News24 !

I came across this blog yesterday. I think I found it via thinking aloud, but I'm not sure exactly... somehow I navigated there via via another blog.

I thought the guy's post on My ANC, My Vision, My Future was pretty interesting. So I wanted to comment on it. You know. Like we normally comment on other people's blogs.

So I tried to comment. But you need an account to comment. Arg. So I create an account and wrote my comment. Yayi.

Then I try find a place to link my new News24 account to my blog here. It is pretty standard to allow you to link to your own blog when you comment on other people's blogs. Like on the Thoughtleader blogs, or Blogspot blogs, or Wordpress blogs. Or The Times blogs. The Daily Dispatch blogs.

Because, you know, that's how this whole "blogosphere" thing works. Fred Khumalo writes his 2 cents on Julius Malema, we read and comment. I write my 2 cents on JZ, people read and comment. You write your 2 cents on the rule of law or Obama or Gadaffi or the sad state of Isidingo at the moment. And I read and I comment. And it all becomes a fantastic space to see what different people have to say about different things and all engage with each other. And argue about the integrity and charisma of Mangosuthu Buthelezi. Much fun.

Anyway I look for a place to link my new News24 account to this blog. Maybe a field where you can put a website. Nope, can't find anything.

Eventually I see where you can create your own News24 blog. Ok, well seeing as I can't seem to link to my Blogspot blog any other way, I create a News24 blog and make the first post a link to this blog.

Great.

Then I get an email from News24 to say they see I started a blog to link to my own private blog. This counts as advertising/marketing for another forum, so if I do not intend to blog on News24 then they will delete my account.

Ok. That is a bit Bill-Gates-esque. But okay.

So I send the lady a nice email saying pretty much what I have said above, why I created the account (to comment on other people's blogs) and how I tried to link it to my blog. And I said I could double post to blogger and News24 I suppose, but that seemed a bit of a waste. So if she needed she could delete it.

So next thing I look my News24 blog is gone (fair enough) and my whole account, and the comment I initially made the account to write. ARG!!!

Well, I suppose she was just doing her job. But it seems to be poor form to me. It seems to miss the whole point of blogging, this blog monopoly thing News24 are doing.

I thought about making a new account to re-post my comment (arg that is was deleted!!) but I think I won't. For now anyway.

Sheesh, useless News24.

10 points Blogspot
10 points Thoughtleader
10 point the Times blogs
10 points Wordpress
10 points Daily Dispatch blogs
0 points News24 blogs.