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nsidestrate
ITH MVP
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 21827
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 Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 8:02 pm Post subject: Interesting / Puzzling post at Ed Miller's NPA site |
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You can read it here with comments, but I'll quote it for convenience:
| Quote: | My original vision for this site was that it would be free to read. I always intended to make money from it, but I wanted that money to come from advertising, from donations, and from other sources, not from my readers. For a year and a half I’ve been delighted with how that free-to-read model has been working out.
For about the last nine months, behind the scenes, I’ve been receiving pressure and threats aimed at forcing me either to shut down Noted Poker Authority or to make the vast majority of its content available for pay only (sounds ridiculous, I know). Up until now I’ve refused. But it’s become unpleasant and disruptive enough to me that I’m giving in. I’m not proud of it, but when I weighed my options this one made the most sense for me personally.
Effective yesterday, all articles on the site older than 30 days are unavailable. We’re going to develop a system to allow the content to be accessed for a fee, and when it’s ready the archive articles will be available again at some cost per article. I’m not happy with this solution, but to me it was basically either this or take the site down completely, so I’m going with this. |
This naturally leads one to wonder pressure from whom? There was some speculation it was CardPlayer, but that doesn't make sense to me. He has a deal with StoxPoker, but I wouldn't think they would have much influence on him. |
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ciaran
ITH Support
Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 4434
Location: Alpharetta, GA
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| Posted: Fri May 16, 2008 10:37 pm Post subject: |
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Is he under some contract with 2+2 that gives them some say? Or, more likely, do they just feel they have some and are enough of a pain that Ed's not willing to deal with it?
I wonder how Ed would feel about having a different publisher?  |
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maddogmike
Joined: 28 Jun 2005
Posts: 430
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Stew21
Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 753
Location: Orlando, Fl
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| Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 5:33 pm Post subject: |
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| Why would 2+2 lock a thread for Stox? |
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Damo_1
Joined: 04 Aug 2005
Posts: 997
Location: PauliF's biggest fan
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| Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 6:41 pm Post subject: |
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| Stew21 wrote: | | Why would 2+2 lock a thread for Stox? |
Because Stox rent a sub-forum and spend lots of advertising dollars all over 2+2? |
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nsidestrate
ITH MVP
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 21827
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| Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 7:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Damo_1 wrote: | | Stew21 wrote: | | Why would 2+2 lock a thread for Stox? |
Because Stox rent a sub-forum and spend lots of advertising dollars all over 2+2? |
That seems like pretty much it. If there was a struggle between Ed and Stox, I'm fairly certain they wouldn't be on Ed's side. I'm a bit surprised Ed chose to go public with the issue if it was driven by Stox. |
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Stew21
Joined: 03 Oct 2006
Posts: 753
Location: Orlando, Fl
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| Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 10:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Damo_1 wrote: | | Stew21 wrote: | | Why would 2+2 lock a thread for Stox? |
Because Stox rent a sub-forum and spend lots of advertising dollars all over 2+2? |
Works for me. 
Probably for 2+2 as well.  |
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Ed Miller
Joined: 23 Feb 2004
Posts: 240
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| Posted: Sat May 17, 2008 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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| Stoxpoker is great.. they didn't give me crap. The Stoxpoker guys ended up helping me out. So please don't get the wrong idea about them because they're a great bunch of guys. |
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nsidestrate
ITH MVP
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 21827
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 7:55 am Post subject: |
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| Ed Miller wrote: | | Stoxpoker is great.. they didn't give me crap. The Stoxpoker guys ended up helping me out. So please don't get the wrong idea about them because they're a great bunch of guys. |
Are you saying that they weren't the source of the "threats" mentioned in the original blog post? Because that seems like what Mason said fairly plainly. |
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Ed Miller
Joined: 23 Feb 2004
Posts: 240
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:08 am Post subject: |
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| nsidestrate wrote: | | Ed Miller wrote: | | Stoxpoker is great.. they didn't give me crap. The Stoxpoker guys ended up helping me out. So please don't get the wrong idea about them because they're a great bunch of guys. |
Are you saying that they weren't the source of the "threats" mentioned in the original blog post? Because that seems like what Mason said fairly plainly. |
They weren't the source of any threats. They offered some of their software development time to help update my blog for the new pay stuff. |
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nsidestrate
ITH MVP
Joined: 26 May 2004
Posts: 21827
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 8:24 am Post subject: |
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| Ed Miller wrote: | | nsidestrate wrote: | | Ed Miller wrote: | | Stoxpoker is great.. they didn't give me crap. The Stoxpoker guys ended up helping me out. So please don't get the wrong idea about them because they're a great bunch of guys. |
Are you saying that they weren't the source of the "threats" mentioned in the original blog post? Because that seems like what Mason said fairly plainly. |
They weren't the source of any threats. They offered some of their software development time to help update my blog for the new pay stuff. |
If that is the case, then 2+2 did them (and you) no favors with Mason's post. I don't see how one could draw any other conclusion from that post. I believe that it will tend to turn people off from Stox.
I assume you are unwilling to share the source of the threats or you would have done so in your original post, but I feel obligated to ask anyhow. Would you be willing to share that information here? |
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ciaran
ITH Support
Joined: 10 Sep 2004
Posts: 4434
Location: Alpharetta, GA
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| Posted: Sun May 18, 2008 12:43 pm Post subject: |
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Hmmm, I think you could parse Mason's comment in such a way that he's not actually denying being the source of the pressure.
| Mason wrote: |
The agreement to change Ed Miller's site is strictly between Stoxpoker.com and Ed Miller. Also, at the request of Stoxpoker.com, we are locking this thread. |
That could just be read to say that Ed and Stox are working together to convert Ed's site to a pay site, without addressing the issue of the pressure directly. The implication is there, certainly, but I'd say it leaves open the possibility that 2+2 is actually the pressure, or that the other "conspiracy" theory that Ed is doing this is a marketing ploy is true.
I don't believe the latter is really likely, but the former could certainly be true. I suppose it's also possible that it is actually CardPlayer or some kind of gambling/ISP issue, though why switching to a pay site would matter in those cases, I don't know. |
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janeg
53o
Joined: 04 Oct 2004
Posts: 5018
Location: Somewhere down the crazy river
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| Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 12:48 am Post subject: |
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Whatever the pressure is, it's too bad it's gotten to the point that Ed feels life would be easier if he just complied. On first reading his post I thought it was 2+2 since they can be nasty. Luckily it's only the archived stuff that will require a fee, which I hope will go to Ed and not whoever is putting the pressure on him.
Ed, can you tell us that? I wouldn't mind paying a fee to read the odd archive piece; but not if the bulk of the money is going into a 3rd party's coffers. |
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jeffnc
53o
Joined: 13 Jan 2004
Posts: 7220
Location: NC, USA
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| Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 9:36 am Post subject: |
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Unfortunately, when people use language like this, it's only natural to speculate.
I have no information whatsoever on this particular incident. I do know that Mason has conducted himself in a very unprofessional and immature manner in the past, and so when something like this comes up I wouldn't trust him at all. He has a habit of locking or banning whenever he feels threatened by something, rightly or wrongly. The thread lock is predictable, and I certainly wouldn't expect any candid explanation, correction or apology from that end. |
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Ed Miller
Joined: 23 Feb 2004
Posts: 240
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| Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 11:22 am Post subject: |
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| janeg wrote: | | Ed, can you tell us that? I wouldn't mind paying a fee to read the odd archive piece; but not if the bulk of the money is going into a 3rd party's coffers. |
Hey Jane,
Any revenue will go to me, not someone else. I'm considering reinvesting some of the money in the site to hire some guest writers. I was thinking about doing that even before the kerfluffle... and I'm actually probably less likely to do it now because I've had a different idea in the interim that I'm excited about. Maybe I'll do both. Just seems like I already don't have enough time to relax... |
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