If you're a frequent reader of VIN you'll notice that there's something missing there recently. News. I mean news from our very own Heimishe community. They have plenty of news that most Heimishes don't care about, like what some fashion designer said, or whether or not Newt is gonna run for POTUS, but not the news that many relied on VIN to bring. Why last week alone there were two stories in 2 days that a while ago would've made it onto the website and would've garnered 100s of comments, and nary a word on Vos Iz Neias about it! Not even with initials, and not even without the names. Nothing. It never happened. That's just one example. There are lots more. You'll also notice that the ads may not speak to you or advertise products or services that you require. No more Artscroll and Chinese Auction banners from frum organizations flashing away. All you see now is Zev Brenner, Dov Hikind and ads by non-"BP/Williamsburg/Lakewood groups." See for yourself, don't take my word for it. Lots of Israeli ads from the Dati Leumi sector, Lubavitch and affiliates like Kol Menachem, and small time businesses selling their services. Lubavitch is a bit behind the times here - they'll figure it out soon. But gone are the big ones. And it's not by accident, my friends. Oh, and Rabbi Dr. Twerski too. But that's it.
We all laughed when they banned it a few months ago, saying that it'll never work, that the cat's outta the bag, the horse has left the barn, the ketchup's outta the bottle. We thought that the Lipa concert ban back in '08 was the proof that bans never work. All the pundits told us so, and they thought that this was the last cry of the zealot. But we underestimated the fact that there are lots of people with time on their hands that have no problem harassing advertisers, telling that the Rabbonim will come out against them for advertising with VIN. I speak from experience with at least organization that was harassed and maybe even threatened that if they do not take down their ad from that site that the Rabbonim will be informed, and that the Mossad will lose its Rabbinic protection - which it very much needs, due to the nature of the activities that it engages in. Sure enough the ad was down soon after that phone call. They too were not aware of the fact that K"K was a serious one, and that the site was being watched by "Askoonim." It was that incident that made me pay attention more to the news and advertising content of VIN, and I soon saw what any of you can see, if only you pay attention closely.
So the fact that they ignored two "juicy" scandals - and I won't tell you what they were - tells me that they've noticed too, and that they're paying attention. They didn't just "miss them." But I believe that it's too late now. I say that they'll never recover. Check the stories they bring; they hall have 0-5 comments, no more. It's all cut and paste now from the AP and other news agencies, and most people don't need VIN for that, they have all the news sites, and even the squeaky clean Yeshiva World and Matzav for that. With readership down advertising rates will go down, and that'll be that. So we can clearly say and see that the kanoyim have won. VIN made lots of enemies over the last few years with all the scandals that he printed and allowed in the comments, and they'll find very few sympathetic ears to their cries. I would not be surprised if some his victims were the ones that spearheaded the campaign. So you heard here first, folks. Remember that when he closes up shop some time soon.
I'm out.
28 comments:
So u r not scared of being banned?
Your observations are on the mark but I couldn't tell if it's something you are happy about.I for one couldn't be happier. The website put many families and people in their darkest hour's through the proverbial washing machine and to me that was unacceptable and beneath contempt. Yes I will go ahead and say it even molesters have families and alleged one's for sure not to mention every petty financial crime or suicide. Good Riddance! !
Maybe you can fill their shoes, you seem to have a lot of time on your hands.
Interesting that you and Yeraxchmiel Lopin the frum folly guy seem to be saying the same thing.
If blogs, comments etc are banned by the frimmeh, so do Chabad news sites.Chabad or at least it's rabbis, crave to be part of the Chareidi world so they"ll follow the chareidi worlds ban
Not so fast.... I wont let these "rabbis" do this so fast!
Hirshel
I hate this Revolutionary guard tactics, buy the site started out very biased, he was 1st anti aroni, semi anti chabad,lately he mended his style on the above. Also giving away too much Mikveh news for the Goyish world. Why deliver our dirt on a golden platter.I wish him now lots of luck.
HT,
The actions of the "askoonim" you describe sound very much actionable under RICO statutes. These are the anti-mafia laws that put John Gotti behind bars a while back.
These so-called "gedeilim" are so drunk on their own power they do not realize the legal danger into which they are placing themselves.
CR
Is it illegal for a priest to tell his flock to boycott a certain firm, if it promotes abortion? Or for civil tights leaders to sanction companies that are not on the same page with them?
It is happening on a daily basis,
Hirchel - a very astute posting, as always.
I myself was very surprised that one of the scandals to which you are referring did not appear at all on VIN (I don't know what the other scandal is).
As someone who feels that the ban was very justified, I am happy to see this embarrassment of a "news" site meet its demise.
My only question to you is, you have been very critical of VIN many times in the past. Why do you now seem to be on their side?
Anonymous 10:02,
Amazing that you found Vosizneias anti Chabad and I felt that he was bringing way to much about Chabad.
I guess that means he was pretty objective,eh?!!
Of course you"ll never admit it in your new role of Sakmoiry turned Lubav, you have to shrai "everyone hates Chabad"
Dee darfst zeyn tzee zayn ba a doktor in gichen
chossidlite et. al.
I'm not stating an opinion here, just stating the facts, just the facts.
"Is it illegal for a priest to tell his flock to boycott a certain firm, ...Or for civil tights leaders to sanction companies that are not on the same page with them?"
It is very illegal to issue threats, veiled or explicit. That is extortion. Per HT:
"I speak from experience with at least organization that was harassed and maybe even threatened that if they do not take down their ad from that site that the Rabbonim will be informed, and that the Mossad will lose its Rabbinic protection. ... Sure enough the ad was down soon after that phone call. "
'Nuff said. BTW, is also sounds like the "Rabbonim" in this case are willing to engage in a bit of mesirah themselves to drive the point home. So much for "das teyreh" in the eyes of an amharetz like me.
unapologist
"Sakmoiry turned Lubav, you have to shrai "everyone hates Chabad""
what does that mean ?
What are the two "juicy" news items?
The Same to COLLive
Whether or not these "Rabbis" are right, I'm happy to see someone taking a religious stand on something and being successful.
Maybe the Chabad Rabbonim can finally do the same to COL (like they did in Israel) and stop the pritzus.
The best thing about Kol Koreis is seeing which old kehillos- that have been co-opted into generic shtiebelech- still exist.
I know as a fact that a certain very prominent Chabad shliach from the South wanted to get involved with VIN financially etc., especially in relation to the latest scandals, but when the Novominsker found out he got the shliach to stop. However, when assistant director of Lubavitch International, i.e. Rabbi A. Sh"T, found out about this, he got the shliach to go against the Novominsker & help out VIN!
May this Iranian-style harassment of heimishe social media come to and end in time for Purim, amen!
-- ZIY
"Twins! Boy and Girl!
Schneur and Tzippy (nee Gourarie) Schneerson (Newbury Park, CA)
1 Mazal Tov Wish!" -crownheights info
(i can't find your other thread. tzig: u must streamline ur content search.)
who is the substitue of VIN?
I guess todays news out of monsey ruins your theroy about vin
anon 1:23
it proves my point further!
He picks and chooses which scandals to report!
Litvish and non-Satmar blood is Hefker!
If these guys were from the Satmar/Chassidish camp he'd never report it, because he'd be afraid of the backlash!!
shmilu
I don't have ads, he can't threaten my advertisers.
thats the proof that somethings up with your yichus...c"v
every site with half the hits you get has 10 paying banner ads and you have none, whats takke pishhat?
what can I say?
maybe they go after the ads, I never did, and nobody really approached me about advertising. I've asked for help, but nobody offered------------
"Ich vil ze nor az dir alein..."
oh I did not understand that non satmar blood is hefker
Fascinating read and you are quite correct, VIN is not what it was prior to the KK (or is it KKK?)
But you know what, this is the Internet we are dealing with not some two-bit corner candy store that can be boycotted if the grandmas and grandpas decide that the kiddies shouldn't buy their candies there.
Information is like liquid, when it gets suppressed in one place it transfers to another. Whatever VIN will avoid "reporting" about in the frum world will pop up and boost readership such as at Shmarya Rosenberg's FM blog which lately has perked up and reported even more on all things that VIN may or may not have reported, and comments on FM have also been growing. UOJ and others like them can expect a pick up in traffic as VIN goes down.
But it should be noted that there is no need to have rachmonus on VIN per se because it was ultimately an exercise in EXPLOITATION and purely a business. VIN lacked the zeal and idealism of true bloggers and thinkers, whose power is now beyond any doubt proven by the anonymous techies devoted to WikiLeaks, the revolutionary masses in the Arab world toppling their governments, and the human rights activists pushing for changes in China that spends tens of billions to censor and block the Internet. Those behind the KK are functioning like the Chinese government blocking sites it hates and fears or like Mubarak before his fall who cut off the Internet to the astonishment of the West. You knew he was finished when he did that!
VIN lived by profits alone and is brought down by the one pillar that upheld it, also profits. The actual issues were marginal to them, the "bottom line" was key. Another thing, VIN is very much part of an older (meaning a couple of years' ago) Internet culture. It was a blog that essentially morphed into a static website with censored comments allowed, but that is not where the online life and action is today because the vitality of cyberlife is now the Facebook social networking culture and the micro-blogging sound bite size tweeting of Twitter. Plenty of people in the frum world are on Facebook and Twitter getting on with their agendas not approved by their Gedoilim and Rebbes and it cannot be stopped. Paradoxically, by banning VIN the KK-types force frum online life to grow deeper cyber-roots underground where it cannot be found or stopped.
And no doubt, whoever was looking for "action" and to "complain" and scout for "changes" is now doing so using Facebook groups and Twitter, and in the meantime for those who need their daily news from the frum world that never gets into print will now flock to other sources worse than VIN like FM, UOJ, Frum Follies, and hundreds of blogs that are out there, where they don't have to be pestered by ads to buy ArtScrolls but instead see how the "other side" is living.
If they really want to shut down the blogs and the things about the Internet that threatens them they will need to abolish ELECTRICITY and TELECOMMUNICATIONS and return to the Dark Ages. Banning VIN is like whistling in the wind, like fighting air pollution with air-filters when the "real" solution would be to "ban" fuel-burning engines running on oild, gas, coal etc, and stop ALL industry that again would take the world back to the Feudal System that existed before the Industrial Revolution, and it won't be like Adam HaRishon before the chet but like living under the Ayatollahs and Commissars!
hi you welcome to visit our jewish gallery
My first time visiting here and I read VIN numerous times a day - and comment often. I think that this whole "Ban" is a farce to start with. If you read the Ban carefully, YOU Hirshel are also included in this ban! To me it seems to say "this is in addition to the Issur of using the Internet for other than business" (not that I follow that either). Plus, if you'd ask any of these Rabbonim about other blogs / Jewish "news" sites, they would probably say the same about them too!
Post a Comment