Addressing a pet peeve
What I'm about to address has been on my mind for some time, and I can't hold it back any longer.
Before I get started, let me state categorically that the following has nothing to do with the fact that the Unthank family allows me to write for Southern Gospel News or hosts my blog here.
Not that I'm not grateful for the above...I am proud to write for the world's most read southern gospel e-zine, and I'm also proud to call this little corner of the web my home base for my humble but well-meaning blog.
But in the southern gospel internet world, the Unthanks are quite the lightning rod.
And I'm still not quite certain why. I suppose when you're first with something, and you've earned a position of prominence and respect, a consequence of that can be that those envious of that position can become resentful.
And certainly the Unthanks have been trailblazers with the Southern Gospel News site. If I'm not mistaken, they have operated SGN for the past 15 years or so, well before the internet became as much of a fixture around the house as Dad's favorite chair or the TV set.
In that time, it has grown from a mere e-mail discussion list to the largest message board community devoted to gospel music, as well as arguably the most reliable daily source for gospel music news online.
Sure, SGN is not perfect. As I posted on another blog, I could do without the preponderance of publicity releases thinly disguised as news stories. And don't all of the site's readers know by heart what Southern Spin is all about by now?:-)
But I challenge any of you to find me a larger variety of articles and features devoted to gospel music news and information. And its' message board community still has the largest variety of topics and areas of discussion related to gospel music in cyberspace.
But over the past few years, resentment toward the Unthanks has grown in pockets around the online gospel music community. I imagine that most of it centers around the way the Unthanks have chosen to administer their message boards and article discussion.
In fact, most of the larger competing gospel sites were directly or indirectly spawned from issues related to the way the Unthanks run SGN.
Which is all well and good. If people think they can do a better job, or feel the need to establish other communities devoted to gospel music, go for it. I know the Unthanks have no problem with that...it's a big world out there, and there's room for everyone.
What I get annoyed at, though, is the amount of personal, vindictive, ad homnem attacks on the Unthank family, their character, and their reputation. Fine if you don't like what they do, but what purpose does going on another gospel music blog or message board to simply attack SGN or the Unthanks serve? No constructive or positive one that I see.
If you don't like what they do, just go to another site and do what you want to do there(if you can). But don't go to another site attacking the Unthanks and what they do or ask why they do what they do elsewhere.
For what does Doug Harrison or Daniel Mount(for example) know about what the Unthanks intend to do with a certain feature of SGN? And what makes you think if they even did, that they or their readers would be best able to answer your question?
As you might have guessed by now, what inspired this posting was seeing a discussion thread on another blog that Susan Unthank had posted to, and noticing another poster "softly" asking Susan a rather sensitive question THERE about SGN's message boards.
My response is also a question...why ask her on someone else's blog? Contrary to a lot of the invective spewed online about the Unthanks, they are easily accessible through their site or by direct e-mail. If someone is seriously interested in finding out about SGN or why they run it the way they do, wouldn't it be better form to simply take it up with them privately? Unless of course you want to make a point at their expense.
(In fairness to the poster I'm referring to, at least he asked Susan directly there(and politely to boot)...and Susan graciously answered his question to his apparent satisfaction.)
I have had occasional disputes with them and questions for them as well...in four years of association with them, that is not too surprising(knowing both me and them). But I have always been able to communicate directly with them, and they have always responded promptly and politely to my correspondence. Was I always satisfied with the result? No...but then again, I'm not always right, either(I hear the "AMENS"!).
But there is no reason to try to embarrass or defame the Unthanks on blogs or message boards. If any of you have a question for them, ASK THEM DIRECTLY(a novel concept, I know).
And give them credit...they run a good site...and are nice people. And like all of us, they have feelings, too.
Posted on Mar 13, 2008 - 10:42 PM | [0]
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