Is this really Buffett's new social site?

[chrisrehm]

Can anyone confirm or deny that the web site is or is not actually a Jimmy Buffett site?

It uses Jimmy's name and also uses names that he ownes (and has sued over) such as "Coconut Teligraph". The concert dates appear correct and information on the sale of goods looks authentic as well.

www.jimmybuffett.ning.com

[spartan1979]

I've got a bridge I'd be happy to sell you, cheap!

[pair8head]

If I had to guess I'd be guessing it won't be around much longer.

[surfpirate]

LOL.

NO. Jimmy's Ning website is actually HERE

[LIBuffettFan]

Jimmy does have an official site, its called Margaritaville.com, not sure if you have heard of it. I don't think you will find Jimmy running a NING site, that's kinda funny though.

[Snowparrot]

I'm thinking it's some other guy with the same name, but using "our" JB's pictures.

[Bicycle Bill]

Well, whoever it is, he's doing something over there. I just went there to have a look-see, and found a posting allegedly by Surfpirate introducing the "Critterville Cove" site. Links go to various points within the "Jimmy Buffett.ning.com" site. They have pictures created by Surfpirate posted (such as the "Critters" silhouette logo, and today's "BN Critter" strip, as well as an older one from when the 'Boobies' were playing the football game last December), and clicking on "Surfpirate's" name takes you to a "personal page" that is even playing some of the same soundclips as are on his personal page at Critterville Cove.

And it looks like some others that I've seen either here or over at the Cove (Capt. Ron; Rum Jumbie) are supposed to be "members", too.

Either Surfpirate has set up a mirror site (unless ning makes all the sites look pretty much alike), or someone is playing extremely fast and loose with copyrighted material. And if Jimmy himself doesn't shut it down, surfpirate has enough 'probable cause' there to make this guy turn out the lights.

Check it out, SP.

-"BB"-

[surfpirate]

Ning makes it easy for any yahoo with a laptop and internet connection to set up a social network website now. It's all the same base software platform, and unlike the old days of the 'Net, you don't need a lick of programmer capabilities to get started. Right-click-copy-paste ..... default setups --- wheee! -- "look at me I'm a webmaster" kind of stuff. If I sound cavalier and wistful for the old days of the Internet when web pages were the creations of just a few of us, well, I am.

This is just another Ning platform site, and pretty damb poorly rushed together at that ..... MeetThePhlockers, CrittervilleCove.com and tens of thousands of other sites are all using the same platform. It's really rather easy. The differences are easily apparent when you navigate around these sites though. Although any goober can set one up ...... it does still take a little creativity, artistic talent, and even a "little" programming skills and a genuine well thought out idea to do it right.

This site hasn't thought it out very well. C'mon .... naming the site JimmyBuffett.ning.com and using Jimmy's image and copyrighted property all over the place? That's ridiculous. It won't take the Meglaritamart, Inc. lawyers more than a yawn to be all over his arse quicker'n'-a-springbreaker on a beer. I give the site a month.

But whilst it's up and running and a bunch of souls are checking it out ... sure .... I'll promote the BN Critters over there (so I did).

[Bicycle Bill]

...... more than a yawn to be all over his arse quicker'n'-a-springbreaker on a beer.

And that's fast! Love the metaphor!!! I will be "borrowing" it on occasion myself.

-"BB"-

[chrisrehm]

I've got a bridge I'd be happy to sell you, cheap!

Hit the brakes there Sparten HA HA!

I am asking, not buying!

[chrisrehm]

Jimmy does have an official site, its called Margaritaville.com, not sure if you have heard of it. I don't think you will find Jimmy running a NING site, that's kinda funny though.

Margaritaville? No, where is that?















Margaritaville is not a social site, where this JimmyBuffett.ning.com, is.

HOWEVER...

With ning, you can set up the site without the "ning" in the web address. In that case you'll get it either way.

With PGW we have it set up as www.phlockersgonewild.net

there is no ning... although you can also get it through www.phlockersgonewild.ning.com

With this "Buffett" site, it's strictly with the "Ning" and there is no site that's a www.jimmybuffett.com.

In addition to his name, they are also using "Coconut Teligraph" an age old Keys word for the rumer mill in the Keys, that JB latched on to several years back and ended up suing some unfortunate woman in Key Largo for, last year.

We'll see what happens. Regardless, it's a fun topic.

[surfpirate]

"JimmyBuffett"dotNingdotCOM has evolved in it's short little lifespan into a mini-little late night PhlockersGoneWildInfomercialdotNET website *. Half it's little 40 odd members are curious average folks who are checking out perhaps the other half who are trop rockers selling themselves and/or other social websites cross promoting themselves. PhlockersGoneWild has outdone itself and has posted perhaps 75% of the overall "content" that makes up "JimmyBuffett"dotNINGdotCOM.

By the way, to get rid of the "NingdotCOM" branding on a Ning social Network is nothing more than a $4.95/month feature that the "webmaster" can pay to NING so that they can use their own domain (I pay this to Ning so that I can use my CrittervilleCove.com domain name instead of the URL bncritters.ning.com) . For another $19.95/month they can also remove all other Ning branding and the Google Ads as well. Otherwise in less than 5 minutes any goober can set up a Ning website and have it up and running free and easy by simply using the templates that Ning provides. Easy eh?

This website will not last. It has no vision or content other than what it's members are putting up (which is not regulated, any goober can create a group), and right now that's mostly PhlockersGoneWildInfomercialdotNET heavily (and I do mean heavily) cross promoting itself. But even beyond that, the website is using Jimmy Buffett's name as the supposed creator of the site; it is using the copyrighted terms "Parrothead" and more with reckless abandon; it is lifting (poorly) Jimmy's own "Twitter Tweets" and regurgitating the material; and it has no creative vision and certainly no graphics or image and programming creativity (the total opposite of the real quality that Jimmy puts out on Margaritaville.com, i.e. terrific graphics, flash programming, etc. etc.).

As far as Ning based "Buffetty" Social Networks that I have seen so far, and for all it's faults and missteps along the way (and there have been quite a few), MeetThePhlockersdotCOM has tapped into the largest core of parrot people folks. They also seem to have a fundamental idea of how to mass appeal to Parrotheads. But they've also made a number of missteps along the way, have alienated a few (easily-alienatable) people and have thus inadvertently spawned a whole mini-army of Tropical Social Network wannabees to dive into an increasingly crowded pool, e.g. TropicsNationdotcom .... PhlockersGoneWilddotcom ..... CrittervilleCovedotcom (yes - obviously I'm attempting to appeal to the same group of people - I'm just not "competing" with them, just offering a complimentary comic strip world alternative). All of these sites are using the same "Ning Software" platform just with varying visions of what they want to be (or no apparent vision at all like this latest one on the bandwagon).

But I rant on ..........

* in the interest of full disclosure I've gone over there and pimped BN Critters and CrittervilleCove.com as well - heck, why not?

[Bicycle Bill]

Between the bulletin boards and "social sites" (like this one) that I hang out at, as well as checking email and keeping my finger on the pulse of various cycling websites, I'm already spending way too much time typing when I probably should be out riding. Imagine what it would be like if I were tied into all the other electronic umbilical cords like Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, and the rest!!

BuffetNews.com and the Cove are good enough for me.
(Sorry, people. You ain't gonna get rid of me that easily!)

-"BB"-

[dawgfan]

All of Jimmy's sites are designed and managed real well from the great group at BubbleUp (http://www.bubbleup.net/index.html) not this amateur

[East Texas Parrothead]

I'm sure it's Jimmy.

Oh yeah, and I'm a size 2.

[SchoolGirlHeart]

All of Jimmy's sites are designed and managed real well from the great group at BubbleUp (http://www.bubbleup.net/index.html) not this amateur

[chrisrehm]

All of Jimmy's sites are designed and managed real well from the great group at BubbleUp (http://www.bubbleup.net/index.html) not this amateur

With all due respect, I think that's one of the sad things about most artists today. They have these sites, yet are so far removed from them and have some minion running it for them. It's a very, very rare situation that you'll find an artist actually involved in their own myspace, facebook, or anything else.

I realize it's a loaded gun, persay. Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers used to always come to their site until he fired Dickey Betts, then he became Mr. Evil.

This Buffett site is most likely run by some fan... like Jimmy Buffett is actually going to mess around with a web site himself!

However, like Margaritaville is concidered a state of mind, perhaps this site is as well? So long as everyone is having a fun time pretending, who cares? It is fun

Until the real JB's lawyers land on it.

[SMLCHNG]

This Buffett site is most likely run by some fan.

However, like Margaritaville is considered a state of mind, perhaps this site is as well? So long as everyone is having a fun time pretending, who cares? It is fun

Until the real JB's lawyers land on it.

Yes, this site IS run by a fan of Jimmy's. Has been for years, and we often have visits by the Coral Reefers, and the DJ's from Radio Margaritaville.

Not all we do here is pretend. There are a lot of good, charitable causes, and great friendships have been formed.

It's only a problem if this place pretended to BE Jimmy..

[ph4ever]

All of Jimmy's sites are designed and managed real well from the great group at BubbleUp (http://www.bubbleup.net/index.html) not this amateur

With all due respect, I think that's one of the sad things about most artists today. They have these sites, yet are so far removed from them and have some minion running it for them. It's a very, very rare situation that you'll find an artist actually involved in their own myspace, facebook, or anything else.

I realize it's a loaded gun, persay. Butch Trucks of the Allman Brothers used to always come to their site until he fired Dickey Betts, then he became Mr. Evil.

This Buffett site is most likely run by some fan... like Jimmy Buffett is actually going to mess around with a web site himself!

However, like Margaritaville is concidered a state of mind, perhaps this site is as well? So long as everyone is having a fun time pretending, who cares? It is fun

Until the real JB's lawyers land on it.

I dunno, it may be me but I think Jimmy already knows about this site. I guess it's because he's mentioned it several times. Maybe it's signing all the palm trees. Maybe it's the contribution of signed items for causes that started here. Doesn't sound like Jimmy takes issue with the site to me.

[chrisrehm]

Well... the site's only been up since March 30th...

This Buffett site is most likely run by some fan.

However, like Margaritaville is considered a state of mind, perhaps this site is as well? So long as everyone is having a fun time pretending, who cares? It is fun

Until the real JB's lawyers land on it.

Yes, this site IS run by a fan of Jimmy's. Has been for years,

Huh? The site's only been up since March 30, 2009...

I also noticed that Jimmy's location has been changed from Key West to Palm Beach....

I only know of buffettesque site that's actually from Key West...