MY FORMAL APOLOGY TO ALL MEMBERS OF GUITAR FORUM SA!

Tone · 2010-12-17T19:40:17+00:00

Dear Members I have recently been made aware that a number of the members of the forum feel that I have been breaking this forum's rules by "promoting, punting" my dad and my company. I will admit that I am constantly exposed to Gibson guitars and because of this as a forum user enjoy sharing my opinions and views as a self proclaimed Gibson and especially Gibson Les Paul addict! If I were constantly being exposed to Fenders, PRS, Tokai or any other brand for that matter I would more than likely be sharing my views on these brands as well. I do however want to make it clear that in no way was I attempting to punt my dad and my company but merely attempting to hear other South African guitarists opinions about Gibsons (seeing as they have been rare in SA for quite sometime). All my business communications and dealings have been conducted on the private message service offered by the forum. I will however remain a Gibson admirer and comment on any Gibson related thread (and any other thread related to a brand or product I admire) just as any forum member may want to, but I will in NO WAY punt MY COMPANY (as I have been trying not to since I signed up)! I would like to sincerely apologies to all of you who have not appreciated the way in which I have conducted myself on the forum! At the same time I wish you would have confronted me on a private message if you did not appreciate what I was saying! I can assure you I'm not a "scary" guy to talk to. ? On a happier note I would like to wish all the members of the forum a merry festive season and hope that your Christmas stockings are big enough to conceal a new six string sensation or even two ? Best Wishes Marco Melfi For those of you who I don't know me personally. That's me :-[

StephenG

Hey Marco - you just need to choose your words more carefully.. for example.. instead of saying "I'm sorry..' you could have said "here everyone.. have a free Gibson.."

hell, I am sure after that you could have run full page adverts in the forums and no one would have minded.. ? ? ? ?

Ray

PeteM wrote Oh no, not another slanging match.

Where are the moderators? - please arbitrate and make a ruling in this specific instance and put an end to this negative toned backward and forwarding of comment from mere members - myself included.

This is boring.

I agree here. What the hell has it to do with anyone unless they have a bus interest they see not getting equal fair exposure in which case just go speak to the appoijnted officials. Who cares how well you know the damned rules or if interviewing for a vacancy or something or worried about a tjom whose interest isnt getting as much exposure.

Bob-Dubery

Ray wrote
PeteM wrote Oh no, not another slanging match.

Where are the moderators? - please arbitrate and make a ruling in this specific instance and put an end to this negative toned backward and forwarding of comment from mere members - myself included.

This is boring.
I agree here. What the hell has it to do with anyone unless they have a bus interest they see not getting equal fair exposure in which case just go speak to the appoijnted officials. Who cares how well you know the damned rules or if interviewing for a vacancy or something or worried about a tjom whose interest isnt getting as much exposure.

I'd agree in most cases, but Marco chose to bring this to the attention of the forum as a whole after complaints were made through the usual channels, so it's fair to comment and even to disagree.

I think we need to look at it as a personal issue but as a general issue. That's what I was trying to do with the examples I gave. If an exception is made for one then it has to be made for all. Also exceptions generally are not good things. If the rule isn't good or is lacking in some respect you don't turn a blind eye, you amend or even abolish the rule.

Pete's misstating of the situation hasn't helped. There is no slanging match. Marco, for whatever reason, decided to address the forum as a whole rather than work something out with the moderators. A discussion arose and people have had their (in this case) civil say about it. No slanging match.

Keira-WitherKay

i still don't get this NOT ALLOWING people who are in the industry to post re their products........ as a user of musical products on a professional level i would welcome the chance to chat to importers re their products....and yes it may be questions re why certain gear is imported and not others it may be compliments or it may be concerns re quality ect ......... but maybe we should think of amending the rules to allowing distributors/manufacturers/sales outlets to post re their products BUT maybe just have a provisor that they in bold print on the post state clearly that they are directly involved and in what capacity............ cos i bet they could give us some intuiging info on products about to hit our shores and availability ect ect ..... so yeah long as they open to positive and negative comment....... i see no problem...

but i guess then financially there would be no motivation to buy advertising space on this site........ so i do see that part of this... this website is also a biz i'm sure so needs to at least pay for itself with ad's since we don't pay membership

Gearhead

Whatever this thread is or is not, after a page and a half I still feel that it is not much of an apology as such. I am a firm believer of the statement that it takes a man to admit when he's wrong, yet I also wouldn't want to apologise saying I was not wrong. The point is that OP does not give the impression he thinks he has crossed any lines.

singemonkey

Advertising, as well as the very clear bias that dealers have. They cannot help but have a slanted view of their products that would mislead the unwary. They may think they don't. But they do. I've seen it again and again. They would also have a natural tendency to post inappropriate promotional material - not because it was of general interest to forum members, but because it is in their interest. i.e.: "Do you prefer this Ibanez, or this one?" Trojan horse type posts.

There are ways for dealers to get their messages across. I am a huge Tokai fan. Lance often sends me stuff about what he's up to. If I decide it's relevant I will post about it. But since I have never taken a red cent from him in relation to his products (or in any other context), I don't post on everything he sends me (to his dismay sometimes, I'm sure). I tend not to post general announcements, but if someone is wondering about buying a product and I suggest a Tokai, I can say which stores have what or whatnot.

Likewise, I'm sure that Gibson fans (and I'm one of those too, despite my reputation), will no doubt be interested in what Marco and his Dad are up to. Vic, for example, just posted a link to their site and catalogue as a satisfied customer. No contravention of the rules there. Marco could let prominent fans know what they're doing. They don't have the bias to post irrelevant stuff, but will post stuff that is of real interest to forum members.

As to not getting to discuss your favourite guitars. Them's the breaks. I know other dealers who are in the same straights. It's a price you pay. You may have to discuss them in other fora in which you're not selling to the members.

@Gearhead: Agreed. An apology in which you go on to make excuses and criticise your critics isn't an apology at all. Not that Marco needed to apologise. He could as easily have just not done it again - something I've done on occasion when I'm feeling too petty to apologise to the mods :?

PeteM

Gearhead wrote Whatever this thread is or is not, after a page and a half I still feel that it is not much of an apology as such. I am a firm believer of the statement that it takes a man to admit when he's wrong, yet I also wouldn't want to apologise saying I was not wrong. The point is that OP does not give the impression he thinks he has crossed any lines.

+1 - Hence my comment of a 'slanging match', which in retrospect was an overstatement. Bob stated the rules as written quite clearly and there seemed to be lack of willingness on the part of the OP to accept the contravention even after the moderator had spoken to him. I saw no end to the matter unless the moderators stepped in and put an end to it.

What I was trying to say is that we as mere members can put forward the forum rules as often as we like but it holds no water unless it comes from the moderator. Hence my comment that it was boring.

I say, lets get back to talking music and GAS and leave the admin stuff to the admin boys.

PeteM

Keira WitherKay wrote but i guess then financially there would be no motivation to buy advertising space on this site........ so i do see that part of this... this website is also a biz i'm sure so needs to at least pay for itself with ad's since we don't pay membership

That's the point of the rule - no advertising, no income, no forum!
Most advertisers' banner ads have a link to their websites where you can get all the information you want about new products, specials etc.

AlanRatcliffe

OK. Enough said. The above page and a half illustrates fairly well why I prefer any moderation issues to be handled offboard.

Keira WitherKay wrote i still don't get this NOT ALLOWING people who are in the industry to post re their products
<Snip>
but i guess then financially there would be no motivation to buy advertising space on this site.

Bingo. Economics 101. People don't pay for what they can get for free.

It also stops GFSA from becoming a dumping ground for every inane press release issued by an overzealous marketing type or someone with a financial stake in promoting their product. As Singe says, what ends up here is filtered by our members because they find it interesting, and chances are other members will too.

The rule also lets me to outright and immediately ban musical industry spammers who join, create an elaborate ad for products and services in their signatures and post a few "I agree" posts in various threads to get their ad displayed (which happens on a near-daily basis).

Tone

Hey Singemonkey and Gearhead

You have pretty much summed up what I meant by an experienced member giving me a heads up as to what I can and can not do. I appreciate it and wish that one of the guys who complained could have done the same earlier, I would have then not crossed any lines by...( AND THIS IS FOR GEARHEAD!!!) Starting any Gibson related posts like "I fell in love with a G@#$*n LP Studio today" which I know assume is stepping over the line even though I didn't mention my companies name and even though I was merely looking for people who had experience with this specific model as a Gibson fan ?

I will be far more careful in the future as a distributor ?

MoJo-JoJoe

Oh PA..LEEZE!! The rules are clear and easy to understand. Why would anyone expect a fellow forum member to contact them and explain those rules? The moderator moderated and this passive-aggessive thread comes off as petulance. I'm the most petulant person I know, so I can spot it a mile off.
Ok, Alan tell me off ?

Signed,
the "." man ?

Ok ok ok I AM joking. However, I do think this thread has absolutely nothing to add and probably would be better not being here at all. Marco, perhaps you should consider asking Alan to remove it all and just ride the wrist-slap, rise above the little bump in the road, and continue to participate as before ... if you are in doubt about a post you'd like to make, you could check with Alan before posting ... though honestly I think if you made contact directly with Alan telephonically and talked through things you might get a good insight into what would be acceptable and what would not. Don't let the fact that a moderator had to reign you in a little (moderating is a difficult place to be I assure you!) spoil the GFSA experience for you and deprive GFSA members of your total input. I've been there ... life's more fun being here and not holding onto negatives.
:goodtimes:

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