This one is for Donald Douglas: Why Eric Golub is a Good Partisan but Lousy Blogger

This Blog post came from an email conversation I had with Professor Donald Douglas (DD, or the Daredevil of the Right Blogosphere); It came from his Blog Wars post (what I wrote there will be a post next year).

DD said this during the email conversation: "I do think you should write about this publicly, as I do with all of my blogging debates," So, I will.

I am going to remain true to my earlier statement of "No Blog Fights to the Right (except for tactics and strategy)," This is close to it, so pay attention. Just because Rule 4 of RS says make enemies, I only make enemies of the weak kneed so-called Republicans and those of the Left. I hate wasting valuable Blogging space arguing with the Right. It serves no purpose.

The context of the story is simple. While I was writing the Cycles of Republican Encyclicals, I was sending them out to an email list that consisted of Capitol Hill staff, Bloggers and Campaigners. Eric Golub would use the email list (without asking) to promote his Blog. I emailed him a few times privately, and he saw nothing wrong with what he did. Then I chastised him using the list, losing contacts during the argument. Thanks Eric for not asking.

Here is how I wrote it to DD:

When I was in DC in 1996, I worked for a summer at a List company. There were very specific rules when handling lists.

1. You cannot sell the original list without some benefit to the original owner;
2. If you were to use the list freely, there was a potential for you to be sued by the original purveyor of the list.

Why the tightness on lists? Because they were being shared around to raise funds for candidates. You could not take someone's list and use it for your own without acknowledging or paying the original purveyor of the list (i.e. you help one candidate, you get dunned for helping more -- they sell the list).

When I put together the list for the beginning of the Republican Encyclicals, it was created as a discussion to to counter the "JournaList," created by Ezra Klein. I found the names, I put it together. It wasn't about just selling Blog posts to those on there -- it was "I have tactical ideas here to win, are they feasible for your situation?"

Then EG started using the email lists. I have family and friends on the lists because they were interested as well. I didn't like hearing from family that they were being spammed by someone they did not know. I went private 6 times in my email saying, "just ask before use,"

There was no asking.

Some of my relatives and friends on that list were seeded even though they are not on the Right, they just wanted to see my focus again post-plague year. EG was taking a list I created and spammed family and friends with it.

I tried privacy first, then I tried using the list to say: stop. Nothing worked. Then my health problems occurred again and I stopped using the list.

My Mom and my late father's best friend did not like getting spammed by EG.

All I wanted, before he jumped on a list I worked on, was for him to ask, "Please my I use the list?" I would have said yes, and I would have promoted his stuff. The attitude I have about lists (Bloggers who create a list for others to hear from) is to ask before using, or speak to only one person on it.

And that, DD, is the explanation. I didn't want to waste my time on the Blog attacking EG when I could have attacked Andrew Sullivan.

Now Eric will be speaking at the San Fernando Valley Republican Club in January, I recommend seeing him. My problems is his lack of Blogger courtesy.

His Blog opens on "Eye of the Tiger," Cool, but unless you work in the Industry, I'm not sure how cool it is to have music blasting when you open a Blog. Secondly, he has no Hyperlinks. What are hyperlinks?

This: Read American Power daily in your Blog diet!

Not: Read American Power daily in your Blog diet! http://americanpowerblog.blogspot.com/

The above is why Blogs are Blogs, the lower makes it look sloppy.

Eric fights the good fight, this is all constructive criticism. If he wants to be respected, respect other peoples lists and use the Hyperlinks in your Blog.

OK, I'm done. I only want to hear from Eric Golub and Donald Douglas in the comments. Thank you.