mikegarrison

IMO, Nate took the wrong approach with those right from the start. He probably should have just done some generic versions, signed them, and said, "here, use these if you want as long as you don't modify them or sell them in any format". He still could have amused himself and made some money by selling customized versions for people.

Releasing them and asking people not to copy them was just not likely to work.

i_heart_my_DB8

You know, since this has all blown up, I've decided to lay low on S2ki for an undetermined amount of time. However, you Vintage folk have always shown a level head in discussing things, so I'll respond to this post.
You're right. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose. In my head, I had this silly idea that as a community we could respect someone's work, but in retrospect, that expectation was overambitious and under-realistic.

What bothers me the most about all of this is that something that at one point was supposed to make the forum more enjoyable (custom drawn signatures) has instead been turned into an something ugly, and now I am being blamed by all for xviper's departure. The original thread for custom signatures was about giving something BACK to the community that has helped ME so much. It was my crazy attempt to do something nice for this community. Some of you will recall that I gave out the first few for free, and I NEVER HAD ANY INTENTIONS OF MAKING MONEY off of this, or charging people. SO many people were PM'ing me and asking for custom drawings, charging a small amount for my time was the only way I could limit the number of requests.

It never has, and never will be about the money. Trust me, my freelance rate for those stupid drawings is much more than what ended up probably equating to less than minimum wage for the work. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I wish I could draw one for everyone on this site for free. We ALL take pride in our cars, because they're all individual.

And yet, all I asked in return was that people respect the work that went into it, as well as their respective owners. See, when someone pirates a signature, it's not just me it affects- that image is owned by someone rightfully. There are a large number of artists, designers, and photographers on this site. Their work should be respected as well- heck, how would we like it if EVERY image in the gallery section had to be watermarked because if it wasn't, someone would take it and claim it as their own? Anyone who has ever taken pride in something they have created should know how I feel.

That is all for now. While I realize I could have done some things differently both in the recent past and back in the beginning, I stick my my guns in my stance that both the members of S2ki AND their work should be respected. Flame me for that view if you like.

DrCloud

I've wondered about this, too. I seem to remember that he actually did "resign" sometime in the past year but then reappeared -- although maybe I'm confusing him with someone else in this.

Hey, playing amateur psychologist is always good for explanations, right?

Has anyone seen any comments by cthree in any of these various xviper-related threads? HPH

mikegarrison

I don't think many people who have been around for a while are actually blaming you. I think Dave was looking for an excuse as much as anything else. Six years is a long time. Sometimes it is easier to walk away if you make a big production out of it and make a public statement that you are doing so.

raymo19

I've seen much bigger blow-ups before that didn't end with this result. After thinking about this some more, I'm just hoping there's not something else going on in his life that brought this about.

NATURAL JOCK

I was going to post this under "Petition for XVIPER to come back." I don't know what happened to that thread when I hit the "add reply" button. That thread just suddenly vanished! Anyhow, I like Xviper even though I haven't met him. I like his personality. He tells it like it. Some might think he has no tack, but I like his honesty and his intelligence.

I have not thanked him personally for his unselfish contribution to this site. We should all be grateful for his knowledge and wisdom. I know I am.

PS.

To those who simply can't refrain from "name calling," I suggest you guys grow up! I've read recent various thread about "Xviper." Some of you are so freakin' infantile. Using words such as "faggots, gay ass and other racist remarks" are so freakin' immature. Do you honestly feel good about yourself whenever you use these words? Do you honestly think that by using these words make you sound intelligent and important? We really need to be a little bit more tolerant and respectful of others. There's enough hatred in this world. Let's not bring hatred in this site.

Zippy

This is not meant as a flame.
That said I think Dave and a number of us remember when this board started up and everyone fell over each to do things for one another. The board is quite different now and I think that after 6 years of what looked to be selflessness on his part, he felt that the board had changed. It is no longer a community as it once was, and perhaps he felt he had given enough of himself. You turned out to be the straw, why, because perhaps he felt you didn't want to give to the community.
This is not a judgement from me, and I certainly don't know Dave very well, did meet him at a Fall Colors a few years back.
This board overall seems more concerned with making money, than being a community. (this is not a comment about you)
Again, this is not meant to be a flame, just an observation from someone who's been around a long time

Zippy

No, nor do I expect to.

raymo19

I wish you had posted this paragraph in another forum. I don't think anyone here has done anything you describe.

valentine