Yes, I am taking on Digg. This behemoth must be boycotted, for several very different but equally important reasons. The most important reason is that it has prevented other social bookmarking/networking sites from rising up, such as del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, and Facebook.

Another good reason why Digg should be stopped is the voting process. When a story is voted on enough times, also known as being “dugg”, it is featured on the homepage. And if a story isn’t a very good one, you have the option of “burying” it, so it disappears. I’m against this idea, as voting is not the way to do this. Actually, I’m completely against any social bookmarking sites. Why? Well I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to share the sites that I like and have bookmarked with other people.

Also, Digg is notorious for making websites go offline. When an article from a site hits the front page, there is a massive surge of users to that site, which eats up the bandwidth. Well, not every website wants a huge amount of traffic, you must remember those that only want one visitor a month. After all, site traffic is overrated.

Yes, Digg needs to be boycotted because of all these reasons, but let’s not forget that it should also be boycotted because it’s spelled with two G’s instead of one, and bad spelling is not gud.

But to make up for it I’m writing a super-duper post which will be published Friday, about a certain social bookmarking/networking site that we all know and love (and sometimes hate). No, it’s not Facebook, and I’m not doing a MySpace Part Deux (although that thought has crossed my mind). Be patient, young grasshopper, as hopefully by Friday night it should be posted.

Another reason is that I’ve been working on a new project of mine, called the Wzzt Network. You may have noticed the addition of a few links on the sidebar. The Wzzt Network is basically a collection of websites about a wide array of topics. Aside from the main site, there are three sites (including BOB) that are a part of the network, and I plan on having a new addition by the end of the month.

So, until Friday, keep boycotting! Or, you know, subscribe to Boy Oh Boycott.

There is a dark side to this open-content encyclopedia, however, and not many people know about it. I have wondered this myself, as I mindlessly browsed the various pages on the site, reading up on random topics from cities to historical events to musicians. This dark side has nothing to do with brainwashing; no, the brainwashing should be left to the experts (I’m looking at you, Starbucks and McDonald’s).

Wikipedia is attempting to completely replace what most of have grown to love and hate throughout the years: paper encyclopedias. It calls itself a free online encyclopedia, but what they fail to say is that they want to replace the large volumes that we remember from our excursions to the school library as children. I for one miss taking the time to go to the library, find the volume that has the subject, flip through the multiple pages, and scroll through the tiny text to find what I was looking for. The site also calls itself “The Free Encyclopedia”. Any encyclopedia can be free, you simply have to drive to the library and find the monstrous stack of books located in the bowels of the library.

Some say that Wikipedia is the best thing since sliced bread, since it’s so easy to find the information you need. Well, I dunno about you, but I’m quite fond of sliced bread and Wikipedia is nowhere near it. Besides, there are other things that are better than Wikipedia AND sliced bread, like TV dinners.

Wikipedia has been in the news recently because of the fact that anyone can edit it. Employees of various corporations have been accused of editing those corporations’ articles to make the companies look good. Well, I for one think that this should be allowed. After all, they spend so much time trying to make the company look good in TV, print, and other online sources that we should help them just this once.

Another reason why it’s been in the news is because schools and colleges have discouraged and even outlawed the use of it in reports and papers. They say it’s because the material may not be accurate since anyone can edit. I completely agree. After all, searching for the same thing on Google is definitely going to give a more reliable source, even if it is below the Wikipedia article page on the search results.

Also, Wikipedia needs to be boycotted because of the name. I mean, c’mon, Wikipedia? Is that the best they can do?

My first post in this series is about boycotting Cake. No, not the alternative/pop/jazz/rap/country/funk musical group from California. I’m talking about the dessert food that we eat frequently.

Cake needs to be boycotted, but not for the reasons you think. I don’t want to boycott it because it’s bad for you or anything like that. The reasons are, however, obvious once you think about them.

Cake is almost never nutritious, and it’s definitely less nutritious than its nemesis, pie, which is usually made with fruit or another type of delicious filling. The baking mixes that many people use to make cakes at home are filled with various chemical preservatives, some of which might be banned in various small countries. And getting a cake made at a bakery, instead of making your own, isn’t much better.

Cake is also widely used for birthdays and other joyous celebrations, but I must ask why? Why, of all desserts, is this fluffy bread-like food with frosting the dessert of choice? So many kids, all over the world, can’t wait to taste the sweetness.

There’s also a huge variety of cake types and flavors, from angel food to velvet. There are so many, that it’s confusing to decide which ones you like. I think it should be narrowed down to three flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and German chocolate.

Finally, it’s just too damn tasty and addictive.

However, this company must be stopped, for various reasons. For one, it’s quickly gaining ground on Microsoft’s market share, which cannot happen as Microsoft is the king and the king shouldn’t be dethroned.

Also, Apple has converted thousands of people all over the world into Pod People. What are Pod People, you ask? They’re horrible beings. They were once human, but now they’re anything but. They walk around, with iPods attached to them, listening to their music constantly through the white earbuds. And when one gets a new iPod, the others will follow.

It’s not just the iPod that has a cult following. The Mac operating system as well as its hardware counterpart has a huge following. This following is so huge that it’s know its own religion, known as the Church of the Giant White Apple, and Steve Jobs is the head of it. The most devoted followers wear jeans and a black shirt every day.

Apple’s iPhone also has many fans. Many people think that the touch screen phone + MP3 player is one of the best products to come from Apple, but I completely disagree. It’s expensive, doesn’t have a lot of space, and it’s not the iconic white that we all associate Apple with.

Apple is also continuing to convert people using its “PC vs. Mac” commercials. These commercials work only on the weak-minded, and for everyone else they’re just plain annoying.

So, if you don’t want to become one of the Pod People, or you’re a Microsoft fan boy, join me in boycotting this company.

While Starbucks’ goal is to brainwash all of the adults of the world with its coffee, pastries, and coffeehouse music, the goal of McDonald’s is to brainwash the children of the world with the food, toys, and other things. But what’s the purpose of the brainwashing? To have their own personal zombie army? Nope, it’s so they can make millions of dollars, something that very few corporations try to do now. Most companies make money so they can take over the world, but McDonald’s is using the money just so they can get rich.

One of the primary ways McDonald’s achieves this is through Ronald McDonald, the mascot of the chain that is a clown. What most people don’t realize is that a lot of kids are scared of clowns, even though it’s hard to tell if they like them or not. Ronald McDonald is a scare tactic to sell more food and thus make more money. Disturbing, I know, but it is completely true.

The food is also another way. Many adults think the food tastes gross, but that’s because we are immune to its intoxicating effects, while the children are not. One clue to this is the “Happy Meal”, which the iconic kids meal that everyone knows. But there is a secret. If you ask the cashier for a Happy Meal “with extra happy”, they will look at you funny, because normal people do not want anything to be extra happy.

And recently, McDonald’s started a program where you can rent DVDs for $1 a day from kiosks outside of the restaurant. This is yet another tactic to brainwash the children of the world. The parents will rent a movie, they will watch it with their children, and the subliminal messages in the videos will transfer to the children.

If you think what McDonald’s is doing is disturbing, then you’re not alone. Join me and the others to boycott this golden threat. You must think of the children, after all.

Yes, you heard me right. I’m going to boycott Hillary Clinton. The presidential candidate needs to be boycotted, as she’s held up the real race from getting underway. And while she’s fighting with Obama, McCain is gathering more supporters to take over the United States become the next president.

There are quite a few reasons why she should be boycotted. The most obvious is that she was once on the Board of Directors for Wal-Mart, the company that I have previously boycotted. Sure, she pushed for what some may have seen as good changes for the mega-corporation, but in reality, she was helping them spread their influence throughout the world.

In addition, Clinton is a polarizing figure and is extremely abrasive, which would not help if she became president. It would hurt the nation’s image around the world, which doesn’t seem like such a bad thing considering Bush has already done most of that work. But we want to improve our image, not make it worse.

Recently, Clinton has been attacked because she seems to be making things up, like when she was “under fire” as she left a plane in Bosnia. We don’t need another president that lies constantly, just one that lies every so often.

Based on her and her husband’s tax returns for 2007, she’s the richest of the three candidates. And we don’t need another rich person in office, the government is overflowing with them. She’s also a Clinton, and the people of America are tired of having Bushes and Clintons spending all of our tax money on useless things running the government.

The last reason why Hillary Clinton should be boycotted is that I just don’t like her. At all. Although to be honest, she’s much better suited to the job than the current president.

So, please boycott Hillary Clinton, not because it’s the right thing to do, but because I told you so.

However, if you have a suggestion about a company I should write about and boycott, either leave a comment here or contact me. I won’t be accepting all submissions, for several reasons. One of the main reasons is that I need to know enough about the company in order to make up reasons to boycott it.

On another slightly-more-boring note, I’m going to try and keep my posting of the boycotts consistent, so I should be making posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. But, since I’m not perfect, this is nowhere near set in stone (it’s more like molasses or expired milk).

Yes, you heard me right, the chain that we have all grown to love is brainwashing us. But, if you think about it, it all makes perfect sense. Starbucks has overpriced coffee, tiny closet-sized locations, annoying music, and uncomfortable chairs. But we put up with all of it just because that four-dollar cup of coffee tastes so good.

So how exactly is the company brainwashing us? I have spent countless hours in several locations, trying to figure this out while taking a drink of my Mocha Frappuccino. I couldn’t quite figure out how Starbucks was turning us into mindless, coffee-drinking zombies, but I narrowed it down to two things.

First, there’s the coffee. Yes, the expensive coffee that in reality has a mediocre taste. But because the general population has been brainwashed, it seems to have a great taste, and they will do anything to get their hands on a cup in the morning. The other possibility is the music. Yes, the music that they play so loudly in every location. The music that gets annoying after 15 minutes. There may be subliminal messages hidden in the music, why else would they play the same genre of music?

There are also several reasons why Starbucks would want to brainwash us. First off, they get their own personal coffee-drinking zombie army. Second, the profits from all of those people buying coffee and pastries go towards the company, offsetting how much it costs to brainwash the world. And third, brainwashing people is so much easier than forcing them to do things that they don’t want to do.

This is all compelling evidence, but what do we do about it? Boycott Starbucks, of course! Go to other lesser coffeehouses, like McDonald’s, and you’ll save money and time, although the taste won’t be the same. You could also refrain from drinking coffee completely, and drink other caffeinated drinks.

Oh, but you say you can’t stop drinking the coffee, that all you think about when you get up in the morning is you hope the store isn’t crowded? Well, it’s too late for you, my friend, as you are now a complete coffee-drinking zombie.

With all that said, let’s boycott Starbucks! Hopefully we can stop the coffee-drinking epidemic that has taken over our nation for so many years.