Howdy Blue my good old friend, as usual it takes me awhile to mull something important around before writing about something that isn't all happy talk keep talking happy talk. Now I would LOVE to run into steve case in the Islands especially...such a setting would certainly be the perfect backdrop to tell him things I'm guessing he probably doesn't know a thing about....as he should. Yeah sure he's CEO, but he obviously doesn't have command of his ship...I doubt if he ever has seen any of yours or my emails about any subject whatsoever. He's got some uneducated people working there, who don't know how investors would be different from subscribers who are not shareholders. Flunkies make too many of his decisions, too many cooks are stirring the broth boiling in too big a pot...I find that to be evident just by looking around AOLs, everywhere. Links advertising stuff connecting to nowhere, news headlines that can't be found by the highlighted click, pr releases that never come to be and it just disappears down the memory hole, selective displays of pertinent information in the Personal Finance Section, I've even seen different stock volume stats on there than anywhere else. They're running a loose ship, flying by the seat of their pants, in many ways. Looks by the action of the stock, and the disinterest greeting news announcements; that many formerly loyal investors of theirs have taken notice of the many negative aspects of that company...regardless of how it may look from the outside looking in.
Blue, Go2Net is so much of a better company than aols, it's good we're over here now - and it's doubleplusgood as investors in GNET to be treated with respect by those who ARE the company and not just a puppetary front for some stirred-up nest of randomly swarming ants like we've seen from the inside and the outside that AOLs can be. We've both gotten (and heard of others getting) a personal response from GNET's CEO, who takes the time to courteously acknowledge a compliment or a beneficial suggestion from an investor or a SI subscriber. The attention paid by the Go2net folks to questions on the threads is such a contrast to that whole AOLs juggernaut where no one's at the helm but flunkies who disclaim a direct company connection. What a difference!
Blue, I think anyone who gave you another viewpoint of Steve Case was just trying to be friendly and calm you down - talking about something having no experience with what you were talking about and not knowing the circumstances.
Some of which were - When we were thread contributors and shareowners of AOLs, we got no proper response or respect from them. Even when attempting to go through investor relations to complain (having financial interest involved in ownership of the stock) about our warnings and perceptions of Bad Business Practices which to this day proves us correct as the selective harassment/censorship they obviously continue to practice looks to have ruined their Personal Finance Forums. An individual in charge of that Section who claimed to be only a franchisee but empowered to act for the Company (still having a hard time figuring that one out) allowed self-congratulating troublemakers to post disgusting obscenities and another prankster cloaked in the false or multiple (?) identity of one of the above to harass our board while we were censured for off-topic posts which were cleanspeak and not off-topic for the spirit of the board anyway. Then, we were rebuked for moving to another empty thread when a legion more lay titled and unclaimed by any poster whatsoever, anyway (quite opposite from SI where you want a thread, you got a thread).
Our emails as shareholders with a vested right of complaint addressed to the CEO haven't been answered by any but underlings or volunteers or franchisees who for some reason were given the power of decision to not only wield a red pencil but to spitefully insult us as declared investors with a financial interest in the direction of the business - who were also subscribers and content contributors to that Company.
Blue, please correct me if I got any of this wrong, but that's how I'd describe that unpleasant experience dredged up from the past. It doesn't surprise me you've gotten 15 replies meaning nothing from who-knows-who...thanking you condescendingly for your time or whatever they said or didn't say.
Blue, I still say it sure would be nice to get an opportunity to speak to case in person...it'd surprise me if he knows anything about any of this. He might not even have connected Stern with Chancellors with the events in Littleton... I don't think he's what you'd call an Internet Leader, except in dollars. He's just another businessman. Just because he's from Hawaii doesn't mean he automatically has Ohana aka Soul. I know some jerks from there, they can come from anywhere. And a hypocrite of any stripe is a jerk, if he knows what he's doing and isn't just clueless....either way, it's not good. Hope he doesn't tear down those pineapple fields and put up a concrete complex, the locals wouldn't be liking that move too much...maybe it's just that he's rich and can profit on a nice deduction for crop-producing land. It's like because he doesn't answer email about subjects one would think would be important to him, doesn't mean he ever gets to see that email...maybe it's carefully kept away from him by those in CYA mode...though IMHO it's only a fool who would permit franchised decision makers to put his name on their stupidity. Like any Company who lets the phone in Sales ring unanswered or go on voice mail...stupid.
Mo' Bettah run into case, Watch The Sunset, Talk Story.
Yer long tine frend,
Joan |
