Re: Subject: Re: [Harp-L] Banned from Slidemeister

[Eric Nielsen <ericbarnak@xxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks for your usual cool-headedness, Elizabeth. While I believe the
publication of innovations, new gear, and instruments is pertinent and
enriching to harmonica discussion groups, it was grossly unfair (even
tyrannical) of me to refer to Slidemeister as a tyranny. I am not a member
of this group, do not know Mr. Fedor, and apologize for the harsh language.
He has as much a right to his opinions about running a website--especially
his own--as I have to mine.

Eric

On Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 4:48 AM, <EGS1217@xxxxxxx> wrote:

>
>
> "Message: 11
> Date: Tue, 09 Dec 2014 14:52:13 -0500
> From: Ronnie  Schreiber <autothreads@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] Banned from  Slidemeister
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
>
>
> > It is also the only  harmonica list with strange non-harmonica 'child
> > boards' such as  "Christmas, Patriotic, Church, Religious Tabs,
> > Prayermeister",  apparently pushing Mr. Fedor's own conservative
> > religious  agenda.
>
> Brendan, are you sure those aren't for people who want to use the
> harmonica to play Christmas, patriotic, church and religious  music?"
>
>
>
> Ronnie, that IS exactly what they're for! Slidemeister doesn't allow
> politics or religious discussion specifically because no one can manage to
> keep
> their personal prejudices out of such discussions. AS a religious man who
> only  discusses his personal religious life for those who are INTERESTED
> and
> does NOT  push any such 'agenda', it was a big step for him to ban
> religious
> discussion so  all would be comfortable posting. 'I' would not belong to
> Slidemeister otherwise  since I'm not religious. What I think of as my
> 'home
> away from home' has posters  from around the Globe of all persuasions, for
> the
> record.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> The 'child-boards' have nothing to do with children but are separate places
>  people can go to post about their own particular interests and include the
> music  you've just listed. Thank you for pointing this out!
>
>
>
>
>
>
> As for the rest of the furor now being stirred up on one harmonica-centric
> site about another? Highly unfair. In fact, over the last couple of weeks
> almost  every discussion on SM involved Brendan and his new THS system. It
> created quite  a buzz long before, during and now that he announced
> it...and I
> daresay he got a  ton of publicity from our many, many, many discussions of
> which he was  relatively uninvolved other than originating the threads and
> following through  here and there on questions put to him specifically
> about
> his new system. He was  feted and kudoed by everyone including me, since
> I've long since been a huge fan  of his and defended him against others who
> claimed his system was a 'copy' of  their bolted-together diatonics. So
> much
> for 'tyranny' and 'dictatorship'. AJ  graciously allowed all of this while
> assuming Brendan would begin actively  participating as a MEMBER of the
> forum
> (as I see it). While I remain a fan of  Brendan's, I'm not,
> however--remotely a fan of bad-mouthing the owner of a list  on his own
> forum purely because
> one refuses to play by the rules.
>
>
>
>
>
> Adding in gratuitous references to dead WWII Italian dictators kind of
> seals the deal and leaves a bad taste. AJ is a friend of mine since he's
> treated me very decently over the years. We met at a harmonica convention
> and
> got along wonderfully, and ever since he's never allowed the misogyny so
> prevalent on most other harmonica forums to prevail against me or any other
> woman. The behaviour of the owner of Slidemeister is the epitome of a
> democratic  human being--although it's decidedly not a 'democratic' site
> per se when
> it  comes to the major decisions, as he emphasizes. HE built the site with
> his son  through trial, error, hard work and 'on a dime and a prayer'
> (that's
> purely a  figure of speech). Invited a few of his chromatic friends to join
> to talk about  chromatics without the constant discussions (on other
> harmonica sites--of which  there are many) of amps, gear and whatever.
> What's
> wrong with establishing  ground rules? It turned into an incredible place
> for
> chromatic players to  gather. If it wasn't as good as it is would all of
> those
> who are badmouthing it  have wanted to join or post there? They read those
> rules so shouldn't be  complaining now. If Slidemeister was so
> inconsequential, why bother? If it truly  was 'tyrannical' and such a
> terrible place to
> be, why is Brendan asking  Slidemeisters to stand up for him? Many of us
> are
> also harp-l members so does it  really matter? We're still being 'clued-in'
> about the instruments.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> For those not in the know, AJ's rules and regulations were recently
> finetuned, updated--and re-published on the site with input from Members.
> We ALL
> read them. AJ set it as a requirement for every member to do so in order to
> join  the forum. He doesn't particularly care about whether or not a single
> member  disagrees with his take on things--and isn't averse to privately
> discussing any  problems offlist. In fact he reiterated this constantly -
> that
> if any member has  ANY problem, to contact him. The rules and regs are what
> they are. HE owns the  site, he gets to make the rules. They work. We all
> play by them --or not. If  not, then don't sign up as a member, one can
> easily
> read the list as a guest  instead or simply allow one's membership to
> elapse by not poking one's head in  every couple of months. AJ will then
> weed you
> out. He's not about 'numbers' but  about the camaraderie and quality of
> those who join. All this negativity is just  entirely off-base.
>
>
>
>
> Slidemeister has been denigrated on harp-l before. It hasn't made one whit
> of difference to how highly its members think of AJ and our beloved
> chromatic  site.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> To verify (or not) that what I was told was accurate, I just did a scan of
> Brendan's postings on Slidemeister - searching for ANYthing which would
> indicate  he'd been an actual participating member of the forum. What I
> found
> were tons of  references to and about products and his music (many by me).
> I
> found a single  comment by him over more than a dozen full pages of posts
> that was not an  announcement or discussion of his new products and
> set-ups,
> or about his  discoveries or links to his website. I DO fully understand
> that
> at the moment  his focus is single-minded about his new products but that's
> not what  Slidemeister is about and everyone there knows it.
>
>
>  I'M more than willing to cut a certain amount of slack..perhaps  giving a
> bit more leeway before insisting that someone so very busy either
> participate 'for real' or ?? but it's not my site. AJ has long-since
> refused to
> allow his site to become a place for 'wares' to be sold or advertised - in
> effect using it for free advertising. IF one wants to go ahead and ignore
> his
> rules to do this--I guess there's a price? Then again--if time could be
> found
> to  write all these current complaints here, couldn't time have been found
> to  actively participate as a regular forum member of SM? I guess that's
> how
> AJ  thinks--and I wouldn't attempt to second-guess his decisions on HIS
> forum.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Harp-l might not allow advertising (as owner states), but it also now
> accepts financial support. Several of us talked AJ into doing this as
> well--rather than let the site close for lack of his personal funds. In
> fact we just
> sent in donations separately from each other to help keep the site  going.
> HE decided on his own that it wasn't enough to accept that support  without
> acknowledging those who did--so established a method to recognize the  main
> supporters (not that any of us care), but then to give back to people who
> might also wish to contribute --but have less, a way to be recognized. It's
> all  about (with him) of trying to thank those who have been either
> generous
> or kind.  Those of us who are able to contribute specify that the rules
> still fully  apply, even at the highest levels...no preferential treatment.
>
>
>
>
> Misunderstanding what lies behind this is so wrong. Also unlike harp-l and
> other harmonica sites, AJ is someone who's hands-on with his forum - he has
> to  be with the way it's set up. While owner-harp l made it clear he no
> longer  wishes to read everyday posts, AJ does (or tries to)--but the
> system is
>  different - is not done by email. This makes for entirely different
> forums--entirely different approaches. One isn't 'wrong' compared to the
> other.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> As much as I've personally supported Brendan for a very, very long time -
> in this case first threatening to air this particular grievance on harp-l
> and  then following through as payback (while tossing in other gratuitous
> insults)  against someone many of us care about while expecting
> intervention
> from the  other Slidemeisters is beyond my ken. Really? I had truly hoped
> cooler heads  would prevail by today and a compromise reached. By posting
> as was
> done here, how is that remotely possible now?
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> AJ's also long-since stated that he'd just as soon shut his site down than
> compromise his values, so threats and insults are entirely ineffectual. If
> everyone left, he'd likely simply close the doors and get some
> well-deserved  R&R. However, he hangs in for those of us who want him to.
> I've noticed
> over  the years that no one else is ever remotely interested in beginning
> their own  'all-chromatic harmonica' site since it's a huge amount of
> work, yet
> some people  still persist on coming onto the single really great chromatic
> forum and then  trying to force its originator/owner to change what works
> for him along with his  established principles. He makes that point in his
> rules' statement. That isn't  going to happen. Who would allow this on
> their
> own blog? Harp-l likewise has its  own specific rules and regulations
> although many here seem unaware that they do  exist.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> For the perusal of any who don't yet know anything about Slidemeister, or
> those who refused to play by the rules and are no longer members, here are
> two  paragraphs accepted by all who are currently signed on with the best
> chromatic  forum on the World Wide Web and written long before this current
> contretemps. (I have permission to post them here).
>
>
>
>
> Elizabeth
>
>
>
>
>
> "SlideMeister  is a place for Chromatic harmonica discussion, not a place
> for retailers to  "hawk their wares," promote themselves or otherwise "milk
> the group." If this is  your intent, save yourself the embarrassment of
> being
> publicly booted off the  forum and banned for life.
>
>
>
>
> and:
>
>
>
>
> SlideMeister  IS NOT A DEMOCRACY; and therefore does not provide dissenting
> members a platform  from which to voice their opinions on the forum's
> rules. This policy IS STRICTLY  enforced. SlideMeister is SlideMeister,
> and while
> its policies aren't actually  "carved in stone" for all intents and
> purposes; they are. If you think you're  coming here to change things;
> spare us all
> the drama by leaving now!
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>