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September 25, 2006
A Note To Readers
We've been growing increasingly suspicious about the authenticity of a series of negative comments in last Friday's Open House Picks thread. So earlier this evening, we went back and examined the IP addresses associated with these comments. Turns out they were all from the same address. It also turns out that, viewed in their totality, the large majority of this commenter's other contributions were clearly written with the intent to do nothing but disturb the peace. We have no problem with dissenting opinions (actually, they're generally good for business) and are willing to live with the occasional sharp elbow and rude remark that comes with the anonymity of the medium, but, as we've said before, we're not going to tolerate someone who's purposefully trying to stir the pot, especially when his/her actions involve personal attacks. As a result, this commenter's IP address has now been banned from the site. What's interesting to note, now that we have deleted all of the comments by this person, is the number of positive comments in defense of Mary Kay Gallagher, the broker who was attacked in this case.
G'night.
Mr. B
Comments
I'm sure doing this kind of detective work is not your fave pastime, but it was the right move. Thank you.
Posted by: tinarina at September 25, 2006 9:40 PM
yay!
Posted by: suzy at September 25, 2006 10:02 PM
Thanks for taking the time to do this. I wish you could out the person who took the time to defame Mary Kay. What a loser.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 25, 2006 10:29 PM
Oh great,
You're prepared to invent the ingredients, convince other people to add to the flavor, but as soon as someone stirs a little too much, you tell them to get out of the kitchen.
Why not rename the site to censored.brownstoner.com
Posted by: Jay jay at September 25, 2006 10:31 PM
Definitely the right move, B. You could tell something was off on that thread.
Posted by: Anon at September 25, 2006 10:52 PM
^ I love people who cry censorship at any juncture, and who complain about what can only be regarded as a measured response to heckling.
I for one I don't come here looking for a free-for-all, and in my experience those who do tend merely to be interested in stirring the pot for their own private jollies. They're not contributors to creating any interesting viewpoints or syntheses. They talk to talk, but -- pay attention -- no one is obligated to listen, and certainly no one (e.g., Brownstoner) is obligated to offer a platform (for slander, in the case of IP-banned, or libertarian masturbation, in the case of Jay jay) for just anything.
As the kids say, don't like it, start yer own blog.
--an architect in Brooklyn
Posted by: Anonymous at September 25, 2006 10:53 PM
1. "Measured response to heckling."
You stand on a box, you’re going to get heckled.
You get heckled too much, you get off your box and you go home.
Mr. B.stoner is now asleep in his recliner
2. "I for one I don't come here looking for a free-for-all"
- This is a blog, if you dont want a free for all, read a newspaper.
3. Anyone you says "as the kids say" should be in bed by now (Its 10.53PM !!!)
Posted by: Jay jay at September 25, 2006 11:09 PM
Thank you for taking the time to do this. It is a shame that people have nothing better to do.
gratefullyyoursindumbo
Posted by: Anonymous at September 25, 2006 11:25 PM
well done Mr.B
It would be nice if we could get posters to actually post about the given topic (in that case, the open houses).
If folks want to bitch about brokers (which is fine), they could start a new thread under a diff topic.
Posted by: anon718 at September 25, 2006 11:45 PM
Why don't you enforce registration again? it raises the bar high enough to send most trolls elsewhere. It also makes it easier to remove accounts that are just persisently troublemakers, forcing them to burn yet another email address if they want to continue.
IP addresses can be changed too easily. People can use office computers, whatever. The next astroturfer will be harder to spot.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2006 1:03 AM
1st reading. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_war
2nd reading. http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/II/Netethiquettecases
Mr. Brownstoner, time for the Homily.........
Posted by: IMBY at September 26, 2006 8:21 AM
Granted a vacancy-decontrol model which starts out as
a rent-increase moratorium isn't terribly harsh at first:
if it was a fair rent for March, it's probably pretty close
to a fair rent in April. And that may be why it's so
insidious, because it's so hard to tell when it becomes
an unfair rent, and by that point you've got some tenant
for whom the apartment has been "home" for a lot of years.
Posted by: Mike at September 26, 2006 8:50 AM
The Compliance Department is a multi-functional department.
The Department handles animal control, housing problems, zoning,
general permit enforcement and a variety of nuisance cases.
And yet, the overview goes on to describe nothing but pet issues
no housing, zoning, or non-pet-related permit enforcement issues.
In any case, this guy would definitely have had police contacts.
And as someone else wrote, probably would have had early
warning if someone outside Park City had sought a warrant
against him with the Park City police or justice dept.
Posted by: anon at September 26, 2006 8:51 AM
Good work Mr.B !!
Posted by: Bob Marvin at September 26, 2006 9:12 AM
I just realized that my previous comment could, in light of the three nonsense comments above it, be taken as a sarcastic jibe about the futility of your efforts to keep these a**holes in check. That was NOT my intent.Its a shame that you have to go to all this trouble, but I think it's worth the effort.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at September 26, 2006 9:25 AM
bravo, mr. b. i think blocking ip addresses is probably more effective than registration. i mean, it's too easy to set up a new hotmail address and re-register... it's a lot harder to find a new computer to post from. but i'm not a techie, so maybe i'm wrong...
are those comments above bob marvin's somehow from the wrong comment thread?
Posted by: sylvia at September 26, 2006 10:16 AM
Everyone on a cable modem or DHCP is sitting behind a NAT firewall, meaning their external interface will change as much as every 72 hours. So banning an IP address is of limited effect. However it is a great tool to tell when people are trolling.
Posted by: Sassy at September 26, 2006 10:19 AM
geez, I'm sorry I missed those comments. Is there a way to flag 'news articles' that have inflammatory, spicy comments. Sometimes it makes for a good read/chuckle. Most of us ignore those trolls anyway.
But there has been other negative comments in the past. What made those so special. Could it be that they were about mary kay gallagher. I don't know her or have an opinion either way but it does appear that she holds some sway/power over this blog. Just wondering out loud.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2006 10:21 AM
Agreed with all the IP banning nay-sayers...It will not ultimately work. Go back to the registration system (which I use, and continue to do) for posts.
This alone will knock out some (not all) of the BS you removed.
My 2 cents.
Posted by: lostinbrooklyn at September 26, 2006 10:25 AM
"are those comments above bob marvin's somehow from the wrong comment thread?"
I think they were from some creep trying to demonstrate how hard it will be for Mr.B to keep out b.s. posts. I know it'll be a PITA, but I hope you keep trying, Mr. B.--Illegitimi non carborundum!
Posted by: Bob Marvin at September 26, 2006 12:31 PM
I also am wondering why Mary Kay has an informal gag order against negative comments on this blog? Full disclosure!
Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2006 1:44 PM
I third the wondering aloud thing about Mary Kay G... she's always referred to as the "queen of victorian flatbush" or something to that affect. it doesn't seem as though b'stoner is as indifferent about her as the other brokers. what makes her so special? obviously its not necessary to point out the fact that its your blog and you can do what you want but I guess its a fair to question the loyalty and why.
Posted by: Anonymous at September 26, 2006 2:28 PM
I knew MKG back in the mid-70s when she represented Prospect Park South on the old Brooklyn Brownstone Conference--haven't seen or spoken toher for well over 20 years. She was a really formidable figure then--I recall undergoing a grilling from her as to why I wanted to buy a book about PPS that the Prospect Park South Assoc. had published. I evidently passed muster because she sold me the book and, as I got to know her, I grew to appreciate what a gutsy lady she was. As she started to sell RE in Victorian Flatbush I got to appreciate her even more--had there been someone like MKG selling houses in VF when we were looking we might well have bought there instead of in PLG (the ineptness of brokers dealing with Flatbush homes in 1974 was beyond belief). I'd imagine people look up to MKG because of her continued devotion to revitalizing VF and her loooong tenure of having done so.
Posted by: Bob Marvin at September 26, 2006 5:36 PM
For what it's worth, we've never met her. As for the references to royalty, it's called hyperbole.
Posted by: brownstoner at September 26, 2006 10:30 PM
I first met Mary Kay's granddaughter, Alexandra, when my wife and I were buying a place last year. She is delightful. We later met Mary Kay at a cocktail party and found her to be a genuine, engaging, extremely knowledgeable person. Frankly, it boggles my mind that anyone could harbor a grudge against her. I'd do business with her again in a heartbeat.
Posted by: Steve at September 27, 2006 11:27 AM
Same here, lost in brooklyn. And not to get into that mess again, but CHP and I really got the brunt of it , especially when the troll posted links to those awful photos. I always wondered why the troll kept coming back after Mr. B blocked the IP address. I know there are places you can look up the provider and they can trace the poster but it's a lot of work- I doubt brownstoner can afford to devote hours everyday to tracing malicious individuals.
Posted by: jennyanne at September 27, 2006 12:22 PM
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