This has been a very long day for me. As we head towards hour 32 of being awake keeping a close eye on The Mudflats, things are starting to get a little blurry..
I generally know it is time to get to bed when I begin to hallucinate spiders and scream out loud, Carrie-Bradshaw-esque, before realising there is nothing actually there – and we passed that time of day about 10 hours ago. ;) Caffeine was the answer for a short time, but soon sleep will be the only solution.
What I don’t think people understand about AKMuckraker and The Mudflats.. what makes someone like me want to stay up so many hours, keeping an eye on things? And it isn’t just me, it is a genuine phalanx of people.
There’s my trusty fellow Admins – admin, AKMuckraker, Charcoal Sniper P, Deep Blue, ForumAdministrator, Sephy, ServerGuy, TRConnie – in alphabetical order. There’s the mods – Aeroentropy, Alex, BigSlick, Cassie Jeep Pike Palin, daMamma, Erin, Forty Watt, Irishgirl, Jaime from Wasilla, Jamie, Julia O, Kiterea, Lani formerly Bash Budweiser, Memphis, NY, Rubo, Sirenoftitan – also in alphabetical order.
We have skype chats running 24/7 and as a result, these people are now some of my closest friends. We exchange links, talk about our family and friends, share the highs and support each other through the lows of life. It isn’t an easy thing to learn to be a moderator. There are technical things you need to know. To begin with you are never quite sure if you are doing the right thing, but you learn, and you grow confident.
Sure, there are times when things get stressful – when we have to ban someone from the forums, when we have trolls posting bizarre things and calling us names, when spammers arrive, when the server has issues – and because of that, we have grown stronger as a group, and stronger individually.
When people have been in trouble financially, we’ve ponied up. We’ve donated. We’ve organised wood for one of the mods who wasn’t sure how they would heat their house through a tough winter. We’ve mailed things to each other as a surprise. And just the other day one of the mods who we’d helped out said – now I am back on my feet, and I want to pay it forward. Who needs help?
I can’t imagine life without these people. I do not know what I did before I met them. And just think, we all have Sarah Palin to thank for it!
So I wanted to thank everyone who wrote an article today about The Mudflats – and I wanted to let the bloggers who wrote these posts know, there is a lot more to what you see on the surface.
You can be a part of it. Join the forums, get chatting, propose a mudstock meeting near you. Everyone is welcome. You might even be asked to join the Mod team, at some point! If that happens, it would be like winning the lottery, to be allowed to know these wonderful , amazing, brilliant people.
I’ve got a bunch of links to posts written in the last couple of days below, which I’d love people to click on if they have a chance. Thanks everyone for writing about The Mudflats – AKMuckraker, the Forum team, Forum members, and all the readers of The Mudflats blog appreciate it. ;)
We’ve taken The Mudflats Blog and Forumsoffline to do some work on the server – it will be back online tomorrow. In the meantime you can read the following linkage. Enjoy!
Famed Anonymous Anti-Palin Blogger ‘Outed’ by Lawmaker <-- this one is a must read.
AK state rep Doogan outs Mudflats!
Outing Mudflats: The Dirty Martini Philosophy
Mike Doogan Outs Mudflats in Challenge to Outdo Eddie Burke as 2009 Anchorage Slimeball of the Year
My friend Mudflats…not a KKK Member, Mr. Doogan
You know the difference between Rep Mike Doogan and Mt. Redoubt? One is a sulphur spewing ash-hole and the other is just a volcano. UPDATED!
A Sad Day- Mudflats is Changed Forever
Doogan broke a federal law by outing Mudflats
Did Rep. Mike Doogan Misuse Legislative Resources?
Epic Fail Mike Doogan
In support of MUDFLATS and anonymous bloggers everywhere…Mike Doogan is a Grinch
Mike Doogan, you are a Public Ass
Mudflats Exposed (Updated)
Why Mike Doogan sucks
Freedom to Blog?
A. Nony Mouse
Time to Unite
Thanks Rep. Mike Doogan
Alaska State Representative Outs Anonymous Blogger
Shame on Alaska Rep. Mike Doogan
Politician Stalks Blogger – Rep. Mike Doogan Outs AKMuckraker
Government Official Reveals ID of Anonymous Blogger
So Long, Mudflats
The Right to Privacy – Bloggers and Privacy
It May As Well Be Rape, Sir
Mike Doogan Ousts AKMuckraker
Dorkwad State Legislator Outs Blogger Who Dared Pick On Him
Rep. Doogan’s main accomplishment for this session–OUTING MUDFLATS!
Rep Mike Doogan (D-AK) exposes the true identity of Mudflats blogger
Alaska Lawmaker Violates Privacy of Famed Anonymous Blogger
Shut up or we’ll tell the goons where you live
Blogger’s identity outed by AK politician – Updated
Outing AKMuckraker
Mike Doogan responds to free speech by outing popular anonymous blogger
Mudflats Blogger Outed by a Tool named Doogan
Open Letter to Alaskan Rep Mike Doogan
Eldridge and Barbie Dolls vs. Doogan and Mudflats: Because Nice Matters
The Outing of a Blogger: Social Transparency or Violation?
Open Letter to AKMuckraker
The Internet can be a creepy place
Rep.Mike Doogan Just exposed himself: Going after Blogger Mudflats
AKM is our Friend, and we will NOT be Distracted
we can assure you that skippy is a male
Mike Doogan v. Alexander Hamilton and James Madison
Yup. Still Mad. Mike Doogan is an Asshole.
Political activist? Who, me?
Outing AKMuckraker
Thanks Snoskred for the hard work you’ve put into the site.
Only this morning can I truly appreciate the uncanny pull that the mudflats has.
I saw a few posts on mudflats during the 2008 election, when I was desperately trying to comprehend what the real deal behind sarah palin was. But I haven’t really been back since. I live in the lower 48 and hadn’t found a reason to come back.
That all changed yesterday when I read about Mike Doogan. For no apparent reason, I spent most of my Saturday writing blog posts, posting links, coming up with ideas and making a facebook group — all in the name of calling out Mike Doogan for what he did. What was driving me? Probably a mixture of the kind people in the forums, the horror of the story, the quality of AKMuckraker’s writing and the prospect that someone like Mike Doogan could someday do the same thing to me.
I am so appreciative of the wonderful people I’ve come across during the last 24 hours. You guys have a really special community here. Go get some sleep and let’s keep bringing the fight to Doogan!
Keep on doing what you’re doing. I probably speak for many of us “regulars” and “lurkers” when I say THANK YOU! to all the admins and moderators. But especially to you Snoskred. Your efforts are very much appreciated.
Dear Snoskred and all the Mudflats Admins,
Thank you all so much for all you have done for AKM and all us Mudpups, especially in the past 48 hours. It was all quite shocking at first, but I have been surprised in some ways that the outing of AKM has not happened before now. She has become such an important part of the progressive movement to so many worldwide, and we as a family of anonymous bloggers are obviously more and more of a threat to people like GINO and Mike Doogan.
However, as has been pointed out to Mr. Doogan in many, many posts he certainly has not accomplished what I believe he wanted. AKM, nor the rest of us will simply vanish and his world somehow restored. In fact, just the opposite has happened and we are now more than ever united.
Thank you again Snoskred, you too are a real treasure.
Snos…lovely post. Hugs and kisses.Try and get some sleep. Luv ya too.
You have kept Mudflats rocking!!
Irishgirl
What a delight to find your site from the Mudflats comments. First of all, thank you and all the mods and admins for staying awake, many a world away, to keep AKM safe while she sleeps. You and Server Guy are blogoshere heroes!
I find it infinitely fascinating how small the world really is. It’s the demonstration of that pebble thrown in the pond, rippling on adfinitum…………
Australia is on my life list of places to see. I hope one day to see my own toe at the bottom of a picture I took off your shores.
Now that I know where you are, I will visit virtually on a regular basis. Nice to have new friends.
G’day Mate :-)
Aw shucks, Snoskred. We love you too!
Hi Snoskred. Thanks for all your hard work on Mudflats. I’m kind of an addict over there, don’t post much, but love to read. I’m in awe of AKM’s writing, and of all the technical ‘wizardry’ that you guys do to keep the sight working so well. I’m glad that the site is going to continue. I still haven’t figured out how to post to the forums, but I’ll try again one of these days. Anyway, thanks again.
Snoskred – a deep heartfelt thanks and hugs from this mudpuppy for your extremely hard and excellent work in guarding mudflats and AKMuckraker. And so take some time off and just “be” on your kayak in that beautiful water. . .
Excellent work, Snoskred! I was so relived to see your post appear, and know that someone was looking after AKM while she needed to rest and reflect. Thank you, thank you, thank you!