03-22-2003, 05:38 AM
Jarulf,Mar 19 2003, 07:35 PM Wrote:On the other hand, it seems their forum policy is now to not allow ANY link, whatsoever outside their own site. Amazed?Jarulf, dii.net has always been extremely reluctant to recognize any other sites, much less link to them. Is it any wonder that linking to other sites is discouraged in the forums?
The basic issue is that someone there (no names shall be provided) views webmastering fan sites as a competition. What the hell we're competing over is something I've never figured out, but that's just me. It's definitely not like we're making money off this stuff (who knows, maybe they are). And the Lurker Lounge does NOT compete with anyone. Quite the contrary, I like to think I helped sites such as the Amazon Basin get popular - not that I take credit for that, they're popular because they run a damn good site, not because I plugged it - but early on I was pointing people there quite often.
I think "community" is a dirty word at Dii.net, and always has been. As far as I know, they are the only Diablo II site that runs that way. Even PlanetDiablo, which many would automatically think of as part of the evil empire of Gamespy's "clone" sites, is much more community-oriented than Dii.net. Heck, they host the Phrozen Keep, a site that has really brought the mod community together more than any other Diablo site before. Dii.net simply pretends that they are the only site out there.
Again, this is not the thinking of all webmasters, past and present, at the site. This is the attitude of one of them in particular, so I have always considered myself at odds with that person. It is a difference in ideologies - I think that one is interested only in site popularity and making money, whereas I am interested in neither.
I find myself always amazed when people email me questions like "can I link to this site in your forum?" My flabbergasted response is, "heck, of course you can, linking to all non-cheating sites is welcome." And they seem shocked by that, revealing they're coming over from Dii.net where such things are not allowed. I can't imagine myself posting at a site with such a policy, but to each their own.
This attitude has never affected my desire to link to/promote Dii.net. They run a great site, even if I disagree with their policies. If I feel that Lounge readers will benefit and increase their Diablo knowledge from reading material posted there, I will link to it. They are free to run their site as they please.
-Bolty
Quote:Considering the mods here are generally liberals who seem to have a soft spot for fascism and white supremacy (despite them saying otherwise), me being perma-banned at some point is probably not out of the question.