Saturday, May 31, 2008

A Minor Saturday Rant

Gosh, I got thrown off another firearms forum yesterday...I accidentallly mentioned that I produce SHOOTING GALLERY and that Outdoor Channel was committed to Second Amendment issues. POOF! Away I went! This from the same forum that has been steadily slandering OC and me by implication every since the InterMedia shows got dumped.

I'm apparently not allowed to mention that I have a new show coming, because that changes the terms of the argument. Instead of the Evil Wicked Giant Television Network stepping on the Plucky Little Guys, the argument becomes what it always was, one consumer product being replaced by a better consumer product. Welcome to Darwin 101.

The one forum that has always been stand-up is the competition forums from my friend of so many years Brian Enos. I've been a member of Brian's forums for years and years, and, yes, we have issues on whether or not I'm commercial — I am by definition a commercial product...it's a fine balancing act, but it's one that Brian and I have discussed.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I visit several forums. Many are good, some are real good, and a few are great. But there are some that are occupied by folks that have their head up their a**. Mr Bane , your forum is in the great category. Be a duck and let it just roll of your back.

Geoff said...

You're just dying to tell us what forum, aren't you?

Anonymous said...

Was it "zumbo outside"? Or AHSA? How many guesses do we get? Is there a prize if we guess right?

iainmcphersn said...

I hate to hear that. It is a sad shame that they would boot you since you are still out there on the OC.

The Brian Enos forums are excellent. If you are a shooter, especially a competition shooter, you need to visit them.

Don't let the bastards grind you down Mike!

John

Anonymous said...

Thrown off another board? Harumph!

Meaning, in an offhand way, that you may spend a bit more time on your board?

Kim du Toit said...

Mike,
Feel free to join up at The Gun Thing forum.

You're always welcome there. Just don't do it till Tuesday, please: we're busy repairing the bullet-holes.

DAKOTARANGER said...

You evil capitalist dog. rofl

Nothing like 2nd Amendment guys not allowing for the 1st Amendment.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Bane,

If you simply paid the dealer fees that every other dealer paid to advertise on the forums, it wouldn't even be an issue. We're talking all of a couple hundred bucks here. You can afford it.

be603 said...

Beat me to it Kim.

MB,
Friendly neighborhood. If you don't mind an occasional noogie or wedgie. :-)

TexGun said...

So i guess it is all about the money on some blogs.

Rock on MB!

Michael Bane said...

Hey...when do I get the money for THIS blog! LOL!

Anyhow, hi Kim! Glad to hear from you. For the record, I believe it was Kim who gave me the best advice when I started the MB Blog — "great first effort...now do it every day for the next few years!" Dude, harder than I imagined!

Also for the record, on every forum I've been tossed off, I've contacted the Forum owners/moderators and asked what I needed to do to continue to participate. To date, I have never received a reply from any of them. You want a couple of hundred bucks, I'll pay it. But you have to talk to me first.

I would also like to point out that I am not a "dealer" of anything. I sell nothing. I am commercial in the sense that I produce broadcast and Internet video that has my name on it. Those shows are of interest to many people in our culture...which is why about a million people a week watch them.

Generally, I only answer questions on threads that pertain to my shows.

What I previously used the forums for is an "open door," a way for people to reach me with comments, questions and ideas for future shows and a way for me to get a feel about what topics are hot right now.

Rastus is, of course, right...I now have a better "platform" for obtaining that information — DOWN RANGE Television and its Forums.

BTW, check out the DRTV links page! Lots of other gun Forum links (and Kim, we'll add yours tomorrow).

Besides, I wouldn't be a member of any club that would have me for a member!

mb

Anonymous said...

Yes, it *is* all about the money. The hosting costs for many of the heavy traffic forums cost anywhere from $500/mo and up. The time and money that goes into maintaining that bandwidth is breathtaking, and there's no way to expect one person to take the entire brunt of the cost. The dealers on the forums pay a fee for advertising space to recoup that cost for the owner. The result has been an explosion in the interest in the shooting sports now that there are "free"avenues for people to hop on the internet and drink from the firehose.

No, you don't sell a physical product. But you're selling, so give me a break. You are there selling TV ratings for the shows you produce. Nearly every post I see you make is a show pitch with a blatantly obvious tagline and home page link. Yet, you pay zip while everyone else in the industry voluntarily kicks into the kitty without anyone nagging. The bills need to get paid, the sports need to be promoted, and everyone just mans/womans up and writes the check.

Worst of all, you know better. Your profession is based on compensation for advertising space. I guess I should call the Outdoor Channel and see about the Michael Bane program of free advertising air time in the name of First Amendment rights.

Everyone else in the industry gladly pays for the service they receive. You whine. Pretty sad statement on your character.

Michael Bane said...

Always nice to be loved...especially by "Anonymous!"

mb

John Richardson said...

Not that MB needs any defending but it is the only sad commentary I see on anyone's character is to publish comments about him and make it anonymous.

Whoever "Anonymous" is, he or she should have the testicular fortitude to ID his or herself. Otherwise, we can all assume he or she is the person starring in Brad Paisley's "Online" music video.