E-mail of the day

July 31, 2008, 2:27 PM · I'd thought I'd share with you a lovely addition to my in-box this afternoon:
Simply outrageous that you don't accept email addresses from anyone but companies. So typical. Hey if you don't want comments from anyone but companies, stop posting garbage telling us to vote for extremely expensive sandwiches asking for opinions then denying the email address!

Thank you, dear writer, for reminding me why it is that we do not allow site registrations from Hotmail addresses. (Oh, and by the way, Hotmail's a company, too. It's owned by a rather large company, by the name of Microsoft. Just sayin'.)

FTR, we require people who register on TPI to do so with a verified ISP, work or school e-mail address, in an effort to keep hit-and-run anonymous gasbags off the site. Such as this gal.

But anyone can vote in polls and submit attraction ratings, without registering, so readers who want, or need, to remain anonymous can participate on the site. (FWIW, I also have approved a few readers to register using anonymous accounts and pseudonyms, since they showed me that they were industry insiders who would not be allowed by their employers to post.)

We've been doing this for nine years around here, and as much as we can do to improve, I'd like to think that we've got the hang of a few things. Namely, that people like to read intelligent and informed comments from real people, not fan-boy posturing from a bunch of anonymous account handles. We're not all the way to that goal yet, but I consider it a small victory that we are keeping people like this writer off the site.

Replies (17)

July 31, 2008 at 3:44 PM · Oh good, you read my e-mail. Now I can vote on expensive sandwiches.
July 31, 2008 at 4:32 PM · So just because someone has an email account through hotmail, that means they do not know what they're talking about? That does not seem like a valid reason to me.
July 31, 2008 at 4:49 PM · I, for one Robert, am glad you allowed me to keep my pysuedonym.....I mean, I could lose my job as the head of creative at Universal if anyone ever knew who I was.
July 31, 2008 at 4:49 PM · ............dammit.
July 31, 2008 at 7:48 PM · You'd think Jake Rivers would have given up by now....
July 31, 2008 at 7:50 PM · Yep, is very hard and expensive to get an email account from companies. Jesus!!! but not more expensive than the sanwiches, turkeylegs or free beer from TPI food poll.
;D
July 31, 2008 at 10:33 PM · I wish I had that most precious of life's gifts which allowed me to express my irrational opinions like the writer did...the glorious gift of PMS...

btw, you all crack me up!!

August 1, 2008 at 2:31 AM · The only reply I can think of is ...wow! I am constantly amazed at the amount of free time some people have, and the ridiculously irrational ways that they choose to spend it.

If I had to say I disagree with anything, it would be the term "small victory". Kind of an understatement, IMHO...

But at least reading that email (and the subsequent comments, of course!) started my day off with a good laugh!

August 1, 2008 at 4:11 AM · Well said Robert.

I'm sure that there must be plenty of sites out there for that idiot to subscribe to.

I , for one, agree with TPI's management policy and believe that's why it's so popular.

August 1, 2008 at 7:31 AM · Could someone please explain to me how that person is an idiot because he or she spoke their mind when he or she did not agree with something? There should be more people who are not afraid to speak their mind. I have respect for the person who sent that email because he or she is not afraid to stand up for what he or she believe is wrong.
August 1, 2008 at 8:52 AM · This e-mail made me laugh. Someone was actually extremely passionate complaining about something so insignificant. It takes a few minutes to set up a fake/spam/ anonymous e-mail account. "Real" e-mail accounts are rarely anonymous... and we know how paranoid people are about releasing their info on the internet.

The thing is, a lot of people speak their mind without thinking about what they're saying. Not everything is just black & white. The whole "freedom of speech" deal is completely misunderstood. It doesn't mean "I don't agree with this, so I'll trash them and get angry". It reminds me of this idiot who was "joking" before entering Disneyland, and when asked what he has in his bag, he says "oh just a bomb". Next thing you know, security is brought in along with the cops. And here goes his stupid kids saying "It's a free country, you can say whatever you want!"

Not being able to use a free e-mail account is fine with me. I understand the purpose, and it works for most part. Having a "real" e-mail account isn't 100% guaranteed to get less ignorant comments, but it sure does help!

August 1, 2008 at 2:11 PM · Good for you Robert to deny the e-mail address! Ignorance is bliss..... I guess while the person was trying to register, they failed to read requirements you posted for acceptance and/or your requested "guidelines" for registration?
August 1, 2008 at 3:28 PM · Thanks for indulging me, folks. Every now and then I need to vent.

Key thing is: I am actually a real person. I'm not getting paid by any theme parks or other big companies to be here. This website is a community of real people, too. It's not exactly a good idea to make your introduction to this community a rant about how you don't like the rules of the community.

I'm happy to explain rules, guidelines, practices and habits to anyone who asks politely. Sometimes, I make changes, especially if the request brings up something I hadn't considered. I really do want to make this site useful for everyone.

But someone who crashes in complaining about the work I've done for the site before saying anything else, well, I figure that person's probably gonna be rude in saying other things on the site, too. And I figure that you, like I, don't want to spend your free time reading that.

Constructive criticism. Helpful advice. Encouragement. A few moments of distraction from the grind of everyday life. Those are the things I want TPI to bring to its readers. And that I want its readers to bring to others.

August 1, 2008 at 5:22 PM · I'm all for criticism and free speech, but I also shut it down when the speaker is, how you say, an ass.

They dug into Robert without knowing his reasoning. Real smart to start an argument with someone who knows more than you do.

August 2, 2008 at 2:35 AM · While I do understand where the individual is coming from - specifically, I use a Yahoo! address as an e-mail, and I've had it for somewhere around 7-8 years - and I think I might have wound up sneaking under the radar as far as that's concerned. It's hardly an ISP or school-related e-mail, by any stretch. Not sure how I managed it, considering I only browsed the guidelines when I signed up.

Then again, I'm not a hit-and-run anonymous gasbag. I've been around for.. oh, hell, I don't even know how long on this website. I'm here for the discussions, the news. I love this place, and I'm glad to be a part of it.

If this were ten years ago, I might say to not assume that people are all like that, but these days, a lot of people think they're a wise guy on the internet. You'd be amazed.

August 2, 2008 at 10:34 PM · I love this site, man!!!!! Boo hoo to the people who want to bash Robert and all the things he does to keep this site going!
August 3, 2008 at 12:05 AM · I would just like to say that I have no problems with a person speaking their mind and standing up for issues and opinions that they value. But when a person decides to do so, it helps if they consider two things: does the relevance of the issue equal the strength of the complaint, and what do they ultimately expect to accomplish by complaining.

It is difficult to take someone seriously when they complain passionately and aggressively over their inability to comment on a sandwich. And did they really anticipate that this approach would persuade Robert to bend the rules? My thought is that they were just complaining because they had excess time and energy, and nothing more productive to do with it.

When a person chooses to take a stand, WHAT they choose to stand up for speaks louder than words.

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