Some things, I used to think, are even beneath Dave Winer. But no, I take that back. He has single handedly done more to hinder the medium of blogging, which he believes he created, than any other power blogger around. He's anti-voice, though he's pro free expression, as long as that expression contains accolades for Dave Winer.
I just saw this over at Halley's place and went to Tom's blog and read Dave's post on Tom's private weblog. Tom is traveling back from Mexico, not sure if he's landed yet, but I doubt that the first thing on his mind is how hard Dave Winer wants his old Manilla users to blow him in this special "one-time" offer.
Dave, I'll take a copy of Tom's weblog if he doesn't get back to you in time. I'll save it for him, because I read him and value what he's created (not you, him) over the past several years.
Notice, in the Comments section of Tom's blog, Dave takes over the blog to make his "One time offer" to give users copies of their blogs sometime in July. He warns commenters thusly:
"Groundrules: Personal comments, ad hominems, will be deleted. And no negotiating or whining. Just post the url of your site" he writes at the top of the comment thread.
Dave, you're the biggest Winer out there.
Exhibit A -- Read Dave's #3 stipulation:
"If you want a copy of your weblogs.com-hosted website, post a comment here, include the URL of the site. Sometime after July 1, 2004, I will export all the requested sites, without their membership groups. You can then download them and do with them as you wish. I won't export them before July 1, and this is a one-time offer."
I'm quite sure that Dave Winer has lost what little judgment he had left. WHY the big boys of weblogging refuse to stand up to him and call his actions out for what they are, I don't know. A bunch of cowards with too much to lose.
That's the long and short of it.
