Dave Banned from DP Review!

[Akio Morita]

David K. wanted to post true info on Nikon D300 and got banned by Phil, who is getting nominated by Canikon's PMA for Man-of-the-year!

[David Kilpatrick]

That is not true! If the ban was a ban (and they say it was not, just an error in the system) it was for mentioning the immediate availability of the Autumn Photoworld edition with A700 review for anyone who wanted to subscribe.

David

[pakodominguez]

Yeah: the bad coockie answer to the conspirancy question...
whatever!

[paulobro]

Well, the whole of David's messages wasn't deleted, not even the 'guilty' thread was erased, so perhaps it WAS a glitch?...
Regardless, that 60+ messages thread in DPR's Sony SLR Talk forum tells — at least as I read it — a moving story. One that should make David proud.

Yeah, man, they came when you called for help, and then they stood for you.
Who cares what that site admin thinks or does? A higher and louder voice has spoken, by deed much more than words.

Proud, indeed.

[Greg Beetham]

David K. wanted to post true info on N*k*n D300 and got banned by Phil, who is getting nominated by Canikon's PMA for Man-of-the-year!

Not a good thread too be greeted with at DPR, I just got home from work and logged on to DPR to see what was cooking, (boy! didn't that create a hornets nest, the supposed ban I mean) Simon from DPR eventually became involved and said there was no ban a couple of times, so we can only take his word that it is some glitch or suchlike, and all will be fixed ASAP.
Greg
BTW David I have managed too cause myself to be greeted with the logon at DPR (which doesn't work, having logged on already) all through my sheer ineptitude, (sometimes I think of something sensible too say and compose a post and half way through I "cancel" thinking it's probably not that good after all) and doing that sometimes throws the links into a fiz it seems, only resolvable by shutting down IE7 and re-logging on from scratch.

[Akio Morita]

That is not true! If the ban was a ban (and they say it was not, just an error in the system) it was for mentioning the immediate availability of the Autumn Photoworld edition with A700 review for anyone who wanted to subscribe.

David

Not true? Anti Sony poster Barry Fitzgerald is allowed to post in the Sony forum, repeatedly attacking a camera he does not own! Isn't this a lot worse than one post you made? He did the same with A100!

[Omega892]

Well, the whole of David's messages wasn't deleted, not even the 'guilty' thread was erased, so perhaps it WAS a glitch?...
Regardless, that 60+ messages thread in DPR's Sony SLR Talk forum tells — at least as I read it — a moving story. One that should make David proud.

Which thread on DP Review was this in folks? I just tried a search and it bombed.

[Greg Beetham]

Well, the whole of David's messages wasn't deleted, not even the 'guilty' thread was erased, so perhaps it WAS a glitch?...
Regardless, that 60+ messages thread in DPR's Sony SLR Talk forum tells — at least as I read it — a moving story. One that should make David proud.

Which thread on DP Review was this in folks? I just tried a search and it bombed.

Did you ever catch up with the thread, it's a testament to David K. virtually.
As I recall some of the more emotional members were threatening too boycott DPR unless David was reinstated.
Greg

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readf ... d=25498668

And the original supposed capital offense.

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readf ... d=25454838

[Omega892]

Did you ever catch up with the thread, it's a testament to David K. virtually.

No I didn't and thanks for the links, I have caught up now.

I had been struggling with a flaky computer system, an internet line that keeps dropping out and health issues, including wife having an op'.

I feel the same as all others WRT all the useful information that David manages to put into Photoworld. I also wish to keep up support for the splendid job he does in advocacy for a splendid system that deserves longevity.

I always have appreciated that David is a very busy man and thus have nothing but praise for his polite manner in answering questions and providing valuable advice on the few occasions when I have had cause to 'phone.

Unfortunately I too cannot make out what Sony UK is about. I have started to wonder if they have moles from they-who-should-not-be-named working on the inside of their marketing department. Maybe they are planning to drop the A mount to leave that legacy of not-invented-here behind?

I am in a strange position here. I have been giving a branch of LCE my patronage, for I used it before it became a part of the LCE chain and so knew the people, but they are right next door to a Sony Centre. I have continued to buy kit from LCE, who still have useful SH stuff, rather than Jessops who seem to be even more oriented towards Canikon, with a big emphasis on the C. Indeed there has not been a Sony Alpha in sight in there for months now.

I consider it valuable to keep such local retailers in business if possible rather than always go for what looks like the cheapest route. I have the same thoughts about book purchases, so use Amazon just to look up book details when required; besides one can only really judge a book by perusing its content for oneself. As I research certain aspects of history where there is much written and most of it dross this is the only way.

However LCE seem keener to push Canon, and maybe Nikon so I guess they get incentives too.

Now with Canikon both pushing cash back offers the war is becoming dirty indeed. How did IBM and Standard Oil, a study of whose marketing practices is illuminating, become as big as they eventually did?

Well done David for increasing support for your worthwhile efforts in keeping this ship afloat.

[David Kilpatrick]

Thanks to the response from dPreview regulars, I took in enough new subs to almost cover the cost of the latest edition of the magazine. Without Sony support, I can tell you this helps. Their response pretty much equalled what I used to get from KM to support an issue.

However, I blew all the money sending two magazine copies, a covering letter and around 30 membership forms to 132 UK Sony Centres. Since I can not get my forms into Sony boxes, I have to try this route. Guess what? The letter had my personal phone number; it even said that if a Sony Centre wanted to sell memberships and take the money, they would get 50 per cent discount, call me to arrange terms. Not a single Sony Centre has responded. In the three weeks since those letters and membership forms hit them, not one single form has been returned.

The largest single influx of new members has been from the dPreview reaction.

However, it does not end here. I am already talking to Dyxum, Gary Friedman and a couple of other 'Alpha' international usergroup hubs. If nothing happens before PMA/Focus (Feb/Mar 2008) I plan to travel if necessary to meet all interested parties with a view to creating an international Sony Alpha/Minolta heritage usergroup and taking it directly to Sony at photokina 2008 in the form of an organised offshore corporation with a set of proposals Sony can't ignore.

How would you like to see an international diary of events and workshops, the return of something equal to Minolta Mirror, 'Photoworld' (or a replacement quarterly) going truly international, Dyxum's resources deep-linking to photoclubalpha, Gary doing the job Dick Bryant used to do - etc?

I reckon we could do it with co-operation.

David

[pakodominguez]

yeah!
lets do a meeting/brain-storm on a nicea and realiable location: how about NYC?

Southern California might be a nice place too, since Sony Headquarters in the USA are located in San Diego, and I'n dieing to expend some time in the desert...

[Greg Beetham]

Thanks to the response from dPreview regulars, I took in enough new subs to almost cover the cost of the latest edition of the magazine. Without Sony support, I can tell you this helps. Their response pretty much equalled what I used to get from KM to support an issue.

However, I blew all the money sending two magazine copies, a covering letter and around 30 membership forms to 132 UK Sony Centres. Since I can not get my forms into Sony boxes, I have to try this route. Guess what? The letter had my personal phone number; it even said that if a Sony Centre wanted to sell memberships and take the money, they would get 50 per cent discount, call me to arrange terms. Not a single Sony Centre has responded. In the three weeks since those letters and membership forms hit them, not one single form has been returned.

The largest single influx of new members has been from the dPreview reaction.

However, it does not end here. I am already talking to Dyxum, Gary Friedman and a couple of other 'Alpha' international usergroup hubs. If nothing happens before PMA/Focus (Feb/Mar 2008) I plan to travel if necessary to meet all interested parties with a view to creating an international Sony Alpha/Minolta heritage usergroup and taking it directly to Sony at photokina 2008 in the form of an organised offshore corporation with a set of proposals Sony can't ignore.

How would you like to see an international diary of events and workshops, the return of something equal to Minolta Mirror, 'Photoworld' (or a replacement quarterly) going truly international, Dyxum's resources deep-linking to photoclubalpha, Gary doing the job Dick Bryant used to do - etc?

I reckon we could do it with co-operation.

David

David I wish you all the best in that endeavour, it sounds like a really worthwhile idea, but I'm not sure I understand what's happening over on planet Sony, I get the impression of internal turmoil of some sort (could be wrong) but if so, it might be hard to get much directional sense or involvement out of them, even if you manage to bypass Sony UK (and that sounds like an excellent idea as well).
I'm sorry if I sound a little jaded but I can't get any sense out of Sony about why they botched the macro flash system, and most importantly too me, when or even if, they are going to fix it.
Regards Greg

[Omega892]

Well I popped into my local Jessops yesterday to pick up some of their useful double-side inkjet paper, which I use for bespoke designed cards e.g. function menu cards for various organizations and asked why I had not seen any Sony Alphas in there for some months.

It seems they are not going to stock them because, if what the man at the counter said was true, ‘…they didn’t sell very well’.

I felt like replying, ‘…well of course they don’t if the customer is always steered to a Canon (or Nikon)’!

I must remind myself to buy as little as possible from this outfit. Now where else can I get at least 170gsm double sided paper?

[Greg Beetham]

Well I popped into my local Jessops yesterday to pick up some of their useful double-side inkjet paper, which I use for bespoke designed cards e.g. function menu cards for various organizations and asked why I had not seen any Sony Alphas in there for some months.

It seems they are not going to stock them because, if what the man at the counter said was true, ‘…they didn’t sell very well’.

I felt like replying, ‘…well of course they don’t if the customer is always steered to a C*n*n (or N*k*n)’!

I must remind myself to buy as little as possible from this outfit. Now where else can I get at least 170gsm double sided paper?

You know what, I miss seeing that Minolta logo in a camera store, it just doesn't seem to be a proper camera store without Minolta in it, and I know the Sony brand name should carry probably an equal or more amount of oomph, but I just don't get that same anticipation and heightened sensory feeling like I used to get with the Minolta display.
Maybe it's just me....... I might have too work on it, but Sony just don't seem to make it an easy thing to do.
And another thing is, as far as customers go, looking to perhaps buy a Sony DSLR, I'm sure most people would check out the prices of lenses and availability of accessories etc. DSLR's too me just aren't an impulse buy item, although Nikon seemed to do something along those lines with their D40, but perhaps the horse has bolted in that market segment now.

Anyway enough morbitity...As far as the printer paper goes, if you were over here I would just point you in the direction of Officeworks, they carry a huge range of HP and Kodak inkjet papers, maybe you have a similar type of outlet there?
Regards
Greg

[marktuma]

David, I didn't realise the magazine was still being produced or it would have been on my Christmas list! As soon as the wife allows I'll be looking at a subscription...