I had the opportunity to purchase some buddy passes about a month ago...I have missed so many vlogging get togeteher's I was detirmed, not to miss another one. I SOOOO wanted to go to the vloggies last year....so I bought the buddy passes for my wife and I and set an "open" date for LA to go to the vloggies this year.....
Now I wonder if I didn't just waste a bunch of money....I have kept my mouth shut through most of this "debate" but I can't hold my tounge any longer. (be warned, my spelling will probably suck and I may not always be liner here cause I am flying off the cuff)... This....mess... and let's be frank and honest, this is a mess...makes me sad and angry....it started with Lan's picture and continues with this, in my opinion, spin machine working in full force....I don't know John or Robert or anyone at Podtech personaly but based on your comments and actions it seems to be alot of "CYA" going on here and quite franky it's making you all look like jerks...you want examples? 1 when the mess with Lan came to the attention of this group, you used the death of a loved one of someone who worked for you as an excuse....THAT IS SICKING....someone lost a loved one and it was used to try and garner sympathy....I am left speachless at such a thoughtless act.... 2 you admitted your mistake with conditions attached, paraphrasing here, "yeah, we were wrong but there is more to the story, we can't talk about it"....damnit be a man and just say "we messed up and we will make it right"...everytime I heard a "yeah, but" from you guys, it made me think YOU had something to hide, not anyone else.... 3 you have the nerve in the middle of all this to talk about how much money you lost on the vloggies and how people should be cutting you slack for all the "good" you have done....perhaps you have done a lot of good, perhaps you will do good in the future but right know, you are doing damage to yourself and Podtech....right or wrong we are judged by our every action....your actions are speaking loud and clear... Heck even if you don't believe you did anything wrong, if you had just sucked it up and put on a good face you could have avoided most of the ill will that you are experiencing now with this communtiy.....the people on this list care about what happens in this community, they care about their friends and they care about this medium and we are passionate about it. We arn't just making "silly" video's we believe in what the promise of the medium represents.... you can continue to operate the way you always have and hope to ride this out....or you can start listening and learning....the choice is yours Podtech...... Heath http://batmangeek.com --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, "Michael Verdi" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Personally, I don't like the idea of an awards show at all. Last year > I tried to argue that point but it was clear that so many people > wanted one and that PodTech was determined to put one on that I tried > to help make it good by offering suggestions and by being a judge. The > main factor that had it be successful (though I guess PodTech lost > money on it) was Irina. She was really the keeper of the Vloggies > soul. Had it been left up to others at PodTech, we would have seen > something much different. Here's a quote by PodTech's Valerie > Cunningham (emphasis is her's) from the vloggies wiki back in August > last year - http://vloggies.pbwiki.com/FrontPage.2006-08-21-17-50- 17 : > "VALERIE: > [snip] > - To be clear: there are two awards per category: "Favorite category > name" and "Community Choice Award" We are giving OUR chosen favorite > an award, and then announcing the community's choice. > [snip] > - We need to think of the categories in line with PodTech's affiliate > content roadmap, ie Tech, News, Entertainment, Politics, Lifestyle > pretty much in that order. Also, we need to think global. PodTech > India is in the content roadmap. Obviously it's pretty broad. WE > SHOULD KNOW WHO OUR FAVORITE CATEGORY WINNERS ARE RIGHT NOW. Simple > who are our target affiliate/sister videoblog sites? Top 50 across > all the categories. > [snip] > - So let's refine these categories please with above in mind and I'd > like to see the top 50 list or whatever we should know who we want > to come to this event, who PodTech's VIPs are in this community, so to > speak again in line with our affiliate goals, etc. Can we see that > list by Wed this week, Irina?" > > This is the direction things were headed before we started talking > about it here. With Irina no longer at PodTech is this how things will > go this time? > > John, this is why you have to talk about this here and not on the > phone with someone. If you want to engage this community then engage > us. You can't have private, offline conversations about things like > this. > > For everyone else, if you don't like the way PodTech is handling > things then DON'T LET THEM HANDLE IT. Don't participate in their > awards show and don't accept any awards. If nobody recognizes "The > Vloggies" then it doesn't matter who owns the trademark. If you still > want awards then someone will have to organize the community to do it. > > - Verdi > > > On 7/24/07, Kent Nichols <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Off-list? If you want to engage my professional services, contact my > > agents. Barrett Garese at UTA. > > > > If you want to talk about the Vloggies, let's talk about the Vloggies > > here in public. > > > > I support an open awards show that is owned by no company. I think that > > Trademarking Vloggies gives your company too much control. The Oscars > > are owned by the film industry, and the Emmys are owned by the TV > > industry. There were several sponsors last year, don't they also have > > as much right to the mark of the Vloggies as PodTech? > > > > Oh but you have more rights don't you? Because the person that came up > > with the idea, the person that organized it and made it a success was on > > your dime... The person that was just let go, right after the Trademark > > was filed... > > > > By landgrabbing "Vloggies", you are trying to own an industry, which is > > unconscionable. > > > > You guys are smart, you're just caught in a lot of bad decisions. > > > > You should donate that mark to the Creative Commons, or EFF, or create a > > new non-profit that will run the awards. That would be the right thing > > to do, and might start repairing the PR nightmare you guys are > > experiencing right now. > > > > -Kent, askaninja.com > > > > > > --- In videoblogging@yahoogroups.com, John Furrier <john@> wrote: > > > > > > Kent, > > > Email me if you'd like to get involved and we can chat off list > > > > > > John > > > -- > http://michaelverdi.com > http://spinxpress.com > http://freevlog.org > Author of Secrets Of Videoblogging - http://tinyurl.com/me4vs >