Honestly, I wonder what you people do for a living.

I came to this site to spend money, to find a good copywriter. No response to my first post, which asked how I should spend $175 on marketing. Well, there were responses, but most of them facetious, none serious.

So I tried again by asking for a critique, and what I got was a shower of ****, with hardly a comment that I could take as a serious analytical comment. "Scam, scam, scam" is what it boiled down to, but by people who hadn't read the site -- I mean really hadn't read it at all.

No one seemed prepared to ask why a company with an 18 year track record running two of what are generally acknowledged to be among the best small hotels in the world (see the NYTimes, The Good Hotel Guide, Vogue, Charming Small Hotel Guide, The London Times, etc, etc, and the list goes on to boring oblivion), why such a company, with another fairly famous hotel open, two restaurants and a health clinic and even a charitable foundation, why that company would suddenly decide to perpetrate an online fraud. Nobody asked, either themselves or me. Your responses were virtually without exception puerile and insulting, deeply rooted in a voluntary ignorance with a dollop of assumptive supercility.

So when I responded with righteous anger -- you know, the kind God used to throw around when he was vexed -- I got a universal broadside of invective, and even threats. And the threats go on even now. This morning my webmaster -- using the Visual Route trackback system for email origins -- found that someone with associations to this site had been to our site and left a whole string of false registrations and comments like "I'm going to get you," or "I'm going to report you," and a few other gratuitously insulting (and mainly ungrammatical) comments. We will of course be reporting this person to his/her ISP, but I just thought the rest of you would like to be aware of the kind of company you're keeping. Pitiful.

Let me be clear, I'm really sorry no one, not one single person, came forward to offer themselves for hire. (Well, Andy and Shawn made a comment in that direction, and Janet, bless her heart, has at least tried to be a peacemaker) What I'd hoped for was a rational comment like, "I visited your site, George, and I have some issues with it -- issues I'd be happy to discuss with you if you were to take me on as a consultant or even to write the copy. Here are some links to work I've done for other people. Take a look at them and let me know if you're interested."

That, folks, is what grown-ups do. I sometimes hold clinics in my area of health expertese and end up helping a number of people. But I don't do it for free (well, sometimes; that's what the foundation is for). By and large people don't expect me to do it for free.

Which is to say I never asked for, nor expected, anything for free. But I did hope to find one -- it only takes one -- competent and persuasive and skilled and compatible kindred spirit. But there's nobody here, more's the pity.

Nevertheless, I did learn something, and for that I thank you. Clearly I need to make my site much more simple-minded, much more accessible to lower IQs. No, that's not an insult -- not totally, anyway -- just a recognition that if you people don't get it, then presumably lots of other people won't get it either.

I do take heart from the fact that 112 people registered yesterday and an average of 97 a day registered during the last ten days. Still not good enough, by my lights, but I'm waiting on some publicity and that should help. I wanted to ask you folks about getting a celebrity on board, but I think we've mutually come to the end of the string.

So long and I wish you good lives.

George

PS Truly, what DO you do to make a living? I'm neutrally curious.

It's often nice to see someone still so impressed with himself that he continues to visit this board of simpleminded folk, just to let us know how well he's doing.

Good for you. Go raffle off your hotel and be sure to let us know how your relationship with Bob Bly is going.

What a maroon!

Unfortunately George just can't get it through his head that people saying the site looks like it's a scam is valid and incredibly valuable feedback.

If so many people who are tuned into the power of words said that the site did not appear legitimate, then there is indubitably something wrong with the site.

No one going to any site cold gives it the benefit of the doubt. They make judgments based on what they see and act accordingly.

George has a huge problem and prefers to believe that we are the problem.

Oh well.

Marcia Yudkin

Sell Coke!

Okay, then, will you go already? Oh, and thanks for appreciating my support.

Gee fella -- may I buy you a dictionary? You keep using words you don't know. You called me a "nimrod" the other day, obviously ignorant that it means "King", and now I'm a "maroon". Well, as a graduate of the University of Chicago, yes, I'm proud to be a "Maroon", too. Don't know how I got under your skin, but you clearly have issues with people who are more successful than you are, which I suspect must be an awful lot of people.

Closed thread. This is getting out of hand.

Honestly, I wonder what you people do for a living.

I came to this site to spend money, to find a good copywriter. No response to my first post, which asked how I should spend $175 on marketing. Well, there were responses, but most of them facetious, none serious.

So I tried again by asking for a critique, and what I got was a shower of ****, with hardly a comment that I could take as a serious analytical comment. "Scam, scam, scam" is what it boiled down to, but by people who hadn't read the site -- I mean really hadn't read it at all.

No one seemed prepared to ask why a company with an 18 year track record running two of what are generally acknowledged to be among the best small hotels in the world (see the NYTimes, The Good Hotel Guide, Vogue, Charming Small Hotel Guide, The London Times, etc, etc, and the list goes on to boring oblivion), why such a company, with another fairly famous hotel open, two restaurants and a health clinic and even a charitable foundation, why that company would suddenly decide to perpetrate an online fraud. Nobody asked, either themselves or me. Your responses were virtually without exception puerile and insulting, deeply rooted in a voluntary ignorance with a dollop of assumptive supercility.

So when I responded with righteous anger -- you know, the kind God used to throw around when he was vexed -- I got a universal broadside of invective, and even threats. And the threats go on even now. This morning my webmaster -- using the Visual Route trackback system for email origins -- found that someone with associations to this site had been to our site and left a whole string of false registrations and comments like "I'm going to get you," or "I'm going to report you," and a few other gratuitously insulting (and mainly ungrammatical) comments. We will of course be reporting this person to his/her ISP, but I just thought the rest of you would like to be aware of the kind of company you're keeping. Pitiful.

Let me be clear, I'm really sorry no one, not one single person, came forward to offer themselves for hire. (Well, Andy and Shawn made a comment in that direction, and Janet, bless her heart, has at least tried to be a peacemaker) What I'd hoped for was a rational comment like, "I visited your site, George, and I have some issues with it -- issues I'd be happy to discuss with you if you were to take me on as a consultant or even to write the copy. Here are some links to work I've done for other people. Take a look at them and let me know if you're interested."

That, folks, is what grown-ups do. I sometimes hold clinics in my area of health expertese and end up helping a number of people. But I don't do it for free (well, sometimes; that's what the foundation is for). By and large people don't expect me to do it for free.

Which is to say I never asked for, nor expected, anything for free. But I did hope to find one -- it only takes one -- competent and persuasive and skilled and compatible kindred spirit. But there's nobody here, more's the pity.

Nevertheless, I did learn something, and for that I thank you. Clearly I need to make my site much more simple-minded, much more accessible to lower IQs. No, that's not an insult -- not totally, anyway -- just a recognition that if you people don't get it, then presumably lots of other people won't get it either.

I do take heart from the fact that 112 people registered yesterday and an average of 97 a day registered during the last ten days. Still not good enough, by my lights, but I'm waiting on some publicity and that should help. I wanted to ask you folks about getting a celebrity on board, but I think we've mutually come to the end of the string.

So long and I wish you good lives.

George

PS Truly, what DO you do to make a living? I'm neutrally curious.

George,
I think it's time you pick your chin up off the ground and move forward...

I just shot you a PM to let you know how I "really" feel about your problem --

Don't worry... nothing negative!

George:

I sent you a PM. Maybe there will be an idea in it that will help. It's not
negative either.

I'm still involved in the radio business somewhat and write occasional freelance articles for radio trade publications. I do have a few copywriting projects that I'm working on now but I'm just now really getting that started.

Best wishes,

Alan