Diamond Talk Shakedown?

[Mr. E. Mann]

Does DiamondTalk pressure the trade people who post there to shell out ad dollars to stay? Look at how many people are banned already: Martin of USACerted, Kirk of DiamondOptics, Iceman of Midwest Gems. Now it looks like Jonathan of Good Old Gold is being threatened by the administrators over there. What do these people have in common? They are all vendors who posted regularly but didn''t buy ad banners on DiamondTalk (except Martin who is connected with a competing website). Or is there some other reason for the bannings and threats?

 

[Maria D]

>>Does DiamondTalk pressure the trade people who post there to shell out ad dollars to stay? <<

It sure looks that way to me!

I suppose if consumers are now required to provide credit card info it's only fitting that vendors will be pressured to advertise.

Does anyone know who or what Diamond Talk actually is? I would not provide my credit card number to them for registration because I couldn't find any information on the site about them. There is no "About Us" page that says who owns them, where they can be reached, etc. I'm surprised so many people feel that it's safe to give credit card information to a site that is basically anonymous.

 

[lawmax]

Those vendors have more than that in common, but I will not speculate. Why not ask the moderators on DT?

 

[ccuheartnurse]

You didnt always have to provide a CC #. Thats only come into effect over the last 3mths or so. I dont know who "they" are either. Makes you wonder, who IS getting your CC info doesnt it??

Judy

 

[optimized]

I agree that it's absolutely absurd to require users to provide credit card information to participate in the bulk of the forums on DT. I have no problem with the site in general (I lurked there frequently during my diamond quest), but I was floored when I tried to register so that I could contribute and was asked for CC info. That was enough for me; I left the site and haven't looked back....

-Tim

 

[Rhino]

----------------
On 2/23/2003 6:16:50 PM Mr. E. Mann wrote:

Now it looks like Jonathan of Good Old Gold is being threatened by the administrators over there. What do these people have in common? They are all vendors who posted regularly but didn't buy ad banners on DiamondTalk (except Martin who is connected with a competing website). Or is there some other reason for the bannings and threats?
----------------

I am?

Where am I being threatened? If I am I didn't catch it.

lawmax ... what do I and all the vendors who've been banned have in common? You are wise not to speculate without having the facts but why make such a ridiculous comment? Please respond via email and share your thoughts with me. Let's finally put to rest any misunderstandings you have with me. A few people who've been here a long time notice you like to poke at me from time to time and I haven't a clue. Please email me or call me and let's resolve this person to person, or email me your phone and I'll be glad to foot any phone tab.

Peace,
Rhino

 

[trichrome]

ohohohohohhoo..... an argument is coming in the next hours...

i'll stay connected for the rest of the say..

trichrome.

 

[Giangi]

Hooooooooooooooooooooooot topic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[lawmax]

Jonathan,

Perceptions are so personal. A ridiculous comment? Maybe what I'm thinking about in terms of DT motivation is ridiculous and maybe it's not. Their business decisions are theirs to decide and I'm not judging them. Can you tell us why you are banned there and how that came about? I didn't even know you were.

I'll send you an email and then you'll see that I was speculating about something that had little to do with you specifically.

In peace,

lawmax

edit: Oh, I see that you weren't aware that you were being banned. See, (alluding to my email to you), I scan things too quickly. Anyway, I hope my email cleared things up for you).

 

[niceice]

As far as we know, Rhino has NOT been banned from DT. In fact, we see his posts and responses on DT all the time... We don't know for certain, but we "think" that the purpose of requiring a credit card number for membership on DT is to verify that the people posting comments and such are in fact who they claim to be and not some of the former members who have been banned for a variety of reasons. We have never been approached to run any advertising on DT, but we have only recently decided to start posting there despite being members for a few years...

 

[Mara]

I tried signing up for DT a while ago and did the whole CC # thing but for some reason I never got approval to post or *something*, because I still can't post, and their site structure drives me nuts because I can't figure out WHY I can't post. Why don't I email and ask? I just never think enough about it. So I just lurk and read sometimes. I like Pscope better anyway!

Just hope DT is not doing anything nefarious with my CC #!

 

[optimized]

. The idea behind the practice is valid, but IMO the ends don't justify the means in this case. I do plenty of shopping over the Internet and provide my CC information when necessary, but I certainly use discretion when deciding who I will and will not give my information to, and a message board system is typically not high on my list of places to provide CC numbers to. I can't help but think their community will suffer as a result of this rather user-unfriendly policy, which is unfortunate.

I also agree with just about everything Mara said (big surprise, I know). I like the layout and "atmosphere" of PS better anyway. DT just seems too much like a " dealers' sales forum" to me sometimes....

-Tim

[/u]

 

[Maria D]

Robin & Todd wrote:
>>we "think" that the purpose of requiring a credit card number for membership on DT is to verify that the people posting comments and such are in fact who they claim to be <<

And that's what's so ironic! In order for a consumer to register, they must verify who they are and yet no one knows who or what Diamond Talk claims to be. Who are they? Who owns the site? "They" are completely anonymous but they need to know who their customers are. Their members can only hope that they are not a credit card fraud ring!

 

[StevL]

I have been a vendor on DT for several years, I have never bought an add or spent any money on DT (or PriceScope).

As far as I know I'm still in good standing, I just made a post over there (and this post here).

 

[noles9498]

<< I would not provide my credit card number to them for registration because I couldn't find any information on the site about them. There is no "About Us" page that says who owns them, where they can be reached, etc. I'm surprised so many people feel that it's safe to give credit card information to a site that is basically anonymous.
----------------
[/quote]

I agree....I did't sign up for that very reason, despite being a new forum junkie of late.

 

[pricescope]

what's the buzz?

 

[shurikt]

Diamondtalk.com is registered to:

Joe Devon
DiamondRing.com
P.O. Box 286773
New York, NY 10128
(212) 656-1558

You could always call him and ask him...

----------------
On 2/23/2003 11:27:37 PM ccuheartnurse wrote:

You didnt always have to provide a CC #. Thats only come into effect over the last 3mths or so. I dont know who "they" are either. Makes you wonder, who IS getting your CC info doesnt it??

Judy
----------------

 

[Rhino]

Hi lawmax,

Just wanted to say a public "THANKS"

for your email. If I could hop right into cyber space and give you a big electronic smooch, I would.

Peace,
Rhino

 

[Rhino]

Hey! I just did! Didn't I?

 

[niceice]

----------------
I believe Robin and/or Todd (that whole "signed by two people" thing confuses me -- do you both sit at the computer and write each of your posts collaboratively?
----------------

Actually we often do... We're so busy during the day that about the only time we have to cruise the forums on PS and DT is during the evening when we're watching a movie or something... So we find ourselves adding to the threads as a duo... Those of you who know us well, already know that we're basically inseperable... We pressed a few of our close friends for a "description" of our relationship and personalities awhile back and the only comparison that they could agree on was "Barbie & Ken" crossed with Chip-n-Dale (the chipmunks)... No doubt we're opening ourselves up here, but that's never stopped us before

 

[lawmax]

----------------
On 2/25/2003 9:50:35 PM Rhino wrote:

Hi lawmax,

Just wanted to say a public "THANKS"

for your email. If I could hop right into cyber space and give you a big electronic smooch, I would.

Peace,
Rhino
----------------

Now what are people going to think I put in that email Jonathan?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I want one of those emails...

 

[lawmax]

 

[niceice]

Well we've been knocked off DT for commenting on the string pertaining to Rhino's "absence" thread... Guess the Mod didn't like what we had to say - oh well, no loss as far as we're concerned... We actually find it amusing that the DT Nation seems to be a Dictatorship - Death to those who challenge the Mod!

 

[barry]

Wow. DT has definitely entered self-destruct mode. RA, Jonathan, and NiceIce added to the List of the Banned... and 43 Facets has been moved to Unverified status.

So, who's next?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

We're beginning to see more and more DiamondTalk "refugees" taking shelter here in PriceScope sanctuary.

The DiamondTalk High Command is shooting itself in the foot, repeatedly. Sad to see, and dumb, dumb, dumb...

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Hey Robin-Todd, where is that thread? I didn't see it when I just snuck over there to look.

Admittedly I didn't look as thoroughly as I should have, as I was trying to keep my head down while tip-toeing from shadow to shadow...

 

[optimized]

On an interesting note, all this talk about requiring CC information has prompted me to return to the DT forums to see if I could sneak past the requirement, and I managed to register without giving (valid) CC information. I know a few tricks as far as that is concerned (nothing illegal or "hackerish" at all, just some of the tricks used by computers to automatically reject CC numbers without actually "validating" them, which I'm sure is all DT does). Now I just have to decide whether I want to try to participate in a whole new forum. Don't wanna spread myself too thin, eh?

It's hard to believe they are so militant over there. Banning contributors is usually seen as a weapon of last resort, but from the accounts I'm reading here it seems like they are pretty quick to the draw on that count. It just sounds like a pretty unfriendly place over there sometimes. I'll have to consider that when deciding whether to post over there....

-Tim

 

[RockDoc]

I was one of the first to be banned. I was never given a reason by return email, although I repeatedly asked.

I was told by others it is because they felt by moderating DiamondChitChat that I had a financial interest in that site, and that they felt DCC infringed on their ownership of intellectual property. The DCC site is owned by Greg and like almost every other web forum discussion forum used pre set up software. How that could establish copyight infringement has no basis in fact to me. I 've written to DT but without reply.

It is apparent that many owners of forums think that the reason they get traffic is their advertisers. Well, it isn't. It is the advice and content of the site that makes it grow.

I was there in the early days before DT has much traffic at all, and it was due to most of my writings that it grew. Gilbert and Nathan ( and recently,Stephanie) haven't even said one THANK YOU for the time,effort, care or content that I spent thousands of hours writing.

In addition, I would have thought that any administrator of any website forum would have first contacted me to find out the facts rather than jump to conclusions. I do not have a financial interest in DCC, and only serve there without compensation ( other than a forth coming banner ad).

Further, if I chose to write - wn or participate in other forums, why should DT restrain my opinion?

Should we speculate why?

But it appears that control and manipulation is more in the interst of DT admin. ,maybe from them or maybe its from seller who don't want consumers getting the information that they should have access to.

Oh well.

Rockdoc

 

[Rank Amateur]

I guess I asked for it. C'est la vie.

All the brains are here at RT anyway!

Rock on.