Dirty-South Blues Harp Forum: For blues harmonica players, students, and fans

Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! > memo from Richard Vale: Gussow is an a--hole

memo from Richard Vale: Gussow is an a--hole

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kudzurunner 688 posts Sep 15, 2009 6:57 PM	As most of you know, this board has been plagued by spam since the beginning. At a certain point, even though it meant more work for me, I decided--at the request of several board members--to make this board members-only. There's no spam filter. There's only me, spending half an hour, twice a week, to wade through the spam and approve applications. I'm a decent man but a very bad wizard. In an effort to lighten my load a little, I've put a pretty unambiguous advisory at the top of the forum homepage. It makes a simple request: please register once, then give me a week to process the application. If I still haven't activated your membership by then, please email me and ask what's up. A surprising number of people simply ignore the advisory. They register two or three times in rapid succession. Or they register once a day for two or three days. Or they register once, then, within a day or two, email me to ask why they can't log on. I try to keep my sense of humor about all this, but I'm no saint--nor do I think that more than one saint (Joe Filisko) is needed in the world of blues harmonica. Even I can get edgy. When I do...well, you be the judge. :) Here's a recent exchange. Ya gotta love blue harmonica players. They know how to speak their mind. His name is Richard Vale. He gave me a day or two to activate, that emailed to ask why he couldn't log on. I quickly replied. His response to my email leads off: "It's really not that important that I register, since you appear to be a class A asshole." On Sun, Sep 13, 2009 at 5:47 AM, [Adam Gussow] wrote: When did you try to register? As per the directions in large boldfaced caps on the forum homepage, did you give me at least a week to enable your membership? Lately a number of people, failing to take the advisory seriously, have registered multiple times and I have rejected their applications. Multiple applications make extra work for me--fighting uphill against a tide of spam as I am--and so I decided to make membership in the forum contingent on an applicant's ability to follow one very simple guideline: register once, only once, and give me time to process it. The reason I require this is simple: people who won't even follow that one simple and ridiculously well-highlighted procedure are unlikely to take serious other elements of the forum, such as the requirement that we treat each other with respect." Last Edited by on Sep 15, 2009 7:01 PM
kudzurunner 689 posts Sep 15, 2009 7:10 PM	By the way, just for the record, here are the handles of the 960+ members who currently belong to this board. Quite a few luminaries, I'm happy to say. You'll be able to ID them from their handles, in many cases. Several people, you may also notice, have duplicate handles. They were people who applied multiple times. Before I realized this was happening, I just approved every single application. Then I realized that I was spending needless time doing this, so I posted the advisory and began taking abuse: Merlin Edit 12gagedan Edit 1971nimmo Edit 2draw Edit 3 cav 84a Edit 3bendsandablo Edit 3firstnames Edit 40ozpounder Edit 528hemi Edit 52blacklightning Edit 62stratman Edit 67evolvo Edit 68Champ Edit 99 Edit Adam Woodall Edit addict Edit aimoid Edit AirMojo Edit aj_silverberg Edit aka Edit Albey Edit Alex Edit alexm Edit alextonifor Edit alljazz Edit AlphaHog Edit Alsis Edit andrei_andrei Edit Andrew Edit andyr-g Edit andysheep8 Edit anne-elbe Edit Ant138 Edit antidan Edit Antoiosi Edit apskarp Edit Arbish Edit Arbite Edit Arcadiandj Edit Archies Edit Arminusa Edit Army Edit arropaptics Edit arzajac Edit asilve3 Edit Atilla Edit Aussiesucker Edit AW Edit Axident Edit azzazzello Edit B-HarpAdams Edit b1ueskyz Edit backtoblack5 Edit BadAssHarmonica Edit badman Edit Baker Edit banning Edit baruh Edit basil Edit bassburner Edit Bassmosphere Edit baz Edit Bb Edit bcw Edit bd Edit BdBlues Edit bdr Edit bean4130 Edit BeelzeBob Edit belfast_harper Edit Beli Edit Bellodona Edit Ben Bouman Edit Bendus Edit beng Edit Bennyblue Edit bernmurd Edit beta-harps Edit beverlys Edit bezoomy Edit BezoomyZvook Edit bflblue Edit Bharath Edit Bharath Rajakumar Edit Big G Edit Big Heart Saul Edit BigBlindRay Edit Bige610 Edit BigHarper Edit bigmal Edit Bigo57deano Edit birdman Edit bitterbug Edit Blackbird Edit Blacktea Edit Blind Lemon Yoder Edit Blind Melon Edit BlindBob Edit Blocker Edit Blowyourbrassoff Edit blue_newbie Edit bluebirdbop Edit BlueDoc Edit bluedogg Edit bluedragon Edit BlueHazze Edit bluemoon Edit bluemoose Edit blueprints Edit Blues Guey Edit Blues Viking Edit Blues_Blues Edit BluesGangRon Edit bluesharp22 Edit bluesharper Edit bluesman144 Edit bluesman1961 Edit bluesmanwales Edit bluesmies Edit bluesnut Edit bluesox Edit bluesstruggler Edit BlueWB Edit BlueX_China Edit bluezboy Edit BluTed Edit Bluzdude46 Edit Bluzeman Edit bluzlvr Edit bmotive Edit bo5co Edit Bob217 Edit Bobbyred16 Edit BocomoJoe Edit Bogie Edit Bogie66 Edit bohemian Edit BoroHarp Edit bothyman Edit br8080 Edit Brad Edit Bradley Edit Brendan Power Edit BrendanP Edit Bri Edit brian07 Edit Brillo Edit Bronko Edit BronxHarp Edit brotherblues Edit Brothergerr Edit Bruce S Edit Bruce Valley Edit Bruno Edit bubba Edit Buddha Edit bujeremy Edit Burg Edit buterfieldsociety Edit Buzadero Edit buzzell369 Edit Cadillacfrank Edit caffeinatedinsomniac Edit caffeiNater Edit CanadianHarp Edit Canner Edit cannerr Edit Captain Edit CardsBigLover Edit Carl_Comfort Edit CarolynViolin Edit carp1 Edit carpelux Edit Casey Edit catfish row Edit Cavalier Green Edit cblue85 Edit cdsprocket Edit chadwalker Edit charles1963 Edit charlie coy Edit charlyharp Edit che Edit Chevus Edit Chinaski Edit Chinn Edit ChipperHarp Edit Chooglin' Edit Chowda30 Edit Chris Jones Edit ChrisA Edit chrisa11 Edit ChrisD Edit Christelle Berthon Edit christopher godwin Edit chrisvanamersfoort Edit chromaticblues Edit chromatonic Edit Chuck29 Edit cindy1 Edit Cisco Edit cj Edit clarky3009 Edit CleosMM Edit Cliff Edit cloud 1i Edit cloud1i Edit cm16600 Edit coachmcc28 Edit Coalhog Edit coalhog1 Edit codyrigby Edit cold in canada Edit comstockkidd Edit congaron Edit Cooch Edit CoolHobieCat Edit corporal Edit cottonwolf Edit cproctor Edit crazylegs Edit curmill Edit D.C. Edit DaCapuchin Edit DaDoom Edit dambuster Edit Damon Edit Dan on the moon Edit DangerMouse Edit danielbs Edit DanJH1202 Edit danny b Edit DanP Edit Dark Dave Edit Dark Dave25 Edit DaveRust Edit David Thomas Edit DavidC Edit davycrock Edit Dduck Edit DeaconBlue Edit DeakHarp Edit Deluxe8765 Edit DesertDog Edit deshiblue Edit detroitbluebird Edit DevonTom Edit dewey.deloe Edit dfg Edit dfwdlg Edit DH Edit DHayes Edit Dibe Edit Dickie Edit Diggsblues Edit dirtd73 Edit Dizil Edit Dizil84 Edit djm3801 Edit DM Edit dmarxs Edit Docgr8fl Edit DocJon Edit Dog Edit Doghouse Edit Don523 Edit doova Edit Douguitar Edit downsouthblues Edit dph6k Edit Dr.Colossus Edit Drbeastie Edit drdave Edit Driftwood Edit Dublife Edit Dule Edit dustyalexander Edit DutchBones Edit dwalton72 Edit Earlina Edit easyjuke Edit EddyLizard2 Edit EdgarHF Edit Egg Edit eharp Edit electrified Edit Elephunk Edit Elk River Edit ElkRiverHarmonica Edit ElkRiverHarmonicas Edit Elwood Edit emmmi Edit enjaye Edit eosdelb Edit equaltocody Edit Eric Edit EricK Edit erna; Edit ernal Edit etclaws Edit Ev630 Edit Explorz Edit falconer Edit filehead Edit Fireknight Edit fishbone Edit FishFeathersMacTeeth Edit Fishlips Edit fiveo-tryin-to-blow Edit fiveoh Edit fiveoh-tryin-to-blow Edit foots2007 Edit franjon Edit Frankeds Edit Fred S Edit Fredrider51 Edit freewayJam Edit Furball Edit gabrielse Edit gaffer9 Edit GamblersHand Edit garcilancho Edit Gary M. Reynolds Edit gasaro Edit Gaukur Edit gazzer Edit gene Edit genesis Edit geordiebluesman Edit GermanHarpist Edit Germanus Edit GGiles Edit GHarp Edit gilou Edit GM Edit gmacleod15 Edit GobIronWard Edit Golden----Casino Edit gorignak Edit gr8dna Edit Grafne Edit grasshopper Edit Gray Edit Greg Heumann Edit Grillslinger Edit guitarharpman Edit Gus Edit Guthrie Edit Gwood420 Edit Gwythion Edit Hakan Edit Hammik Edit Hammik973 Edit happy harper Edit Harley Edit Harmonica Slim Edit HarmonicaBob Edit harmonicanick Edit harp2nes Edit harpattack Edit harpboy Edit HarpBoyTodd Edit harpcrab Edit harpcraze Edit harpdog Edit harper Edit harper13 Edit harpestry Edit harpinholley Edit HarpinNinja Edit harpinonfire Edit Harpist Edit harpjb Edit HARPMAN Edit HarpMan Freeman Edit HarpmanHatter Edit harpmonkey Edit harpnoodler Edit harpnwillys Edit Harps_On Edit harpslinger Edit Harpwidow Edit harpwrench Edit harpyasasandboy Edit Harry the Hat Edit harveykail Edit hazmat Edit hepcat Edit heppy Edit hhoggard Edit Himenas Edit Hippieharpist128 Edit Hobostubs Ashlock Edit Hollistonharper Edit Holpie Edit honeydawg Edit Honkin On Bobo Edit Hotrodder701 Edit Howler Edit howlin' madmart Edit hprop Edit Hunter/Hunted Edit I Suck Edit ianharpo Edit ideaman Edit Infraro Edit InhaleExhale Edit intune Edit isaacullah Edit islero Edit isuckharp Edit J-Sin Edit jackmaya Edit jacko Edit jackson Edit jackw8 Edit Jacob Henry Edit jaimekike Edit jaimepatak Edit Jake Goodman Edit jamdigger Edit James Turner Edit Jamie Edit Jan Karlsen Edit Janettta Edit Janetttt Edit jaroddra Edit JarrowSlim Edit jawbone Edit jawbones Edit Jay Gaunt Edit Jaybird Edit Jaybird03 Edit Jaybird803 Edit JayG Edit jaymcc28 Edit jbgood Edit jbkehl Edit jbone Edit jbrad Edit Jeff Edit Jeff from NH Edit JeffNH Edit Jennnny Edit jerry Edit Jerry Wayne Edit Jfllr1 Edit Jim Rumbaugh Edit jimbo Edit jimbo1 Edit jimhartling Edit JimInMO Edit Jimmy Edit jimmyjames Edit jimmylove Edit Jinerst Edit jllbeans Edit Jlwctn Edit Joe Jesse Edit Joe6 Edit JoetheMagician Edit jofjltn4 Edit John Hachman Edit JohnR Edit JohnsonR Edit Johnster Edit johntrem Edit Jojadog Edit Jon Gindick Edit JonG Edit JonGindick Edit jonsparrow Edit JonV Edit JonVaughan Edit Joorgeta Edit JoshTheMagish Edit journey Edit JoyK Edit jpittssr Edit jpmcbride Edit JTThirty Edit judhug Edit Juidscruica Edit JuniorHarp Edit juniorwellslovechild Edit Justin Edit jwanderson Edit K D Patten Edit Kaining Edit KC69 Edit KeithE Edit Kenny B Edit Kenny-B Edit KennyR Edit kenwallace Edit KevinS Edit kGuntherb Edit Kiklopes Edit Kingley Edit KingoBad Edit Kitt Gamble Edit KrippledKiwi Edit Kristinas Edit Kromwelll Edit kudzurunner Edit KudzuWalker Edit Kyzer Sosa Edit LAGUNA SLIM Edit Laurence B Edit Lavalona Edit layer100 Edit Leanground Edit lennymo Edit LeonStagg Edit Li'l Stinker Edit Liftmech Edit Ligitas Edit LilBird Edit lilt001 Edit LilWillieB Edit Linkster Edit lintos1 Edit LIP RIPPER Edit liquidfire Edit lite Edit Little Ryan Edit LittleJoeSamson Edit livingstonel Edit ljohn Edit Lopaka Edit Loren C Ball Edit loud4 Edit Lovelita Edit LoveThatHarp Edit LovinThatHarp Edit Luiz Edit Luke Juke Edit lumpy Edit lumpy wafflesquirt Edit lumpyW Edit luniki Edit lunique Edit Luther Edit Lyncnigecew Edit M Edit Maccy Edit Maciekdraheim Edit maddogg4517 Edit madhans Edit MagicNick Edit MagicPauley57 Edit Maltheduke Edit MamaT Edit Mangy Edit manlio Edit Manny Steve Edit Maple Leaf Edit marc b Edit marcos Edit Marcus Edit Marijanw Edit MarioMS Edit mariopiper Edit markdc Edit markdc70 Edit Martina Edit Matt P Edit Matthew Edit Matzen Edit Max-T Edit Maxobrien2 Edit mbuk Edit mcfly Edit MD1032 Edit mdazc Edit mdbct Edit mdh90 Edit Melonman7 Edit Memphis Mike Edit metalosaurio Edit mf Edit Mgimino Edit Miami2017 Edit mic Edit Micha Edit MichaelAndrewLo Edit MichaelM Edit mickil Edit mickybluze Edit MidnightSteve Edit MIKE C. 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Hutch Edit taiji Edit talldog Edit Talos1975 Edit TARHEELVAN Edit TBone69 Edit tbox Edit The Bluesman Edit the frozen canuck Edit The Gloth Edit The Happy Harper Edit The_Black_Note Edit TheBlackNote Edit TheDuke Edit TheFanHead2 Edit TheG Edit thehoppingsparrow Edit TheLastPeanut Edit TheMagish Edit theotherkidd Edit thescip Edit ThomasBro Edit thorvaldsen76 Edit Throttleskeezer Edit thunderchicken Edit Thunderfromheaven Edit Tiandrézio Edit tictoc07 Edit timmy47 Edit tlamatini Edit tlchase68 Edit tmccombe Edit toamille Edit ToddAllenGates Edit toddlgreene Edit tolga7t Edit Tom 1960 Edit tombo Edit TomM Edit TomM22 Edit Tompyb54 Edit Toni Reed 97420 Edit Tonis Edit tonish Edit tonish1 Edit Tony C Edit Tonyh Edit TonyRyan Edit tookatooka Edit toomyg155 Edit tootalldan Edit touttwiline Edit tpbiii Edit Train-train Edit traps53 Edit treB Edit Tristam88 Edit Tristanbot Edit Tryharp Edit Tuckster Edit turtleman Edit tuss Edit Tweed Edit twocanplayatthat Edit TylerLannan Edit ubg Edit uli58 Edit unclevit Edit väinämöinen Edit vic45 Edit vicar88 Edit Vicksburg Edit viduayte Edit Vineyarder Edit Violin Cat Edit wade Edit Wags Edit wailing Edit wailnwillie Edit walace Edit Walleye Edit Walter Edit Walter Wood Edit Walter Wood 3 Edit walterharp Edit waltznj Edit Warbleman Edit wd40 Edit whatever Edit WhatKee? Edit Wheelz Edit wheezer Edit Wildfire Edit windjammer Edit Winslow Edit WinslowYerxa Edit wizardputt Edit WmLee Edit woodwalker Edit X-Ray Man Edit XHarp Edit Xsinville Edit y0da777 Edit Yobenny Edit ZackP Edit ZackPomerleau Edit zemp Edit Zhin Edit zobot Edit ZoneIII Edit zonkyeah Edit Last Edited by on Sep 15, 2009 7:12 PM
Leanground 77 posts Sep 15, 2009 7:16 PM	Wow, what an asshole Richard Vale
kudzurunner 691 posts Sep 15, 2009 7:27 PM	Heck, I probably would have responded the same way he did. It's kind of funny, actually. I've been put in a situation in which, unless I'm a saint, I'm invariably going to piss somebody off. And no matter HOW BIG I MAKE THE FONT IN THE ADVISORY AND HOW THREATENING I MAKE THE ADVISORY people keep ignoring it. They keep making extra work for me and expecting me to deliver prompt, cheerful service when they do this. What a life. It could be much worse, of course. I could be six feet underground. So I can't take any of this very seriously.
Leanground 78 posts Sep 15, 2009 7:39 PM	It does hurt when you give sincerely and get this in return...I empathize with you Mark Hayden Leanground
Bluzdude46 152 posts Sep 15, 2009 8:44 PM	The Biggest challenge to being a proper asshole, of course, is accepting it. I have long ago come to terms with it, having two ex-wives to remind me constantly has been a big help in this. I find facing myself in the mirror daily before I practice harmonica and annunciate in the best tradition of The Juliard School so it can be heard in the back row... "I AM an asshole" helps. This very well may be the best advise I've given on this board. Hmmm. Hope it helps.
sgsax 10 posts Sep 15, 2009 8:55 PM	Ah yes, but have you tried blinking text yet? Then you would get to be a Class A+ asshole. Especially for all the harp playing web designers.
jonsparrow 1009 posts Sep 15, 2009 9:49 PM	LOL! Elk River Edit ElkRiverHarmonica Edit ElkRiverHarmonicas Edit Jon Gindick Edit JonG Edit JonGindick Edit LOL kudzurunner Edit KudzuWalker Edit Last Edited by on Sep 15, 2009 9:51 PM
ElkRiverHarmonicas 195 posts Sep 15, 2009 9:50 PM	Look, Adam, to Mr. Richard Vale, you really seem like an asshole. I don't think you are, even if you did specifically name me in a party of those who "simply ignored" you. There was in your e-mail to him, what he probably sees as assholish is that you assumed he had ignored this advisory. I don't know that he did. The deal is when a blatant disregard of something is THIS prevalent, there is something going on you don't know about and you are flat wrong. You did name names there of every member of your forum who registered multiple times. I registered three times when I joined. It says so in your post. I also sent you an e-mail asking what was going on. Really, though, do you think I sat around thinking "Gussow and his advisory can go straight to hell. I'll try registering again?" I don't think you thought that. But you did say "a suprising number of people simply ignore the advisory" and then named those who had. I don't think you meant anything by that. When do people sign up? Do they say "I'm gonna go to Gussow's forum and sign up!" No, come in on a post, somebody sent a link to a thread, or they just go in a thread and read it. That's what happened to me. I never saw your advisory before I registered three times. Wasn't because I ignored it. I went through a registration just now for email address: ignore@ignore.jackass.pisswalker.com, I meant nothing by that, only so picked the name so you'd surely ignore it. I played the role of a newbie coming in, just so I make sure it wasn't obvious and I missed it. I clicked on an interesting thread. As a newbie, I read down through the posts, find one and think "this post is bullcrap, I must respond" or "this post is awesome, I must respond." That's how most people wind up registering, they find something they want to reply to and it says "anonymous posts not allowed." Ok, so now in my role as a newbie, I must register. The registration form comes up. But I still can't get in. As the newbie, I can only assume there is some glitch and the registration didn't work, becuase there is nothing to tell me otherwise. At no point in this registration was the advisory visible, only when I first came into the forum just to look at a thread, but wasn't planning to do anything more than read a thread or two, not register. They're not ignoring, they are not seeing. It is very easy to go through the registration process without seeing that message. Last Edited by on Sep 15, 2009 9:55 PM
RyanMortos 299 posts Sep 15, 2009 10:35 PM	Some of those names are not only funny but I dont believe Ive seen post at all in the last year. Shame theres no database storing when everyone joined, how many posts, & when was their last post then a simple search & destroy of those who joined over 8 months ago with zero posts could be executed. I kinda thought it would be helpful anyway to add to people's posts a 'member since: MMYY' & 'playing harmonica since: MMYY' to help know who youre dealing with. Anyway... ---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
jonsparrow 1014 posts Sep 15, 2009 10:37 PM	i love how many members names starts with "blues"
walterharp 59 posts Sep 15, 2009 10:41 PM	thanks kudzu... i for one appreciate the effort to keep the static to a minimum. sometimes you need to work a bit to get the good things in life, and this board has good stuff without the junk, hell, i waited to get on and it was worth it
RyanMortos 300 posts Sep 15, 2009 10:46 PM	Ill tell you though, macwebsite forum builder gets a thumbs down from me. No wonder I havent seen another forum built from it. They should add things like private messaging ability & verification tools that have been used for years to make sure a registering person isnt a bot can be used so you dont have to verify applicants. Clearly they dont care if their product is marketable. ---------- ~Ryan Pennsylvania - H.A.R.P. (Harmonica Association 'Round Philly)
scstrickland 241 posts Sep 15, 2009 11:54 PM	WOW! what a list. Can you say silent majority? @ At Adam, thanks for putting up with all the crap for us, so we don't have to. I dread the day that you finally give up and pull your finger from the dyke and allow a flood of porn, Viagra, Weight loss peddlers overwhelm up. As they say "When the levee breaks...."
Kingley 359 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:28 AM	Most forums have a large number of members who virtually never post. Most have a very small number of highly active users. Then the rest just kind of ebb and flow. It's just like a conversation. There are the constant chatterers and those who interject occasionally. Then of course there are those that just prefer to listen. However when they do speak they always have something valuable to contribute. I agree with Dave Payne that a lot of people probably aren't understanding the registration method. It is of course very simple to understand when you read it. Yet as we all know a lot of people just don't read things properly. Adam does a pretty good job of running the whole forum. Although I do agree that "Macwebsitebuilder" is probably not the best thing to do it with. Last Edited by on Sep 16, 2009 12:29 AM
Andrew 614 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:30 AM	Yeah, but with that attitude Richard is bound to be a virtuoso.
apskarp 34 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:43 AM	I think ElkRiver.. has a point there. I too registered multiple times because I didn't see the guidelines. I got to this forum by googleting "Blackheart BH-5" and wanted to respond a thread. It wasn't clear to me why I couldn't log in even though I registered - so I figured something went wrong and tried again. Another thing is that you have (in my opinion) too much text at the beginning of this forum. I know you are a book writer and so you propably enjoy reading etc. But in the quick world of internet, people surf through hundreds of web pages - of course they learn to ignore text. Actually I must admit that I just now read for the first time _all_ the bolded text concerning this registeration process, although I've been reading this forum for months now and it's the first things that I see when I come to this site. (And even now I couldn't make myself read the etiquette part.) Of course, I'm not a native english speaker/reader so it might be one reason to ignore some of the stuff. But I think you can see clearly that something doesn't work well if so many people are doing the same mistakes.
The Gloth 163 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:53 AM	Wouldn't it be possible to put the advisory on the register form ? That would solve most of the problem.
Hakan 5 posts Sep 16, 2009 3:14 AM	Adam, I know I did register two times. I didn't understand that you had to approve, so I tried to register and I "failed" and I thought what the hell did I wrong now. So I tried again with another name. "Failed" again. Then I gave up. After a while I found a link with the info that you had to approve, then I understood. So for me, it was not 100% obvious that I had to wait for approval. Maybe you can clarify.
jbone 148 posts Sep 16, 2009 4:04 AM	sometimes it gets ambiguous, this whole username thing. mine is a case in point. my good pal from the frozen north is also known as jawbone, hence i usually use the jbone moniker in recent years. so i see there are 2 jawbones and one jbone listed as registering, and i honestly have no recollection of registering more than once. if i did i apologize for making more work for you adam. i do remember it was easy to sign up, and i do recall the advent of the message about the week's wait and the reason for it. made sense then and makes sense now. was it pt barnum who said, you can't please the whole crowd? if everyone likes you you're not doing your job.
mickil 521 posts Sep 16, 2009 5:14 AM	I can't remember if when I registered there was a wait or the whole process was instantaneous; though, I think it was the latter. If memory serves, Doc hadn't yet felt the need to introduce screening for spam, though I could be wrong. Anyway, I deviate from the point. It does seem as though these days many people don't read instructions that are presented to them, even in the work place. I can't remember how many times I've said to colleagues, 'Did you read that e-mail I sent about...?' and I've received a blank look. It's even worse on the www, where impatiance, often slow connections, and the urge to have what you want now seem insatiable. In my haste, I don't always read stuff on the Web thoroughly. Coupled with geographical distance, people seem ruder than ever. Once on here I was rude enough to feel the need to apologise to my fellow board member. I think that it might be easier to just forget the vetting process altogether: the forum would filter out scumbags trying to sell viagra or whatever crap scumbags try to sell on the www. I suppose that in time assholes will show themselves and just get ignored by the rest of the board. ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa YouTube SlimHarpMick Last Edited by on Sep 16, 2009 5:18 AM
Bluzdude46 153 posts Sep 16, 2009 5:49 AM	Whatcha tryin' to say there Jon, huh? huh? careful I already accepted I'm an asshole, What do I got to lose?
Preston 501 posts Sep 16, 2009 6:21 AM	Wow, Dave Payne (and others) are right! I was setting here thinking to myself, "how in the hell can anyone miss the big sign at top of the forumn home page". But if you enter a thread from an outside link, and try to post, it DOES take you to a registration page that DOES NOT give the rules of registering. Adam, wether you are or are not an asshole, the registration rules need moved to the registration page for your own sake...
XHarp 161 posts Sep 16, 2009 6:51 AM	Waiting isn't so bad, the world isn't going to end if you don't get onto an internet forum for a whole week. Adam, Don't let them get under your skin. You run a great board, manage the spam very well and allow us to vent approriately without the use of moderators. Job well done! Thanks. ---------- "Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
Bluzdude46 155 posts Sep 16, 2009 6:52 AM	For the record, I understood the process, I have control enough over instant gratification to have survived the process, and I'm ok with Adam being an asshole, it adds to his mystique. Welcome to the Club Brother!!!
Bluzdude46 156 posts Sep 16, 2009 6:52 AM	I'm having WAY too much fun with this
kudzurunner 692 posts Sep 16, 2009 7:47 AM	Unfortunately, there is no way of taking the boldfaced advisory, which currently sits at the top of the forum homepage, and pasting it into the "register" page. Can't be done. Macwebsitebuilder is what it is. I wish it had a little more functionality, but it doesn't. People who play blues--and blues harmonica--come in two varieties: those who can't be satisified, and those who (often with the help of a sense of humor) can't be defeated. Some cultivate grievances; others know it could be worse and tend to take more pleasure than pain from the hand that is dealt to them. This forum has both kinds of people. I'm more the second kind of person than the first kind, but I've got enough of the first kind in me to be able to empathize with them. It seems to me that when somebody wants to join a particular forum, it's their obligation to find out something about the place. I don't think it's too much to ask folks who want to join this forum to go to the homepage and see what we're about. Anybody who does that can't help but see my advisory. Anybody who made the mistake of registering several times before seeing the advisory and then wrote to me saying, "Hey, I made a mistake but I really want to join your forum"--obviously I approved their application. I wasn't trying to highlight misbehavior by anybody when I posted that long list. (I certainly didn't scroll all the way down to the E's and notice that ElkRiverHarmonicas had registered three times. But hey: thanks for making sure we all noticed that.) I was also aware that a number of registrants no longer post here. I posted the entire list out of a desire to highlight the fact that the forum has gotten quite large, and thus that it is reasonable of me to ask for help and forbearance in the matter of multiple registrations. It would be much easier for me to open this forum to everybody, not just registrants. I may do that. Last Edited by on Sep 16, 2009 7:48 AM
ElkRiverHarmonicas 197 posts Sep 16, 2009 8:03 AM	Of course you weren't singling anybody out and I don't mind folks knowing I registered three times. But, you also gave me no trouble about it. Never mentioned it. I think when I wrote you about it, you just said they have to be manually approved. Could moderators do some of this work?
XHarp 164 posts Sep 16, 2009 8:17 AM	"It would be much easier for me to open this forum to everybody, not just registrants. I may do that." Now now, don't go doing anything rash. Not a good idea. We are reasonablly civil and happy with things and the SPAM, rude and unprofessional intrusions would not be good. ---------- "Keep it in your mouth" - XHarp
Bluzdude46 159 posts Sep 16, 2009 8:43 AM	I would be glad to help out in anyway I can. I don't think I've said it and it needs to be said. Thank you Adam, Ive gotten alot out of your site, your presentation that you did in Frederick MD last year, your music over the years ( I knew of Satan and Adam before they were cool) all you've added to the discussions here and your help in advancing the music form that I love. Michael
jaymcc28 145 posts Sep 16, 2009 8:47 AM	RE: "Class A Asshole". Not to go off on a tangent but... My boss just had his first colonoscopy last week. He told me that he had no issues, polyps, etc. He set himself up for a line I've been dying to use on someone of a 'higher rank'...I informed him that the doctor confirmed what we all at work already knew... He was a perfect asshole!
jaymcc28 146 posts Sep 16, 2009 9:01 AM	But, a more serious note: I'm also guilty of registering twice and it was the same issue as most of the others...I didn't bother to read the message, thought I did something wrong, tried again, etc. If Vale thought Adam was an asshole, whatever class he deemed worthy, it is his own little issue. If he had been trolling around this forum for any period of time and/or checked out Adam's videos (both of which I would assume would be true, otherwise, why be here at all?)then he should be able to identify that Adam is far from an asshole and maybe cut him some slack. Personally, I find people like this Vale character, who are quick to pass judgment or jump to extremes to be folk I just don't want to associate with. When I see discussions on this forum between members that I feel fit the same category I simply ignore them, or sit back and laugh to myself about how ignorant they are coming across. Having been one of the 'abusers' who registered multiple times, I can see the different holes in the system that can lead to the problem. However, understanding the amount of time that Adam puts in to this whole thing FREE I can see where his frustration would come from as well. Remember, there are 3 sides to every story, one persons perception on one side, the others on the opposite side and the truth somewhere in the middle.
fishbone 1 post Sep 16, 2009 9:04 AM	KudZuRunner...please keep up the good work you're doing here. I learn so much from this forum. Maybe there is someone to help 'Moderate' your needs. Some people, like me, rarely comment (I'm a newbe to harp) at this forum and the other music related forums I belong to, I lurk around read as much as possible. I always use the 'search' option, that really limits the DSQ's (Dumb Shit Questions) But this is a great site...no spam, lots of info, filled with good people looking to learn, teach and showcase their skills. Over look the jerks, keep up the good work! Kenny Fishbone
Pluto 11 posts Sep 16, 2009 9:14 AM	The main reason I signed up was to swap info with fellow harp players. Following that in a close second place is the chuckles I get from the various exchanges. Adams description of the two varieties of harp players had me in stitches. When is your book coming out???????? Pluto
congaron 134 posts Sep 16, 2009 9:18 AM	After being amazed at e "labor of love" on youtube, I was equally amazed that you would do this forum as well. I appreciate it. I have learned a ton here i about 7 months since I started to play. I don't think I found this for at least another month. You have done well, Adam.
bluedogg 10 posts Sep 16, 2009 10:38 AM	i think class A asshole is meant as a good thing. My ex wife calls me that often and i'm sure she loves me! lol. this is a GREAT site. i belong to a few others and sometimes days go by without a single post. every day i find something informative, something entertaining and usually something amusing. For many years i have been a bass player that also plays blues harp, but i am working on being a blues harp player that also plays bass. this site with all its members is certainly helping my transition!
Jim Rumbaugh 81 posts Sep 16, 2009 10:58 AM	Would it better or worse to be a class B asshole???
kudzurunner 693 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:16 PM	ElkRiver and bluesdude46: Seek and ye shall find. And thanks for the offer. You have both now been officially deputized as moderators. I found your handles on that very long list of registrants--on the back side of the blues harp forum, I mean--and checked the boxes that made you moderators. I have no idea how this will work, but my intention for now is simply that you take charge of the approval process. It is a manual process. Assuming that everything on the back side works correctly, you should be able to enter the back side of the forum and see a link on the left side of the page marked "approve applications." When you do that, what you'll find is a VERY, VERY long list of spam applications dating back to January. At the bottom of this very long list will be all the applications that have come in as of the moment you log on--today, or tomorrow. It will be obvious to you which are spam and which are not. Spam applications always have identical first and last names, and the handles often derive directly from the names. Real human applicants, on the other hand, have....real names. I last approved applications a couple of days ago, so you won't need to go very far back to bring things up to date. If you scroll back through the last two weeks' applications, though, you'll find a handful of actual human applicants names. Feel free to approve them. Those are people who applied twice. I rejected one application but ran out of time and just left the others where they were. Let's be good guys and welcome them on board. There is, unfortunately, no was of mass-deleting the spam. If you've got a number of hours to kill, you can begin the process of hand-deleting the 10 or 12 spam applications per day, dating back to January. This will greatly decrease the loading time for the "approve applications" page. If what I've outlined here seems a little obscure, I believe it will all quickly make sense when you log on as moderators. Please feel free to email me once you've logged on and approved an application or two. asgussow@aol.com I really appreciate the offer, and the help! I was such an idiot (or an asshole??) about running this forum that it didn't occur to me that I could deputize somebody to take this small but regular load off my back. If, for whatever reason, you decide--either of you--that you'd rather not accept this assignment, no problem. Just let me know. I'm pretty sure I can find other volunteers. And if you're willing to accept it for a while but don't want to commit for the long term, that's also fine. Again, when the time comes, I'm sure we can find somebody to take up the slack. Once things are working well with your help, I will scrap the crabby BOLD CAPS advisory about only registering once. No need for such a restrictive policy, now that YOU GUYS are doing all the work. :)> I'm free, I'm free, good Lord almighty, I'm free! Last Edited by on Sep 16, 2009 12:20 PM
ElkRiverHarmonicas 198 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:40 PM	I'm familiar with how the Elk River Harmonicas Forum works, it's got menus and stuff for moderating and whatnot. I don't see anything here. I've looked at the back of my computer monitor and still can't find the backside of modern blues harmonica. How do I find it?
Max-T 22 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:43 PM	If you ever need anyone else to help out with approving membership just give me a shout, I'm more then willing to wade through the spam. I might add though if you find your getting tonnes of spam emails it might help if whenever you link your email to a public place you remove the "." and "@" signs and replace them with something like asgussow-AT-aol-DOT-com as alot of bots trawl through web pages looking for email addresses. I found It helped me for tottenhamco.com
kudzurunner 694 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:46 PM	Elk: I assumed that when you logged in, as you would when you wanted to post, that some new icon or link would manifest itself and answer the question. It seems that hasn't happened. I'll try to re-register as a stranger, then appoint myself as a moderator, then see if I can answer the question for you.
GermanHarpist 614 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:50 PM	Dave, that's probably because Adam checked the wrong one of your THREE usernames... lol. :). Max-T: good advice, but a year too late. asgussow@aol.com is lost beyond hope. ---------- germanharpist on YT.
ElkRiverHarmonicas 199 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:52 PM	Adam... be sure to read the warning before you register, OK? ---------- www.elkriverharmonicas.com
Kudzu 1 post Sep 16, 2009 12:54 PM	I have just re-registered as Kudzu. It turns out that moderators only enjoy two new privileges: the ability to edit and delete posts. That being the case, I'm going to de-deputize you guys.
ElkRiverHarmonicas 200 posts Sep 16, 2009 12:58 PM	AND if the registration doesn't take, don't get pissed and call yourself an asshole. ---------- www.elkriverharmonicas.com
ElkRiverHarmonicas 204 posts Sep 16, 2009 1:16 PM	By that I mean, is there another less-obvious category? I really had my heart set on being a Gussow Deputy, I was looking forward to carrying the single bullet in my shirt pocket and taking Thelma Lou to the Founder's Day dance.... I just went through the membership at the Elk Forum, which has been around since May. It is a little shy of a hundred members. All of them are real people. I've been spammed before, I just went in and impunisticaly deleted the spammer account with maximum predjudice and all the messages were gone. These could lessen your ass pain, take down the preapproval thing, redeputize us. When Spammers strike, the deputies will see the spams. They will have the power to delete the spam msgs should they arise. Then, you can delete the offending spam account. Key is, it wouldn't be a good idea to deputize more than two people. Not that I or Blues would EVER do this, but if you have a bunch of deputized people and somebody gets pissed off at somebody and deletes another post, if there are only a couple of suspects, it can never be done anonymously. Knowwhattamean? ---------- www.elkriverharmonicas.com
Max-T 27 posts Sep 16, 2009 1:27 PM	Actually you have a point there elk, It might be an idea to test it as an expereiment, If you get inundated with spam you can always put the forced registration back on. I also agree with the whole keep the moderator pool small idea if you were to do it. I was a member of a forum where one of the mod's got pissed and deleted whole forums of posts. Lucky we had downloaded a backup copy a coupple months back so all was not lost. ---------- "imagination is more important then knowledge" - Albert Einstien
mickil 522 posts Sep 16, 2009 2:06 PM	Dave, Off topic, I know. But, did you know that the 'Seydel Harmonicas' link is broken on your Welcome page? Just thought I'd point it out cos people move on fast on the www. ---------- 'If it sounds GOOD to you, it's bitchen; if it sounds BAD to YOU, it's shitty' - Frank Zappa YouTube SlimHarpMick
ElkRiverHarmonicas 205 posts Sep 16, 2009 2:14 PM	Thanks for the heads up! ---------- www.elkriverharmonicas.com
kudzurunner 695 posts Sep 16, 2009 3:08 PM	That's a really interesting suggestion, Elk. I like it. I see no reason not to try it. Of course, by not requiring people to register, we're also opening the door to anonymous flames, hand-puppets, and the like. But the worst that can happen from your suggestion is that we go back to the old way. I'll re-deputize you and Bluzdude46 ASAP and will loose the floodgates by making registration unneeded. Let's see what happens.

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