I see it like this...
Eddie/Wayalife run a business and that business is a web based forum. What is a forum? By definition... a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged. Since the forum requires a login which is basically "approval" to participate; and a person can have their ability to participate revoked by the moderator or body granting permission to participate... it is not so much an open public forum. It is more like a club. Not saying that is necessarily bad or wrong, everyone likes to belong.
Funny, I've always looked at my website as being a home on the internet that my wife and I have built and welcome guests to be a part of. But hey, what do I know :crazyeyes:
Most of the Jeep and 4X4 forums can be great sources of information based on peoples experiences and opinions.
:cheesy: Oh please!! Most of the Jeep and 4x4 forums are owned by multi-million dollar corporations like Internet Brands and Vertical Scope and the only thing they care about is how many people they can get to click on their ads.
Know this, unless you are a recognized expert on a certain subject, it is just opinion until you can provide factual proof. Folks need to decide for themselves if they value the opinions and advice. It is always best when the opinions and advice are fair, fact based and impartial, but we all know, humans struggle with that bit.
:cheesy: Well, I suppose it's a good thing a forum messiah like you decided to drop in to save everyone here from themselves. God only knows if you hadn't told them to make decisions on their own, they would just blindly follow opinions that were unfair, partial and baseless like sheep. :crazyeyes:
I will put it out there that the moderator of any forum ideally should be like a judge. "A judge should not allow family, social, political, financial, or other relationships to influence conduct or judgment."
And I will put it out there that you should start up your own forum and run it in your own righteous image. :yup:
It would be fantastic to find a site that is dedicated to what all of us are passionate about (Jeeps) that follows the model of Consumer Reports.... Unconstrained by advertising or other commercial influences. The rub is that you would need to pay to support that site, and these forums are all for the most part free. People like free almost as much as they like giving opinions.
You're right, WAYALIFE is FREE for you to use because my wife Cindy and I PAY for its existence out of our own pocket. Of course, there's nothing stopping you from doing the same.
I personally don't know what Eddie does or how he conducts himself with regards to vendors and manufacturers, nor do I care. He seems like a good guy who loves what we all love, but I don't know him personally. I would guess that the majority of folks on here don't know Eddie personally... and before you get all riled up, just because you have met a person once or twice does not mean you know them, it means only that you have met them. SO, not knowing Eddie, my assessment that he seems like a "good guy" is just that at this point... my opinion.
Well, there's nothing stopping you from getting to know me personally. As most here know, I live a pretty public life and make myself available throughout the year. You should attend one of our runs or suds-n-grubs and find out for yourself what I'm really like.
When a person attacks, monitor the situation. Does the claim have ANY merit? and i mean any. Has favor been given to someone who has provided compensation in any way? Has a negative opinion or comment been posted regarding a party that refused promotional consideration? A honest evaluation of the claim being made against you is the prudent course of action. Full disclosure is always the best policy. Why should anyone be afraid to say that they received promotional consideration? If that is the price of admission, then so be it. I would love folks to give me parts, discounts or services in exchange for a mention or positive review. Thew other side of the coin is that I also know that I cannot then present myself as totally unbiased with regards to that product or service.
Just because you don't like what you hear doesn't mean anyone or anything is being attacked. But, it's a good thing that a forum messiah like you showed up to tell all the stupid people here how and why they need to "monitor the situation". :rolleyes2:
As I said earlier, Eddie seems like a nice guy. He makes cool videos, loves his Jeeps and runs a decent site, which I enjoy. I am sure that he is fine without everyone jumping up to defend his honor.
Actually, I kind of appreciate when my friends stick up for me as I would do the same for them. If you had any friends, you might understand this a little better.
I can say with confidence that ANYONE engaging in internet battles just comes off as petty. That is fact. Be above it. it is not defending your honor, or the honor of others.
And I can say with confidence that ANYONE who feels the need to self-righteously preach at others on a website is a loser. That is a fact. Be above it. It doesn't make you honorable and it doesn't make you look honorable to others.
It is playground behavior. Eddie is a big boy and he can address any claims made against him personally or Wayalife howevr he sees fit. It is his site.
Thank you, this is my site and I do run it how I see fit. Again, you should start up your own forum and run it how YOU see fit :yup: