Da Bella da Ball Journal

[SteveO]

OK guys, I have been away on business and very busy. I have not had the opportunity to come in and read posts.

Tisha did do a fantastic job of clearing things up in my absence. She Rocks and NO Tisha nobody is banning you. I’m not even sure why you would suspect that. Nor you Bella or anybody else that has posted.

@bubblebob

Naaah, not so fast!!!

Well, thanks for the insights Tish! That clears some things up. The only thing I still don’t understand is why it’s so terrible to PM members with a chat room address… I’ve been there and had a great time watching someone cough finally find the Enter key. It’s been just fun and not much pheromone talk there either. And the info on the chat room stated that it’s not affiliated with any site. So I really don’t see the problem in inviting members of this forum to a little personal chit chat…

I can understand you guys wanting a chat room and currently we have been working on a live chat room that will archive all posts into a thread/post for future research and retrieval. I just haven’t found one that does this.

I don’t know about you bubblebob but the whole reason I am on this forum was of all the incredible posts I was able to read when I joined. I couldn’t imagine that going away. So instead of having a forum with active useful information about pheromones you have an empty shell with no one posting.

Do you get frustrated when you see the new guy come on and ask what product they should select? At times it really cracks me up laughing, especially when I go back to my second post and read the same exact post from me. We have so many new members signing on daily it is really a great forum of friends. Nothing about this has changed. The only thing that has changed is me going on a business trip and working to exhaustion every night. I have barely been on the forum at all in the past two weeks and have not read a single post till now. I want the new members to feel just as welcomed as everyone of us have been made to feel.

We absolutely do not want content going away from a forum all of us have built. This forum has become a second home for me and a whole lot f others. I couldn’t bring myself to enjoy it anymore if content was being driven away from the site, especially when politely asked by Tisha not to do it. Imagine a forum where new members did not have the answers or were not responded to because everyone was somewhere else.

@Bella

I was done till I saw this…? Gee, I’ve PMed people my private email to speak to me outside of the forum. We also discuss pheromones at my private address. I guess you could call it my own private chat room. Though I only speak to one person at a time. There are people, who know better, who have committed much more grievous offenses…and for whatever reason…the powers that be have chosen to overlook/excuse them…and they certainly aren’t 17-18 yr old kids. That is patently UNFAIR. But then again, fairness has absolutely NOTHING to do with it, not in this case. I really have to stop paying so much attention. Ya see, I really do know…I just don’t understand.

Now I’m done.

Bella

I’m sorry that you felt it unfair Bella! I was absolutely furious when Eldros was asked to stop promoting a chat room that would pull content and traffic away from this site and he went ahead and insulted Tisha. When Tisha told me about it I was pissed off. I sent Eldros a PM and explained why it was not to be done again. Insulting any member is a no no and a bannable offense. I didn’t ban him I stuck him in moderation.

OK so then all of a sudden at the same time the PM’s are getting stuck because of keywords like WOW world of warcraft and Nokia and other SPAM words. In one day there were literally thousands of PM’s that were SPAM from now banned SPAM bot. There were 100’s for every member which effectively would have pushed all legitimate PM’s out of every users inbox. Well I couldn’t let that happen so I took action, but unfortunately there is a word in there that is still screwing everything up. I pretty much have taken all the new SPAM keywords out and if that means that all you get is SPAM PM’s and no other PM’s well I just don’t know what to say.

At the very same time after I warned Eldros that what he was doing was hurting the forum he decided to send out PM’s to members promoting it. The only reason I knew it because the title was “ChatRoom” and it was from Eldros and like everybody elses they too were stuck in PM mod. The only way I can stop a member from PM another member is issue a “temporary” ban on that users privileges. (The option to add more keywords was not an option at all!) This was done and I was planning to call Eldros when I had the opportunity. Up until today I have been swamped with business. I still plan to call Eldros and yet I see his temp ban has already expired.

@mark-in-dallas

On Eldros and the chatroom issue, I completely understand the reason and motivation behind banning him.

Plain and simple, he was politely asked to stop using the forum to try to lure members over to his chatroom, and he did not. Then after his thread was removed, instead of letting it go, he kept it up and started PM’ing members.

If he was not asked to stop and was banned without warning, then I could sympathize, but that wasn’t the case.

BTW, just so it’s clear, I also liked Eldros and even sent him some of my pheros so that he could participate in my contest awhile back.

Thank you Mark. The ban was temporary until I had a chance to call him and ask him not to do what he was doing anymore. It is very difficult to call someone when you are away on business and working from 7 am until 9 pm every night and then on top of that expected to take out clients to the hottest spots in town.

Mark, you and I would speak every day about stuff, but I have been unable to call you in how long? I really liked our talks and we talked pheromones all the time. There is nothing wrong with talking pheromones elsewhere, but if we started to PM people asking them all to participate somewhere else then there is an issue with that.

Thank you Mark for standing up for what is right. I really appreciate it and you are a true friend as everyone else that has posted too. I really appreciate the feedback and as always I strive to do my best. I hope you guys understand a bit more clearly now why things happened the way they did. I still love you all.

[Bella]

Oh SteveO! Thank you! I feel so much better…I could just kiss you! Get over here!

It was never my intention to accuse or make anyone feel bad. I just wanted answers…to understand. When you guys ask me for 'em I try my best to give it my all. If ya don’t know how much I love ya by now……you’ll know I don’t care…when you don’t hear from me.

@SteveO

I’m sorry that you felt it unfair Bella! I was absolutely furious when Eldros was asked to stop promoting a chat room that would pull content and traffic away from this site and he went ahead and insulted Tisha. When Tisha told me about it I was pissed off. I sent Eldros a PM and explained why it was not to be done again. Insulting any member is a no no and a bannable offense.

SteveO I thought he had been banned, that’s what I thought was unfair. His actions were definitely wrong, especially, since he had been warned and asked to stop but I don’t believe his intentions were evil…thoughtless, selfish, maybe…but not evil. And I don’t think he got the magnitude of the impact it could have. We can rationalize it many ways. Be that as it may. I do understand your anger. I also know you loathe being put in this position …nobody wants to lower the boom on somebody they care about. Just so you know, when I saw what he said to Tisha, I shot him a PM, which I..ahem…know he didn’t receive and told him to immediately apologize to her. I said what I thought about his remark, to her, in the now deleted thread. This is what happens when we only know/hear part of the story. Thanks to ({{you and Tisha}}) for lovin’ us enough to dish it straight and clear this up. It’s exactly what we need and want to hear. We know you’re under pressure and how hard you and Tisha work to try and keep things running smoothly and we want you to know we really do appreciate it. We’re really not trying to give you a hard time…inquiring minds want to know. You, yourself, are partly to blame for making us this way.

And jus’ sos ya know…I don’t care one way or the other about a chatroom…pheromone related or not. That doesn’t mean if we have one I won’t participate, I probably will.

@SteveO

This was done and I was planning to call Eldros when I had the opportunity. Up until today I have been swamped with business. I still plan to call Eldros and yet I see his temp ban has already expired.

@SteveO

I didn’t ban him I stuck him in moderation.

@SteveO

The ban was temporary until I had a chance to call him and ask him not to do what he was doing anymore.

If I’m readin’ this right…the ban on Eldros was temporary to begin with?..and because of the PM back-up and the fact you’ve been run ragged by the movers and shakers…not to mention the throng of pheroaddicts you must sate daily…you didn’t have the opportunity to call him? Does that mean that you’ll speak to him and if he understands and promises to not do this or anything like it again…you’ll permit him back in? Does that mean I can jump up and down now? Please say yes, SteveO!
I assure you…if he doesn’t behave…the next time I jump up and down…it’ll be on him!..ah…not the fun kinda jumpin’…

@SteveO

Tisha did do a fantastic job of clearing things up in my absence.

@SteveO

Thank you Mark for standing up for what is right. I really appreciate it and you are a true friend as everyone else that has posted too. I really appreciate the feedback and as always I strive to do my best. I hope you guys understand a bit more clearly now why things happened the way they did.

@SteveO

I still love you all.

SteveO, it’s *all about the love…*for this company and for one another.

@SteveO

This forum has become a second home for me and a whole lot of others.

Well, the gang’s all here.

Bella

[tisha23]

Thank you SteveO

I for one feel better lol I knew you wouldnt ban me I just didnt want to say to much because it wasnt my place to say it and I couldnt contact you for the last few days.

I hope this makes everyone feel somewhat better.

Tisha

[mark-in-dallas]

@SteveO

Mark, you and I would speak every day about stuff, but I have been unable to call you in how long?

Thank you Mark for standing up for what is right. I really appreciate it and you are a true friend as everyone else that has posted too.

Funny to see that this morning. I woke up and got your message from last night, and was just thinking that we hadn’t talked in about a week.

And you know I’ll always stand up for what is right, but more so the reason for my posts here were because things were getting out of hand, and some people were quite upset over a couple of misundestandings and misconceptions. I wanted to try to quell the fire even though it really wasn’t my place, but there was only so much I could say.

Tisha did do an excellent job of clearing things up and calming everybody down.

And by the way, I think I may have the fix for the keyword issue in the PM system. Call me when you can, and we can test it.

[renny]

Well, the gang’s all here.

Alrighty then! Strike up the band and let’s get back to the dance!

[SteveO]

Thanks everybody for the warm wishes.

[Bella]

I might as well hang from this limb I’m already out on…if I’m lucky I won’t hit the ground.SteveO, I don’t know how it works when someone is on probation but would you please, as a favor to me, give Eldros access to this post? I need him to see it. I also need him to respond, if he would be so kind.AN OPEN LETTER TO ELDROSWats up E? I have no idea if you recieved my previous PM. At first I didn’t know what was going on with you and bond and the whole chatroom thing. Before you made that rude snarky comment to Tisha…BTW, that’s what I PMed you about…I went to your chatroom. Never been to a chatroom before as I really have no interest in it. So why? Because it was your chatroom. I wanted to see WTF all the fuss was about. Remember how silly I was?..didn’t even know to hit enter to post my comment. You know how I feel about you…it’s hardly a secret, to anyone, at this point. After the chatroom thread was deleted…I now know…for good reason…I checked back at your chatroom and saw the comment you made, to bond, about being “chewed up”. I was upset. I also didn’t have the whole story as we subsequently found out. So many people jumped to your defense, E. SteveO, Tisha and Mark were kind enough, felt compelled and were concerned enough about us and our feelings…though not obligated…to step up and help us understand what was really going on and straightend this out. They could have simply said that you broke the rules and had been banned. End of story. Believe me, I’ve gotten a lot less in ways of explanations. But they didn’t and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. Their behavior has told me, and confirmed, a great deal about the content of their character…and yours, my friend. Ya know, I don’t care what anybody does for a living, where they come from, what kind of car they drive or how much money they have in the bank. That’s not how I choose my friends. What matters, to me, is the content of their character. How they treat me and others. Says a lot about a person. I stuck my neck out for you, as did others. I defended you as I would any of my friends. I think you’re worth it…if I haven’t already made that clear. My heart is heavy with the fact that you persist to abuse these kind and generous people who’ve reached out to you and extended the hand of peace and love. That’s big where I come from. That’s Real Man territory. When I call for help, these are the people I want at my back. Damn lucky and grateful to have ‘em. In conclusion…I’ma add that there’s more to this story than I’m at liberty to say. But I will play that hand if need be. All cards on the table. Dead man’s hand. And I’m dealin’ 'em right now…straight up. It’s your turn to step up to the plate, E. Show me your stuff. I’m in your corner, now, as always. We’re all waiting for you. Bella

[mark-in-dallas]

@Bella

SteveO, Tisha and Mark were kind enough, felt compelled and were concerned enough about us and our feelings…though not obligated…to step up and help us understand what was really going on and straightend this out. Bella

SteveO and Tisha both have my highest respect, and as moderators of the forum I believe they bring a perfect balance and harmony to how the forum is operated. I know both try to give forum members every benefit of the doubt, and when a decision is made to ban or put a member into moderation, it is not a light or easy decision for them to make.

It wasn’t my place to step in and say anything, but you guys are my friends and the animosity and suspicions that were building were killing me and I felt something needed to be said to help everyone understand that there was more to the story. When my first attempt at an explanation didn’t do much to calm anybody down I PM’d Tisha and asked if she could step in and say something. She did a fantastic job and I think everyone started seeing that there was more going on than what they saw on the surface, and each of the decisions they made were with good reason.

I was only able to say anything at all in the first place because of my friendship with SteveO and that he and Tisha had shared a bit of what was going on with me, for which I feel privileged.

Tisha told me of the PM hijacking situation because I PM’d her and offered to post a full explanation of what was causing the PM issue in the “Technical Difficulties” thread, at which point she told me that SteveO was still trying to investigate and didn’t want to let the cat out of the bag just yet.

I also know that by telling everybody what was behind the issue with PM’s compromised Androtics ability to properly handle the PM hijacking situation. But SteveO and Tisha felt that the situation had gotten out of hand to the point that informing the members of what had been going on outweighed the importance of tracking down the abusers.

Most companies/forums would not share some of the information that SteveO and Tisha chose to release, and would certainly have no obligation to do so. But, Androtics is not like most companies, and that’s what we love about them: they put us above profit margins and treat us like family, instead of customers!

[tisha23]

Oh my I feel pink and squishy LOL

Thank you both (((((Bella)))))) and ((((((Mark)))))) for your kindness and understanding.

You both rock http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_3_16.gif

Tisha

http://www.smileycentral.com/sig.jsp?pc=ZSzeb097&pp=ZKxdm021NUUS

[Eldros]

how about here?

[Eldros]

test post

[Bella]

OK. Stop the presses. I need a minute. I’ll be back. We’re not done yet.

[flaming]

@PhatSounds

Hmm, sad that i have to see this happening. Eldros was a good buddy & friend of mine so i will miss him. For his offense, i got nothing to say about it as he has been banned from here. Well i noticed this is becoming a flaming war here, do anyone noticed?

Do i hear my name hinted at here?..

…thanks Tish you know i know nuttin…in fact this is the first i heard about Eldros being banned

[PhatSounds]

@flaming

Do i hear my name hinted at here?..i

Yup, i know i say flaming there but i did not mean the person named Flaming, it was about a matter there that has been solved. Sorry if you get the wrong idea there Flaming

[flaming]

@PhatSounds

Yup, i know i say flaming there but i did not mean the person named Flaming, it was about a matter there that has been solved. Sorry if you get the wrong idea there Flaming

No no Phat i was just having a laugh

[Pheraoh]

After reading the last few pages of this journal I felt like I crawled out from underneath a rock. All of that happened? lol.

[Eldros]

test check

[Daedelus76]

I am confused and bewildered, too.

[bond007]

im bak… i c not to much happiness, but im here again.

Oh my I feel pink and squishy LOL

lol no coincidence that was right after r talk (i had to much TAA oil on, i was sooooo huggable that i had to hug a pillow… i guess its contagious )

bond

[Bella]

I understand that SteveO called Eldros, as promised. And they worked it out. Eldros is no longer in moderation and has maintained his advanced user status.

All G D news. I feel better.

Hugs and kisses to everybody.

Bella