May 11, 2005
When is it Spam?
220 Rants & Raves - Choose One!
K., I need help here. So I visit this site which I will not bother to name. But, I will describe. It is tha kinda site that's a meeting place for university students. It's a virtual place where they can discuss all types of issues, ideas and just pass tha time. On this site there's an entertainment board. I czech in.
The space is active for sure. A dozen or so cats on tha regular. Folk chattin' on everything from tha latest blockbuster movie to tha latest pop star to whatever they feel passionate about. Dudes rantin' - Ladies supportin' - s'a bustlin'.
So I post a little introductory piece about myself and my interests. Of course tha site link comes up. I am promptly erased. Now I realize that my link is most likely tha cause of this. I've already lerned that lesson. But scanning around, I see linx to all kinda big budget shit. There's paid for advertisin' on tha site. Again I start to question myself.
Either way, I'm pissed about tha censorship - however justified. So I drop my rant about being erased - understandin' that I probably deserved it. Tha rant is promptly erased. (Like) both posts spend less than a minute on tha board. S'like frickin' fort Knox! I drop a polite query. I am immediately censored again but this time "moved" into a special e-room for "delinquents" :)
This quiet webspace is only readable by myself and a moderator. The moderator is mad 'cause I'm self promotin' - not discussin'. He says that all promotion is paid for on the site and that all posts that are deemed as self promotion or complaints about removal are immediately removed. I ask two questions. 1. Why isn't this made apparent on the main page? 2. What about all tha people promotin' tha blockbuster films and international pop stars?
About this time the head moderator gets involved. He tells me that he has in fact just changed the message board "rules" to state that folk can't be self promotin'. I ask, "where are these rules posted?" He doesn't answer. I again pose the question, "Why is it OK to promote the latest teeny-bopper star but not the cat on the corner with a band?" Again - no answer.
My theory: This site is a sponsered site. Where does that money come from? Do those people want us discussin' things that don't make them money? Further more - to link from their space to another that discusses more things that don't make 'em money - how does that make 'em feel.
To sum it up: I realize I was wrong here. This site was paid for by (say) Mr. X. Mr. X has interests in big budget entertainment. He has every right to "protect" his interests. My question to you is "Why tha secrecy?" Why is the site disguised as a general discussion site for students? Why doesn't it state the limitations right on the main page? I really wanna kno. Who is Mr. X tryin' ta fool?
Posted by i220 at 09:50 AM | Comments (5)
January 30, 2005
Boutie "Volunteers" Her Services
Note: A tale from back in tha day with a little ranting and raving thrown in fer good measure. Tell it Bouts:
~ I had recently moved to Vancouver, a lovely city. Prior to my move I had a few interviews for some really great jobs. Unfortunatly, none of them worked out. I'm now working a crappy retail job again. But, that's not what this story is about. This story is about one of the jobs that I didn't get.
~ This job was a great opportunity for me to get my foot in the door of the music industry. It was a part-time contract position for an independent promotions company. My job would have been to coordinate the street teams for two up and coming bands as well as to establish contacts with local merchants to set up contests and other promotional ventures. The job was given to someone else. Let's call this person FUCKHEAD. I don't want to use real names. I'm not telling this story to screw anybody over. I just want others to be aware.
~ Mr. Nice Guy (the head of the independent company) e-mailed me to inform me that he had given the position to FUCKHEAD. Props to Mr. Nice Guy for at least letting me know what was going on. Not wanting to close any doors, I thanked Mr. Nice Guy, wished him luck and offered to volunteer my assistance if needed. That was just a few days before I moved to Vancouver.
~ My first day in Vancouver I found the library and hopped on a computer for some free internet time. There was already an e-mail from FUCKHEAD. The e-mail was brief and included FUCKHEAD's number. I called to speak to FUCKHEAD and to pass on my home phone number. FUCKHEAD said I would hear back within a few days. FUCKHEAD was still putting together a game plan. I tell FUCKHEAD of my experience and age. FUCKHEAD was impressed by my level of maturity and thought that it would be a great idea to make me the head intern. As a volunteer?? This comment already made me a little nervous about FUCKHEAD's abilities. FUCKHEAD seemed to be quite a bit overwhelmed for a job that is pretty easy to do.
~ The next day FUCKHEAD called, wanting to come by and drop off some posters and stickers for me to put up and hand out. I have a feeling that this was more Mr. Nice Guy's idea then FUCKHEAD's. I said, "No problem!" My reasons for doing this was to stay in Mr. Nice Guy's good books (he's well connected and you never know what it still might lead to), for the experience and for some free concert tickets. A few hours later FUCKHEAD shows up with 2 giant rolls of posters and stacks of stickers; no tape. I had to purchase that myself and have yet to be reimbursed for it. FUCKHEAD wanted me to poster my neighbourhood with one roll and then a few days later to go out with the other roll. FUCKHEAD also asked that I distribute the stickers to shops on the Drive. This part of the job, I had no problem with. What I had the biggest problem with is that FUCKHEAD kept calling and asking me to do things that FUCKHEAD should have been doing. I was asked to go in to the shops, set up the contact, keep track of who would be interested in setting up a promotional event and so on. I would have been doing what FUCKHEAD was getting paid to do for free. No! That's when I just wasn't available to help as much. I refused to do FUCKHEADS work.
~ Needless to say when it came time to do promotions for the second band I got shafted. I offered my services for posterting and handing out stickers but no luck. FUCKHEAD e-mailed me to ask if I could help out on the night of the show. I was more than happy to help. That meant a free ticket for me to go and see 2 really awesome bands. Of course, I told FUCKHEAD that I would be more than happy to help. The next thing I know I got an e-mail from FUCKHEAD telling me that some 15 year old girls really wanted to do it so I was out!
~ I still really wanted to go to the show so I e-mailed Mr. Nice Guy and explained that I hadn't heard back from FUCKHEAD (which I hadn't) and was wondering if I could get 1 ticket to the show. I got a call from FUCKHEAD that night. FUCKHEAD apologized for not realizing that I did want to help out the night of the show. I don't know how much clearer I could have been but some people are just that ssssslllllooooowwwww. FUCKHEAD said that given the oversight they would put me on the guest list for the show. SWEET! I didn't have to do any work and still got a free ticket. Wrong. I got a phone call the day of the show saying that I couldn't go because the show was oversold and blah blah blah. At least I didn't do anymore free work for FUCKHEAD.
~ What burns me the most about this entire situation is that Mr. Nice Guy has since hired FUCKHEAD on permanetly. I wonder how well Mr. Nice Guy's independent company will do with FUCKHEAD as his assistant?
Posted by i220 at 08:22 AM | Comments (6)
November 20, 2004
The "Ranting & Raving" Category
What are you so happy about? Pissed about (musically speaking, of course)? Unleash it here.
This is the place to let it all out! Maybe you just experienced Woodstock '69 :) Maybe Woodstock 99 :( The "White Album" :D The "Black Album" :S Did you just get a job in golf (uh huhm I mean "sales") at a major record label or did your band just get it's 30th package (CD, bio, etc...) back in the mail unopened?
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Posted by i220 at 01:20 PM | Comments (5)