eHarmony Blog.com

Shanna asks:

Will somebody please elaborate this?

Mrs. Bee said, “This has been the first true test of our editorial integrity, and I’m glad to report that editorial control of the site is still firmly in our hands.”

But, Mrs. Lovebug and Mrs. Gingerbread seem to disagree.

Lovebug: “the statements which are given in the above post underwent a great deal of scrutiny from both Mrs. Bee and eHarmony staff”

Mrs. Gingerbread: “This post was a long time coming and had to be reviewed by eHarmony higher ups several times and was edited in several places.”

Has this post and will future posts be edited by eHarmony?

I want Weddingbee to continue to be a site with a great deal of diversity and LGBTQ support. I would hate for all of that content and support to leave. But, I don’t think LGBTQ support is possible if eHarmony has any say in how the site is edited.

Ms. Pineapple says,

I totally understand why you thought there was content/point of view editing happening from some of the above comments, that is why I tossed in my two cents. The bees involved in this round of editing know better than I do what was changed, but I know for sure the edits were discussed with the authors before they were psoted. I am also weary, so I am going to strap myself in cautiously and see what happens.

Shanna,

After I read a great deal about this and a few emails to people, let me explain and elaborate: Bee realised that the post is, shall I say, not related to weddings, and she decided, proactively, to consult the matter with her new partners and get their reply.

Like Ms. Pineapple, I’m sure the edits were discussed with the authors before they were posted. You may be familiar with how editors and writers collaborate on an article before it gets published. In this situation, eHarmony did indeed “vet” the message (using the word Maggie used), but I strongly doubt eHarmony had a hand in editing their posts before publication.

What’s fundamental now, Shanna, is that WeddingBee is no longer a local mom-and-pop shop who can make 100% of their decisions 100% of the time. Bee Kim is now staff-on-employ of a large company, and she has enormous responsibilities to her management. This is the big difference between the titles “owner/manager” and “manager” in a company.

I understand your concern. To answer your question, “Has this post and will future posts be edited by eHarmony?“, the good news is, based on all my observations of the three official eHarmony publication/blogs, eHarmony Advice, eHarmony Labs, and eHarmony Parenting, and how they are run, No.

The only cases where eHarmony’s moderators and staff intervened and suppressed posted opinion on these three publications were (a) those that were inflammatory to specific community members, (b) those that were inflammatory to the corporation, and (c) those that threatened to divide the online community. They explain these conditions tacitly in their community guidelines.

(Note that the censored posts are inflammatory to the corporation, not to the morals of the corporation.)

So, what’s the future of WeddingbeeHarmony?

I admire Bee for her accomplishments, and there’s many great things ahead for you, guys. I’d be naive to assure people though that WeddingbeeHarmony remains the same Weddingbee you’ve loved. For what it’s worth, I don’t think the mass exodus last Thursday will much affect WB’s bottom line. There will always be brides — and eHarmony’s presumed grand plan is to send new brides — and these brides will always need resources, and seek and share inspiration. As a former Bee put it,

The realistic likelihood that brides needing their Weddingbee fix will simply lurk anonymously is high. This is not to say there aren’t those who won’t stick to their guns – those who have deleted their WB links and plan on never returning. But after an initial – and short – drop off, I’m sure the numbers will level out.

… When the current generation of avowed “fighters” is gone, is it even fair to expect the next generation to carry the torch? It’s just a wedding blog, after all.

Shanna, you ask about the editorial integrity of WeddingBeeHarmony. What do I see will happen to its editorial integrity? I see a sliding scale:

• In matters of wedding inspiration, DIY projects and vendor reviews, I foresee Bee’s WeddingBee shining brighter than before. This is what everyone should really look forward to.
• In matters of ‘the wedding as a political statement’, it depends on Bee. I’d strap on cautiously and see what happens.
• In matters of criticizing eHarmony from within, well, we’ll get squashed before we know it. (It’s a situation I hope Bee doesn’t get to be in.)

I hope this helps.

P.S. I send my mad props to those who stood and spoke for their beliefs. I send my sympathies to Weddingbee contributors and readers for their loss. I send my congratulations to the same Weddingbee contributors and readers for their gain. Thank you for visiting!