With all the work he supposedly has on his plate, The Union’s publisher keeps going around town, meeting with people and asking about Gloria Zane. The latest example, from George Rebane, is here.
UPDATE: Now Russ Steele has weighed in again, all in the same day. (For some context, bloggers Russ and George are listed as “business and community leaders” on assessor candidate’s Sue Horne’s list of endorsements. Is this leadership?)
As for the publisher’s mission, I find this highly hypocritical since theunion.com’s commenters are people named “redneck farmer,” “dirtmover” and the like, going around flaming people routinely. Unlike the bar at Cheer’s “nobody knows your name.” It’s a joke.
I also was most disturbed when the other “Jeff,” commenting on this blog, alleged that I was Gloria Zane. No, I sign my name on any blog or website. Always have, always will. From where I come from, divering attention from your own problems is called a “red herring.”
Though theunion.com’s policy doesn’t lead to much rationale debate, it drives traffic to the union.com, as it competes with yubanet.com and knco.com in “paid” media. BTW, yubanet.com has been gaining ground lately.
Now theunion.com is going a step further to “monetize” its reader comments: placing ads that resemble the form of the anonymous comments on theunion.com (with similar icons, no less) hoping that you’ll click on it. One reads: “How to stop joint pain.” Heck, at least the ad identifies itself.
One of the downsides of signing your real name, as people here including supervisor Nate Beason, Sierra Business Council President Steve Frisch, Julie Jordan of the Grass Valley Downtown Association, The Union reporter Liz Keller and almost 3,200 others have in the past year, is that you expose yourself to a “coffee klatch” with the publisher.
I know he’s met with other commenters here. Though I’ve heard some reports, I’d still like to be the “fly on the wall” and hear what he wants to say. Is he supporting this blog? Is he throwing it under the bus? Is he throwing former managers under the bus? Does Swift condone this?
This sounds almost “Richard Nixon-like” to me but whatever. Meanwhile, I’d like to invite “dirtmover” and “redneck farmer” to coffee anytime. If they show up, I’ll publish the dialogue here.
Filed under: Uncategorized
The Union blog is being censored. If someone there really objects to a comment posted, it will be dropped and will not appear. Anyone posting there must give a name, address, e-mail address, so that person’s identity is available to the publisher and editors of The Union. This did not happen in the past and is a relatively recent development.
Ah, Ackerman the Litigious wants to check my ID. All part of his noble effort, no doubt, to assuage the masses one former reader at a time. There’s not enough beans in Columbia. Now he has his last remaining unpaid neocon columnist doubling as message boy. He really just needs to focus on that newspaper thing. Nixon? That’s pretty close. Cheney, too — mask your gaffes by going after the critics.
Jaff A. is concerned Gloria won’t have coffee with him? I had coffee with him once a couple years ago. The ultimate outcome was that it was a complete waste of time. I heard a lot of bull shit and promises (or pretty damn close to promises) that didn’t materialize in any way or were actually followed up on. Gloria, if you go to coffee wit him you are giving him what he wants, and it’s doubtful you will receive anything tangible in return. Screw Jeff Ackerman and the snail he rode in on.
Thanks Bruce. You sound frustrated, but let’s not use the “s” word if it can be avoided.
Jeff, you mean “snail” right?
IMO Gloria Zane should say
a) whether s/he is local
and
b) whether G.Z. is a pseudonym
As for this -
> One of the downsides of signing your real name…is that you expose yourself to a “coffee klatch” with the publisher.
I never got a coffee klatsch.
The Q is, do people come away changed? with a glazed look, a stiff gait, arms held forward?
Also – how about “Bo Reardon”, who saw fit to chastise me on my blog for having seen fit to shine a penlight on Russ Steele’s communications business partner (and wife, and co-grandparent). Does anyone know if Bo is a real, local person? or was s/he bused in. or a sock puppet? there’s one in north carolina, but that’s a bit far…
Maybe on a full moon Gloria Zane sprouts a mustache and becomes Bo?
Jeff Ackerman’s invitation is very much like that you have extended to me and others. How many have accepted your offers? Did any of them came away resembling zombies?
michael,
did you ever accept michael anderson’s invitation to meet?
Michael Anderson did not invite me to meet with him but did threaten to make an assumption about me unless I called him before an arbitrary deadline. I figured he had already made his assumption and that he can call me (my telephone number is listed) if he wants to speak with me.
Pardon me for responding to my own comment but there was no reply link available for yours.
> “Michael Anderson did not invite me to meet with him but did threaten to make an assumption about me unless I called him before an arbitrary deadline”
The reader may wish to compare Mr. Kesti’s account of Mr. Anderson’s comments with the comments themselves:
http://bit.ly/kestichallenge
http://tinyurl.com/KestiChallengeSilence
Now Ol’ Russ has chimed in? Oh my. I wonder if any West Virginia coal powered his lighting orgy the other night. But never mind. Deregulation, dirty air gooooood! Fair wages, safe working conditions baaaaaaad!
Gloria Zane…or Keyser Soze?
Thanks George. Could you please sign your real name next time? We like people to be accountable for their comments.
Note to commenters:
To be fair, let’s not use the forum to make personal allegations when a person has not had a chance to respond. This is my complaint about others, so I want to be consistent here. Thanks for your understanding.