Open Registration twice in the last year allowed an unfortunate amount of trolls to get through the gate. I enjoy HA, and post there often, hoping that a click on my screen name wil drive some traffic over here. I don't go there for the articles as much as I enjoy the community. (But not as much as here.)
I found my (internet) voice post-9/11. Suddenly I could no longer simply stand by and watch everything I cared about get ruined. So I sought out venues where I could chime in and add my opinions (such as they are) to the mix. The only one that I'm still associated with all these years later is FreeRepublic. IMO any site that has to have "open enrollment" has fundamental issues that I can't fix (not interested in even trying). That disfunctionality really displayed itself with lgf.
Hotair has never been a forum where I could add my voice. I read stuff there but only sporadically. I don't get the sense of community there so I haven't pursued running the gauntlet in order to get in. That doesn't mean that there isn't value to be had from the site - just that it's only a resource for me, not an oasis.
The Freepers otoh, is somewhat of a paradox to me. I've made a lot of friends over the years - and a surprising number of enemies. There are a great many people there who mistake libertarianism for conservatism. Heck, even the owner is way more libertarian than conservative! I think that their primary mistake was in the molding of their "business" model (IMO FreeRepublic is a "hobby" site and not a real business) they minimized the contributions of their own members. There have been some great writers that are/were associated with the site but, since "vanities" (articles written by members but unpublished anywhere else) are strongly discouraged, the braintrust of their own members was wasted and frustrated. The best writers go elsewhere where their efforts are better appreciated.
Interestingly, huffpo took the opposite approach and encouraged user "diaries". Through cultivation they are producing effecting writers (acknowledging their abilities even if I don't appreciate their POV).
Writing is harder than first blush would appear and consistent production is more than most car capable of (especially when one is inclined to end on a participle!). When you factor in the practical business needs (attracting paying customers that generate revenues) and try to balance them against purist activism you can get a great many compromises.
Here's a question for y'all: Has anyone ever done an analysis of viewership of Powerline before and after throwing their users under the bus? We have a sense anecdotally what the consequences are, but I doubt that the overall effect was much more than a short-term dip in their page-views. I'd love to know.
