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TPM, Please change the terms FOLLOWER TO TRACKER
I am not a Follower of anybody. I would rather be labeled a Tracker.
Follower: denotes an adherent.
Tracker: denotes keeping one under surveillance
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I am not a Follower of anybody. I would rather be labeled a Tracker.
Follower: denotes an adherent.
Tracker: denotes keeping one under surveillance
Imagine someone in our community goes off the deep end, and becomes an investigative lead.
Would I want the FBI to refer back to TPM, and they say, “It says here, you were a follower, an adherent. :)
Id rather say, “NO I was tracking his activities.
October 15, 2008 1:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
My thoughts exactly.
Except that you were way ahead of me - I should pay more attention. Perhaps I should follow you? ;)
http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/barefoot/2008/10/following.php
October 16, 2008 6:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
I prefer:
Disciple
Sheepish Acolyte
Devotee
Groupie
October 15, 2008 1:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree, I like the function, but I don't like being a follower. I don't want to be a leader either, for that matter.
I suspect a lot of people probably are being put off of trying it out just because of the name. (User Tom Wright, for one example. Maybe he's got another reason for not using it, but I know he's been asking for a tracking function for ages, a brave complainer about things lacking in the last software for all of us, but strangely, I noticed he hasn't signed up for any "following.")
Tracking is actually the correct term for this function, I believe.
October 15, 2008 2:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
P.S. I read a lot of writers regularly, (you know, look out for that which they write?) including quite a few bloggers. I can truly say I am not a follower of any of them. In fact, I often disagree with what many of them write. :-)
October 15, 2008 2:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
I appreciate the feature too. But will not submit myself to what I think is belittling to the community.
You are one, that I have always enjoyed your comments, and there are others.
So I have to search out the hard way, to find those I enjoy reading, when the system lets me.
October 15, 2008 2:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't much care for Follower or Tracker.
How about Readers in place of Followers, and Reading in place of Following?
October 15, 2008 2:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
I know they are trying to say "I'm following this author's work". But the correct term usually used for that relationship is "reader".
I like the Reading/Reader phraseology.
October 16, 2008 11:21 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. But I would mind tossing in a dose of humor and like astral's suggestions. ;)
October 15, 2008 2:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
How about "Stalker"?
October 15, 2008 2:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
"trill"
October 15, 2008 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would rather see all the posters names in Alphabetical order on the right hand side of the page as it appears now.
Then if I want to track particular writers, all I have to do is go down the list of all TPM contributors.
Maybe a feature that tracks the hits, puts the most tracked writers, in a sub category, to prevent trolls from making the original list unmanageable
October 15, 2008 2:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I used to fear going to the library, and checking out books written by Noam Chomsky, or any other writers who "THE SPY'S OF OUR GOVERNMENT DEEMED THREATENING"
So now according to a paranoiac leader, I, being a reader of questionable material, is someone who associates or feeds his mind full of subversive materials and must be put into some reeducation facility.
Tracking gives me a plausible excuse, because as a good citizen, I am always vigilant.
October 15, 2008 2:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
....because as a good citizen, I am always vigilant.
Good one, resistance, got me smiling. You have the deep cover double agent thing down pat. Read lots of spy novels? :-)
October 15, 2008 7:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
But now I’ve just blown my cover, by alarming others ;)
October 15, 2008 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
I can't say that I'm wild about everyone being able to see who is "following" who, but I like having an easier way to keep up with those posts by people I admire. Could you make it so you could "search" by username in addition to the title of the post, then have the search end up on their blog page?
If that isn't possible, would "favorites" be a good name instead of "follow?"
October 15, 2008 3:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
artappraiser said it best "I can truly say I am not a follower of any of them. In fact, I often disagree with what many of them write. :-)"
Those writers she disagrees with are not her favorites.
October 15, 2008 3:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm sorry, It should have read Those writers she disagrees with are not her favorites are they?
October 15, 2008 3:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Also, could we change the name of Talking Points Memo? Because talking points are used for spinning and spinning is inherently bad. What about "Stuff to Read"? Because, I mean, that's what it is, right?
Then, Josh, could you change your last name to something a little less militant? Because Marshall makes me think of a guy on a plane with a gun and that makes me uncomfortable. What about Josh Daisy. Everybody likes daisies. They're pretty.
October 15, 2008 3:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I like the term Talking Points Memo.
Because it gives me the armor I need to fend off the enemies barrage of mistruths.
And the term Marshall represents order, like in the Old West the Marshall was an integral part to preserve the peace, and to help settle disputes.
I’ll have to get back on the daisy part.
But any dictionary, defines both Follower and Tracking. Tracking shows more consideration, and that words do have meanings.
If Adolph Hitler had a posting, and he was stirring trouble, if you wanted to see what he said, so you could respond, would you want to be labeled a FOLLOWER of Adolph, or a TRACKER?
Whole industries are built on wordsmithing and couldn’t the members of the community vote on the use of the terms, or is it arbitrarily set. It is what it is?
Besides, would it not save space if all contributors’ names were on the side of screen?
Rather than making ICONS appear on each individual page?
Or is there a vanity issue for those who like to see, that others are followers of them. Some mutual admiration society. Which is okay.
I've been tracking you anyway.
October 15, 2008 4:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
I don't have much of an opinion one way or another. Seems a little like splitting hairs though. I see your point. David Koresh, for example, had followers. But Ted Bundy was a tracker.
Words have intrinsic meaning, but they also have context. Take "jackass." Sometimes, it means a jerk and sometimes it means a democrat. It's all about the situation.
October 15, 2008 5:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think we should get to write in our OWN term for anyone following us. That way, we could put people off, or attract them, as we wished! You know, "Be My Scum!" vs "Have Some Pie!"
Also, Marshall is a fine Scottish name. From Marischal. A fine family. Noble stock. ;-)
October 15, 2008 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/tracker
track down someone/something
to find someone or something after searching for them. I'm trying to track down one of my old classmates from college. My library assistant tracked down several references for me My mother wanted to find the family who had taken care of my father during the war, and somehow she was able to track them down.
But of course leave it to Orlando to point out in her fashion. (Ted Bundy) thank's a lot Orlando :)
put someone on the right track
be on the right track - to be doing something in a way that will bring good results. When things went wrong I had a chat with Phil and he put me back on the right track.
October 15, 2008 7:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank God, I tend to be more of a Democrat. Was that my way out of this situation, Orlando?
October 15, 2008 7:21 PM | Reply | Permalink
Let's take this etymology out of Ted Bundy world, shall we?
I betcha the #1 usage of "tracking" these days means what you can do on the Federal Express website. Everyone loved it when they started doing that, so UPS started doing it, and finally reluctantly, and still not too efficiently in my experience, the USPS. Look at me, heh, all of a sudden I've gotten into arguing for the side of privatizing-uber-alles Republicans...maybe we are back to surveillance and Ted Bundy, oops.
October 15, 2008 9:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Thank you, that's a good example
The aphorism "When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras", or was it jackasses? Whatever.
Your point is a good example of the term tracking, not something sinister but a tool.
October 16, 2008 12:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
Words have intrinsic meaning, but they also have context. Take "jackass." Sometimes, it means a jerk and sometimes it means a democrat. It's all about the situation.
Ob goodie, now we're getting to communications theory here, woot. :-)
I think of a variation of what that oft-quoted Jack Nicholson movie character said, "context, you want context, you can't handle the context." And I'm not using "you" to mean Orlando there. What I see is a lot of users here having an intrinsic gut reaction against the usage of the term. Whether any of that meaning that those users see was intended by management here or not, it's working out to have that meaning. And the management here is into the word business. Put me on the side of someone that thinks someone in such a business should be adjusting their use of words to get the effect intended with the largest possible audience. If lots of people are taking what you are saying wrong, you're writing it wrong. That's actually one of the main reasons I like participating on forums like this--because you learn to hone your communications skills as to writing. It's also why I find it so maddening when people on forums like this purposefully and with full knowledge of what they are doing twist another's words in order to make a strawman out of them....
I could go on and one, but I'll spare ya.
October 15, 2008 7:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
None of those terms (TPM, Josh's last name, etc.) ascribe attributes to directly to participants. Having an opinion about how we are characterized as individuals is rather different than taking issue with every title given to anything in the universe.
The SNARK is obvious - but the point you make is apples vs. oranges.
October 16, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink