I usually don't use the front page of the blog for personal matters, but today, it's somewhat relevant--due to my bad handling of the comments section issues, I lost a Bucky-fan friend last night. And while I don't think she'll see this, I wanted to apologize for hurting her feelings and for my heavy-handedness right here in big print.Lord knows I'm not a perfect Bucky fan, or a perfect blogger. I would like this to be a fun, enjoyable place where we can share news, check out photos and links, and support Bucky's exciting musical journey. But I would never want it to turn into one of those dreadful fan sites where everyone has to have the exact same opinions and be happyhappyhappy all the time or else. That's boring, pointless and ultimately deadly.
The trouble is, of course, that it's not always easy to know where to draw the lines between healthy debate and outright trolling. I drew them the wrong way tonight and inadvertently insulted someone I really like, and I lost a friend.
So in order to keep the rest of y'all as friends, I decided to make an effort to draw the lines the right way. With a tip of the hat to MJ of MJ's Big Blog, whose wisdom inspired these, here are the first-ever set of:
Posting Guidelines for the Comments Section
1. Discussion, debate and differing opinions are welcome in comments and in the Chatbox. Personal insults, however, go over the line and will be deleted. There is always a way to state your opinion without verbally attacking or insulting Bucky, other performers and/or your fellow fans (or anyone else's fans, for that matter).
2. Please remember that this is a fan blog, not a general entertainment blog--we are pro-Bucky here. That doesn't mean we will all like the exact same things about him at all times or that we must agree with everything he or his management says or does. But if you actually dislike him, distrust him or truly feel that he is incapable of handling his own career/life/whatever, this may not be the blog for you.
3. Kumbaya, everybody! Again, this is a fan blog for a fun and talented country-rock singer/songwriter, not a political blog where the fate of the free world is being discussed. If you feel your hands shaking and your heart racing as you rush to post (um, in a bad way...the good way is fine), take a moment, maybe watch the "Real Good Man" clip and come back in a few. Respectful debate is desirable. Angry, emotional posts made for no reason other than to bait a specific person or group are not desired and will be deleted.
4. Please respect other people's rights of expression by not critiquing their posting style or attempting to moderate the comments section.
5. Rumors and/or gossip about the personal lives of Bucky, his family, his friends or his fans are off-topic for the comments and Chatbox. News, whether personal or musical, from a mainstream source (such as the Richmond County Daily Journal, Billboard, New York Times, and the like) is fine. Musical/career rumors are okay. (Rule of thumb--if it sounds like something the National Enquirer would print as a blind item, it'll probably be deleted.)
6. Finally, if you're finding things dull (hey, it happens) positive ways of stirring up a little discussion are strongly encouraged. Sure, people love to gawk at a heated internet fight--for a while. But in the end, nobody's opinions get changed, nothing gets resolved, and everyone leaves with a slightly queasy, sick feeling. (Or sometimes, sadly, minus a friend.) Thinking up a fun, lovely way of gettin' the party started in comments is admittedly harder, but the benefits are bangin'. Obviously, if you're a Bucky Covington fan, you've figured out that sweet does not equal boring. On the contrary...
That's about it! This post will be permanently linked in the sidebar--feel free to refer to it if you have any questions, and feel free to email me if any genuine trolls ever do pop up here or if you have any concerns about comments. Thanks for your time.
Updated 01/01/2008:
We've been goin' strong almost two years now, thanks to Bucky and to all his fans who've paid me the compliment of stopping in here! When Buckymania started, Bucky Covington had just come out of the Idol semi-finals with a beautiful voice and a growing legion of happily voting fans. Since then, he's become a Billboard chart-topping, CMA-presenting rising country star, and the blog's readership has increased tenfold. Literally! With that in mind, a formal disclaimer was long overdue, so here it is for the record:
This blog is a personal fan blog written and edited by me--I am not employed by or affiliated with Bucky Covington, his management, Lyric Street Records or any media outlets. The views expressed here are not necessarily shared by any of the above, nor are they intended to malign any religion, ethnic or social group, club, organization, company, or individual. (We tend to play nice here!) I am not responsible, nor will I be held liable, for anything anyone posts in the blog comments, for any laws/rules commenters may break, or for their comments’ content, implication, and intent. (Spammers, beware. I love the Bucky-fan commenters here--thanks, y'all!)
It is the nature of blog posts and outbound links to become outdated as time marches on, alas. I am not responsible for the content of any other sites or for any information, images, products or services that may be offered by other sites.
I am not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics, and the views expressed are 100% mine. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.
That's it for now, really! Have fun--Winnie
