Loren…
I received a copy of the article yesterday and found myself in a quandary as to whether I should speak up, or shut up. As politically incorrect as this may be, I think the time has come to say something…
1. Privacy & security are paramount at YachtForums. We've made every effort to create a comfortable atmosphere for owners. We don't discuss owners or their businesses, unless it is otherwise public information published in other forms of media. This is one of the reasons our membership is approaching 10,000 now.
2. A yacht's location ranks in the top-10 of the most useless topics on the internet! Although we have to keep in mind, for a lot of people that are new to our world, seeing one of our majesties in person is exciting and it instills a sense of wonder that often results in a Google search. There is no harm intended by enthusiasts who speak up to say "hey, I saw that boat too!", but they don't think about the big picture when posting their excitement. More than a few times, I have edited or removed content that seemed security sensitive, as have ours moderators.
3. Some people have NO "write" to be in this business. One evening while I was seated with 30 of boating’s best known writers, one editor informs the rest of the group that Diane from PMY refers to her forum members as “Yacht Stalkers”, going on to say “it's a pain to baby-sit them”. And now, we have an exert from the Wall Street Journal confirming what Ms. Byrne thinks about her members...
Quote:
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Diane M. Byrne, Power & Motoryacht's editor, says her magazine's site has dozens of anonymous contributors -- from yacht brokers in Florida to a bored office worker in Seattle who snaps photos from his window overlooking the harbor. "They're enthusiasts," says Ms. Byrne. "But it's also voyeuristic. These people want to peer into a world that they don't belong to and see how the other half lives."
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Which begs the question… what makes you think you belong to this world Diane? Have you ever designed, engineered, built, navigated, sold, owned or worked on a yacht...??? I think NOT.
I'm sorry, but a literary degree does not qualify someone to write about our world... or pass judgment on those who appreciate it!