[TMP] "The Editor is an Ogre?" Topic (2024)

I'm not sure why, but recently a number of people have made various charges against me (both at TMP and in other forums). I figured I might as well rebuff them all now, and get it over with. :-)

1. The Editor has a secret plan to turn TMP into a pay-only site.

Simply not true. I'm not saying there would be anything morally wrong about it if I ever did so - I mean, it's my website, it's my living. Am I making enough profit out of TMP to continue at it full-time? Not yet, but revenues continue to grow, and I'm optimistic.

2. The Editor represses free speech at TMP by "severely editing" the discussions.

Again, not true. I *do* try to keep an eye out for "personal attacks," which aren't allowed here, and for excessive language. If a post gets deleted, it gets deleted regardless of whether I happened to agree with it or not.

(I think what happens here is that somebody gets bent out of shape when I delete *their* post for calling someone an idiot, then they start yelling about how terrible I am...)

3. The Editor took advantage of his late nephew to instigate a paid membership system at TMP, then only gave 10% to medical expenses.

This claim is simply odious. Anyone can go to the Editorial page at TMP and see that I said from the beginning that 10% went to help my nephew (and was sufficient to pay ALL of the medical expenses). I had planned to start the Supporting Membership program in early 2004, but hurried the system into place because of my nephew's situation.

(By the way, thanks again to everyone for helping. I have some pictures of the little fellow that I mean to post here someday, when I have a quiet moment...)

4. The Editor steals news stories from other websites.

The vast majority of TMP news stories come from manufacturers who submit the stories directly to TMP. Other stories are based on public announcements made by hobby companies.

5. The Editor encourages sycophants to agree with him.

Well, like most human beings, I think it would be rather cool if everyone thought just like I do. :-) However, at TMP I usually limit myself to presenting facts, and let people make up their own minds.

6. The Editor is continually banning people, just for disagreeing with him.

Getting banned from TMP is a rather rare event. Haven't banned anyone in a long time. Of course, it's hard to fight a rumor, since they never cite an example...

7. The Editor only issues Bad Trader Alerts against companies that owe him money.

Given that most of the companies in the industry advertise at TMP, there's a good chance that if a company "goes bad," they owe TMP money. Usually, what happens is that a company gets upset about consumer complaints posted at TMP, then "gets even" by not paying their advertising bill.

For the record, two Bad Trader Alerts have been issued. One of those companies also owes TMP money. In both cases, the Consumer Affairs board documents many claims against both companies. Both companies are cooperating with TMP to resolve all complaints.

8. The Editor refuses to issue a Bad Trader Alert against New Wave.

Just haven't had time to do so - I can't just issue one, I have to research it and have the claims documented. I'm still busy with the existent alerts...

9. The Editor has set himself up as judge, jury and executioner over the wargaming hobby.

The only "power" I have, is given to me by the people who choose to visit my website. If I do have any power, then with that power comes an obligation to act. If I can help to correct a wrong, or point out a problem, then it's my duty to do so. If anyone thinks I have abused my position, they are free to criticize me on the Message Boards.

If anyone else wants to bring up any more concerns, please feel free to do so.

The grey background at TMP is clearly intended as a racial slur. :)

Thanks for the great site.

Jeff

I was going to post the other day about the "power" TMP now has. Things have changed Bill.

On the other hand, I am always amazed of how many people don't know anyting at all about this website.

I think TMP is a great vehicle for those "niche" companies to get their stuff promoted to people looking specifically for those "niche" products. A bad review on TMP can really make a big, big difference to a small company. On the other hand, all the bitching in the world isn't going to change GW. Power is a relative thing.

It's frustrating to see the smaller companies stab each other in the back, both here and other places. Ever notice how the big "evil" GW takes the high road? That may be apathy, but its probably a case of good (business) sense.

To get back on topic, I think you run a fine board, Bill.

I being oppressed!!!

Bill makes keep his page active on my desktop at work all day, and I have to check all the message boards or else the TMP secret police will beat down my doors and off I go to the Armintrout gulag

I being oppressed!!!

The Editor is Mike Myers? ;D

For New Wave, there's plenty of threads here on TMP...

I have dragged myself all the way from Lurkerville (as I do on rare occations) to say one thing:

I thought Bill handled all the recent upsets with commendable aplomb. Kudos.

Dave Hughes,
Griffin/Harbinger.

As I have said before, excellent site! I believe you to be running it as fair as you possibly can.

As to New Wave they have never cheated me out of my money. I have eventually (sometimes months) always gotten my product, but try emailing these boys. I have heard all kinds of excuse's from them on why it takes so long to get a reply, when you do get a reply. I expect much better from a company so I choose not to order from them anymore. Don't reward failure is what I say, go somewhere else.

Sadly and simply, people look for and fabricate reasons to raise a fuss. Its fun for them and entertainment during a boring period in their lives. I doubt they are extremely worried over if its all true or not. Not to mention people with ulterior motives.

I think that things are done better here and with more objectivity than any other forums I've been to. I've been trying to steer clear of this train wreck, but I respect this man greatly and had to put in a good word for him.

It seems that with the internet, email and message boards we get used to blabbing whatever we want with no accountability and call it freedom of speech. We often forget that even a public forum such as this is not a democracy and does not need to be treated as such. Stating one's case and asking questions about questionable practices by others can be done without being rude or mean. When people post verbally abusive attacks, they should be warned in the least and censored if needed. I have seen the editor post several responses defending a person's right to disagree with him and I respect that. I thought the lockdown was heavy handed, but again, I respect his right to handle matters on this message board as he sees fit. It would be better for all if people posting took some time to think about what they were writing and take responsibility for their actions even when anonymous.

Rodrick

When you're at the top Bill you have to expect pot shots to bring you down.

We the faithful will form a shield wall around you and act as your guard of honor!

I think its corny too.

The Editor is an Ogre? Which Mark; and who here is a GEV, then?

As to complaints that The Editor is acting like, well, an editor, they would seem to come from confused sources that might need to rethink some assumptions. TMP is one of the better resources for miniature gaming on the Internet, and hope sincerely that it will continue to remain so well into the future. (This coming from originally a simple advertiser, to a small group of active consumers of the information available here. Thank you, Editor.)

All seriousness aside, we always knew that The Editor was actually working for the saucer aliens, and are pleased that his cover has been blown.

I would like to state first that I have been an official resident here since 2001 and lurked around under an old username for about a year prior. I have seen many things come and go just like a lot of the other old-timers on here. I frequently visit the site throughout the day to see what people are talking about. I have yet to see anything that makes me think Bill is an "ogre." It's HIS site. We can voice our opinions on what we think he should do, but in the end he will do what he wants. If you're going to visit here, do it with that understanding. You'll find that it will make your life much less complicated.

And Bill, thank you.

Rich

I thought it was pretty funny that some people emailed to moan about their fundamental human rights being infringed during the brief board 'lockdown', and some made comparisons to various historical events of major import. All the while the editor went out of his way to keep those same people connected by posting all of their comments to the boards himself, while also working to fix the original problem. And the whole episode only lasted a few hours.

I like being instantly connected to the world, and I've been known to gripe about a few things, but even I can sometimes have a little bit of patience when required.

Your doing a great job Bill. While I mainly visit the site for the news items, I do occasionally browse the forums. As the head moderator for the Excelsior Entertainment forums, I know onerous a task that can be at times.

Thank you for exposing the sock puppets and I completely understand the reasoning behind not allowing non-paid members to post for a brief time which is why I intend to contribute now to your warchest.

Keep up the Good Work,

Seamus Muadhen

excelsiorentertainment.com

Actually, I see Bill the Editor as a Landsknecht Orc.... Since the OFM Continuum is the humongousest contributor, I guess that classifies me as a sycophant. Pfffffhhhttt. Hey, I PAID for the right to be a sycophant! I get nothing for it, but cheap ego gratification. I get to be John Carroll, John the OFM, and the Grammer and Speling (double sic) Fascist. All under the umbrella of the OFM Continuum.

Screw the critics. Your site, your rules. Hey, if you want to route some free samples my way for review, I can be even more of a sycophant. FIW, AWI, Pirates, War of Jenkin's Ear stuff, etc.

If you're an example, Bill, then I'm an Ogre too.

Embrace your inner Ogre, people.

But how do we know this "bill" isn't a sock puppet himself! No one expects the spanish inquisition!

His agenda, make some money while devoting far to much time into this website. Make it a gathering of information, a place to ask questions and get help...DAMN HIS HELPFUL AGENDA!!!

SOCKPUPPET OF THE GREATER GOOD!!!!

ahem.

Keep going Bill, we love ya :)

Do the paying members ever complain that the site might go
pay only?
its future is inevitable.
Thanks for your time and effort Bill. You should be monetarily compensated by every surfer that ever hit this site.

An Ogre hardly

Where did all these claims come from?

One thing though is you should be a bit more machavelian in your approach to 'lockdowns'

A notice saying smething like "If the posting situation does not calm down within 4 hours I will have no choice but to lock the boards"

if nothing else purely for political reasons. This way you establish A: there is a major problem and B: Everyone was warned to pull their socks up. c: when it happens you were faced with no choice and all spleen is vented on the sods that caused it and not you.

Also as a political move it might of been better to of locked the boards to all and removed the (false) perception the lockdown was connected somehow with paid memberships.

Finaly its a pity you didnt use the time to code something in that melted down peoples computers if they typed in the word sock puppet. :)

What we need is some posts like is Stargrunt II better than DBA for 3D space simulation using paper figures.

and news stories like GW employee caught eating the corpse of I-Kore (a TMP exclusive 'the real andy chambers story')

get the focus back onto minis et all.

apart from that keep up the good work and Im sorry its harder than it should be for you.

then again you might be an Ogre. You and your page are unstoppable, you can fire nukes.....tell me Bill do you have a strange attraction to command posts?

"I thought it was pretty funny that some people emailed to moan about their fundamental human rights being infringed during the brief board 'lockdown', and some made comparisons to various historical events of major import"

Thats a joke right?

[Where did all these claims come from?]

Various places, some here at TMP. Many from Greg Olstead, in a post at WargamesDirectory:

link

Damn, how much free time do these people have on their hands?

Next thing ya know Bill will be placed on the grassy knoll during the kennedy assassination.

Hey Bill, ever been to Dallas?

"The Editor is an Ogre? Which Mark; and who here is a GEV, then?"

I was also thinking/hoping this might be a thread about the Steve Jackson Games version of Ogre. Oh, well...

Bill, that's the biggest load-o-poop I've heard in quite a while. When I started visiting here back in December, I remember telling the Missus about how shocked I was at what people get away with saying here.

I know several people who I personally like very much but I will not participate in their boards because I think they are fanatical moderators. Compared to the boards those folks run, this place is "knock down, drag out".
It's just amazing how whiney some people can be.

Here's a proposal.... If TMP is too "restrictive", go start your own board. EZ Board, Bravenet and several other outfits can even host and set you up so you don't even need to be a genius at coding. Of course, don't be suprised if, one day, you find yourself cast as the latest "Forum Despot" to hit the web.

Really a truly excellent site Bill ... I'm glad I stumbled upon it and even gladder I subscribed. Please keep it up ...!

[Thanks for your fine work and please know that I admire your approach and abilities! Hal]

Them's nice words from you, Hal. One of my readers told me the other day that if I keep things up, in another decade I'll be in your league! It's amazing what you did with MWAN Magazine for so long - glad to have you at TMP!

Ladies and Gentlemen of the boards,

I have just one thing to say that I didn't see has been said yet. I only say this......If these "critics" don't like it they can move on and run their very own board their own damn way. It is easy to criticizes. It is hard to do it yourself. Nuff said? :-)

Grimm

It has been asked for and I've willingly contributed donations to TerraGenesis, ConsimWorld, and TMP. The Aerodrome declined my unsolicited offer.

Many other sites I visit on rare occasions have a donation policy as well. Unless you are content to put up with ad supported sites only, a free ride is a diminishing part of the Internet's past. Once upon a time, in my youth, we'd get catalogs in the mail, free for the asking. Then they began to ask for pre-paid postage. Then they had to charge for the catalogs.

Times change. 3¢ stamps don't move a first class letter anymore.

Frothers Unite now hosts gwartisan's excesses. The owners of that site tolerate him. We are free to choose not to. Or visit there for a wicked thrill.

Thanks, Bill, for all you do.

"Who will help me bake the cake" said the little red hen?

"Not me" said all the other animals.

"Who will help me eat the cake" said the little red hen.

"I will" said everyone.

"Sod off" said the LRH.

Moral. 'The Editor' baked this site himself and can darn well do what he likes with it. Please don't let the absurd 'allegations' and smears which you've dignified by listing above worry you.

The site is great, and some people will complain about everything. Prats.

btw, I will be becoming a supporting member next payday, because I think the site is worth it and you deserve the few bucks.

I'm mostly a lurker here, Bill, but over time I have learned that this is THE site for keeping track of the things that interest me most hobby-wise. We're all well-acquainted with the fact that you can't please everyone all the time and the naysayers are evidence of that. It's a shame, though, because their distorted perspective is preventing them from seeing that this site is unbiased and replete with journalistic integrity. Not to mention the public service provided to all of us in the hobby free of charge.

Please keep up your excellent work and make sure the few don't bring you down.

-Paul

This is the only such site I visit faithfully. Perhaps I have an affinity for ogres.

I suspect that in your place I would be considerably less patient than you are.

I've seen nothing but fair and even handedness from The Editor. Its really a shame he has to defend his own site management.

This is one of the least childish message boards I've been to and its what keeps me coming back - at least once a day.

TMP is the best!

Bill, I'm glad you made one of your rare appearances on the Wargames Directory to straighten things out in the thorough way you did.

The only qualms I have about this site is that it is addictive. Perhaps a warning would be in its place?

Don't let 'em hash your mellow, Bill. You're doin' a great job, bra'.

Sometimes I think you might be a little too tolerant. I occasionally re-read some of my posts and wish you'd gotten rid of them. It would be nice for people not to have any evidence that I can be a jerk. ;)

Whatisitgood4atwork -

You left out the next bits:

The duck said " I'm going to sue for my fair share!" The fox said "I'm calling the Inland Revenue and pointing out that the LRH didn't pay tax on the ingredients!" and the pig said " My social worker is organising a boycott on LRH eggs. . . . "

All the snme, The Editor is a high-profile target so he's going to be critiqued. Ignore most if not all these detractors, mate, they are jealous pimples on the butt-end of the hobby.