censorship for awhile! Oh, that reminds me about censorship for adult content, which might not be such a bad idea dependimg upon the censor's definition of adult content! I am not about to give you my point of view on that!
Tim Paynter is an attorney and writer who protects the minority from the majority.
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