Scott,
I would have emailed you personally; however, you have stated that you will not read private emails and will only read what is posted on this thread. My apologies to the others on this board, as this is for Scott Miller...
From your post,
Message 3494095
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<<As for me paying for my own membership (raised not by you but someone else), I'll repeat that it's not a matter of affording it, it's a matter of principle. If SI thinks that my input here is valuable to you, their members, then they can give me a free account. Otherwise they must think my input here is not valuable, and I'll be gone in a few days. No biggie. Being here doesn't benefit me--it takes away from my long to-do list. However, I don't mind helping out GTIS stock owners, but not on my own dime, I draw the line there. If that offends anyone, so be it.>>
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You just don't get it.
EVERYONE who posts on SI is valuable, and I believe that is the Dryers' position as well. The fact that you work at Apogee does not make you special. There is no other way to put it, Scott. You are no better than anyone else, and whatever you feel that you can contribute to this thread is balanced by what you will receive from this thread. If you were sincerely here to "help out" the GTIS shareholders by answering questions and serving as a go-between for the thread and the company, the SI membership fee would be irrelevant. You are one of numerous company representatives who post on the Silicon Investor, and the corporate hierarchy is well represented on all levels from the bottom right on up to the very top. These people all pay their fees to post here if they did not join SI as charter members months ago. I repeat, anyone who thinks that s/he is above the rules (paying the membership fee) needs to examine his/her megalomanic impulses which drive such a request.
I will not mince for words any longer (!!!): Your attitude is alienating people on this thread; these people have put their hard-earned money into GTIS and been loyal to the company for a very long time in many cases. To say that you'd only help out GTIS shareholders if it is not on your own dime speaks very poorly of you. It makes you sound cheap. It makes you sound interested only in what you can get for nothing. It makes you sound elitist. You know, Scott, sometimes in business, and in life in general, it is good to give to others even when you have to spend your own dime, or even a buck. You may have the noblest of intentions in being here, but to confuse the issue by refusing to pay a nominal fee that is now required of ALL members is not an issue of principle. It serves no purpose but to bash the very site on which you say you want to contribute.
As far as your comment stating that you will be gone in a few days if SI doesn't realize your great contribution to this thread and offer you a free membership as a result of your perceived contributions - this is an illogical conclusion to draw from SI's policies on payment of membership fees. It has nothing to do with you or anyone personally, it is simply business. You have, IMO, inappropriately personalized a general rule that all those desiring membership must follow.
Yes, I am defending the Silicon Investor. No, they've never asked me to do so, in case you're wondering. This site costs MONEY to run, and if they gave out free memberships left and right, to any company representative who wanted to contribute on the threads, then they'd hardly have any paying members and they would never make THEIR business a success. Know why? You are not the only one involved in this industry who's on this thread; you are not the only one involved in the tech industry in general on this site; you are surely not the only "head" of a company to make his/her presence known to these boards. Should I call GTIS or Apogee and tell them that I want some free goods or services because I can make contributions to their companies simply by gracing their board rooms with my presence? I think not. This is akin to what you're asking...you want something for nothing, and do not seem to realize that the SI is the Dryer's business, their livelihood just as being head of Apogee is yours. What would you say if people began to send emails to Apogee asking YOU to give them something for nothing? Would this make your company prosper? Would it increase revenues? Would it set a precedent that others would then try to follow? How would you pick and choose who would receive something for nothing, while others have to pay? Would it be offensive to those customers of yours who PAY for the same thing that you hand out gratis to the chosen few? Is that ethical, is that fair? Look, business is business.
I realize I am hammering away at this point once again, but Scott...you really seem oblivious to the fact that a big part of any publicly owned business is in shareholder relations - the people on this board and elsewhere who are your shareholders and your customers are the REASON why you can be the "head" of your company. Without them, you would not have a job. If you lose sight of that simple fact, you will lose the support of these nice folks as has happened on this thread.
I won't bring this up again, (I heard you say, "HALLELUJAH!!, so stop it! :) because there is nothing further that I could add, regardless of anything you might have to say on the topic in the future. If you are truly so harried with your massive "to do" list (Been there, DOING that)...choose your battles wisely. :) THAT is unsolicited advice that I offer to you for free. And, if you want something else for nothing, email the Dryers and ask for a free SI t-shirt. They are very kewl, and I'm sure they'd be glad to oblige you that reasonable request, as they do it for others as well. Just be sure to ask nicely. <gggg>
My intention is not to drive you away from this thread, quite the contrary. My objective is to offer my opinions, observations and even some constructive criticism to what I see as being an important issue to the shareholders of GTIS. Like you, I enjoy helping whenever I can. Makes me feel all warm inside, know what I mean?? ;)
Have a good week, and I wish you success in your endeavors. Feel free to email me should you care to discuss this or anything else further off thread: karas@rose.net
Victoria Karas |
