Metblogs and deleting posts

August 5, 2008

I sometimes get most unwelcome comments on my Metblogs posts, but usually I let them stand. However, the Metblogs posting page had an “unpublish” option, which I have used once, when the debate became too acrimonious.

Metblogs does not pay me for posting; therefore, I think, I should have the right to delete posts if I so wish.

Recently, they changed their blog-entry page, and since I had received some offensive comment on another post, I went to delete it…and found I couldn’t.

So I wrote to Metblogs asking what to do, and received this friendly reply (especially considering the fact that I have been one of the most regular contributors since I started with them)

“deleting/unpublishing/takingoffline etc is not allowed, it’s never been allowed and if you’ve done it before you were breaking a very very very big rule. A rule we’ve gone to court over and spent lots of money defending. Anyway, we removed the option from the new system to prevent it entirely, so no it’s not an option.”

If this was a “very very very big rule” why was I never told of it? Why did the old page have an “unpublish” option that could be used by the blogger? If “it’s never been allowed” why WAS it allowed?

Now you realize why my last post says, “mood: irritated”!

Metblogs was, in general, a good site, covering so many cities across the world. But they need to be more friendly to their writers if they want to retain them…I can see why so many have left!