Belonging to both Rick fora....

[johnhall]

Sadly, I know that a number of Ric owners in the UK have now abandoned the RRF (one is actually disposing of all his Ric guitars) because they are unhappy at the actions of the 'Ric Police' who allegedly monitor the RRF and suppress freedom of speech.

Well, it's news to me that somehow we are able to suppress posts on this forum. Ironically, my complaints about the RRF have been about over-censoring, by one moderator in particular. I will also theorize that it's the same person that's been "stirring the pot" over in the U.K.

Peter is his own man.

[shamustwin]

Ahem... I did sign up on the Company Forum, but having started here, here is where I come back. Just got used to the layout of the RFF I suppose. And now with FB (and important life stuff) I find it hard to come by often!

[bvstudios]

Ok, I'll ask...

TB forum??

Oh.... never mind. I figured it out. Apologies.

And yes, I belong to both the corporate and this Ric forum, as well as the GDP forum. That's all. No FB, no Tweets, no nothing else.

[manta]

I belong to both and find both have certain discussions and info that I enjoy. Great resources. I think my posts are about equal on both, although I am probably more active here as of late. Keep both forums rolling along!!!

[Ivan3000]

Sadly, I know that a number of Ric owners in the UK have now abandoned the RRF (one is actually disposing of all his Ric guitars) because they are unhappy at the actions of the 'Ric Police' who allegedly monitor the RRF and suppress freedom of speech.

Well, it's news to me that somehow we are able to suppress posts on this forum. Ironically, my complaints about the RRF have been about over-censoring, by one moderator in particular. I will also theorize that it's the same person that's been "stirring the pot" over in the U.K.

Peter is his own man.

It's cool to have rules and all, but you can't take advantage of the power you are given and be a complete dictator about it.

[Ivan3000]

I originally came to this forum crazy about Rickenbackers, they were THE instrument to me.

Now, I don't even care, the name is slightly tarnished to me. I used to have some loyalty to the company I was vehemently opposed to copies, now I just don't care, in fact, copies don't even bother me anymore.

Maybe it is the fact that I've gotten used to my Hofner, maybe I've realized I can't buy one yet, and maybe, just maybe it is the fact that Peter made a great forum, and what I've seen happen to it in the past year has ruined it, atleast it has for me. Everyone was friends, now it is just some weird transformation, and an unequal distribution of power.

Now as I slowly drift away from the whole online community thing, the name Rickenbacker doesn't light a spark in my mind anymore, it's just another instrument, to be honest. And I'm not sure if I just lost interest, or my subconscious mind associates the name with some of the power hungry poppycock that goes around on here.

[Ivan3000]

People have their right to express their opinion. This isn't 1984.

[collin]

I used to have some loyalty to the company I was vehemently opposed to copies, now I just don't care, in fact, copies don't even bother me anymore.

Just to be clear, you've never owned a Rickenbacker, right Ivan?

Just curious about the "loyalty" part of that...

[kiramdear]

Sometimes it's good to take a break and come back with fresh perspective, some members have found.

[beatbyrd]

When all is said and done, this forum (or any other) has absolutely nothing to do with the sound and the quality of Rickenbacker instruments. The idea that an internet forum should affect someone's decision whether to own or sell an instrument is absurd. People so easily influenced should stay away from ALL forums, because they are likely to end up in some wacko cult or stockpiling food and ammo for the grand meltdown.

It's simple..... read the RRF forum and comment if you like. If you run afoul of the terms of service and/or owners of this forum, your post will be removed. The forum has a bunch of devoted regulars who have been here for a long time. They are protective of the forum and all things Rickenbacker. If you take a slap at something or someone, you will probably be gang-slapped back. If you get too loud and obnoxious at a party, you will find yourself outside on the curb.

There are some great people here and it still is a very friendly place....... providing that one has enough sense to post things that are within the boundaries that have been established over the years. Learn to only fight battles where something can actually be gained. Please keep your Ricks and your composure.

[manta]

Ivan,

I have seen you mumble for months now about copies.

US copyright laws and intellectual property have nothing to do with this forum or with Rickenbacker in particular. The fact that it uses an established set of national and international laws and rules through licensed copyright law attorneys to protect its product, thus protecting the livelihood of its many employees and their families, is just good business. It is not an easy or inexpensive process and it is certainly, I am sure, something the company would rather not have to do. My guess is that it would rather spend said time on making great guitars.

But the world has thieves in it. That is a fact.

You can let them steal from you or you can fight them.

I currently have an attorney chasing down a Beijing company that used some of my intellectual property. The magnitude of the use is in the six-figure neighborhood. I'd rather be diving, quite frankly, but I am not going to let some thieves rob me. So I fight them using the established process and some social networking as well.

Quit babbling and go to Google. Look up copyright. Look up intellectual property. Educate yourself. Understand the the subject thoroughly. Understand the implications of violating these laws... and they are laws. Discuss the subject with experts. Then attempt to tackle it in the forum if you feel the need.

Nobody objects to you having an opinion.

The objection is to you upchucking online.

All you have ever contributed to the subject has been emotional and less-than-common sensical drivel. THAT is why you get the backlash you get.

You can continue down a path of apathy if you want or you can use the modicum of computer and educational skills you have acquired at your young age to bring enlightened discussion to the forum.

It has nothing to do with the brand or quality of instrument we all love here and to confuse it as such is misplaced logic on your part.

There is plenty of room for spirited and opinionated discussion, comment, humor and education at the RRF. But the forum doesn't bode well for fools.

[360girl]

People have their right to express their opinion. This isn't 1984.

True, but you seem to be making the mistaken assumption that many members of forums have - that free speech should always exist on forums.

While it would be nice to have, it's not required. The forum's owner has the right to regulate whatever he or she does not want seen on a forum. Some forums (such as the Gretsch Discussion Pages), are pretty lax about it. Other forums (QRZ.com - the world's largest online ham radio forum [yep, I'm also a ham radio operator]), can be pretty hardcore about enforcing certain things (this morning for instance, QRZ.com, closed down [for the umpteenth time] a thread about a certain radio frequency in the ham radio bands, that's notorious for being the hangout for certain individuals who are rude on the air, and openly break radio radio laws, due to threads of that type having a tendency to spin out of control, and get nasty). They can also ban members for making personal attacks on other members, constantly trolling, etc. It doesn't matter if "free speech" allows this kind of behavior. If it violates forum rules, the forum owner, and the moderators, are within their right to lock a thread, ban an individual, etc., because a forum is a privately owned website (not publicly owned). As such, I think of forums, as being benevolent dictatorships. Are there some overzealous moderators, or (as I've seen on another guitar forum, that shall remain nameless), moderators, who don't do enough enforcement, or look the other way, and let certain individuals get away with doing things, that other forum members can''t get away with? Sure, but from my personal experience, those are the exception, not the rule.

Frankly, if somebody wants a "perfect" free speech forum (in other words no-holds-barred, anything goes [including personal attacks]), they can always check out the Usenet forums and lists. To the best of my knowledge, none of the Usenet forums are moderated. If you like conflict, they're your kind of forums. The few times I've checked out Usenet forums, I found them to be pretty nasty, with lots of verbal "going for the throat" action. No Thanks! That's not for me! Ditto for the poorly moderated forums, that let threads spin out of control, to the point that posts got nasty within 10 posts of the OP, and kept on being nasty for the next 200 plus posts (before a moderator finally stepped in, and closed down the thread).

[cassius987]

I am a big fan of the corporate forum; when I joined a few years ago John Phillips/Blue Angel was a frequent poster and I learned bucketloads about electric guitars from reading his postings. Similarly that forum is how I met up with Scott Pope/iiipopes, a friendship I am extremely grateful to enjoy. It's definitely slower but like the comparison to TB there are different people who post in each forum with different ideas, even if there is also some overlap, that shapes the tone of the discussion. Some variety is good.

Regarding TB, I was also a member there for several years (about as long as the corporate forum) but I asked a moderator to permanently ban me because I realized I was completely wasting my time by even reading the threads. At a certain point the forum stopped "giving back" to me in terms of information even though I was still trying to participate, so it became a pointless time-dump full of polarizing troll threads. I had to get out of there. It's been over a week now (I think) and I'm pretty certain my blood pressure is a bit lower.

[cjj]

And on the issue of free speech, you have to remember that Peter lives in Canada, so whatever someone might have learned in school in the U.S. (or any other country besides Canada) may not apply. And then, since members are from many different countries, and the forum is available world wide, there may be a lot more that needs to be watched so as to not ruffle international feathers. The world wide web is a whole 'nother thing when it comes to various legalities, many of which have yet to be fully decided in the courts of the world governments. Erring on the side of caution is probably prudent in the case of an internet forum...

[david/wales/u.k]

I'm fairly new but can I ask....who is Peter?