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RCP Fake Pimpin’

October 25, 2006 Telling It Like it Is View Comments

Okay, you guys…. I was REALLY going to leave this alone because I know I’m going to get a lot of flak over it… but since when have I been afraid of flak? It took a recent posting by another RCPer (SpeckieGrrl) to set me off on this keyboard diatribe.

I, like many others, have long been posting our own articles (some full original content; some with a reference story and personal/original comment) to Real Clear Politics “Reader Articles” for a while, but I’ve noticed a trend recently that to me (re-asserting this is MY opinion), some folks are using Real Clear Politics Reader Articles as nothing more than “hey, check out the article I found, and please vote for it” kind of b.s.

According to the RCP description of Reader Articles: “ReaderArticles features the most popular articles as submitted and voted by RCP users.”

I know this is slightly vague and CAN be interpreted as “post articles that you find, whether they’re your own or not,” but in the beginning when I first started posting, it seemed that the majority of the articles posted were original content by individual people who took the time, effort and personal cost out to operate their own blogs or websites, and either write entire original content, or reference existing news articles and/or opinions, which they posted on their own blogs (therefore suffering the bandwidth hit, traffic, etc.).

I’ve noticed as of late there are SEVERAL posters who write their own captions, submit the articles, but the links are to content that is totally not theirs (i.e., NewsMax articles, WorldNetDaily, ForeignPolicy.us, AP articles, etc., etc., etc.). And ESPECIALLY lately, these submissions seem to take up 2/3 if not 3/4 of the “reader article” submissions, and this has led to myself and a few others starting to be hesitant about posting our own work to RCP because ‘why bother’?

I could myself monitor Drudge or the AP all day, grab an article, and slap it up on RCP to beg for votes. This, to me, discounts every legitimate blogger out there who bothers to have their own site, upload content, write editorial commentary, insert images or video, etc. This, to me, cheapens the whole process and purpose of submitting a “reader article” on RCP.

I know that RCP’s definition is fairly vague (see above), but don’t you think it would best be served by those who are composing/posting original content on their own sites to promote on RCP for the readers to vote on?

And yes, here’s where I’m going to get slammed, but I don’t care because I feel like my posts and some of my friends posts aren’t getting the attention they deserve. The most egregious RCP pimps out there right now on RCP are Semby, TJBarker, Adam, and HeBGB. Lately I have to wade through 3 pages of their reprints to find my friends’ articles to vote on. These unoriginals always grab a mainstream article, post it, and give it a catchy title. I think it’s disingenous at best, and at worst, a disrespect to those of us who make the effort to have our own blogs and post original material.

Again, I’m ready for the slams, but I’m hoping my blogger friends (Jay777, Buckley, Big Dog, Potfry, Ric Ottaiano, Kit, Amy Proctor, etc.) will appreciate what I’ve just said. Someone has been needing to say it for a while, so there…

…. I just said it.

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auspatriotman

You know MsU, I don't blog. I love reading them. I have peeps like you that I would send stuff too that might make mention in a post but other than that, blogging is a pretty important media. Don't need to tell you there are millions of them out there and yet there are only a 'few'dozen' that I read regulary because like you they are original, informative and interesting.

When I saw the RCP dealio I wondered why the heck would it be so important? Well not being a blogger I guess it means you get some acclimation for your work. But as you say there are a lot of pimps out there who have no conscious or integrity. So I say as a outsider why the heck even involove myself in any of the smallness of these geeks.

Another one of these things is the "Digg This".
Another rant for someone else to do.
I like your blog and the personality behind it and to me thats more important than someone else's 'measure'.

Redhead Infidel

Great post, Ms. U. Personally, I've never once understood what actual benefit there is to posting an article at RCP. Have you actually ever waded through all the Reader Articles to find good content by other bloggers? Have you actually ever followed a link to a stranger's article? I never have. Well, maybe I did once when RCP first started and before I set up my blog feeds. If I'm missing something tell me - but it's hard enough skimming through my favorite RSS feeds, without slogging through questionable content at RCP.

You are spot on with calling out all the pathetic "Instapundit" wanna-be's out there who don't do much more that publish a pithy (or not so pithy) phrase hyperlinked to someone else's work. Boring. I still can't get over that that is Instapundit's entire blog model - he's bascially a link farm. Like Drudge with slightly more commentary. I mean, who actually goes to Instapundit for original content?

Ok, now I'm off-topic...

Anyways...good work, Ms. U!

MsUnderestimated

To my readers, PLEASE go to http://www.realclearpolitics.com/readerarticles...

and vote for this post if you want to get this message across.

Thanks!
Ms.U

Amy Proctor

Oh, man! What a photo!

Amy Proctor

You go girl!

Right on. (can you tell I grew up in the 70's?)

I, too, think it's pathetic that some people copy and paste other people's work and THAT'S their content on Real Clear Politics.

Really it should be a forum for actual authors and columnists who are up and coming through their blogs to post their articles and see if the public likes the content. Copying and pasting a Yahoo story or from Drudge is just cheap. And what's the point? I don't even understand why anyone would bother. Its' embarrassing.

But I haven't said anything until now.

;)

MsUnderestimated

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RCP Fake Pimpin’

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