I'm not good at goodbyes. My lip starts to quiver, my big brown eyes fill with tears, and well..it doesn't get pretty after that.
I'm not good at goodbyes, but I'm writing this diary anyway.
The Goodbye Cruel World diary is an intriguing phenomenon. I haven't found a diary on it yet, so here we go.
The Goodbye Cruel World diary, also abbreviated as GBCW or GCW, is a species of diary in which a poster attempt to garner as much attention as possible with a limited amount of content.
There are a variety of GCW diaries, some of them acceptable, some not so much. Obviously, everyone has the right to post whatever type of diary they wish, including a gut-wrenching GCW regardless of their member status or posting history. But just because it's a right doesn't always make it proper.
First, let's distinguish between the Goodbye Cruel World diaries and the Goodbye Diaries. DailyKos has over 40,000, but there are only a handful that have either through their extensive history with this site or their exception posting who have gained a great amount of respect and name recognition. When such revered members post a Goodbye Diary, it is acceptable because they have cultivated usually a very large (thousands of people) and very loyal following. See, e.g., Kid Oakland's Goodbye. Why do these people get to post Goodbye diaries without being flamed or called out? Because they earned it. Because they dedicated countless hours building this community.
Next, let's now take a look at the real Goodbye Cruel World Diaries and why they are frowned upon. There are various sub-species of the Goodbye Cruel World Diary, and we'll discuss each in turn.
1. The Troll GCW Diary
This hasta la vista diary is usually one or two sentences, accompanied typically by many spelling mistakes:
This site SUCKS!!!! Liberals are such cowards! Jesus, you guys think you're all so smart? You guyz are stoopid!! HAHAHAHA!!!!!
Most likely, you won't recognize the poster's name. Unless you frequent the dark dirty alley of the hidden comments section. Please don't recommend these diaries, and to be honest, it's a waste to even comment in them. Unless it's a recipie. Then it's cool, because Troll Recipies are notoriously very yummy!
2. The Middle-Child GCW Diary
Every so often, a not-so well known poster gets frustrated that his or her diaries aren't getting enough comments, or aren't getting on the recommended list. So they post something like this:
After many months, I have decided this site is not for me. No one seems to appreciate my work here. Nobody recommended my diaries (all three of them) and no one rated my comments (all seven of them), so obviously, this community is too self absorbed and hates differing opinions. So, sorry, but this just didn't work out.
If you ever are about to write a GCW Diary like this, stop! Yeah, you'll finally get a diary with 100+ comments on it, but most will likely be "don't let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya" type of remarks. Why? Because this is a community founded on the hard work of its members. Those names you see on the recommended list all the time? That's because those people have dedicated themselves here for months and months, not only writing exceptional pieces on a consitent basis (even when no one is reading them!), but also because they take the time to comment on other diaries and be a full-fledge member of the community. So before you write a diary like this, give it a month or so. Participate more in other diaries, build relationships, and people wil become more interestested in your work. And my little piece of advice: never write a diary with the intent of trying to get it on the recommended list or trying to get 100 comments. Write for yourself, write because it makes you happy. If it gets on the list, great. If not, rest assured than many, many people have read your work.
3. The Pseudo-GCW Diary, AKA BlogPimping
Ah, yes. Blogpimping in disguise. Now, when the aforementioned respected members leave, they quite often link to their new sites, which makes sense, because there are thousands of members who want to keep reading their work.
But many times, we get this:
Thanks for everyone here. I've had a nice time, but I've outgrown the site. You can find my work here! {insert blogger or livejournal address here}
Annoying? Yes. Especially if the person has little or no history here.
4. The DailyKos Anonymous GCW Diary
Let's face it...DailyKos is a bit...intense. If you spend hours a day reading it, you're blood pressure is sure to rise and pretty much stay there on a consistent basis. Many times, a member needs to take a break. It could last a week, it could last many months. But inevitably, almost everyone goes through the "Goodbye...For Now" phase.
I love this site....a little too much. I find myself spending more time here than anywhere else. So I'll be taking some time off, spending more time with my family, and actually getting some work done! Thanks for all the great experiences so far, and I'll see you guys again soon.
This type of GCW diary is generally acceptable, because we are a community that supports each other. So if you want to give a heads up to all your dkos friends that you'll be out for a few weeks or months, go ahead, and you'll likely get a lot of comments of support that show just how great this site really is.
So what have we learned? The Goodbye Cruel World Diary is technically available for everyone, but should be used only in limited circumstances. The aversions generally to these diaries is that they knock other well-researched diaries off the list just so someone can get some "love me as I'm leaving!" attention.
There are tens of thousands of users on this site, but it's a changing cycle, with many posters leaving every day and many joining up as well too. Could you imagine if everyone wrote a GCW diary? There would be no room on the diary list for anything of substance!
So the general rule should be this: if you feel your GCW diary has something to actually contribute to this community (you're a seasoned poster with a following, or you've been here a while and have valid criticisms to contribute, or you want to say "bye for now") then go ahead and post it. If you're a troll, or you just want whine about recommendations, or want to pimp your new blog, do everyone a favor and don't click "submit".
Update [2005-3-31 9:30:36 by georgia10]:: Here are some examples, in my personal opinion, of what is acceptable and not.
Wastes of Diary Space
The BlogPimping GCW
Middle-Child GCW
Middle-Child GCW #2 w/ Troll GCW characteristics (whining diary with 500+ comments)
Acceptable GCW
Goodbye Diary
Goodbye For Now #1
Goodbye for Now #2
Goodbye For Now #3 (with dkos criticism)
For reference, here is a personal take on the appropriateness of GCW Daires.
As Jlongs noted below, I forgot to mention the parody GCW Diaries. These are usually the result of a huge flamefest in a troll's diaries or something of that sort. The parody GCW Diaries usually recieve many comments, are laugh-so-hard-you-cry snarky, and are generally acceptable.
Update [2005-3-31 10:51:52 by georgia10]:: Catnip makes an excellent point below about a type of "should I say goodbye" diary:
the "should I stay or should I go?" diaries. I wouldn't recommend posting that type of diary unless you're prepared to seriously consider all of the comments you'll get. Some can be hurtful and you don't want to end up looking like you're shilling for sympathy either.
I'd suggest you step away from the computer, talk to your friends from dkos and elsewhere, grab a dose of humility and sit back and observe for a while to determine if this place suits you and if you suit this place. Posting while you're feeling vulnerable is not for the faint of heart. So, do yourself a favour and don't do it."