Re: MCM - Digest V1 #246

[Erik Olson <erik@thekrib.com>]

On Thu, 2 Mar 2000, Mary McCaw wrote:

> (1)  Possibly some people might object to not being given a choice as to
> whether or not they want to be listed even in the minimal way you have
> suggested.  Would it be better to put an insert in TAG with a form stating
> that if you do NOT want to be listed to let us know? 

Just FYI, every other organization I know of (ACA, and several local
clubs) regularly publishes a roster, including actual address.  No doubt
Dave has already mined them.

> (2) After a recent incident, I am even more concerned about Dave Gomberg and
> the extent to which he is willing to go to make his magazine a success.  You
> may recall that John Glaeser has started the Madison Aquatic Gardeners Club,
> and he gave me a press release which will appear in the next TAG along with
> information on the Toronto group.  I asked John to write a story for TAG a
> couple of weeks ago.  He told me he had had a parallel request from Gomberg
> and was writing an article for him entitled "How to Start Your Own Local
> Club."

And it's funny...John was somehow routed completely around me when
interviewing the "Seattle Plant Club", and instead directed to my wife
Kathy, who has almost nothing to do with plants (and Dave knows this).
Clearly there's something not entirely subtle going on here.  I don't even
want to know the details on this PAM Plant Contest Neil alluded to; just
reading that made me angry, as I have been slaving away writing web code
for our own showcase/contest (are we ever going to vote on this?!).

Nonetheless, I don't really want this to become something we're all living
in fear of.  Dave is mining EVERYTHING he gets his hands on.  I've gotten
PAM SPAM coming out my ears over the last two months.  It's come through
the ACA.  It's come through 5-year-old aquarium society mailing label
lists.  If he wants to manually look up 800 names based on city, fine.  
He's probably already picked up their names elsewhere by now.  I'm so
tired of this whole competition thing (what competition? OUR sleepy little
organization?), I'm ready to cut off all ties with the aquarium hobby and
do something new.  This isn't a business, it's a freakin' hobby.  Perhaps
the best way at this point is to just throw up our hands and say "OK Dave.
We all bow down to the superiorness that is PAM."  And then get on with
our own stuff.

Sorry, lost it there for a second.

  - Erik

-- 
Erik Olson
erik at thekrib dot com

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