minishorts.net is for a mature audience only
Filed under Just Me
This is a serious post.
Fong MC says:
June 24th, 2005 at 10:02 pm
Dear Ms Khoo,
I am writing to you as a parent of two young adolescent children regarding the recent article in the Star newspaper regarding your blog and the follow-up ‘discovery’ of your web-site by my children.
I was initially glad my children developed a keen interest in finding out more about the web-logs phenomenon. In addition, I have never make any attempt to limit or censor websites as I believe my kids should have the freedom to discover what is wrong or right following discussion.
I have no reason to suspect the newspaper may have overdone itself this time. I was flabbergasted to discover your blog contained profanities and unsuitable materials for children. Perhaps this is an oversight on the part of the Star newspaper but the cat is out of the bag.
I feel you do bear some of the responsibilities for this. By allowing yourself and your website to be highlighted in a national newspaper, you have knowingly and willingly allowed children to have access to your website which you clearly know contained unsuitable materials for young minds.
Perhaps this query should be directed to the newspaper and not to you at all. After all, I accept your right to have your own personal opinions and your private space. It is not in my place to judge you; in fact, I have no interest in visiting your site. As you have said, I am not even welcomed here.
Be that as it may, kids will be kids. In fact my daughter look up to your blog as a role model blog. Hence, as a parent to my loved ones, I would like to implore you to re-consider your approach to your blog now that you are known nationally. I am not asking you to change. But please think of the young ones. Do not sacrifice simple decency on the altar of individual rights of expression.
Sincerely
Fong MC
Fong forwarded an e-mail to the editor of The Star as well, expressing his hope for the daily 'to scrutinise the contents of blog before allowing the URL to be displayed so prominently on a national newspaper.'
Dear Fong (and concerned people who have no regards for loose use of expletives),
Not withstanding the fact that the newspaper article clearly stated that,
Minishorts.net is a direct, emotional, sometimes raunchy but always honest and insightful blog about the life and thoughts of a young Malaysian woman and her very wild imagination.
… I do accept the fact that contents in minishorts.net are not suitable for immature minds.
HOWEVER,
I maintain while the popularity (or dispopularity, depending on how you may like to see it) of my site has been boosted by the publication of that article, I also wish to inform you (and other concerned individuals/groups) that the targeted audience of this site has always been the mature crowd.
For your benefit, and to ease the responsibilities of concerned parents, mentors and guardians, I will be putting up a disclaimer (in bold, nothing less) that repeats the published title of this post.
Thank you very much for writing to me.
minishorts @ Claire
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Jun25
June 26, 2005 at 1:06 pm
hi minishorts. this is unrelated to the post, but i think putting the text ‘Fund My Blog’ above your Google Ads is a violation of the google adsense TOS under section 5. the text ‘Fund My Blog’ somewhat encourages the user to click the ads which is not allowed.
June 26, 2005 at 1:07 pm
[...] entry in PPS which reflects not only what I thought, but as well as how I found out about a letter sent to minishorts by a mother- I popped by P PS, came across BNM’s entry, which lead to minishor [...]
June 26, 2005 at 4:28 pm
I think you handled this pretty well. Kudos to you.
But honestly, I think that she can’t stop you from posting what makes your blog unique, and that it should be her own responsibility to filter what her kid sees. The internet is a zoo. At least your blog provide a soft cushioning when compared to what’s out there.
Keep on blogging what you always blog.
June 26, 2005 at 4:32 pm
im a 16-going-on-17 girl myself. i visited ur blog rite after i read the article, and i can assure you that i haven’t been shooting out profanities or anything like that.
in fact, i really love ur blog!
keep it up =)
June 26, 2005 at 5:18 pm
her kids?how old are they?i am a 12 goin on 13 girl.am considered a kid as well?oh whatever.i think your blog is just reall interesting.
i think that its nothing wrong.keep up the good work babe!:grin:
June 26, 2005 at 5:38 pm
if a child knows between what’s right and what’s wrong, then there’s no need to worry really because that child’s won’t be affected just by reading a raunchy blog.
minishorts you rock and your posts rock. keep em coming!
cheers!
June 26, 2005 at 7:00 pm
minishorts rocks…
in German,
rock means skirt
muahahahaha.
a blog reader
- life Feel
June 26, 2005 at 10:56 pm
Blogger start lost freedom ?
Just saw minishorts.net is for mature audience only , i was like huh ?
when the old day public still don’t know about blog, we seem like have much more freedom .. but now when blog starting getting popular in media, we getting all these kind…
June 27, 2005 at 12:42 am
I wonder if she also sent email to Sarong Party Girl.
June 27, 2005 at 12:57 am
i like esp, the internet has no rules fella….
quite unintentionally but ironically refuted by a paul tan, who mentioned something about the TOS of google’s adsense.
in any case, is the fact that the internet does not have any rules a sort of… rule then? if even of the thumb variety?
how about free speech? is that a rule?
“I also wish to inform you (and other concerned individuals/groups) that the targeted audience of this site has always been the mature crowd.”
maybe you might want to do something about (read: get rid of) all of us who are already reading so as to be more in line with ur targets.
June 27, 2005 at 4:23 am
Imagine if you still had your Harry Potter theme. That would be hilariously ironic.
June 27, 2005 at 10:41 am
Hi, minishorts. I am 13 and I read your blog too. I think you rock, and after reading your blog, I am going to start swearing, having random sex, and setting dustbins on fire.
In fact, I feel like kicking a small animal now.
Stay cool and funky alwayz!!
June 27, 2005 at 10:44 am
[...] 0; obviously this was a thank you post to everyone who commented and wrote to me regarding that concerned parent. You guys rawk! See you Friday!
[...]
June 27, 2005 at 5:57 pm
June 28, 2005 at 8:29 am
[...] and is just chewing up the 7.30pm prime slot. This is as hilarious as the recent SPG and saga and it’s now all over again in Australian version on the big screen.
[...]
June 28, 2005 at 5:25 pm
I blame Fong for having kids. If she didn’t have any kids, they would not have had any chance to view any naughty material whatsoever.
June 29, 2005 at 2:54 pm
I’d say continue writing what you want to write.
A blogger writes what he/she wants to write, not what other people want to read.
July 1, 2005 at 2:18 am
this is whut your WORDS speak: you say “this site is directed at mature adults”, and also it is stated in the newspaper “it is raunchy”
and your ACTIONS? :by allowing your blog to be published in a national newspaper, you’re indirectly opening your blog to people of every walk. though publicity is a good thing, i can understand that. but bear in mind that, are you still going by the concept “this site is directed at mature adults”? even though it’s everywhere in every page?
that’s the question. see i really like the quote which says “actions speak louder than words”. in this case, no matter how much you scream “this blog is only for mature adults”, is it going to work, now that it’s on national newspaper?
at the first place, if you really care bout the young being affected by your blog, your conscience should be telling you that putting up your blog address in a newspaper IS A CHOICE. you can actually choose NOT to put it up. publicity is good, but is exposing your thoughts to the young good? if you were more concern bout the young minds, you would have thought twice. therefore there’s no excuse to it.
in fact, giving a higher priority to your blog’s publicity rather than the minds of the young is selfish. you want your views and opinions to be expressed, but at the price of affecting the minds of the young? and you know, a mere line “this blog is only for mature adults” is not enough to keep the kids away.
July 1, 2005 at 8:41 am
[...] this is my first day of work after a nice holiday on the beach and I still get idiots like ‘Questionable’ writing to me. Now please forward your support to Ms Wileen Cheng (ni [...]
July 1, 2005 at 7:36 pm
lolls.questionable crap.lolls.i am laughing…
i want more bedtime stories!ahh.
i love minishorts.net
keep rocking,babe!
July 2, 2005 at 1:51 pm
[...] osted by caleb under Blogosphere Minishorts has been receiving flak because her blog isn’t exactly NC16 and it got plugged by the Malaysian media recently. What makes it worst is that sh [...]
July 2, 2005 at 10:19 pm
They are young adolescent children, yeah. Isn’t it better to find ‘mild’ profanities
in this blog rather than having them surfing pornography? Anyway, i think children who grow up having experienced both the ‘light’ and the ‘dark’ side(not to dark tho) have more mature minds.
February 2, 2008 at 5:20 pm
pos yourgirls