Guestbook Rights

This one probably isn’t over yet, but I’ve already grown tired of it.  A pretentious triple named stranger from the USA has once again demanded rights above and beyond what you would expect to give strangers.

First… a guestbook entry with no words of praise or fanship.  Just a blatant plug for a product he sells.  This starts off against the policy I’ve set for my guestbook and forums.  I don’t usually allow strangers to plug and advertise on Frogstar.  We’ve been a no-ads web site for 15 years and proven that links from Frogstar are of value in the world of search engines.

Original Post

Guestbook
Hi,I’m ART PAUL and I wrote a Star Trek song called Another Star Trek Sequel Blues and you can check it out at http://www.[removed].com/artpaul4 or download it at Apple iTunes

I listened to the song and it was horrid.  Bad.  Flat and without talent.  Not the kind of bad that people might enough in a pity way, and forward around to friends with the kind of opening introduction like; “This guy thinks this is funny”… but just bad.  I’m not sure why, but I decided to leave the link active in the guestbook and reply.

Jeff’s Comments:
I must say this is a joke I don’t get. Perhaps the worst song I have ever heard, and not in the way that bad things are funny.
Just bad. I feel bad leaving the link LIVE to be honest because I know others will listen to it and feel it was time wasted.

How silly of me to think it might end there.  I had offended an artist, and so it continued.  He replied with comments in 5 forum posts (which I deleted) and then in the guestbook again.

7.Nov.2005 18:46
From: ART PAUL SCHLOSSER
imaprince2001@yahoo.com
Re: Web Site (General)
Whether Jeff likes the song Another Star Trek Sequel Blues or not I think you should still check it out, not because I think it is great(actually I think I’ve written better)but rather because The Great LukeSki who pick out the songs for The Best Of ART PAUL SCHLOSSER thought it was good enough to be one of my best songs.Hey you can hear it at Apple iTunes or Napster and tell me what you think but whether you like it or not I hope that you’ll understand that peace is not won by bad mouthing everyone’s art.
Jeff’s Comments:
This is my web site. It is a personal site which contains my emotions and personality and opinions everywhere.
You chose to use my guestbook, and more recently my forums to plaster 5 or 6 unsolicited advertisements for a horrible horrible song.
Really horrible.
The only way I chose to leave the advertisements on the site (which are worth money because of Frogstar’s popularity) was to add my personality and opinion to the message.
Frogstar style.
I suspect my opinion of just how dreadfully awful your song is, has inspired more people to listen to it than if I had deleted it… which is the normal reaction I have to people trying to scam a free link.

Followed with today’s entries, whicvh I will be deleting.  I don’t want to make the guestbook a conversation in public.

8.Nov.2005 13:43
From: ART PAUL SCHLOSSER
imaprince2001@yahoo.com
Re: Web Site (General)
You misunderstand the use of a guestbook.
It is not to disallow others to share their info but rather to let people here see where everyone is coming from.
When you add your 2 cents to my signing your guessbook (especially when it’s so negative) you show to others that your website isn’t very flexible.
I think it would be bettter for you to look trough signatures before you post them then for you to leave such a nagative responce.
Yes and it is true I am getting more downloads and sales because of such negative opinions but the question is can you tell people why you don’t like the song and what type of songs you do like.
I think it is one thing to say something is bad but it is completely another to say what is bad or why you don’t like it. It is even more daring to say what you do like because maybe what you like people at your website may not like and you may prove that though you do not like my song you may have just as bad of taste.
So tell people my song is bad is meaninless but telling why it’s bad is has value but telling people what you really like tells people whether you are a fair judge or not.
Are you really a fair judge ?

I am not a judge.  I am a webmaster humourist.

Art Paul… First, even if I agree that a guestbook is to show off where you’re from, you used it to advertise a product for sale…. breaking your own definition.  I however disagree.  I’ll trump your definition of a guestbook with a definition of my web site in general.

Frogstar is a very personal web site?  It’s anything I want it to be.  You have no rights here.  You have no say.  You choose to post a public message online and bring yourself to my attention.  I am free to react in any way I see fit.  You may be free to sue me if you choose, but I think you’ll find opinions are not illegal.  I make no judgment.  I am not a judge. I do however have opinions, and I am not only free to express them, I am free to do so in any matter that I choose, even if it makes you look bad.  In this case, I believe you deserve to look bad.

I did a Google search on your three names, and you seem to be a success and quite popular.  Surely my comments on this particular Star Trek song being perhaps the worst song I’ve ever heard not composed by cats howling won’t hurt you.  Your sales won’t suffer and your feelings are not sincerely hurt.  It is my guess that you just spent a day or an hour or whatever surfing the web and posting this blatant ad on every guestbook you could find.  Most of us call that spam.

I do not like your song.  Now, after this exchange, I find that I do not like you.  I follow up that it is my choice to not like you, and just because you think you know a definition of a term “guestbook” does not mean I owe you anything.  In fact, I have removed the link.

You may have entertained me more with this exchange than your music ever could have. 

I thank you. 

Fans of Frogstar thank you.

Jeff Goebel – Free Opinions.

P.S.  The song is horrible.


EMAIL REPLY:

At 03:50 PM 11/8/2005, he writes:

I’m sorry but I disagree.
I believe you are analytical but I’m not sure you are a humorist.
A humorist would have ask to look at the lyrics and then he would have made fun of the rhymes with clever remarks.Your remarks where more like a  judgement coming from a critic.I am curious to know what you mean by flat ? Are you saying music should be sharp or only in major chords ?
This E-mail fight is more about your openness to let others post anything here other than what you have choosen and is not about you being funny.
If you are funny it will be awhile before I find out because in entering your website your stopping me at the door.

My email fights are among the most popular pages on my web site.  Although you may not find it funny – I find it hilarious that you have found the need, and attention span to continue this silly argument.  You “judge” my humour in much the same way you accuse me of judging your music.  You tell me I’m not funny, and even go as far as to tell me how a humourist should react.  Absurd!

You tell me I’m not funny, but it’s not OK for me to tell you you’re not talented as a musician.  We’re both basing our opinions on limited screenings.  I admit to doing it…  you fight.  I’m not sure what you’re fighting about anymore.
To me, and many of my web fans – that’s what makes you hilarious.
Again, I thank you.

By the way, a wise man once taught me; JUDGEMENTS are decisions based on evaluated facts.  Opinions are everything else.