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The other day I managed to get sucked into a a transoceanic brawl with an Australian fellow. The reason for this long distance bar fight was that I am listed as the webmaster of record in one of my client's sites.
I received an email asking me to remove a link from this website. At first I answered politely that I had forwarded the message to the site owner and I trusted he was going to decide one way or another whether to remove the link.
Initially, I was under the impression that this link was in fact, an
Apparently, my answer did not satisfy this fellow and he started
The bone of contention here was that he believed I was supposed to drop
To make a long story short, I was threatened to have our entire email
In any case, I promised this fellow I would publish our emails for the The first email:This is an enquiry e-mail via http://www.XXXXXXXX.org.au from:Stephen Rowe < This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it > It would seem that our requests, 4 weeks ago, asking you to remove any links to racetime.com.au have gone without any action. This is a FINAL REQUEST - REMOVE any links your web site has to racetime.com.au or racenews.com.au immediately. We no longer support ANY Australian motor sport activities, clubs, series or circuits. ALL historic motor racing information has been removed from our sites and there is absolutely no need for you to maintain any links to our sites. My reply:
Greetings, my name is Marco Conti and I am the webmaster that originally designed the XXXXXX.org.au site you mention in your cease and desist email.
Best regards This is the replay I received:
——-Original Message——- Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 3:09 PM To: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Subject: RE: XXXXXX: Web site links With respect - YOU are the person listed on that web site as the contact -0 if you are now claiming NOT to be that contact person I suggest you get your name removed. Sounds rather typical though - design a web site and then take no responsibility for it.
Stephen Rowe
Not good. Clearly I am dealing with a prick. At this point, I guess my general frustration with the day's other issues I was facing got the better of me. This is my reply:
Dear Sir, first of all, there is no need to be rude. Up to this point I have done all in my power to accommodate your request by forwarding your email to the owner of the site and responding, out of courtesy to you and him.
Beyond that, I indeed built the site for XXXXXX.org.au over 6 months ago. I specialize in Content Management Systems and one of the reasons for that is that I passionately hate working maintenance for my clients outside of upgrades and redesigns.
I am listed as the technical contact for XXXXXX.org.au because the owner, [name omitted], has limited technological skills and, especially at the beginning he did not know how to answer certain technical questions from his users.
However, after I built the site and delivered it together with the proper training on how to administer it, I no longer have any connections with it. No more than the designer you hired for your own site does for yours, if you used an independent contractor.
I have to wonder why you are so rudely fixated on contacting me for what is really an issue of content and not a technical issue. On the contact page there are another 4 names, including the Executive officer, Mr. [name omitted], and a handy form to email him directly. Don't you think that a person with the title of "Executive Officer" may rank a bit above a webmaster?
In conclusion, I have forwarded your email to [name omitted]. I suggest you email him directly using the appropriate form on the website as you should have done in the first place.
Unless XXXXXX is actually using your site content in any way, shape of form, the only reason [name omitted] has to delete the link in question is because you are being such a pain. Otherwise, legally, he has no compelling reason I can see. In any case, unless [name omitted] knows where that link is I suggest you include in your email the page link where he can find it or he will have the same problem I have had.
In regard to any further correspondence between us, I hope I made it clear where I stand. The only email I will actually read with your name on it better have the word: apology in the header or it will go in the trash.
Have a good day www.conticreative.com +++++++++++++++++
You would think he would have left it at that. I should be so lucky. Here is what I received only minutes later:
——-Original Message——-
Not good…. this guy is clearly unbalanced. I think my first response made it clear that I am a technical advisor, not a content contributor. Heck, I develop CMS because I hate entering content in my client's sites. Plus, what does he care if I or my client remove his lousy link?
However, by this point I had reached the boiling point. My next email took the gloves off and I guess I became a bit enraged. What the hell. My response (again):
You must be very hard of hearing, if you were not reading this. Marco Conti www.conticreative.com +++++++++++++++++ Whoops! I guess I lost it a bit. That's what happens when you get into an argument with the truly dim. But fear not, this is what I get next:From: Stephen Rowe [mailto: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ]Sent: Sunday, August 12, 2007 4:22 PM To: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it Cc: XXXXXX Subject: RE: XXXXX: Web site links
Thought I had better send this again seeing as you wanted [name deleted] brought in. At this point it's obvious this guy is a couple of forks short of a place setting. I regret having brought in my client in the middle of this, but it is his site. I felt he had to know what this guy was about. I guess I knew I was in a losing proposition, but I couldn't help myself: My reply:I wanted [name omitted] brought in because he is the only person I know of that can make the decision to remove the link or not . You, my dear sir, took it to another level. First by not checking it was already taken off, second by not providing a referring URL, third by talking to me like I was some sort of servant. Even after I explained that my contract with XXXX.org.au has long terminated, my name is on the site as a technical reference and I did not want to overstep my professional bounds by making unauthorized content changes. What else can you possibly want from me? Do you care to revisit the thread below to see who started by being impolite using innuendos and sarcasm? Let me ask you a question: when was the link removed, today? If not, why the hell did you continue to harass me instead of saying "thank you"? Are you some kind of moron that likes to waste time discussing things that are already fixed? And what about Gmail? What business it is of yours what email I use? I use 3 or 4 computers on a daily basis and some have my Gmail account on it. So your email comes in from my domain's mail and some goes out through Gmail. So what? So you go take your own medication and leave me alone. You have no legal standing to ask for any link to your site to be removed and if I feel like it I will submit yours to any old user forum I come across. From now on you are blacklisted so go stuff yourself and leave me alone. Marco Contiwww.conticreative.com +++++++++++++++++ and indeed I did blacklist his email. But he was resourceful enough to send me the following through this website's mail form:
This is an enquiry e-mail via http://www.conticreative.com from: What a prince! "Mistaken identity". A comedian too! I guess I should feel all inadequate and terrified. Truth is that anyone with half a brain, something Mr. Rowe evidently lacks, would not have any trouble seeing who the jerk is in this exchange. Up to this point I would have been happy to let the matter die peacefully and put it behind me, but this guy is clearly on a vengeance path and he is now trying to attack my livelihood. I respond once again:Mr. Rowe, are you 5 years old? In that case I compliment you on your English. Otherwise, I am flabbergasted at what a whiny little brat you act like. One word of advice: cease and desist from sending anymore emails to me, my clients or anyone else related to this discussion. First, I will happily publish the entire transcript of our conversations on my website and my blogs. Better yet, I will send it to them in my next client newsletter and I'll post it onto my favorite forums. Signatures and all. Watch me. Second, I would not start a war if I were you. It's obvious from the way you handled our emails that you are unaware of the proper chain of command in commercial websites. I can no more delete a link from a client's website based on a third party email request than I can add one. It simply does not work this way. Requiring me to spring in action at your request was improper, and it turns out unnecessary because you failed to check if the link was in fact removed before you started whining and complaining.That's two points against you. Third, I can do far more damage to your sites than you can do to me. I have only hacked sites for work up to this point but that can change. Don't piss me off. I have been working as a web developer since '93, as a programmer before that and I have been using the internet since 1998. Judging from your wedding pictures you were in diapers at the time I built my first website. (Nice touch making snide remarks on my Gmail account when your signature has your personal site on it) In any event, I would not get into an all out war with anyone if I can help it. Not even you. It's unethical, time wasting and often illegal, not to mention dangerous. Please cease immediately to act like a vindictive idiot and grow some balls. Move on. Go outside and smell the fresh air but stop harassing me. And your emails are still blocked so do not respond. Marco Conti www.conticreative.com +++++++++++++++++
So after this lovely exchange I finally stop working and go to bed. This morning, bright and early I find this in my mailbox. I guess my block did not work too well or it was somehow lifted, but I decide not to respond and simply publish the whole thread here on my site. 1. When you publish the entire transcript’ don’t forget to include this one – and make sure you don’t edit them. [I did not bub, not to worry - ed] 2. I am certainly aware of the so-called Chain of Command[could have fooled me- ed] – when someone is very clearly listed as Webmaster that is the first point of contact.[Yes, and as such I forwarded the message to the proper authority - ed] You were and still are listed in that capacity (if you had bothered to check the link you were sent). [Name Omitted] is listed as simply ‘Executive Officer’. [It's the "executive" part that should have given you a hint, idiot -ed] 3. No one asked you to ‘spring into action’ and reply the way you did – consider this was not the first time the request had been made via this groups web site (the requests started back last November for your information). The link was removed this morning Australian time after you had obviously sent the email onwards. Point of fact – the link in question was still being used to refer people to one of my sites as late as Sunday August 12 2007. 4. Admitting previous computer hacking – in the US does this come under FBI is the US Secret Service jurisdiction? I suspect the former until it crosses international boundaries.5. Only since 93 – looks like you have the diaper on the wrong person son. And btw – learn to understand what you read – they aren’t my wedding pictures – but this is obviously something I should have expected as you obviously haven’t read what you have been sent so far.
Tell you what – I’ll remove my web site signature if you do the same. Touche! [not a chance - ed]
"Touche!" Now is a fucking musketeer. I truly hope, for both our sakes, that this is the last I hear from this moron. However, I feel I have to clarify a couple of points before I put a headstone on this whole matter.
The link might have been removed from the site when he says it did, but I never had a referring page to work off. What kind of idiot does not include a referring page in link removal request? Modern websites could have hundreds of pages and looking for one link (which could be a URL that says "click me") is not feasible.
As far as the hacking is concerned, it's my frigging job. For the record, hacking one own sites is how it's done. It's the only way to find and fix any vulnerability. Waiting for a real hacker to come along is not a very good policy. And really… the FBI? The Secret Service? Did they find Ossama already and they are getting bored? "Officer, this person is hacking his own sites. Arrest him!" - give me a break.
I'll let the rest of this sorry exchange speak for itself. He can rest assured that I will submit a link to his sites every chance I get unless he stops harassing me. If he wants to return the favor, go ahead. I can always use a few links. Thank you.
By the way, I marked this article for 2 weeks, at which point it will go to the archives and disappear from the site. Let's leave it at that.
To everyone else, this is what happens when you deal with the truly dim when you are already having a bad day. You become as petty and obnoxious as they are. I hope my saving grace will be that as of 5 minutes from now I'll return to be myself and my friend Stephen here is going to have to keep living with his inner moron.
Too bad I turned off the comment script on the site, I would love to hear comments on this. Alas, please do not write in, I'd like to forget this incident as soon as possible.
And please do not link to racetime.com.au or racenews.com.au apparently the owner hasn't figured out how the internet works yet and he thinks he can keep his site a secret. |
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