From: dahoov2@cox.net   
      
   For anyone actually reading these posts (which I doubt many if any   
   are), Here's a bit of the scoop from the past and why this keeps   
   happening:   
      
   Years ago I started collecting (over 13 now).  Anyway, I became VERY   
   much into it, and sent our hundreds of letters a year, and developed   
   some great relationships with a few celebs and some really great old   
   school collectors.  This was the beginning of the hey day of   
   collecting as websites started growing etc.  I had just learned at   
   that time too to do websites.  Others at that time were still learning   
   and there weren't MILLIONS of sites on the web as there are now.  Back   
   then there were thousands, but really only two or three Star Wars   
   sites even existed.  I started getting smarter and learning to put   
   what people wanted and for a long time, my site was one of the   
   premiere sites-no longer as people only want my items or addresses.   
   They all think they are "experts" now, regardless of the damage they   
   are making along the way (and oh my God, are they reeking havoc! with   
   their wrong info, and forgery "opinions" and overpaying for items   
   etc).  The collectors who I respected (and you all know who you are)   
   kept me on the strait and narrow, with my good friends keeping me   
   informed and some collectors who felt themselves as the premiere   
   experts at the time from getting poor items/forgeries and helping with   
   content ideas. Over this time, it came to be where you can start   
   seeing who is your good friend and who is just out for greed or   
   competition or for the wrong reasons.  So I've kept probably half   
   those friends, with some of the others just stopped collecting and a   
   handful turned out to be JERKS who still roam the realm today, unable   
   to give up the ship.  They try to rip off other collectors, use them,   
   make money off them.  Those who didn't, either quietly collect and   
   stay out of the realm now (private and truly the father/mother   
   collectors) because the world of Star Wars is horrifying these days,   
   or they stayed in, went with the flow and their true motives are known   
   (money).  There are one or two who desire so bad to have a collection   
   like mine, they occasionally come out of hiding to smear me for NO   
   REASON.   
      
   Anyway, so my site grew and then my collection grew.  Mostly, I had   
   time and money and compared to others, more drive.  It was also a   
   matter of me and two friend getting together to work really hard and   
   developing new ways of finding people.  Then we added another   
   collector who had a connection in the UK and abilities in his job to   
   help, that we found many many people.  We had "skills".  We found all   
   these new people who now do conventions etc as a result of my or my   
   two other friend "outing" them.  Some liked to do the cons and others   
   did not.  Some wanted the attention but along the way, many did NOT as   
   they were not famous or actors etc.  Many wanted to sign for us for   
   recognizing them but then wanted to be left alone.  However, some   
   collectors simply cannot fathom that.  And the problem is they   
   could've been there first but their time, money, connections or   
   laziness prevented them.  So they got jealous and mad.  NOT MY FAULT.   
   I did not hold them back... THEY DID.   
      
   As they both my site and collection grew, animosity started such as   
   there is here with the trolls.  And there were problems for some of my   
   friends too.  One right now is being slammed for "forgeries" by some   
   trolls (coward) for an incident many years ago that was corrected.   
   And another, threatened physically.  And another who got fed up and   
   just stopped talking to others (changed his email, IM, site and   
   everything!).  So it's not just me who endures this; it's others. It's   
   just my friends don't reside HERE.  I am the only one.  Anyway, the   
   people who mostly visited my site wanted address info, items and   
   "greedy" things.  No, they weren't kind. Nor willing to help. They   
   were rude most of the time too, thinking my site entitled them to   
   "whatever".  I don't charge. I pay for my site annually and my domain   
   name and never even ask for a donation. I put so much content and info   
   and stuff on there for others with basically NO thanks.  In the   
   beginning, my naivete and my kindness were very much abused.  Things   
   happened like these:   
      
   Stealing content off my site and claiming for their own.   
   Stealing images of my graphs and selling them as their own on Ebay and   
   then ripping off others (because they did not have the actual items).   
   Emailing me for information like addresses and then abusing the   
   celebs; ripping celebrities off, spreading info the celebrities asked   
   them or me NOT to, or making profit off them which they got upset.   
   Some took tips and info and spread it so much lawyers started sending   
   letters to those to "cease and exist". Two friends received letters   
   and I was told my site was on the hit list and watched by Lucasfilm!   
   Others, asked me to do favors and I did with no compensation (I always   
   did things free); but my giving them free items, helping with info, or   
   arranging signings, meetings and other things turned into   
   opportunities that only benefited them:  they sold items and made   
   profits off my good will, and the celeb which a few found out and got   
   pissed off, emailed me and then ask why I did that!  After a few times   
   of that I wizened up and took a stand.   
   There were many more things.  One guy uses people as slaves to run his   
   site.  Taking MY info, using it to make money off of it and their   
   work.  I understand they were afraid to say anything (one guy   
   confessed he was physically nervous to say no) so I just said my peace   
   and left that poison... and the poison of the boards, where people are   
   abusing one another verbally and for no reason (yes, there are forums   
   just for Star Wars where this poison resides).  What is on these   
   boards are a bunch of braggarts and thieves, flamers and "experts" who   
   disperse dangerous info.  They blindly blind things and pass them off   
   to others as "legit". It's laughable to see them even email and have   
   the nerve to tell a friend of mine his stuff is crap (when I know   
   where he got it and it's indeed 100% right).  At first, I was   
   responding, but the personalities overwhelmed me, getting mad for my   
   knowledge, and taking what I said as "bragging" etc.  Far from it. I   
   AM freakin' knowledgable and I will not apologize for that. Nor do I   
   brag. I do not apologize for having a brain.  Or my hard work in   
   collecting.  Nor my stance on protecting celebs who ask me to not   
   spread info.  I will just not apologize. And yet, I still pass on   
   everything I can, doing my best to contribute and post to keep things   
   going.  I do this for love of the hobby and the few GOOD people out   
   there!  I hope they will post more too.  If more did, I'd not have to   
   do so much!    Yet no matter WHAT I do, I am criticized.  So be it.   
      
   I had to stop giving out more than general information.  It was   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)