[Tim Nolan]

It's none of my business I guess how this site is handled, but I don't feel Randy from VoodooFx should have been banned. Yes, I know he blew off some steam, but I think it was something that had just built up over time and needed to be let out.

Maybe at the top of this forum, there should have been a sticky where Randy could have introduced himself, told everyone what he does and what he has done in movie FX and such. He is a wealth of knowledge and experience.

I have noticed that in the past, that a lot of his input has gone seemingly ignored in posts, why I don't know. I mean, this guy knows more about lighting and Fx than most of us will ever know in our lifetime! He has rubbed shoulders with the best of the best. He knows ALL those guys from the model shops of Star Wars and such! Do you really want to lose him? He never comes off as some know-it-all [JERK]. He's an honest, down-to-earth guy. He's always willing to share methods, idea's, and his knowledge. I can't begin to tell you how much he has helped me in the last few months.

It's not a personal loss for me, because I talk with him on the phone every few weeks and we have some really great conversations. That won't change.
But, a lot of other folks around here will be missing out, and that's pretty sad from my standpoint.

I'd like to hope that you guys could talk things out with him, wipe those bad posts away, and get him back here teaching us full time again. Please allow other folks to comment, and not lock this post right away. I think this is something that needs to be strongly reconsidered. Thank you.

 

[hankster]

OK, so let me understand you correctly. If someone needs to blow off some steam or is knowledgeable in their field, we should allow them to violate the forum's longstanding rules? BTW, his ban is not permanent and we are discussing it.

 

[jwrjr]

Is banning a forum sponsor a smart thing to do?

 

[Tim Nolan]

Hank,
I fully understand your position as the owner/moderator of the board. Yes, he lost his temper, we all do at some point. I just thought it was a shame to loose a valuable member and sponsor who has given so much to the hobby in the past, and continues to do so.

The statement that he's just in it for the money is unjustified. For the amount of money he makes on light kits, considering the time in design and configuration, parts and packaging, it's not like he's supporting himself with these kits. He's a model builder like the rest of us. He's helped a lot of us take our builds to the next level with his quality products. I'm glad to hear your at least talking with him, and I hope the outcome is positive. A fresh start might clear the air and do everyone some good! Thanks for letting me speak my piece.

"Let those among you who is without sin be the first to cast a stone"
(the BIG guy, 2000 years ago.....):thumbsup:

 

[Model Man]

If I may comment as the person whose post Randy just exploded all over with his invective ranting, I am at a total loss for what just occurred.

Randy posted unrelated photos of an on-site video screen installation he did at a nightclub in a topic devoted to model star destroyers. After but one reply/post he went on a rant that didn't stop for several more posts where he upped the gibberish-swearing and issued a personal (threatening in my view) challenge to a moderator to go mono e mono -presumably so he could 'vent' some more. The additional posts have been removed.

However, I can't help but feel his initial off-topic post was some form of snipe at me, given that this was not the first time -and that he usually goes out of his way to start new threads (here and here for example). The first snipe (I am aware of) occurred a month ago in this post here, where he also used a form of obvious swearing covered up with quaint abbreviation -which was derogatory of a technique I had come across and volunteered to the community.

In several of Randy's posts he lambasted others for posting off topic, why post off topic in mine? This page contains two telling posts (#28 and #30).

In this recent rant, Randy went on about trade secrets or some such, of which none were expressed by him. Unless he references the Republic SD thread where Tim N. said he got a tip from Randy. But this tip is not unique to Randy. This also made no sense as he often gave out his number to even non-customers to call and ask for tips and 'tricks of the trade'.

Whatever just occurred, I wish Randy well.

 

[geino]

In several of Randy's posts he lambasted others for posting off topic, why post off topic in mine? This page contains two telling posts (#28 and #30).

As one of the 2 people who was on the recieving end of that "rant", I tried not to take it personally and kept silent about it. At the time, I was thinking Randy should have read through what we were talking about since Rob had to point out that these were being developed to light up.

While I wish him all the best, everybody should remember that we do this for fun, let's try not to take things too seriously. We are here to share our knowledge and show off our good works.

 

[Griffworks]

Words to live by! When it stops being fun and it's supposed to be a Hobby for you, it's time to step back and take a break from it. If it's your job and it's not fun, time to find a new vocation.

 

[Lou Dalmaso]

Is banning a forum sponsor a smart thing to do?

yes, and that's the hard call.

the flip side of that is you have one rule for sponsors and one rule for the rest of us.

To quote Kirk when he talked about the "E Pleb Nista"

"Beautiful words, but they have to be not only for the Yangs, but the Comms as well or else they mean nothing"

 

[fxshop]

WWW.VOODOOFX.COM

 

[Griffworks]

This is really pretty simple, Randy - I wasn't upset, but was enforcing the rules. I do this Moderator job to help out Hank and I take no money. While it sometimes is a bit trying on the nerves, the situation w/you wasn't trying, but pretty straight forward - you broke the rules so I corrected you. You further broke the rules by making an attack on me, as well as the language violation.

In my opinion, you'd have continued on the same course you did - based on what you had posted in just three posts w/in that thread - , so I BANNED you instead of you constantly taking pot shots. As I told Hank, I did it to keep you from further inflaming a situation which didn't call for your initial response, let alone later replies, as well as figured I'd let him handle the situation with you once he had the time.

So long as you don't violate TOS, you've got nothing to worry about. However, making snide and borderline harrassing comments to other members and/or mods isn't conducive to the forum you sponsor remaining a fun place.

 

[Griffworks]

Just out of curiosity, Randy, why are you going thru your old posts and deleting the content...?

 

[hankster]

Is banning a forum sponsor a smart thing to do?

All members should be treated equal. Just because someone "pays" for sponsorship or being a Supporter does not give them permission to act inappropriately. Once such example is we used to have a "sponsor" for 3 forums that wanted me to change our rules.... he is no longer a sponsor or is active here.

 

[jwrjr]

It is nice to know that HT has so many sponsors that it can afford to toss some aside.

 

[Griffworks]

"toss some aside"?!? Looks rather like you're trying to push an issue, if I'm not mistaken. Just so we're clear here:

1) Randy broke the rules. Not once, not twice, but multiple times. He also has done things in Bad Form, such as posting information about his products in the thread started by someone with a similar product.

2) As Hank stated above, all members of HT are treated equally. I fully expect to be taken to task just like any other member if I were to ever break the rules.

3) There really aren't all that many rules at Hobby Talk. The primary themes here for The Rules are pretty darned simple: Play Well With Others and Don't Use Bad Language.

4) Randy is no longer BANNED, nor has he been for some time now. Randy is also still listed as a Sponsor for this forum.

Once he came off his BAN, he immediate set about edting posts. It was Randy's choice to go thru and edit at least a dozen plus threads in which he'd previously posted, removing what he'd written in those which hadn't been locked or Soft Deleted. A lot of that information was helpful to others. While he's not posted since what appears to be a bit of a tiff on his part, he has signed on to his account multiple times since then. The last time was 9:49pm last night (Saturday night).

So, how has Randy been "Tossed Aside", exactly?

There are a great many other forums to which Randy can go and post. Many of those forums will allow members certain degree's of lattitude that others don't enjoy and edit or remove posts that don't violate the rules but which the site owner takes issue for whatever reason, so perhaps he'll be happy at such forums if he's so unhappy with Hobby Talk. Same with anyone else here who doesn't like Hank's rules or how they're enforced by his Moderators - myself or others.

 

[falcondesigns]

It is not bad form as you call it to mention your product in any post,it is business,especially if you sponser the forum.Randy makes his living by selling products,that how he can afford to sponser the forum.If we lived in a perfect world,then everyone would be treated equal,unfortunatly on this site they are not.alex

 

[deadmanincfan]

...breathe, guys...

 

[Griffworks]

It is not bad form as you call it to mention your product in any post,it is business,especially if you sponser the forum.

You have no clue what you're talking about, Alex. Randy posted a link to his product in a thread on another forum here at Hobby Talk. It wasn't here in the Model Lighting forum, but over in the Moebius Models forum, in this thread: http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=259001 The thread was started by Gilusions to promote an upcoming (at the time) product and Randy's post wasn't helpful nor was it anything other than a slap at Gilusions. A car dealer parking a big trailer w/a sign for his business in front of a rival dealership having a sale is pretty rude and what Randy did was the equivalent.

So, please, tell me how what Randy did was anything other than Bad Form?

Randy makes his living by selling products,that how he can afford to sponser the forum.

I sponsored a forum for well over a year and don't sell products, nor have I ever. So, anyone who might wish to do so could conceivably do so.

If we lived in a perfect world,then everyone would be treated equal,unfortunatly on this site they are not.alex

Yes, some people on these forums seem to think they deserve some sort of special treatment and have gotten it in the past from some Mods. I try to treat everyone as fairly as I can, taking some few situations in to account - such as someone TROLLING - before I enforce the rules. I don't claim to be perfect in that account, but I don't arbitrarily lock threads because it's someone or a topic that I don't like, delete threads because I don't like the topic or "disappear" members because I don't like. If that were the case, there are at least a dozen members who wouldn't be posting here anymore and a couple dozen threads that would be locked and/or long gone.

As already mentioned, there are plenty of other forums out there to which anyone who is upset with Hobby Talk might be happier.

 

[falcondesigns]

Actually,I do have a clue....

 

[Griffworks]

Ah, OK. Gotcha, I now see exactly where you're comin' from.

 

[Seaview]

...breathe, guys...

Ditto. Stay friends, OK? :dude: