Controversial;I GUESS SO.My last post

[whiteriverinnmoose]

Fellow forum readers,

To say that it has been enlightening to participate on, and in this forum would be an understatement.It has been a privilege to converse with all the participants who have strong feelings on one side of the fence or the other.It is still amazing to me the response in personal emails,phone calls,and in person conversations I have had with members and nonregistered members alike.If any toes have been stepped on ,I am sure they will heal as quickly as mine will.Freedom of speech and Freedom in general is a wonderful right we all enjoy.Our boys are fighting for that very right overseas as I write this.May those freedoms live on forever,and Never be censored.

A very wise man once said,"No matter how vigorously you stir the milk,once it settles,the cream will always rise to the top."

Heres to the Cream

The White River Inn

Moose Watson

ps:There is life after a Forum,Cheers

[crappiefisherman]

I dont know you but dont leave.I dont have much to give, but im here, like it or not.Every last one of us has the same thing going for us.We love to fish and have moderate typing skills.Have a great day my friend

[Terry Beeson]

Hmmmm.... De ja vu all over again....

[WebFreeman]

Huh?

[SilverMallard]

I have no idea what is really going on, but I could take an educated guess.

Moose owns a luxury lodge on the White that he just opened last year. He only got on these forums very recently and probably because one of the guides he's been channeling clients to recommended he do so "for promotional purposes."

Now, in non-Internet business, when you promote or advertise your business, you have a LOT of control over content. And in sales and marketing, you NEVER bring up a negative...EVER. You won't see Ford running a commercial saying, "Even though the Ford 500 has been the worst-selling car Ford ever produced, it's still a great car and you should try one." And when the commercial is over, you don't see a bunch of criticism tacked onto the end of it.

Marketing via BBS's and blogs on the Net is a different game. You expose yourself to criticism that is attached directly to any mention of your business...or persona. For a business person, all this "free speech" on the Net is a two-edged sword. Every time you type something honest, you lose a potential customer. You MIGHT also gain one, but you definitely lose one. Someone reads it and thinks, "I'd never do business with that guy because of what he just said." And then they usually post something to that effect. If your purpose in participating in forums and blogs is to promote your business, you better not shoot from the hip or speak too candidly. You have to be a PR genius. And you have to learn to MANIPULATE popular opinion rather than get mucked up by it. Many entrepreneurs...especially outdoorsmen and women...have ZERO tolerance for that BS. They don't want to be "manipulators." They are straight-shooters by nature. And they despise confrontations...especially in public.

I suspect Moose found this out the hard way and has suddenly realized what the game is all about. And he has decided it isn't worth his time/energy to mess with this nonsense. Better to write a well-crafted ad and run it in the major papers and/or magazines...better to deal with a select few TV show producers and outdoor writers who ARE professional PR people and who have 100% control of their forums. So he's backing off. I don't blame him one bit.

I also suspect that he might have been "baited" into getting on the forum over at that other site by someone with less than noble intentions...somebody who WANTED to embarass/harass him. Someone who wanted to hold HIM hostage and make HIM conform in "HIS" arena instead of having to beg sports off of him and kiss HIS butt. Or, he might have been encouraged to get on that forum by someone who just doesn't know the first freaking thing about promoting a business via the Web. Even some people who have had success with websites have no clue how it impacts their other business...quite a high % actually. And they have NO idea how to make it a positive.

Just a guess...

P.S. I wrote this to hopefully give some of the readers here a bit of a feel for the business owners who DO participate. If you value their expert opinions/info, you should respect their unique situations. If not, they won't stick around.

[WebFreeman]

He probably would have been better off just leaving than making a cryptic post with a 139 views already and more likely today, esp. since we're still talking about. Parting shots never seem to leave people on the best of terms.

[MrDucky]

Wow , Im confused I gotta go fishing!!!

[taxidermist]

One thing certain all men are not created equal.

Some are catch and release fisherman and some are catch and eat fisherman.

Yes, with internet its hard to control all content and some people just will not like you no matter what you do or what your standards are.

I know from reading the post on here I have learned a lot already about fly fishing, I use to fly fish a lot but shoulder problems prevent it now.

My wife loves to trout fish, so what did I get here for Christmas? a beginner fly rod out fit and neoprene chest waders.

One thing that makes this country great is Veterans have given their lives and fortunes for freedom of speech.

So with that in mind, respect for each person's beliefs on how to fish must be respected. What each person has experienced personally and has the knowledge of must hold some respect. While another may not agree with what one person has expereinced and thinks they know the answer, fact is things change from day to day.

More power to those who can run a high class lodge. If I could afford to I certainly would.

One thing certain is this most of us here fish, what style we choose is up to us and to disrespect someone for the way they fish is not called for, is it?

I certainly hate to see a big fish filleted, thats why I offered to drive the 50 odd miles to the Branson area to skin trophy fish for taxidermy purposes. This allows those who want to eat the fish to do just that. But if you want to fillet that 10lb rainbow trout out thats your business.

No we all cannot get along, other wise there would not be any reason to have this forums, we each have views to share. so lets share them.

John

[SilverMallard]

Well, my understanding of Moose's dilemma doesnt really involve much "argumentation." It all started when a guide who moderates another fishing forum started editing his posts on that forum to delete all references to his business and/or praise for "competitor" guides of his. (I'm not sure...since it was deleted before I read it)

So Moose made a couple of "hey, wait a minute" kinds of posts. They also were deleted. It was stupid and childish (on the part of the guide/moderator). And I'll bet it made Moose realize just how "vulnerable" and out of control a biz owner is on a BBS that he doesn't own. And any possible gain isn't worth the BS. So he split.

And if I'm reading the situation correctly (I haven't spoken to anyone about any of this), I suspect that guide/moderator just lost a source of well-heeled clients due to his sophomoric shenanigans.

[crappiefisherman]

havent anyone of you tried to keep a client.This is in no way a disrespectful quote, but a factual questioned statement