# DeniseM, Moderator



## Jim Myers (Apr 29, 2011)

Dear DenisM, TUG moderator,

I am bewildered by your rationale by first editing and then removal of my post on the forum thread entitled “...Berkshire Concepts”.

The user name I chose was Berkshire Concepts and I clearly identified myself as an employee of the firm.

Yet you claim I am a 'shill'?

I responded to “JayHart”'s question:

*“Can anyone recommend Berkshire Concepts or give me any information about them, such as a web site. Google found nothing”?*

by posting the corporate website and inviting “JayHart” to call me at a company phone number, and you called it advertising, but yet you leave “JayHart”'s question and posting on your site. 

To me this is disingenuous and intellectually dishonest. You are aware that there is indeed a website, as it was you who removed reference to it. By allowing “JayHart”'s question to remain and my response to be removed, you give credence to his claim that a website does not exist.

In my post in response to “JayHart”, I ask him to call me if he has any issues with the treatment he received. He did not contact me nor did he respond to my posting.

Why? Because he is an internet sniper. He opened an account on your site, posted once to vent his spleen and wondered off into the ether, hoping you would aid him in getting his message out.

Now I am all for fair comment and criticism, and 'JayHart''s thoughts should be heard amidst the cacophony of opinions on the internet. “JayHart” however thinks his posts are more important, that his arguments are superior, to that of any others. 

So “JayHart” gets his message out first, and with your generous assistance, solely, at least on your site.

Whenever I Google our company name I find that “JayHart”'s TUG posting is listed above our corporate websites and The Better Business Bureau's rating of us.

It would be the height of conceit for TUG to believe its site would be hit more often by more internet surfers than the BBB, so one must assume something else is going on, and it is!

“JayHart” owns a computer consulting business in the high tech corridor outside Boston.  Somehow, it appears, he manages to manipulates the algorithms on Google to place his posting on TUG above our website and that of the Better Business Bureau.

And, with your able assistance, his is the only voice to be heard on TUG.

Very Truly Yours,

Jim Myers

B.C. 
( the company that dare not speaks its name)


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## DeniseM (Apr 29, 2011)

Jim - I'd be glad to answer your question.  Your post was deleted and you were banned, because you, or someone else from your company registered *multiple user names* from *your* IP address and posted *shill recommendations* for your company.

Also, commercial user names are not permitted on TUG.


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## TUGBrian (Apr 29, 2011)

TUG regularly gets forum posts for company names listed at the top of search engine ratings, has nothing to do with the poster.

after all, a timesharing discussion forum would be a much better search result for individuals looking for information on a company dealing in timeshares.

has nothing to do with conceit...its just a reality.

believe me, if said individual was able to easily "manipulate" any page he wanted to the top of google rankings...id hire him to do ever page on TUG....as would millions of other people and he would be a gazillionaire.


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## Jim Myers (Apr 30, 2011)

TUGBrian said:


> TUG regularly gets forum posts for company names listed at the top of search engine ratings, has nothing to do with the poster.
> 
> after all, a timesharing discussion forum would be a much better search result for individuals looking for information on a company dealing in timeshares.
> 
> ...



TUGBrian and DeniseM,

Thank you for your prompt responses.

Google is much easier to manipulate than it would like the public to know. Google's recent admission that it would be changing its search algorithms in an attempt to stop manipulation of placement by a New York Jewelry Store chain's use of negative words (which Google likes better than positive words) is just the latest public display of this phenomena.

I can personally change a page's placement, at least temporarily, by 'searching'  for and then opening the page numerous times, which I just accomplished whilst watching a sporting event on TV. 

In respect to DeniseM.'s Response, chronologically:

On March 5, 2011 “JayHart” published his critique. About a week or so later it was brought to my attention and I, after identifying myself as employed by this company, posted an answer to “JayHart”'s question:

*“Can anyone recommend Berkshire Concepts or give me any information about them, such as a web site. Google found nothing”?*

by posting a link to one of our websites. The portion of my remarks which referred to the website were immediately redacted by DeniseM, under the pretense that it was 'advertising'. How else would one respond to a question about the existense of a website? 

This situation remained for about a month, with “JayHart”'s question and my censored answer remaining.

Sometime on April 25, DeniseM. then removed my post completely, this time under the guise that I am a shill or that other people's posts came from my ISP.

On April 29, I responded to DeniseM's censorship with the posting above and questioned the fairness of her actions.

I don't believe her response deals with the issue, but is just a parroting of her initial, pettily bureaucratic reasoning.

I have no other interest in other posts on your medium, or your site in general, no insult meant, other than to answer “JayHart”'s question and I did so openly and as briefly as possible. My issue with your site is DeniseM's collective guilt censorship model which allows her (him?) to arbitrarily and capriciously alter or remove posts.

Very Truly Yours, 

Jim Myers


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## ace2000 (Apr 30, 2011)

Jim, I think you obviously have legitimate concerns. I believe you'll find that both Brian and Denise will do what's fair. 

Just a recommendation... why don't you just ask Brian and Denise what is fair and allowable under the TUG rules, and work with that? I think you'll get a chance to properly answer the OP's question.

P.S. I've seen other businesses make similar responses in the past, and contrary to what Denise stated, they even setup their company name as their TUG id.

_[Ace2000 - using a commercial name is a violation of the TUG Posting rules - when we see it, we ask them to re-register with a non-commercial user name. - DeniseM Moderator]_


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## TUGBrian (Apr 30, 2011)

Jim clearly has no concept of how google search results work.  (most specifically, how results are tailored to individual users based on their browsing history).

I would suggest becoming a bit more educated on the subject prior to throwing out accusations in the future.  it just makes you look foolish.

Per the issue at hand, you clearly violated the TUG posting guidelines you agreed to upon your registration on this site in a variety of ways, and given it was your very first post...most certainly warranted moderator action.

It never ceases to amaze me how people feel that they have the right to agree to terms and conditions of a private entity...then simply ignore them as they see fit.

this thread in and of itself is also a violation of the TUG posting guidelines...and we are done here.


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## timeos2 (Apr 30, 2011)

TUGBrian said:


> Jim clearly has no concept of how google search results work.



None whatsoever based on those posts! I wonder if his knowledge of timeshares is equally deep? As always readers are best advised to weigh the source before accepting the "facts" presented in any post.


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## DeniseM (Apr 30, 2011)

I notice that the OP didn't address the fact that 4 or 5 user names were registered under his IP address - or related IP addresses, and used for shill posts promoting his company.


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