Category: guide updates

guide updates

Shall we find a new social network?

Posted on by Beau Dure

So to reiterate — I’m boycotting Twitter because of their harassment policies or inability to enforce them with any intelligence. It’s not about me. It’s about Alex Jones. If they ban Alex Jones, I’ll be back on Twitter, though I’ll be keeping a close eye on how they enforce harassment claims (especially by women) in the future.

I’m somewhat optimistic that Twitter will eventually cede to pressure and ban Jones. But I decided to check out a few alternatives. They aren’t great.

  • Pluck is … cute? I found very little soccer conversation.
  • Mastodon seems very geeky.
  • Path seems OK, but I found exactly two of my Twitter contacts there, and they’re not people who ever chat with me.

I could just go to Reddit, or I could go to BigSoccer. But I do like the real-time feel of Twitter. Just not their inconsistent and even inhumane harassment policing.

Alex Jones has no business on any platform. Let him stand on a street corner and yell. He’s not guaranteed anything else under the First Amendment, which never said anything about private companies being forced to allow people to slander and harass to incite hatred and violence.

Here’s hoping Twitter comes to its senses soon. In the meantime, if you’d like to chat somewhere else, let me know. I’d love to talk about the irony of David Wagner employing a 3-6-1 today.

Want to support Ranting Soccer Dad? Great! Check out the Patreon page or buy the “three minivans” T-shirt. 

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guide updates

Goodbye Twitter, at least for now …

Posted on by Beau Dure

Quick clarification: Just to make it absolutely clear — I’m not leaving because of harassment directed at me. That’s annoying, but I deal with it. This is about what I describe below.

I’ve been harassed on Twitter. Not to the extent of Sandy Hook families or female journalists. But just enough to know what it’s like. I can hardly imagine what other people go through.

And it’s clear — from the Rose McGowan situation last year and the Alex Jones situation now — that Twitter’s selective enforcement is inadequate at best, deliberately inciting hatred at worst.

So I’m out, aside from two things …

  1. You’ll still see automated posts from my blog feed. It’s a pain to shut those off, and I hope I can return to Twitter someday. The intent here is to change behavior.
  2. I will schedule a post each day explaining why I’m absent.

If you want to interact with me in public, you can always leave a comment on one of my blogs (Ranting Soccer Dad, Mostly Modern Media, Duresport), or join me at my Facebook page. Facebook isn’t perfect, but it’s better than Twitter.

In the meantime, please let me know if Patton Oswalt tweets anything funny.

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guide updates

Update: Georgia’s new league

Posted on by Beau Dure

The Georgia area guide has been updated with the official confirmation — long rumored at GASoccerForum.com — that five big Atlanta clubs have joined with two Alabama clubs and one South Carolina club to form the Southeastern Clubs Champions League.

Like a lot of other “Champions” Leagues, it’s hard to figure out what they’re doing. Most of these clubs have DA and ECNL teams, so we’re talking about B teams here. A couple are also in South Atlantic Premier League, so that league will have … C teams? Why is this essential?

Or … will SCCL have the C teams? Check out SSA’s take:

ssa

And we don’t yet know the ramifications of what the Cherokee Impact posted a few weeks ago, which was that the rest of the clubs in Georgia were banding together and saying, “Fine — you can’t play in U.S. Youth Soccer’s regional and national league any more.”

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