"How low can a Poster go?" Topic

Someone made the point earlier about some really good topics that only last 1-15 posts.

The long ones tend to be kept going by personal ego battles :(

Its a shame but I guess Im not helping by reading them!

If you go to google and type in

Deliberately giving a bad review out of spite to try and ruin book sales and then complain when the author tries to counter it with a Vanity Review (sic from a twonk) and Daily Star

you will find a very interesting article that proves I am right

If you don't I shall buy you a pint

Average Joe…finally someone mentions Limbo…good work fella

OK – Few peope found that comment I quoted at the top of the thread as sinister as I did.

I must be getting over sensitive (I have been a civilian for over a year now, so my skin is starting to thin!)

But as rude as I get in my posts on occasion, I hope I will never accuse a fellow poster of taking my protaganist's point of view just because he fails to condemn it!

BTW, my post really wasnt about the Gazzola/DH thing, I haven't a clue about the etiquette involved…

Maybe Sparker, maybe. I had a different thought when I read some of the posts…….."what a twonk"…..although twonk wasn't the first word that came to mind

Don't fall for it Connard! I know average joe! He's a Professional Limbo Player, and he even plays it by mail and on line!

BTW, would all of you agree that we should organize a limbo contest at the next Historicon so we can settle this question about authors and posters once and for all?

Shades of Zoolander there? Great idea though!

badwargamer

My review was fair. The fact that people like Mr. Hollins and his followers can't accept it, is rather sad. They want to imagine mythical reasons for a negative review, rather than admit to the truth.

It was not out of spite. The fact that Mr. Hollins thinks so shows he is full of his own self-importance. After all, Mr. Hollins is only one of ten authors. So are you suggesting that I have an agenda against all ten?

The reality is that Mr. Hollins happened to have the most pages, in this case 41, as opposed to others having as little as 10. Hardly an equal playing field in which to update everyone, is it? And 3 authors had nearly 50% of the pages. The other 7 others had what was left. That is the reason for the negative review. A shame you and Mr. Hollins can't accept that and move on. There are far more important things in life.

"There are far more important things in life."

Irony so thick you can stand a straw in it.

‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌

Seriously, what's with the panty-bunching here?

Relax, have a or three. After reading all the vitriol, I think I need to!

I'm having a couple of right now. In fact, if I saw you down the pub, I'd gladly buy you a pint too, because I've nothing against you. No, really…

Link please.

Here you go:

TMP link

TMP link

TMP link

That's four counting this one.

1. Who Cares?
2. Biggest waste of bandwidth in TMP history.
3. Most of these dog fights on the Nappy board are at least entertaining but this is just ridiculous and not in a good way.
4. Self promotion is as American as P.T. Barnum.
5. If you think this doesn't happen all the time then you need to grow up. It's the internet.
6. I checked Amazon and apparently the review in question has been removed or at least I couldn't find it.
7. If you do care, then get a life.
8. If you're offended then don't buy the book.
9. Put your own counter review on Amazon pointing out what is making you go ballistic and leave TMP out of it.
10. This is why the 18th cent. board is more grown up if less entertaining.
11. Who Cares?

Irony so thick you can stand a straw in it.

I'm nicking that.

How many posts would a poster post if a poster could post posts?

Sorry.

Someone had to say it.

this is turning into another head banging session

I've got a thirst you could photograph. Whose round is it?

Must be Gazzola's turn.

And Sam (assuming that "Gribby and the Bricoles" is in fact our beloved Sam Mustafa), if I was in the pub I'd join you in a pint or three, and then insist that you show me how to play Lasalle!

Nope. I couldn't hold Sam's jock strap when it comes to humour and writing talent, especially since jock straps are nasty things.

But feel free to join me for a pint.

"(assuming that "Gribby and the Bricoles" is in fact our beloved Sam Mustafa)"

An understandable, but incorrect, guess.

What the hell did I do with my jockstr -

Ah.

I don't care what anybody here thinks of the people involved. I don't know them, and I don't know the book. But anybody who reviews his work, whether his in part or in whole, is unethical.

Only slightly behind is those who reference a work knowing that it is in major part based on their own work.

It has however become commonplace in certain sector of out society today. I n can no longer do business with a handshake, as a persons today cannot be trusted to keep his word. "Its just business" – Bill Gtres

It was not unethical, as it was not a review as such. It was just comments about the book plus a rating to offset the idiocy of others. If Amazon had left the "I am the author" section, I would have used that. What do you propose is done in the face of the agendas of tehs etwo to shout material down, which they do not like?

Femeng2

Can you beleieve that Mr. Hollins still believes it was not unethical. Not the mindset of a good author, is it?

And as you can see by Mr. Hollins posting to you, he has admitted that his Vanity Review was really a 'comment' concerning the two negative reviews that obviously upset him. The reason he turned his 'comment' into a 5 Star Vanity Review is because he could not award himself a 5 star rating if it remained as a comment. He has also admiited that he wanted to up the star rating!

But he makes feeble excuses for doing so and tries to make out the reviewers have it in for him, even though he is just one of the ten authors contained in the book. On that pathetic basis the reviewers must have it in for all 10 authors, which of course they don't.

I think sadly, he just won't accept he has no control over what customers write about the products they purchase, which is as it should be. Funnily enough, he had no complaints about my giving his Osprey title on Austrian Commanders a 4 star rating and recommended it. I wonder why?

Those reviews wernt just normal "customers" reviews were they?

They were from other authors/rivals/competitors who have a long history with Mr Hollins.

If it wasnt for that small detail you may have had a point…

My personal view is that writing a review, when you are yourself a competitor, is bad form. Writing a "vanity review" is bad also BUT this was a specific case and only a reaction to the above.

I may be wrong but this is how I see it.

Gazzola has convinced me – we will all have to buy Dave Hollins book to find out how good it is. Satisfied Gazzola?

The longer this thread goes on, the more I'm convinced that the question is rhetorical.

I can see 'Vanity Review' gaining wider currency. In fact I shall be rather disappointed if, after Gazza's hard work promoting the phrase, it does not appear in the next edition of the OED

TMP link

"And as you can see by Mr. Hollins posting to you, he has admitted that his Vanity Review was really a 'comment'"

And now you have admitted that you fully understood all along that it was a comment also. So what is your beef again?

Neatly defined, Connard.

Chortle – you're the man! Contrary to what has been said, I only contributed 17K words, which only reached 41 pages plus some bibliography in a 288pp book, because I thought some enthusiasts might find it useful to have the unit names from 1792.

I am indeed looking forwad to any rational thoughts on it.

Blucher

They were customer reviews. I am not an author. I bought the book. Mr. Hollins if he so wished, could write a review on Kevin Kiley's books. A review is only the opinion of the one writing the review. Kevin Kiley gave the book one more start than I did, so he obvioulsy thinks more of it than I do.

But again, you'd think, going by Mr. Hollins and his followers, that the book ONLY contained the work of Mr. Hollins. But he is just ONE author with ONE chapter. Are you suggesting I have a 'long history' with the other authors? Perhaps you are not aware that I not only have many of the titles published by the other authors but I have been in communication with them on Napoleonic matters for some time. So, please, no more fantasy reasoning for a negative review.

Chortle

Thank you for admitting that you and others have been slagging off my review without even buying or reading the book.

I am quite happy for you to buy the title, as I am sure ALL the authors of the book would be. It is just a shame you didn't do so first before joining in the discussions of a book that you knew nothing about.

A Twinginham

Are you for real?

But you are correct, Mr. Hollins admitted it was really a comment but posted it as a 5 star Vanity Review. That was the whole point – it was a comment and should have been written as a comment. So why didn't Mr. Hollins keep it as a comment? Very simple really, he couldn't give himself a 5 star rating. To admit to his vanity is unbelievable, and more so considering he is just one of ten authors. It is NOT his book or HIS work. It is their work. Perhaps Mr. Hollins and you should try remembering that.

As far as I know I am not the figment of anyone's imagination. I know very well that Mr Hollins is not the sole author. I'm not sure what I have posted that would make you think otherwise.

A Twiningham

I suggest you read the postings again. You seem to be easily confused.

The 'imagination' bit refers to Hollins and his followers sad excuses as to why two negative reviews were written. They can't accept that there might be some faults with the title, especially Mr. Hollins.

If they stopped whining there would be no need to post replies to their silly postings. The book then, could sell itself or not, whatever the case may be. I can move on, as I'm sure Mr. Kiley can, but it certainly seems that Mr. Hollins can't. He has even started up the comments section again after the previous lot were removed for being abusive. Perhaps you should have a quiet word with him?

Connard Sage

Thanks for the praise on the term but I'm sure the phrase Vanity Review is not new. After all, other authors have been caught behaving as badly from way back. They did it to up the sales of their work. I wonder if that is where Mr. Hollins got the idea from?

I can move on

I have yet to see empirical proof of that statement.

"You seem to be easily confused."

Ah, so you do think me simple. That explains why you would believe for an instant that I or anyone else here would buy the pure nonsense you are peddling about a reviewer's agenda having no bearing on the review.

A Twiningham

I think it is more of a case of that's what you prefer to believe, don't you? Either that or Hollin's fantasy excuse disease is catching.

Connad Sage

I can move on if there is no need to post. But if you really wanted the postings to stop, then you and others would have stopped making such silly postings.

So, if you and others stop writing them the whole affair will fade away and soon be forgotten. Makes sense doesn't it?

I bet.

He really does want the last word…..

"He really does want the last word….."

Absolutely. I'm relatively new here, but it's blatantly obvious that if Gazzola were faced with the choice of:

a) NOT having the last word,

or

b) being packed under by a bus,

he'd gladly stand in the street wearing a blindfold and smoking a cigarette, waiting for that bus to come.

Just be sure you get him to buy you a pint down the pub beforehand

Did someone mention being un-American earlier on?

No, that was the people trying to shout down the new series, The Kennedys, for not telling the story as they wanted to hear it.

Hey – I nearly made it to the top of a page.

Relax everybody, come and look at some pictures instead. There are a few words that get in the way.

link

Royal Marine I'm sure there will be plenty more opportunities.

:¬)

G'Day Royal, Great blog. Glad you found somewhere apart from a bastion at HMS Sultan to game at – happy days!

But don't let your head get too pointy!