Fake Forum IDs and Plants

[Dreadful Scathe]

C'mon Steve, I think I know you well enough to know you're not as petty as that sounds but that's really petty!!

no, he really IS that pretty

[Cruella]

I'd like to think that some members of the Forum have a bit more backbone and would take a stand against a company or person who was being dishonest and unethical. You're obviously not one of them though...

I guess the problem is, with being just a punter, most of us hear about all the backbiting and so called underhand dealings i.e 'Bolitics'. But we don't actually know how much of it is true and which party is really the 'big bad wolf' as it seems to come from all sides, about all the organisers/companies. Therefore it is easier to ignore the ethics and go to a dance and enjoy the event, without worrying about the politics involved.
I'm really not sure that any organiser is doing anything, that would be the equivalent to child labour!

[Brian Doolan]

We ALL knew that, nobody said you werent real, just that you were a plant ...........

Speak for yourself DS, I've danced WCS with Anne at Graham's classes and I didn't even know she was a forum member, let alone "CheekyChops"

That's the MAJOR problem with obfuscating nicknames, other than Franck and the moderators, we don't know who's who or who we're insulting

[Beowulf]

which party is really the 'big bad wolf'

I'm a Big Cuddly Wulf.. honest

[David Bailey]

I guess the problem is, with being just a punter, most of us hear about all the backbiting and so called underhand dealings i.e 'Bolitics'. But we don't actually know how much of it is true and which party is really the 'big bad wolf' as it seems to come from all sides, about all the organisers/companies.

It's all subjective, it's rare to hear both sides, because MJ dance organisers typically have seriously large egos (not as much as salsa, but pretty gigantic), and also because both sides are reasonable people, providing a good service, who just happen to have different viewpoints and motivations.

I'm really not sure that any organiser is doing anything, that would be the equivalent to child labour!

The "buddy" thing springs to mind

Anyway, enough of this seriousness:

C'mon Steve, I think I know you well enough to know you're not as petty as that sounds but that's really petty!!

Ah, so you mean we should hunt terrorists first? Makes sense - I mean, terrorists might blow up the homes you build, so that'd be a waste of effort.

[Dreadful Scathe]

Speak for yourself DS,

Well I cant speak for you but I think everyone ELSE assumed cheekychops was an actual live person that went to Grahams classes

[TheTramp]

C'mon Steve, I think I know you well enough to know you're not as petty as that sounds but that's really petty!!

It wasn't meant to be petty.

It was meant to be an absurdism, responding to an absurdism.

To suggest that we shouldn't be writing messages on here on a particular topic, because houses needed building in Jamaica etc. was (IMHO) a pretty silly thing to say. So, I responded in kind.

Apologies to anyone who thought I was being petty

[Dreadful Scathe]

I was SURE he wrote pRetty...maybe he edited it

[straycat]

Apologies to anyone who thought I was being petty

I didn't think you were being petty, but can I have fourteen ounces of apologies anyway? One never knows when they might come in handy....

[Dreadful Scathe]

I didn't think you were being petty, but can I have fourteen ounces of apologies anyway? One never knows when they might come in handy....

you saying theTramps not pretty?

[straycat]

you saying theTramps not pretty?

it's a French-derived word, yes? Prêt - ty?

Meaning someone who's ready a lot. (I assume)
I'm sure he's ready practically all the time!

So - no - I didn't mean to imply that Steve wasn't prêtty - and I'm quite happy to return a small quantity of the apologies that I've so cheekily requested if Steve thought that I had implied such a thing.

[Lee Bartholomew]

Do us punters really care about bolitics?


In general no. Alot of the punters that go through the doors of an event are not even aware of them. Only a small % of dancers are regular forum users or in a position to be exposed by them.

I wonder (if it is true) how many extra people Graham or Lindsay would have got through the door? prob not that many.

How many punters would Graham and Lindsay lost due to people finding out and thinking it's unethical? Again not many.

Apparently there has been alot of history between Jive Addiction and Ceroc. Im not 100% sure what the history is, or who is at fault because at the end of the day, I don't care. I will still go to the event based on who is there, price time etc.

[Gus]

Do us punters really care about bolitics?
.......... Im not 100% sure what the history is, or who is at fault because at the end of the day, I don't care. I will still go to the event based on who is there, price time etc.

Aye ... you don't care ... because its nit your hard earned cash that someone else is trying to exploit. Like many others in the dance business I've had trouble with people renaging on deals, trying to poach dancers/crew etc. I totaly agree in keeping the punters in the dark but it doesn't mean to say that organisers should just 'take it on the chin'.

[Lynn]

Do us punters really care about bolitics?

In general no. Alot of the punters that go through the doors of an event are not even aware of them. Only a small % of dancers are regular forum users or in a position to be exposed by them.

You would be surprised at what people know - people who have nothing to do with the forum.

And yes, it might not affect what events they go to, they will still go to the events run by the organiser who they maybe don't have as good an opinion of - it doesn't have such an impact that they actually avoid the event. But it does affect how they represent that event or organiser to other potential customers. They are going to speak more highly of events run by people that they respect.

And people can tell the difference between a hyped up 'this is a great event because I've been told to say its great' and 'this is a great event because I know its really well run' vibe underlying a comment.

This is based on observations from other people - all the ones I'm thinking of at the moment have nothing to do with the forum or have any connection to any organisers other than being customers (and I'm not just thinking of MJ either.)

[cheeks]

So Dorothy is real and is a male friend of yours eh?

So would you care to explain why on earth a man would be posting about the dancing experiences of an imaginary woman then? (Examples below)

Sounds like you're talking total and utter b0llocks......IMHO.....

mm.....................so is that different from you posing as a female at events in female attire...

[cheeks]

I'm with DS on this one.

Mm in 'my' opinion isn't it possible some people just jump on their soap box and begin to attack fellow dancers, as I'm sure if you pop your little self back to the thread where the first post/ thread was pulled from you would certainly see many others love to dance and feel if organisations like Ceroc , Boogie Nights, Le Roc, Red Hot and Blue, Mamma Mortons, Jive Addiction, GF WCS, Revolution Dance to name but a few have professional differences surely this should be dealt with in a professional manner and not on a public forum. (Yes if someone's done something wrong it should be addressed but not aired as dirty laundry), (As a dancer who frequents any/ all of the above events I have friends connected to many/all of the above, as do many others!)

maybe some should take into account the first rule of business get to know your competition not slay them.

oh just for the record my ip address will be that of another forum members due to me having no internet access at home but I am certainly real and not a plant seriously don't think the cheeks would fit in the plant pot.........

[thainmaggiet]

i only started ceroc 9 weeks ago, everyone was supposed to be non-judgemental and friendly? its a bit scary as it seems so confrontational and cliqueish? please tell me i have not made a mistake and joined a secret society or some weird cult where i will only be allowed to do what the leaders approve or organise?

[purplehyacinth]

thainmaggiet

Welcome to the forum

First of all, please don't worry, it's not that bad - you have just had the bad luck to wander on to what may seem a rather unhappy thread. The history to it started with someone - on a different thread (I'm afraid I haven't been able to import the link successfully) whose post was- at that time - suspected to be a breach, or at the least at the edge of - the ban on advertising on the forum, the response to that, and the responses to that response. The end result is that Franck (who runs the forum) took action as he detailed on the first post in this thread, and he sets out his reasons for so doing at various points in this thread.

Things are generally a lot more friendly around here, so please don't run away (although, as with any bunch of people, you do get the odd clash between personalities). I'd recommend that you have a more general wander around and a look at some of the other thread - there are lots where beginners find a warm welcome, and there is loads of helpful advice here (and I am speaking from personal experience as some of my first posts on here were advice-seeking and I got a lot of useful and helpful replies). More than that, when I have had to travel around the country, and have gone to ceroc classes away from my "home" class, I have found a warm welcome from the local forumites.

True there are rules to the forum (that link worked better) you will have seen a copy when you signed up - but in the main they are mostly simply good "netiquette" and not some harsh and oppressive regime.

This isn't some weird cult - although you willl find people here who are heavily addicted - that is to say addicted to dancing (and sometimes also talking about dancing too ).

So please, thainmaggiet, give the forum more of a chance, take a slightly wider look round, and don't give up on it yet and run away.

[Dreadful Scathe]

its a bit scary as it seems so confrontational and cliqueish?

It does ? What venue do you go to ?

Unless, you mean the forum - in which case, you can't get much more distant from reality than this

[thainmaggiet]

thank you purple heather!

i really dont scare easily and having found this wonderfull pastime that i enjoy[at the ripe old age of 52!!!]. i will not be easily put off! in general the people i have met have been lovely and welcoming, it is just while perusing the forum topics i have been a bit perturbed by the animosity and vitriol of some of the contributors. i am sure though that as in any organisation many different views need to and should be expressed. this is after all a democracy![i think!?]. actually thoroughly enjoying all the confrontation and comments! i thought this was a very genteel pastime and subject!!! the wars of the roses seem tame in comparison!!

heres to continued freedom of speech and thank you for your kind words!!!