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For anyone that doesn't know last year I was banished from my favorite group on the vine and from the Foto-Friday feature that was a mainstay of my column every week. I sincerely do not wish for a re-hash of those events I cannot think it would be good for anyone involved to have to go there. Suffice it to say that I made a number of mistakes which included the writing of this article which stated some concerns I had with the new mandated branding that was a requirement for participation in Foto-Friday articles at the time. There has been some back pedaling on the issue after the fact but at the time I wrote the article there was no mis-understanding. I would be happily doing foto-friday articles today if it weren't for the fact that I was thrown out while lobbying to get the brand made into a voluntary thing. Like it is now.
This isn't about being right. To hell with being right. This is about owning up to the mistakes I made and apologizing to the injured parties for not thinking things through. I didn't take into account the feelings of the people who worked hard to get the brand done nor did I see the work behind the scenes to get the archives to work when you click on it and stuff. All I saw was an annoying image that created another step of difficulty in a process that I sometimes found to be a little overwhelming in it's difficulty due to the connectivity issues associated with life on the ocean. I really didn't look far enough past my personal stuff to see how damaging my posting would be about the issue and all of my hopes for what I was trying to accomplish blew up in my face.
Kicked out and having done more harm than good I tried to soldier on and do my column without any of the main features that I participated in but it just wasn't the same. I thought about quitting the vine and gave up doing articles pretty much altogether. To date my column languishes and much of my readership has dispersed (as in nothing to see here). My camera has lain in it's bag card full of un-processed and un-published images. We had a rescue dog named Blue that my wife wanted me to do an article on and I didn't have the heart to write it, we found him a home and she cried for a week and I never did his article or got good pictures of him. I guess you never truly appreciate something until you lose it.
NV photographers meant a lot to me and I put a lot of effort into participating in it. I tried to support everyone that I could from the group as much as I could and I always encouraged others to do the same. I honestly thought that kind of participation would be valued and never thought I would get myself thrown out of the group. (It's not like I was getting all rowdy on people's picture columns and stuff). It has taken me awhile to move past this and I think part of that is the fact that I never even knew why I was kicked out of the group. I honestly thought it was because I disagreed with Ben and Mal about the brand thing. That I was thrown out for altering the image never even occurred to me.
That was a pretty stupid thing to do in retrospect but it seemed pretty funny at the time. Of course it was just image editing I broke the link and everything else went to hell as soon as I touched it. When I replaced the whole thing with my own imagery was probably the part where I really screwed up but by then I was feeling a little bossed around on the issue and wasn't thinking. There are times to joke around and there are times to be serious and I sometimes joke around a little too long (Like after everyone else has decided it isn't funny).
The cow video was probably the last straw. I am really sorry and want to apologize to everyone that was offended by the cow video.
For the folks and friends that I offended and angered with my thoughtlessness I am sincerely sorry. I didn't mean to infringe on anybody's copyright or make anyone feel like I was casting aspersions at their hard work.
I am most sorry for the appearance that I no longer support my friends image articles because that isn't exactly what is going on. For me the brand may always be the worst thing that ever happened to me on Newsvine and I avoid it when possible. I don't comment much when it is there but you guys will always have my support and I think that writing this is going to be a big part of moving past such considerations.
Ben to you I am most sorry for the fact that I never took the time to get to know you well enough to avoid this mess. Most of your comments to me were rather terse (about rules and stuff) when I try to see myself through your eyes I wonder if you forgave me all of the stupid mistakes as easily as I forgave myself or if those moments bore weight on your decision. Anyways I apologize for my part in everything. I may be a "blatant copyright infringer ," but I don't have to be an unapologizing one. I want to thank you for having the following conversation with me on the big meta-thread where you finally informed me of why I got kicked out. For you it may have been a bridge burning conversation but for me it was cathartic to finally find out why.
This reply to Story Artist in the big meta thread (comments merged for space considerations)......about NV Photographers spurred the following discourse between Ben and I.
the slightest criticism about the job being done with that group results in dismissal from it.
Blatant and unapologetic copyright infringement is not criticism.
I thought my removal of the offending image and subsequent statements to the effect that I was wrong in the matter were enough but if not.....
Right. That's why they aren't all removed from this article... or this article... you were politely asked to stop making derivatives... declined to acknowledge the request... you took a couple weeks... then wrote this article that, again, used the same unauthorized derivative while insulting those who created... you were booted over it, justifiably so. Boots are unceremonious.
I apologize for altering your image and posting it in a format other than the original.
Too little too late
You rule (with an iron fist).
Ah, so that's where it's coming from. Nice work.
Ben
Right. That's why they aren't all removed from this article... or this article... you were politely asked to stop making derivatives... declined to acknowledge the request... you took a couple weeks... then wrote this article that, again, used the same unauthorized derivative while insulting those who created
Those images do not have even one pixel of your stick figure drawings in them they are not a derivative of a stick figure drawing at all. I removed all of the offending combined works that added my imagery to the brand. I am sorry if it didn't occur in a timely enough fashion I was working offshore at the time and couldn't get a lot of internet time to fix everything.
Anyone that was insulted should know that is not what I wanted.
you were booted over it, justifiably so. Boots are unceremonious.
Thank you for finally explaining that to me. I think it is fitting to at least do that for a group member who often times only did articles to participate in NV photographers. It was hard to get those articles done with the limited time I had.
When I apologized for altering your image and posting it in a format other than the original you said....
Too little, too late.
If you say so then it must be true, we both know I can do so much better...
Ah, so that's where it's coming from. Nice work
I am just glad that you didn't shrink from confrontation and hide behind others this time. Those aren't good traits for an award winning moderator.
I was working on some high key Dolphin photography off of Cape Cod yesterday. I haven't found a foto feature for these guys yet but surely they will be welcome somewhere.
"Judge the actions not the words."
