Principles are a funny thing. They seem simple enough when you first commit them to writing, and then, it comes time to live them.
I have recently made the mistake of violating one of my principles. Those of you who have been around RWD for a while know that I have publicly stated that I do not wish to humiliate anyone - especially in public. I have even stated that as the reason why I do not, except on rare occasion, announce bans.
A few of you may know that I spent some time recently posting comments, and links, at the Tyra Banks blog. If you like, you can see it here --
http://telepicturesblog.warnerbros.com/tyrashow/2007/08/a_revealing_look_at_the_mail_o.html.
I was quite offended at the way in which we were characterized by the program, and I wanted to urge people to visit RWD to learn the truth. In my enthusiasm, I also allowed myself to be baited into something which should never have occurred.
Someone posting as "Tough" made specific reference to actions which I took in connection with LEGAL and his wife Olga here at RWD some time back. That person's baiting questions seemed to me that they were coming from someone who had direct familiarity with the events of the past.
In exasperation, I made some comments about my reasoning to ban Olga. Since I had no way of knowing who was asking those questions - and since that is a very different setting than RWD - I simply should never have risen to the bait.
So ... while LEGAL and Olga are not active members here, I still want to make a formal public apology to them for my inappropriate remarks made at the Tyra Banks blog. I sincerely apologize for those comments. I will send them an email with my apology soon.
Next ... as some of you may recognize, I do not use my full name here and have been somewhat protective of my identity. I have been posting on the internet sites for a VERY long time, and learned long ago that there are some nutcases on the 'net who seek only to create problems for other people. With the 'high profile' that ownership of RWD brings me, and the internet crazies which accompany it, I have always felt it best for me and my family to maintain just a tiny bit of distance. This does not affect my posting of photos, obviously, but surname and other information is known by VERY few. The other thing which has discouraged me from being completely forthcoming is that I own and operate a small business. The work at RWD is, and always has been, merely a hobby. I did not want my hobby to interfere with my principal business, hence, this also contributed to my creation of some insulation.
Unfortunately, in an online dispute a while back, someone took it upon themselves to divulge everything they could find out about me and posted it online. It was a clear invasion of my privacy - but much more importantly, the fact that my personal details were made public exposes my family to threats and dangers from some of those nutcases I mentioned earlier. By the way, if anyone thinks I am blowing smoke about the nutcases I've had to deal with, just send me a PM and I can offer some stories which should convince you. That, and for those who knew Spencer at RWG, you know he had some horror stories to tell as well. The simple facts are - owning a board like this brings with it some hazards - and the little distance I kept by keeping my full name and address secret afforded me some feeling of security - real or perceived.
When that information was divulged in the past, I took aggressive action to have it removed. It seems that those actions - which included legal action - were misinterpreted by some. I admit that when I feel my family may be threatened, I respond vigorously. Of all the times I have gotten into some trouble in the recent past, it was when I felt my family was threatened and I took steps which, in a couple of instances, were over-strong.
So my second apology is to the members of RWD. I have not represented you as well as I should have. My aggressive tactics to protect my privacy and to create a small buffer of protection for my family seem to have created a certain degree of enmity in some elements of the online community which I never intended, and there are those who would allow that to reflect on you. I am sincerely sorry for that.
- Dan
