Showing posts with label policy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label policy. Show all posts

Saturday, November 07, 2009

Yes, We Are Still Shutting Down/ Future Plans




I am flattered that Leaguers are asking about whether or not we're still shutting down, whether we'll continue on, if there aren't possibilities for other outlets, etc...

Its always been a shock to me that so few have written in asking me to please, please just stop it seemed nice enough. Knowing that anyone gives a darn enough to ask that we should continue is a bit overwhelming.

To cut to the chase, here's the game plan.

1) December 20th, in the PM, I will have up the final post. It's done already.
2) We will continue to maintain a presence on Facebook at facebook.com/melbotis. A lot of the smaller items you'd find here are what you'll find there. We're also on Twitter, but that's a repost of Facebook, so there you go. twitter.com/melbotis
3) April 21st, 2010, I will make a statement on Facebook in regards to any future plans for more blogging activity.

I need to give myself hard deadlines on this stuff as it will force decisions one way or another. I was a PM for a while.



Anyway, it's been suggested I talk about favorite posts.

Rather than do that (because I've got 3,300+ posts) I welcome you guys to guest-post on any particular League-related topic, post, etc... that caught your fancy. You can contact me via e-mail. We'll run those right up until that last week.

I will, I believe, have some sort of series of "before we go" posts to wrap things up. So, if you have any requests, send them in. We live to serve, and I'll be looking for ideas for generating content. And, no, I have no idea what I mean by "if you have any requests".


Friday, October 16, 2009

Policy: JimD or Randy?

A thinly disguised Leaguer recently asked the policy question:

JimD or Randy?
Well, this question is obviously tough to answer, and will change from scenario to scenario.  But I think a few illustrative examples might be useful:
  • Trapped on an island with?  JimD (wouldn't feel as guilty about eventually killing and eating JimD)
  • Produce my folk/rap album?  JimD
  • Choreograph my videos?  Randy
  • Screen and hire the skanks for my videos?  Randy
  • Write the NDA's for the skanks in my videos?  JimD
  • Would win in a duel (foil)?  Randy
  • Would win in a duel (pistols)?  JimD
  • Would win in a lightsaber duel?  JimD
  • Used to bullseye womp rats in his T-16 back home.  They're not much bigger than two meters?  Randy
  • Is a loose cannon?  JimD
  • Is getting too old for this shit?  Randy
  • Executor of my will?  Randy
  • Will be asked to take on my debts?  JimD
  • Looks great in a thong?  TIE
  • Sends me a constant stream of stuff via email which leads me to wonder what, if anything, he does for a living?  Randy
  • No longer actually reads LoM?  JimD
  • Would want as my backup when we're going to have to shoot our way out?  Neither.  Maybe Emily.
  • I would gladly hand over to the police?  Randy
  • Whom I would gladly trust to start a new government, and then immediately exploit the very loopholes he'd created?  JimD
  • Jazzy Jeff to my Fresh Prince?  Randy
  • Carlton to my Fresh Prince?  JimD*

*Yes, summer of 1997, I watched a lot of Fresh Prince and drank cheap beer.  I was also only partially employed.

    Wednesday, October 14, 2009

    NTT asks... POLICY

    NTT asks:



    1. Why does this blog use a length of measure not officially recognized by any nation?

    I think the Yurgh will really catch on as measure of both definitions of volume.


    2. Did you order the Code Red?

    Son, we live in a world that has walls, and those walls have to be protected by men with guns...


    3. What does Didio have on you to give Final Crisis a good review?

    Nothing. Any story that ends with Superman eliminating the threat of an arch villain by singing the song of the vibrational frequency of the multi-verse is just going to find a warm place in my heart.

    I still sort of feel that if readers could not find a bit of love for "Final Crisis",  they're not seeing the meta-story of the DCU as put down since Barry met Jay and Jimmy Olsen met the Newsboys.

    4. Would you rather have a bottle in front of you or a frontal lobotomy?

    The Ketel One drip.



    5. If the League has an arch-villain, what are the rules of engagement?


    The League is usually a bit dim and does not realize that anyone considers him "The Cursed League".  Somehow, as far as I know, I've made it this far without anyone setting out to destroy me.

    However, the number of people who find me annoying knows no bounds.


    Because its likely sooner or later my madcap ways will, indeed, draw the ire of someone who seeks to destroy me, I would do the following:

    1)  be down about it for a while
    2)  try to sort out what I did
    3)  be down some more
    4)  pledge to change
    5)  utterly fail to improve any behavior
    6)  kind of forget about it
    7)  be passive aggresive
    8)  get drunk and call the arch-villain and try to see what's up
    9)  wait until an awkward social moment with lots of witnesses, and then insist "you never liked me, anyway"
    10)  eat a lot out of stress

    Saturday, October 10, 2009

    Policy: Nakedness

    editor's note: I actually started on this prior to reading this installment of Achewood. It was far more inspired by a diagram I had been working on at work for determining levels of tech support.

    So Steven has asked:

    What's your policy on nude blogging?

    And what about nude reading?


    Fair enough Steven.

    To the first point, The League does, in fact, have a policy on his own nudity while blogging!

    Blogging nude here occurs only after the third scotch has been imbibed.

    The math works out thusly for common reviews:

    Movie reviews: 2nd paragraph
    Comic reviews: 4th paragraph
    Television: 1st paragraph
    Superman posts: stone cold sober
    Political posts: before I even start, I've usually been nude and drunk for an hour

    Leaguers who are into dudes are no doubt curious as to what the magnificent physique of The League actually looks like. Well, lucky you, I have decided to include a rather sexy shot of myself that Jamie usually keeps tacked to her bathroom mirror. Attempt to contain yourself.


    Like Daniel Craig in "Casino Royale", The League rises from the water, revealing his form.

    But the real question, then, is: Does The League have a policy for reading League of Melbotis au natural?

    I was certain I'd shared this chart with you before as a helpful hint. In fact, I keep a printed copy folded up in my attache case to hand out to anyone who springs me with this very question.

    The abbreviated decision chart looks like this (the full chart has more than 180 decision branches, but this usually works in a pinch and doesn't require 41 sheets of paper to print):


    Please click for full flow chart


    We suggest you print your own copy and keep it framed somewhere near where you might need to do some decision-making.

    Thursday, October 08, 2009

    Interactivity time: Policy Questions?

    I always need topics to write upon. I have just written what I consider to be my first policy statement.

    Ever wonder why things are the way they are at LoM? Why I may be maddeningly consistent or seemingly wildly inconsistent? Why I don't drop the f-bomb?

    After several years of this blogging business, I suppose I must have several policies in place that I haven't ever really expressed.

    What are some topics upon which The League should have a policy, or do you wonder if one already exists?

    Put your questions and suggestions into the comments section! It'll be good fodder for a future post.

    Full Disclosure: Blogging and Shilling

    It most likely did not make a blip on your radar, but apparently the FTC is asking bloggers to report when and if the items they are reviewing are free, if they've paid to receive and review the item, etc...

    Read more here for clarity or here.

    We might as well take this opportunity to set some house rules for reviews/ criticism, free content and how we plan to handle this at League of Melbotis.

    In short, my policy isn't going to change aside from me adding boilerplate. And I'll get to why momentarily.

    1) League of Melbotis will accept review copies of comics, movies, etc...
    2) We will not accept payment from the producer or marketing company of the item being reviewed. This includes financial incentives, unrelated giveaways, etc...
    3) If a physical copy of any media is received, we will alert readers if we seek to divest ourselves of the review copy. We may keep items at our discretion. bear in mind, sending you a copy costs us something.
    4) From this point forward, we will note when and if the item received in a review came through any means but our own pocket. We will note format, etc...
    5) If we just watched, bought, paid for an item ourselves, without a review copy, we will not make mention, as this is literally 99.5% of the reviews, mentions, etc... we're currently doing. So, seriously, guys. Unclench.
    6) Were something really wild to happen that were to change the status of LoM as a free website being run with absolutely no moneymaking capacity and as a complete waste of all of our time and energy, I will be the first to at least acknowledge a change of status as the big dollars start rolling in and I forget all of you people (sorry, Randy. As soon as the big bucks roll in, I'm replacing you with Fred Savage.). But, really... 6 years in, I'm pretty realistic about this blogging business. It's in no way lucrative, and its not even really a good idea for a grown man to do anymore.


    However...

    What gives the timing of the FTC's decision an interesting twist is that LoM was, just this week, added to become "press" according to a rising star comic publisher. This means I am to receive electronic copies of this company's comics.

    Being no dummy, and knowing how some of you like to freak out about this sort of thing (JimD), I had planned to mention the slight change in status prior to any reviews down this pathway, as you would notice a certain spike in my reading and reviewing. Now, I'm not just ethically obligated to make mention, but legally as well. And I have enough legal problems, anyway (smuggling illegal parrots into the US in your baggy cargo pants turns out to be more toruble than one would guess).

    Rest assured: They are not plying me with money and women at this time (yet).

    A while back I was receiving copies of DVD's for review from a marketing company, and was charged by several Leaguers (joking or not) that I was now a shill. I good naturedly put up with your baseless whining, and I think the matter resolved itself once we reached the "Speed Racer" incident which ended that particular gravy train.

    But, yes, it does not take a genius of marketing to figure out I might view and enjoy a Justice League DVD, and write about it on my blog. And, if you recall, I gave away my copy of the DVD.

    I should also point out that its standard practice for media companies to send review copies of movies, books, etc... to professional reviewers. While LoM is not The New York Times, as long as I play by the rules and fairly review media, and keep you posted as to where I got the media, I have no problem accepting review copies. We'll strive to do our best to remain neutral with the possibility for limited access in the face of a bad review hanging over our head.

    For the record, I am in agreement of the spirit of the FTC's decision, and hope that disclosures are taken seriously. In an industry as small as comics, its often difficult to determine the relationships going on between readers, reviewers, creators, and the engine of the industry. Whether it has much effect on who buys what, I don't know, but there's always room for not being a bought loser.