An Experiment on Blog Connectivity: The Rancid, The Real and the Raw

I will admit to being slightly naive when it comes to all things blogosopheric. Indeed, my friends think I am naive when it comes to a lot of things. But I am also cynical and wonderous at the same time.  For example, when I learned that after my friend Bill McGeveran posted something on his blog about the discussion board XOXOHTH, dozens of bloggers posted comments, many rude, scathing and  mean (would you ever say these things to a person's face??). My cynical side said, people have too much time on their hands. What is the point of this kind of banter? Much of it doesn't even make sense. And what does it say about the future lawyers of our world (assuming most of these folks are law students, which I gather is debatable) that they are spending their time THIS way? My wonderous side thought another thing: is this a computer program spitting out this garble? Has some very bright person designed software to quickly connect to blogs that mention theirs, create links between the blogs in cyberspace and then post comments, however gruesome the contents of the links are? The impression is a whole community of people quickly converging on Bill's site to recuperate the reputation of those who spend time on XOXOHTH.  But the overwhelming feeling I got was that this wasn't a diverse group of people (it wasn't a loud cry from the masses that support and celebrate community blogs like XOXOHTH) but instead just a few folks who want to fill up the comments space, who want to appear to be surrounded by comrades but who are really alone in front of a lap top. Smart as they may be (did they design a program or are they just very fast, very coordinated bloggers?), I wonder how many people are really paying attention.  But perhaps I am just naive. As I said, this is an experiment.

Comments

[machobreeze]

aznazn will never lay a white girl. hth.

[anonymous]

They apparently have too much money in their hands too. The thread below is beyond shocking. The forum truly is disgusting.

Signed,
Disappointed in xoxo

http://xoxohth.com/thread.php?thread_id=518836&mc=151&forum_id=2

[annie_econ]

you might not want to leave comments open for this one.

[Grand Torturer Yokozuna]

[IF ORIGINAL POST = C THEN GOTO "WGAG" BUT IF ORIGINAL POST = B THEN GO TO "TTT ITCR"] THEN GOTO "HTH"

[randomlawstudent]

I give you a 4 out of 10. You would go up to a 6 if I was REALLY DRUNK though.

[Borat]

In my country there is problem,
And that problem is the Jew.
They take everybody's money,
They never give it back.

Throw the Jew down the well,
So my country can be free.
You must grab him by his horns,
Then we have big party.

If you see the Jew coming,
You must be careful of his teeth.
You must grab him by his money,
And I tell you what to do...

Throw the Jew down the well
So my country can be free
You must grab him by his horns
Then we have big party!

[xoxo poster]

pls describe you cans and panties. tytyty

[3L at a T14 law school]

i like sex

[Cain]

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/Cain/bcpid78334397/bctid245987660

I have a feeling this blog is going to get crazy LIKE IT ALWAYS DOES! Just give it a few hours. These guys who blog here, they're the real deal.

Thursday night is our night to ball!

P.S.

WGWAG WGWAG WGWAG WGWAG

[180 LSAT]

I also like sex.

[t14 xoxo poster]

meet me at the park plaza hotel in boston at 10pm tonight and i'll show you how much i like sex.

p.s. please bring a 12 pack of rubbers. ty

[aznaznaznaznaznazn]

White Girls Azn Guys

[nonTTTlaw]

contrary to what was implied 'anonymous,' this entry will not get a lot of comments. it's a bit too derivative-- a blog entry about a blog entry about a blog entry. if you want to get some attention you should do a case study on individual OP. I recommend pensive or whokebe.

Best wishes,

[dr. joseph smith's rotting corpse, esq]

i think it's pathetic to see this sort of feigned moral superiority. do some posters put up some revolting things? yes. if you sift through the chaff can you find plenty of wheat? yes.

to act like everyone who visits and posts on xoxo (esp. if the traffic numbers your "friends" are touting) is a lonely disturbed racist with a fecal obsession and a penchant for wife-beatings just robs you of credibility. those comments are hardly and affront to god and man, and are pretty tame by the standards of modern film, television, literature, etc.

maybe we should ask instead what it is about the profession we're entering and the school's that teach us that can bring out the crasser side of humanity? or would that sort of thinking force you to do something other than thumb your nose at those you think are beneath you?

[nonTTTlaw]

stilted prose. you could concisely summarize this last comment in 2 or 3 brief sentences.

[174]

My wonderous side finds it incredible that any school would permit you to teach law. Then I remembered that it's Suffolk.

Couldn't you get i-banking?

WGWAG

[sadfsdafsdaf]

All different people, mister. And most of the posts are inside jokes, so it seems incomprehensible.

WGWAG

[BAFFrica]

http://www.lemonparty.org/

WGWAG

[fjackie]

[----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------]

[Steve]

I don't know. Much has been made of the racist and sexist threads that sometimes appear on XOXO. All of this talk overlooks that 90% of the information on XOXOXO relates to valid concerns that law students and young lawyers have. Of the top 10 threads on XO right now, 9 of them are innocuous law related threads that pertain to things like working for a professor after 1L year, whether it is better to work for an atlanta firm for 115K a year or a New York firm for 145K a year, and whether most professors let you use your outlines in class for law school exams. One thread is by a guy who tried to talk to an attractive female law student and was turned away. I for one have gotten some good information from XO. One wonders whether the professors who have recently blogged about the racist sexist threds on XO, including this blog, are looking for ways to create interest in otherwise not so successful blogs.

As for this suffolks professor's comment about whether the people who visit XOXO are genuine law students, yes they are, in fact most are ones who wouldn't consider to going to a law school as disreputable as suffolk, even if they were paid to do so.

[me]

you are a noob.

[Pornstar Pete]

how's the weather up there on that high horse?

[Between Indians and Intoxicating Liquors]

White Girls With Asian Guys = WGAG

[Disgusted law student]

I have to agree with you. I am sickened by this terrible website and it is shocking that law students would participate in this kind of behavior. I visited that log once and saw posts about how to fellate Justice Scalia, how to cook feces in a big pot, and whether someone name "sugarywitch" was ever "gangbanged by huge black cocks." It's really a sad commentary on our society that this type of filth is allowed on teh internets. I am glad that you are bringing this to light.

I also write a blog (with less juvenile content than the xoxo blog) and would be happy to link to your story on xoxo if you will allow. My blog can be found here: http://www.thewillpower.org/

[Today's word - "normative"]

As you astutely note (no doubt a result of your impressive scholarly achievements) people in front of a laptop are often alone.

Interestingly, this may have something to do with the fact that person two would have to sit on person one's lap in order to see the screen. Alhough this would solve the problem of person one being alone, it would then prevent person one from seeing the screen.

But back to your scholarly achievements - how were you not able to get a job at anywhere better than a TTTTTTT like Suffolk?