Yesterday’s post was on guerilla marketing. No, really, it was — go back and check it to make sure.
Someone named “David” wrote the following as a comment to that post on marketing:
Hey, just found your blog. Wondering why you are a unitarian when many of your stances directly contradict the bible that you claim to base most of your teachings and doctrine on?
I’m not looking for an arguement, but more want to understand your reasoning and present to you why I don’t agree….
What on earth does that comment have to do with the post? I was talking about marketing, not about the Bible. I was talking about how to get people to notice your church, not about what it means to be a Unitarian Universalist.
In my opinion, it’s plain common courtesy to write comments that show you have at least read the post (and/or earlier comments on the post). Conversely, it’s just plain rude to try to further your own agenda by posting comments that have nothing to do with the related post.
In this case, it’s clear from “David’s” remarks that he hasn’t even read anything on this blog — which makes his rudeness even more pronounced.
Got that, “David”? Enough said.
Wow. I’ve witnessed more than a few off topic comments, but that one simply comes out of nowhere. It sounds like he really wants to engage, er, I mean bait you.
BTW: I really enjoy your series on church marketing. Great thoughts Dan …
He’s just a troll, didn’t even read your post. He left the exact same non sequitur at Peacebang’s site: http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=9873156&postID=115133550594865547
I enjoy the marketing posts too. And I read them! The comment about the Bible was clearly off-topic, and as Shawn points out, probably meant to bait. If that were one of my students, I’d level my very serious teacher gaze at him and repeat one of my classroom rules: If you haven’t read the assignment for the day, you are not invited to join the discussion about the assignment for the day. They hate it when I do that, but I hate off-topic non sequitur grandstanding, and so do the students who have actually read the assignment for the day.
PS I even bought the book because your marketing posts are so good. It’s full of interesting stuff! Keep writing about it.
Hey Dan,
How about those Sox?! Watch out for the Yanks in September, though.
Oh, I’m sorry, what were you posting about? Guerilla what?
;) Paul
Jeff — Thanks for confirming my suspicion that he’s a evil troll. One of the ways I take action against evil trolls is to berate them publicly. Back in the old days when I was producing a printed science fiction fanzine, the fanzine community set standards of behavior by doing exactly that — and it was quite effective. It’s basically what Jean is talking about when she levels her very serious teacher gaze at grandstanders.
By the way, upon a second offense, I unleash Mr. Crankypants on evil trolls. Bwah-hah-hah-hah. In case you’re wondering.