I've been writing this post in my head for weeks and then I was scooped by another tea blogger. Harumph. What's worse is that he's a really, really talented writer. Hate that. I suppose I will still provide the link to his blog, although I refuse to approve any comments that say things like, "Wow. His post was so much better than yours." So, go check out Lahikmajoe.
Now, here's my take on a related topic:
I need people to stop stealing my tea. Okay, no one is stealing my actual tea, but they are appropriating the word and I don't like it.
Awhile back I set up some Google alerts for stories about tea - I have one that alerts me to posts using the word "tea" or the phrases "tea pages" or "tea reader." I thought it would help me stay up on tea-related news stories I might have missed as well as mentions of my blog or my book. The problem is that, as pretty much anyone who has done a web search for the word "tea" will attest to, 90% of the returns related to a certain political movement. Grumble. And, of course, I can't exclude those words from my search since, well, then there would be no search.
OK, so I try to ignore those entries. Then, inevitably, there are entries for TEA - the Texas Education Agency. Seriously?
Finally I get down to the one or two entries that are ACTUALLY tea related. This is how it's been for months. Until last week.
Unfortunately for my fellow tea searchers a three-year-old phrase has now come back into vogue - "The Teacup Generation." These are, apparently, the children of so-called "helicopter parents." (Cue the hate mail from helicopter enthusiasts.) The idea is that they have been so entitled and protected that they break, like a teacup, under pressure.
It's not that I don't find the topic interesting. I actually write about parenting issues in addition to my tea writing. BUT I really just need everyone to leave the word "tea" alone for awhile. Let it live in peace.
I suppose I'm fighting a losing battle. Those thieves of language aren't going anywhere. I guess I'll just go make myself a cup of t*a.
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Sunday, July 17, 2011
Stop stealing my tea!
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5 comments:
I agree!
Katrina, try "minusing out" the terms you do not want to search on. I use -tea party -party -parties as well as a few specifically political terms to avoid. Read the results you're getting and you'll see a pattern, then just minus out of your search the ones you don't want. This has reduced the irrelevant results I receive by about 90%. It may take you a few tries to figure out exactly which terms you want to block, but eventually you'll get it. (BTW, I had a somewhat different take on this last year: http://tinyurl.com/3z8mka8 ) Best regards ...
I think everyone who searches for tea on the web gets annoyed by this stuff!
You can use searches like:
1) tea -party -partiers
2) tea -"texas education"
To filter this sort of stuff out. I don't do it all the time, but on searches and alerts where I get a lot of irrelevant junk, I definitely take this approach, and it works. It doesn't just work in google, many other search engines and sites have similar features.
This post of yours has inspired a post! Thanks much...here it is: Tea, Tea Party Movement, Texas Education Agency, and Web Searches
Well said. I personally am about tired of "tea leaves" used in a context that has nothing to do with tea and "coffee, tea or blank." Thanks for giving us a place to whine.
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