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Re: [OM] Apologies to the Group

Subject: Re: [OM] Apologies to the Group
From: Gary Schloss <schloss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 12:54:52 -0800
Cc: Paul Van Tuyl <olympusguy@xxxxxxxx>
PvT wrote:

>I do not claim to be a photographer. I use the list for exposure, sure.
>I may miss the mark, but it is an honest effort to help. [Often] other
>people are interested in the item availability, not just the originator.
>[...] I believe in what I'm doing. If I can help someone, that's very
>gratifying. I'm learning everyday. I'm also learning tolerance. I hope
>in the future I can be of assistance to [each one of] you.

... and in another message:

>I have made a decision to bow out of responding, or posting, to the
>digest/list. It is too frustrating to cope with having to justify every
>response. My apologies to anyone we have offended. Enjoy your OLY year!

Thus far, I stayed out of this thread -- mostly because:

(a) PvT can take care of himself;

(b) he has shown himself to have stamina, and took all the abuse
    from the list, some of it with plenty of vitriol and IMHO at
    times way too personal, rather gracefully; and

(c) I was hoping that PvT and his detractors would quickly reach a
    modus vivendi, and we could put this mini "flame war" behind us.

I won't speculate on why PvT seems to evoke such a visceral response,
nor will I attempt to figure out why this most recent flareup was
triggered by his ad for a Zuiko 180/f2 -- a truly hard-to-find item.

Clearly, PvT is not very proficient with e-mail, and he could use
plenty of training on netiquette as well as the use of text editing
tools. God knows, he's not the only person on our list with these
handicaps, and at his age computer skills are not easily acquired.

Do I wish PvT had learned how to respond directly ("offline") to
individual list members, thereby limiting his posts to the list?
You betcha!!

Would I like to be among the first to know that PvT has a Zuiko
350/f2.8, a 24mm shift lens, or <insert your favorite scarce item>
in stock? Absolutely!!

Would we all like PvT to drop his prices by 25 percent? I'll say!!
(ok, ok, I digress -- but what else is new? :-))

Unfortunately, on the net much like in life, one has to take the
bad with the good. IMHO, the basic question ought to be: are we
better off with the Olympus Guy off the list?

While the answer may be not as straightforward as it is for some
other list members, who are not shy promoting their business here,
but whose technical contibutions are deemed too important to give
up, I am not yet convinced that the "silent majority" of the OLY
list has spoken.

Until that happens, may I suggest publicly to PvT to hang in there,
albeit in a squelched mode. (Paul, take a lesson from Bill Clinton:
the less you comment, the more popular you get. ;-))

To PvT's numerous detractors I say: based on some of his posts that
I actually bothered to read, PvT is a good businessman. By all accounts,
he seems to realize that he needs his customers more than they need him.

Moreover, from time to time PvT shows some sense of humor, humility
(phoney or not), and class. May I suggest that PvT's opposition take
notice, or learn to use the DELETE key -- whatever comes more naturally.

Cheers,

/Gary Schloss.
Studio City, CA
schloss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx



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