Douche of the decade!

Talk about crust.
The mullah who runs/owns WatchTalkForums is now saying members must join his patron program - to help finance his Admins and his travel to Basel - before they can post in his sales forum, which he believes is very valuable space. This change takes place Jan.1. I suspect the backlash will burn down his kingdom.
Couldn't happen to a nicer zealot...

boscoe wrote:

Talk about crust.
The mullah who runs/owns WatchTalkForums is now saying members must join his patron program - to help finance his Admins and his travel to Basel - before they can post in his sales forum, which he believes is very valuable space. This change takes place Jan.1. I suspect the backlash will burn down his kingdom.
Couldn't happen to a nicer zealot...

What is the fee?

I received that newsletter as well. The strange part is that he sends newsletters out to banned members.

Can you believe he wants to pay mods for writing "articles" on the forum? What mods does he have over there? The whole "flying WTF staff to Basel" thing is hilarious.

He had a bad response last year according to the e-mail I got. I guess the members didn't feel sending him and his staff to Basel was a good investment. So now if you don't sponsor the forum you can't sell a watch there. Hmm, that's CLASS!

Here's the link with the explanation. I guess it's ok to post it. Maybe he'll ban me. I've never been banned before.

http://www.watchtalkforums.info/forums/sales-forum/32406-changes-coming-sales-forum-please-read.html

I'm not a member of WTF and I rarely ever go there unless someone links a post to them. That email sounds totally hilarious. Why would anyone pay a Forum Owner and his posse to fly to Basel?

"Remember, all these benefits can be available to you for the low,
annual cost of just $10.00. Yes, just ten lousy bucks a year is all it
takes to become a Patron Member at the Stainless Steel level. We're not
trying to get rich here guys, we're just trying to grow the community."

Oh, and I really appreciate the info in his signature about which rag he's on staff for now. Helps me know which magazines to avoid because they hire those with delusions of adequacy. Just FYI, this is the guy that had written a review of the 7750 for one of these magazines and then the very next month wrote a review of a new watch with a "Swiss 7750" in it...only problem is that it was a fake Chinese that was REALLY easy to see was not a Valjoux 7750. Some "expert"! He writes for the "ultra-affluent" THE WATCH JOURNAL.

I'm glad XMT one of the few respites out here from all the ego maniacal self appointed watch-forum demigods, but, if Alan starts asking for donations for plane fare to Basel I'm out!

I absolutely loathe that pretentious parasite.
I could go further but it could get me banned here for language.

I signed out of that place a long time ago. Got an Email a little while back regarding this and just thought to myself : What a prick! I remember asking him for some advice regarding watchphotography when I was very new at this and all I got back was: You should by my guide to watch photography for only X bucks! He can suck my .......hairy......
I almost started a thread about this, but just thought I`d spare myself the hightened bloodpressure and scrapped the idea.
At least I`m not alone thinking he`s a piece of .....

boscoe wrote:

Talk about crust.
The mullah who runs/owns WatchTalkForums is now saying members must join his patron program - to help finance his Admins and his travel to Basel - before they can post in his sales forum, which he believes is very valuable space. This change takes place Jan.1. I suspect the backlash will burn down his kingdom.
Couldn't happen to a nicer zealot...

I received the email also as I am a member there. I have a few comments and thoughts. first off some of you know that I have owned many forums and websites. It is NEVER a good idea to do what he is doing. You turn off so many members and just kill your community. You can offer paid options, but should not cut everyone out of one area that has always been available to all like he is doing. Personally I think this is potentially a FORUM CLOSER in what he has decided to do. I can see the majority of his core members literally running away and to other places.

I understand what he was trying to do, I just think he presented it totally wrong. It came across as - We are already making some money from the sponsors, advertisers and others... but not enough. I want to go to international watch shows and report about it so to do that we are going to charge for just about everything. now i know that is not what he said, but that is how it is being perceived. i have a good friend who literally told me he wont go back now because he was turned off by the entire idea of what he was doing.

Running forums is not easy and the reality is that sometimes people loose sight of what makes the forums successful in the first place - THE MEMBERS ACTUALLY COMING THE THE SITE AND PARTICIPATING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never knew WTF was Watch Talk Forum. Always thought it was something else. WTF?

"However, we have no budget for things we desperately need like compensating the Admin Team (who work as volunteers currently), travel (to get to places like Basel or SIHH for example so we can bring our community a first hand account of the new watches which are introduced every year) and advertising (so that we can draw in even more participation in our various forums which is more fun for everyone). "

What a crock of crap. This guy is crying poor here and touting the value of his extensive Rolex collection elsewhere on his business site.
This all would be acceptable, sort of, if the place were run like a democracy instead of a kingdom. But as a former Admin Team member he makes it very clear in private he owns the joint, it's designed to be a money maker - and he makes the rules.
Why any member of ANY forum would need a "first hand" account of new watches and more "advertising" is beyond me. How does that make the forum experience better (unless you're a Skelton fanboi)?
He is a viper.

He needs the money to go to those places because he doesn't stay in Holiday Inns or eat at Golden Corral.

JBHIII is a First Class hotel stayin, 5 star dinin', Rolex wearin', BMW drivin' son of a gun...
(with apologies to Ric Flair).

TVDinner wrote:

boscoe wrote:

Talk about crust.
The mullah who runs/owns WatchTalkForums is now saying members must join his patron program - to help finance his Admins and his travel to Basel - before they can post in his sales forum, which he believes is very valuable space. This change takes place Jan.1. I suspect the backlash will burn down his kingdom.
Couldn't happen to a nicer zealot...

I received the email also as I am a member there. I have a few comments and thoughts. first off some of you know that I have owned many forums and websites. It is NEVER a good idea to do what he is doing. You turn off so many members and just kill your community. You can offer paid options, but should not cut everyone out of one area that has always been available to all like he is doing. Personally I think this is potentially a FORUM CLOSER in what he has decided to do. I can see the majority of his core members literally running away and to other places.

I understand what he was trying to do, I just think he presented it totally wrong. It came across as - We are already making some money from the sponsors, advertisers and others... but not enough. I want to go to international watch shows and report about it so to do that we are going to charge for just about everything. now i know that is not what he said, but that is how it is being perceived. i have a good friend who literally told me he wont go back now because he was turned off by the entire idea of what he was doing.

Running forums is not easy and the reality is that sometimes people loose sight of what makes the forums successful in the first place - THE MEMBERS ACTUALLY COMING THE THE SITE AND PARTICIPATING !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mr. TV Dinner, you give this douche too much credit. Your analysis of his message is EXACTLY what he was trying to say. He has that much chutzpah.

. . . hey! Be a member . . . .

I'm just totally in shock..... that i'm not a member there, how did this happen and where can i send 10 bones to be a stainless steel member (always been my favorite metal)!! Who is this mr. john? sure i've heard about him but what other forums did be belong to and what is his handle?

randyswagon wrote:

. . . hey! Be a member . . . .

I also LOL at his "Watchbox" program. Pay a fee and be able to show pics of your watches. Very novel idea.

Umm....why pay when you can post them in a thread??

Andrew sent that to me a long time ago, not only have I been banned but he did remove my account, I must be a first. I can't understand why, he and I got along so well...
Actually he's a slug, I hated him then and I hate him now. I hear he's a bit of a dwarf, someone told me he is only 5'6" tall and that's why all of his pictures are taken from a lower angle in order to make the mental midget look taller. I could care less if someone is short, it's the man inside the skin that makes you who you are and he isn't a man.

OK, this thread needs a dose of ATOMIC TOM!!!!

bodypeersur1 wrote:

OK, this thread needs a dose of ATOMIC TOM!!!!

Nobody can put a positive spin on the King and his techniques.

Nobody!

Well-he does like puppies.
But only purebreds.
And he probably hired a walker and I am sure he pays one of his Mod team to scoop the poop.

foghorn wrote:

bodypeersur1 wrote:

OK, this thread needs a dose of ATOMIC TOM!!!!

Nobody can put a positive spin on the King and his techniques.

Nobody!

Well-he does like puppies.
But only purebreds.
And he probably hired a walker and I am sure he pays one of his Mod team to scoop the poop.

How dare that puppy poop!

Docrwm wrote:

foghorn wrote:

bodypeersur1 wrote:

OK, this thread needs a dose of ATOMIC TOM!!!!

Nobody can put a positive spin on the King and his techniques.

Nobody!

Well-he does like puppies.
But only purebreds.
And he probably hired a walker and I am sure he pays one of his Mod team to scoop the poop.

How dare that puppy poop!

I guess he never read the manual.

foghorn wrote:

Docrwm wrote:

foghorn wrote:

bodypeersur1 wrote:

OK, this thread needs a dose of ATOMIC TOM!!!!

Nobody can put a positive spin on the King and his techniques.

Nobody!

Well-he does like puppies.
But only purebreds.
And he probably hired a walker and I am sure he pays one of his Mod team to scoop the poop.

How dare that puppy poop!

I guess he never read the manual.

Him or his walker?

You guys kill me...LOL!

When I saw the title of this thread, I was sure it was about the tech dude...

watchcollector1968 wrote:

When I saw the title of this thread, I was sure it was about the tech dude...

He might be a close second,but pales by comparison.

Ok, now I don't feel so bad for slamming the guy in my email to Don when I first got this.

Pay for him to go to Basel? Pay for his (and, I'm sure his wife's) fancy dinners while at Basel? Pay for his admins to write articles? What the hell???

If I remember correctly, the whole patronage program started a little over a year ago, right? There are currently only 78 paying members, according to his email. And how many members all together?

Let me predict what's going to happen to that forum in 2010...

It's all about Money over there ....

Heven-for-bid you might be a watch maker that doesn't pay his Service charges to post ...
Well one would not want folks buying your watches over the crap he puts together ...

What about the Ass over at UK-TZ or the brain damaged fool at 3T (Time Tech Talk) ???

TZ in general is bizarre and I don't know T3.
But I suspect JBHII - aka the Evil Dwarf - tops them all.

For kicks, I went over to WTF and looked at his previously owned watch list: nothing but Rolex.

No mention of the Invicta's he owned - including the 9937 he claims to have helped design - the Seikos etc. Like all mullahs and facists, he rewrites history.
I still laugh when I think of how he described the joy of wearing his first Rolex - that there was something special about it - that had nothing to do with the price or the prestige.

Sorry for venting. I have been biting back my contempt for years.

boscoe wrote:

For kicks, I went over to WTF and looked at his previously owned watch list: nothing but Rolex.

No mention of the Invicta's he owned - including the 9937 he claims to have helped design - the Seikos etc. Like all mullahs and facists, he rewrites history.
I still laugh when I think of how he described the joy of wearing his first Rolex - that there was something special about it - that had nothing to do with the price or the prestige.

Sorry for venting. I have been biting back my contempt for years.

I have one simple question as I've seen this scenario in a multitude of aspects. What do people lie to make themselves look important/better? I have never understood this phenomena.

You should never "bite back your contempt" Dan. Let it go immediately, indescriminately, and prematurely if at all possible.