Everybody says GeoCities' commercialism and selling out of its members,
among other things, is destroying the aspect of community that was once
a part of GeoCities so vital to its success. Folks, that just isn't true
any you know it. Geo's recent actions have created more community than
ever! Observe:
Through numerous cases of uncalled-for censorship,
both on and off GeoCities-owned servers, they have created a tightly-woven
community of censorship victims; a 'support group', if you will. The GeoCensored
and GeoDelete
Webrings unite the many victims of Geo censorship,
to commiserate, tell of their experiences (to fellow victims, website viewers,
news reporters, etc.) and rest secure in the knowledge that, if Geo tangles
with one, they'll have to tangle with ALL. Through lawsuit
threats Geo has aimed at some of their censor
victims and their ISPs (claiming 'trademark infringement' on parody
sites, etc.) they have raised a community of lay-lawyers, hitting the books
and visiting the self-serve-law sites
to see if Geo really has a case against them. Memorizing and reciting the
Holy Bible of GeoCensorship, the Fair
Use doctrine of copyright law (USC 107)... another 'community' of intellectual-property
buffs and teenaged pseudo-attorneys.
Via the Waterstain
that plagues members' pages, GeoCities has angered many of their best providers
into packing their bags and leaving the service (either of their own volition
or 'involuntarily' after a visit from Community
Response). These now nonmembers have banded together to create Phoenix,
a community for those disillusioned with the once-great service provided
by Geo. Members of Phoenix,
even while spread across myriad servers, maintain much more community and
kindered-spirited bond than any Geo neighborhood could ever hope to achieve.
And, let's not forget about the non-Geo forums
(where Mark and the rest of the Geos can't censor), bulletin boards, GeoStock
naysayers, the GeoSucks mailing list, The GeoStrike (dead),
Black Background
Campaign, Orange Ribbon Campaign, boycotters, the Geo
song parody contest...
Don't you see? Geo is a genius! They've created more community than
ever, and so transparently too. It's all part of their master plan, to
enhance community while not openly taking credit for it. Instead of hoarding
all the community they create in their own little corner of cyberspace
like a spoiled child and his toys, the generous Geo folk have invested
oodles of time and money into seeding the Internet as a whole with community,
sharing its wealth like the generous, good samaritans that they are. Their
generosity can make them more likeable and popular than ever! A stroke
of genius, if you ask me.
Bill
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