GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Urgent Situation: All Browncoats must read!

POSTED BY: RKLENSETH
UPDATED: Sunday, August 28, 2005 05:51
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 9456
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Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:00 PM

RKLENSETH


Some of you may be unaware but at some point around last week, we as a community were made aware that contest ran by IESB.net promising a signed poster by the cast members of Serenity to its four winners hadn't produced the prizes yet and we started an e-mail campaign to hopefully get IESB.net's attention since they seemed to be ignoring the winners e-mail requests for when the posters would be delivered.

Today, IESB.net responded to the four winners in an e-mail;

http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=for
um.viewtopic&t=17413&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30


Quote:

To all 4 contest winners some of whom for some reason have had their lives put on hold and cannot function without their "prize",

The signed posters are going out today. For those of you who have been patient thank you and please disregard the rest of this email. For those of you who decided to take it upon themselves to try and tarnish our reputation and get other websites and studios involved...all I can say is get a life and the rest of the email is for you.

Running a website as large and as busy as ours with only 2 people who also have 4 kids to take care of as well is VERY DIFFICULT. We are out of town more than half the time and are on a very tiring and busy schedule. My husband hasn't even seen his own kids in a week! Besides that I also have a full time job to deal with so I really appreciate your kindness...please note the sarcasm...I am trying to understand how not getting a poster, that you only took 5 minutes of your life to write a small paragraph about has ruined your life somehow? Do you really have nothing better to do?

This was not a studio contest like we usually run, we wanted to do something for the fans, but hey you know life gets in the way sometimes, maybe its just because i am usually NEVER a confrontational kind of person but the constant nagging and bitching and getting other websites involved as well as studios representatives really bothers me. Maybe you guys need to grow up and go get yourselves laid. "Never cross a browncoat" why would you write that...are you threatening us? lol...

Do you know how much time and effort and sacrifice goes into this sort of business??? But I guess you wouldn't be able to understand that would you? You are getting something for free. You didn't spend any money, you didn't work for anything for more than 5 minutes, you didn't have to go and actually get the posters and wait around to get the signatures...did you? Because if you did then yeah, hey sorry for the wait but you DID NOTHING!!! Geez!

There hasn't even been any other website that has publicized and put up video and all sorts of things on Serenity. Word from the the sites is that it runs like a really bad Star Trek episode but yet we have been supportive. So thanks for the help people...!

Oh and by the way if you feel the need forward this email to any studio representative that you like but we will also in turn forward all your threatening and vicous emails as well.

Now that I have vented, thank you very much for your patience and they should be there soon.

Stephanie Sanchez
Editor/Webmaster/Occasional Bitch



You read it yourself. That is IESB.net's response to the four winners and the Browncoats in general.

Later this evening a post under the same thread on the Serenitymovie.net's site that started this whole thing off was found, presumably from someone at IESB.net;

http://browncoats.serenitymovie.com/serenity/index.html?fuseaction=for
um.viewtopic&t=17413&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=30


Quote:

The last thing you should really do is piss off a Browncoat? Ha, you should not piss a mainstream website who can really give a movie good or bad publicity. Bad call Browncoats, bad call. What other website has supported this movie the way IESB did? All the video interviews? Photo galleries? It ends today.


Also today, IESB.net has deleted all positive coverage of Serenity on their site and have now posted this extremely negative article;

http://www.iesb.net/universal2005/082505.php

Date: August 25, 2005


Quote:

Source: IESB

Is Serenity a Bad Star Trek Episode?
Author: Robert Sanchez

Is Serenity a bad Star Trek episode? In case you have not met them the “Browncoats” are the new Trekker's with the difference being that Trek had several good TV series under its belt. Serenity/Firefly on the other hand had a very short life that did not complete a full season.

Universal took a very big gamble by allowing people to see this movie months prior to its release date of September 30th. Was it a good gamble? Only time will tell but early reviews by casual movie fans and some from the online community have not been positive.

Here are some highlights of what Mr. Lee's had to say: The film started off very much like The Chronicles of Riddick. The caliber of the special effects were out of a video game, the story setup was reminiscent to anything on the Sci-Fi Channel, and the acting was over the top. I thought this was simply going to be a very mediocre flick, but by the end of the first act it had hit me that I hadn't seen a movie this bad in a long time.

If you took the sci-fi element of The Adventures of Pluto Nash, mixed it with the outrageousness of Steel, and added in the really bad dialogue from Paycheck, Serenity would be the result. The movie is set so far into the future that you'd want to see what the surroundings look like, and yet you can barely get a glimpse of anything. There'll be a quick shot of civilization and then we immediately fade away to a specific room (almost in the fashion of Star Wars), which is presumably to hide the caliber of the special effects. And the sets look like a sound stage, which makes it hard to believe most of the situations.

The layout is so geared for television that it's hard to believe anything that is going on. The way the characters talk comes off like a sci-fi series replete with “cute” one-liners and confused facial expressions, and characters saying and asking the obvious. The girl searching for planet Miranda picks fights in bars when they arrive on land, pulls unheard-of fight moves, and knocks anyone down – she is nearly invincible, and masters the art of a monotonous facial expression (think Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever). When she speaks, which is rare, she usually just says “Miranda,” suggesting that it's where she wants to go. The depth of her character is about in line with everyone else in the story.

A lot of the dialogue is so stiff and staged, and the movie plays as if we should know who these characters are – the only thing missing is an introductory "Previously on Serenity..." narration. I found many of the scenes confusing considering I didn't always know what was going on, and that was the result of poor storytelling. And possibly the highlight of the show for me (in terms of noting the depth of creativity) was discovering that there's actually a character named Mr. Universe (think about that for a second). He runs a universe and is referred to on a radar screen for guidance. You would think a plot point like that is right out of a Mel Brooks movie, and it's hard not to laugh.

This is the kind of material anyone can see on television for free, and in only a 42-minute time frame (without commercials) versus 120. Serenity is an early contender for the worst movie of 2005 and is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, period.

Mr. Lee's gave a D+.

Here is in part what an AICN reviewer posted about the film: I think, in the end that is the sad truth of the film--it is not fun. And we wanted it to be fun--to be a celebration of continuing on, even in the face of cancellation. It would have been nice if it was a smart, complicated lark--that's how you start a franchise, letting them get darker as the series progresses. You build your relationships, so you can pull the rug out from under your audience, sweetening the emotional resonance. The sad thing is, as close to great as this movie is, there isn't time or money for improvements. The movie, outside of the music score, is finished.

Sure there are plenty of reviews out on the web but it appears that the ones giving it some praise are the hardcore fans. Reminds me of the Star Trek: Enterprise fans who were gasping for air before the series was cancelled and wouldn't admit that it had major flaws.

One difference is that Firefly had its chance on TV and failed, this movie is the last hope that Browncoats have to see their beloved franchise continue on so of course they will be supportive. “Help Nathan Fillion, you're our only hope”, now its appropriate to use that ripped off line from a great sci-fi movie.

Bad episode of Star Trek? A close confidant tells me it's more like a bad episode of Babylon 5.



I'll let you guys decide what we Browncoats as a community should do.

Oh, and play Cantr II at www.cantr.net.

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:22 PM

BARCLAY


Post edited:

Being inflammatory got this situation to the point it's at now. So I suggest we not do anything and let things calm down.


"You are on the Global Frequency."
http://www.frequencysite.com
http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:32 PM

WHEDONESQUE


Ignore it.

I think the response/review was childish and vindictive. It is very, very possible that these people were getting harassed about the prizes. We Browncoats are a passionate lot and can get a little obsessive at times. But a professional person that runs a website sould have sent a brief email to the impatient winners explaining that there was a delay and let them know when to expect the prize. That probably would have avoided this whole ugly scene altogether. Also said professional should have ingnored any Borwncoats who were being obnoxious and just posted to the boards an explaination of the situation and a projected ship date. The vast majority of Browncoats are nice, reasonable people. I believe that if you communicate with people respectfully, most of them will be very understanding.

As I said, I think it is very important that the Browncoat community ignore these people and their hateful review. Any attention we give them will only make them feel justified/vindicated and 'oh so right' in their opinion of the Serenity franchise and this community.

Seriously, ignore them. Ignore their website. Ignore their incredibly unprofessional and totally irrational response to a situation that could have been avoided if they had displayed good business communication and common courtesy.

Just my $0.02 worth...

Kathleen
Whedonesque

p.s. And I also think we should all come to terms with the fact that Serenity will get some bad reviews. It is not a movie that will appeal to everyone and it's not a perfect movie either. I loved it, but not everyone will. The best way to respond is to promote the good reviews and ignore the bad ones. Don't give the nay-sayers and more attention than they deserve.

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:32 PM

MSCKAREN


Yeah, I think I'll KEEP ignoring them since I never heard of them before and it surely doesn't sound like I ever want to get to know them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:35 PM

KAYLEERULESALL


ok, well, she did have some good points in that letter. however, that kind of hostility shows a level of professionalism that is downright attrocious. for a site to treat people tthey serve in that manner is pretty damn bad, even if some people did deserve it. ewhats more, im willing to bet that those people who sent the emials to that site were very few in number; why punish the whole community on the account of a few bad apples? this is pretty damn bad buissness running, if you ask me. distributing the details of this incident to thier advertisers seems to be the best way to go; as long as you note that the reactions in those emails were out of line (thus giving us browncoats credit by showing were not afraid to admit when were wrong)and then going on to show the rediculous, unprofessional, and blatantly unfiar way in which the site handled the situation. i mean, changing all your publicty just to get back at four people they dont even know save by on the net? i mean, COME ON PEOPLE!!!

"There are two infinate things in our world. The universe, and Human stupidity. I'm not too sure about the first one." Albert Einstien

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 6:37 PM

DIZ


Please, please, please, let's stop with this. I've been saying it all along on the BC board, and I am as angry as anyone (I'm DizzyEllie over there, you can see how angry I am in my posts). Doing anything other than boycotting or ignoring is going to make us look bad. These people know no reason. They will use anything we do to defend ourselves against us. We will continue gain a reputation as nutjobs, and that is good for no one. And other fans are starting to get upset over this (though it seems many of them only know half the story). Let's not let this issue divide us. Let's cut our losses, and move on.

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 8:10 PM

COSMOLINE


Sounds like a vindictive, bitchy little webmaster. Not the first one around.

Ignore & delete

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 8:43 PM

SLOWSMURF


They allready retracted it.

And the correct thing to do would be sending letters saying that not all browncoats are that way and apologoizing, hoping they will continue to support such a fine movie.

Based on their new response, I'm going to assume others allready did that.

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 8:51 PM

BARCLAY


For anyone interested, the retraction (in place of the above quoted "Is Serenity a bad Star Trek Episode?" article). This is probably best for all parties involved.

Quote:

Source: IESB
Open Letter to the Firefly Fans

Author: Robert and Stephanie Sanchez

Ok…here it goes…

Serenity comes out September 30th and we have been promoting and supporting it for a very long time. Our video interview with Fillian at the red carpet premiere of In Good Company even yielded the hilarious Firefly Flans moment that was just priceless.

We also were the first to talk to Joss about Wonder Woman. Here is just a short list of some the Serenity support the IESB has done that has been linked from comingsoon.net, darkhorizons.com, aintitcoolnews.com, latinoreview.com amongst others...

http://www.iesb.net/movies2/movie032105b.php

http://www.iesb.net/movies2/movie120704.php

http://www.iesb.net/universal2005/080305.php

http://www.iesb.net/movies2/movie050905f.php

http://www.iesb.net/movies2/movie032105.php

http://www.iesb.net/movies2/movie050905e.php

http://inlandempirestrikesback.net/v-web/gallery/wizardworldserenity

Yes, we do apologize for the email sent out earlier today. It was meant for a very select few people, actually just 2, but seems to have been taken personally by many and we are sorry for that, it was never intended as an insult to the entire fan base. The signed posters have been sent out to all, we included boxed sets of the Simpsons Season Six to the 2 winners who were not threatening, to try and smooth over the rough edges.

Unfortunately, it appears that our coverage of Serenity did end today. We appreciate the support from those who have emailed all evening. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to Simon over at Whedonesque for having him involved in this.

This was supposed to be a fun contest and we admit we did get very delayed in sending out the prizes. We are sorry for that. But we did not deserve the couple dozen “hate emails” we received. My phone number is easy to find on the site…I do remember one person called when I was in the middle of an event and I told them I would be sending it out soon.

Also, apologies are in order for the cast and crew that should never have been brought into this mess or their work tarnished. Compared to all the good positive publicity we gave this film, this should have been a small bump in the road.

We learn from our mistakes and for our loyal readers stay tuned for the month of September and October as we visit the sets of some of the biggest films of 2006 including X-Men 3. Also, some changes are coming to the actual website itself. See you soon!

Regards,

Robert and Stephanie

iesb.net - the original independent entertainment news video website



"You are on the Global Frequency."
http://www.frequencysite.com
http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 8:54 PM

CEDRIC


I'm with those who think we should ignore it. The Sanchez's are obviously not expressing actual opinions about the film; they're trying to make an attack against people who angered them. That simply undermines their credibility as critics. If they thought Serenity was that bad, why were they promoting it in the first place?

At the same time, it is a reminder that we all need to keep our heads and be polite, even to those who annoy us.

I am kind of curious to know how long overdue the prizes were. How long did the prize winners wait before complaining and calling on others to help them? What other avenues had they used to get the prizes sent?

"You can't take my show from me,
Because I've got the DVD."
www.BedlamBards.com
Ballad of Joss: http://mp3-postcards.com/listen/?888

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 9:13 PM

CEDRIC


To answer my own question, and give an update from other boards:

The contest winners were announced on June 9th, and their repeated emails were ignored by the Sanchez couple. So they were perhaps not going overboard in enlisting other fans to help them two and a half months later. I think the Sanchezes could have prevented this with a few emails explaining the delay.

Also, the really nasty review has been removed and replaced by something more neutral, according to posts on other boards.

Finally, pretty much everyone is agreeing that the best thing to do is drop it and ignore the website that started the whole thing.

Just passin' along what I found . . .

"You can't take my show from me,
Because I've got the DVD."
www.BedlamBards.com
Ballad of Joss: http://mp3-postcards.com/listen/?888

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 9:39 PM

PAINISSCARY


Quote:

]Running a website as large and as busy as ours with only 2 people who also have 4 kids to take care of as well is VERY DIFFICULT. We are out of town more than half the time and are on a very tiring and busy schedule. My husband hasn't even seen his own kids in a week! Besides that I also have a full time job to deal with


Stephanie Sanchez, professional martyr and drama queen. "WAH, we have four kids and a website! WAH, people actually want the prizes we promised! WAH, we've taken on more than we can handle and now people are getting mad at us!"


Quote:

Do you know how much time and effort and sacrifice goes into this sort of business???


Who cares? They ran a contest, then dragged their feet in getting the prizes out. What if you won the lottery and the state refused to pay, explaining that "All you did was plunk down a couple bucks for some tickets! WE organized the lottery and installed the machines and did all the work!!!" As others have pointed out, a simple e-mail to winners explaining the delay would likely have averted much of this.

Quote:

There hasn't even been any other website that has publicized and put up video and all sorts of things on Serenity. Word from the the sites is that it runs like a really bad Star Trek episode but yet we have been supportive. So thanks for the help people...!


"We support 'Serenity'! Even though it sucks! Aren't we special?" Look, maybe Mr. & Mrs. Sanchez had a bad day. But that ain't our problem. Who needs 'em? Good riddance to these sour, nasty people.

Their apology smacks more of damage control than sincerity. And if their website was as successful as they'd have us think, they might want to hire some people to help and ease the massive burden of shooting celebrity video clips.




"Hamsters is nice."

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 9:39 PM

PAINISSCARY


Quote:

]Running a website as large and as busy as ours with only 2 people who also have 4 kids to take care of as well is VERY DIFFICULT. We are out of town more than half the time and are on a very tiring and busy schedule. My husband hasn't even seen his own kids in a week! Besides that I also have a full time job to deal with


Stephanie Sanchez, professional martyr and drama queen. "WAH, we have four kids and a website! WAH, people actually want the prizes we promised! WAH, we've taken on more than we can handle and now people are getting mad at us!"


Quote:

Do you know how much time and effort and sacrifice goes into this sort of business???


Who cares? They ran a contest, then dragged their feet in getting the prizes out. What if you won the lottery and the state refused to pay, explaining that "All you did was plunk down a couple bucks for some tickets! WE organized the lottery and installed the machines and did all the work!!!" As others have pointed out, a simple e-mail to winners explaining the delay would likely have averted much of this.

Quote:

There hasn't even been any other website that has publicized and put up video and all sorts of things on Serenity. Word from the the sites is that it runs like a really bad Star Trek episode but yet we have been supportive. So thanks for the help people...!


"We support 'Serenity'! Even though it sucks! Aren't we special?" Look, maybe Mr. & Mrs. Sanchez had a bad day. But that ain't our problem. Who needs 'em? Good riddance to these sour, nasty people.

Their apology smacks more of damage control than sincerity. And if their website was as successful as they'd have us think, they might want to hire some people to help and ease the massive burden of shooting celebrity video clips.




"Hamsters is nice."

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 11:19 PM

SIMONWHO


The fact is sometimes things happen that are beyond your control. Are people sending threatening letters to Dragon*Con for not announcing Joss wasn't coming earlier? Maybe whoever was supposed to be sending them the posters got held up or they were lost in the post to them or some innocuous thing happened.

Yes, they could have cleared this up by an e-mail or two but again, sometimes these things slip through the net. Now if I was running a site and suddenly found myself finding a barrage of angry, threatening e-mails, I'd be pretty pissed at whoever had organised it. I think they gave a warning shot of what hostile coverage could easily look like (and on some sites, no doubt will). But they've got rid of that, apologised and put up more nice coverage.

So are we going to be a bunch of petty, grudge bearing thugs (I'm seriously disturbed that some of us sent threatening e-mails) or are we going to accept their apology and move on? I think it's a good idea that there are independent movie website away from the big companies like Amazon (who do IMDB) and I know that, yes, it is really hard for them to try to compete.

Let's not turn into the Reavers of the Internet, spoken of in fear and hushed tones.

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Thursday, August 25, 2005 11:24 PM

RELFEXIVE


Indeed. This time, let's not aim to misbehave. Just don't give them any more of "our" time, to avoid any more bad encounters. Same goes for any other site, publication or organisation that does something "we" don't like, such as *gasp* give a bad review of Serenity.

I say "our" and "we" because those who are lashing out don't represent all of us.

"My God - you're like a trained ape. Without the training."

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Friday, August 26, 2005 1:36 AM

BARCLAY


You make one very important point. People are going to write bad reviews of the movie. They are going to pan it, make it sound like anyone who likes it has no taste and is a waste of humanity.

We Browncoats have something to be proud of (and that I rely on) that any Serenity-related news finds its way to the message boards within 24 hours (usually less), so if a bad review is published at 6 am, by noon 50,000 fans will know about it.

50,000 is a pretty powerful number, but with great power comes great responsibility. Nathan found that out already. Rather than lash out at every bad review, we have to learn to ignore them, and find ways to support those who do like the movie, and promote those reviews.

If we send angry letters to everyone who disagrees with us (and I use the "we" and "us" there since the actions of any Browncoats reflect upon all of us), people aren't going to want to sit in a theatre and watch a movie with us, or associate with us, or anything.

From comic shops to movie sites, we Browncoats are starting to get a reputation. As an angry mob. Think of the mob in Jaynestown, with Joss being our statue. Any time somebody knocks down the statue we put it back up. Forcefully. "You had a riot on account of me?" But unlike Jayne, Joss wouldn't be proud of it. He'd be afraid and disturbed of what he had created with this community.

It's 5 weeks to the day until the North American premiere of Serenity. These will be the most trying times of all, but we're Browncoats, we'll make it through. Let's just make it through with class.

"You are on the Global Frequency."
http://www.frequencysite.com
http://kfmonkey.blogspot.com

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Friday, August 26, 2005 2:13 AM

WILDHEAVENFARM


That's not good business manners. If I spoke/wrote to a customer in that tone of voice, I'd be in for it, I tell you what.

Me myself, I wouldn't even look for my prize until 4 weeks after I won and I wouldn't get fussy until 6 weeks. Such is the case now with the PSP my hubby won in the latest MCDonald's promotion.

Mary
Always a beast, never a burden.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 4:14 AM

SIKKUKUT


Well... I don't fully understand the details of the original situation, so I can't comment on that. It sounds like the emails must have been pretty nasty to elicit that kind of response, and that's an upsetting thought.

On the other hand, "retraction" seems like a VERY strong word for the other thing they posted... It was more like a half-assed apology with an undertone of defensiveness.

Sounds like we've got folks on both sides acting more than a little childish.

Of course, I'd never heard of this website til now... "Don't know these people, don't much care to." I already boycott Ain't It Cool News for childish, biased reviews that actually give false information about the movie in question, so I don't suppose this'll be any different.

____________________________
Is it September yet?

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Friday, August 26, 2005 4:35 AM

KAYLEERULESALL


ok, well even if it was a half ass apology attempt, we are a group, with a goal, and like it or not, its very much a political one. if were gonna get firefly back on TV by spreading the word, we need an untarnished name. so what we really need to do, especially after this apology (regardless of what some may think of it) is be gracuious, accept it, and forget about this whole damn thing.

The best way to do this is to forget what happened, move on, and get some more posts out there. and please, dont send any more emails! actually, it would probably be best to not even continue postin on this thread--lets just move on.

------------------------------------------------
"There are two infinate things in our world. The universe, and Human stupidity. I'm not too sure about the first one." Albert Einstien

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Friday, August 26, 2005 4:53 AM

ZEEK


Things like this can just be ignored in my opinion. Do you really think this little website is going to ruin the box office numbers? Websites like this will not help or hurt the cause for the most part. What is going to make the movie sink or swim will be word of mouth. It will be friends telling each other that the movie was surprisingly good and they should go see it. At least that's how I see it.

So, to me things like this can just be ignored. No reason to go wasting our time on them.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 5:09 AM

258WESTAUTHENTIC


I think both people are at fualt starting with the browncoat who went over board, I have had experinces with people who if you dont respond in with in an hour flip out, or if the post office delays their packege it is some how my fualt. Also the site could have nipped this in the bud and just explained it would be shipped out in 4-6 weeks ( nice span of time ). Also its my pet peev when people who get something for free DEMAND things. Look they didnt have to hold the contest, they didnt have to promote firefly on their site to begian with. God cant stand people like that, Free is never enough they allways want more. Again the Web site could have handled things better but so could have the people who won the prizes.

------------------------------------------------

RON GLASS AUTOGRAPHED COMIC COVERS FOR SELL ON MY SITE FOR A LIMITED TIME ( Limited to 258 Copies )

https://258west.com/category/item.php?id=60

Serenity Comics, Action figures, RPG, Books, Trading cards... Everything Serenity can be found at my store.

http://www.bigdamnstore.com

Thanks for you support

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Friday, August 26, 2005 5:35 AM

DIZ


I'm trying really hard to let this be, but I want to make sure people know that the winners were not the people who sent the hate mail, and have been asking people to keep cool heads all along.

To be clear: the people who won the posters have been nice, polite people. After the OP asked for Nathan's help, other Browncoats took it upon themselves to start sending emails. The winners did not advocate sending hate mail. If you read the original thread, you will see that they state several times that if people were going to send email, to be polite about it. They tried for months to get in contact with the website, to no avail; the post on the BC board was done out of frustration. And free or not, you offer a contest and a prize, you are obligated to provide the prize, both legally and morally. The lack of prizes and communication led a few people to think this website was being fraudulent. And it upset some Browncoats to see these fans taken advantage of. As someone who submitted an essay in this contest, I felt for them, and sent a nice, to-the-point-yet-polite email myself.

What I have seen is a horrid example of customer service, and a lack of professionalism. But what is bothering me the most right now is how this is hurting our fandom. Let's all just let it drop. Perhaps we can learn that in the future, we should not be ganging up and showing our Browncoat muscle for these matters. I'd hate to see the fans become more divided over this, or for our rep to keep getting tarnished. Geez, just today, Quint over at AICN compared us to Scientologists. No matter what the reality is, this is the image of our fandom that is getting out.

So, let's embrace and forgive our fellow fans, learn a lesson, and let it drop.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 6:02 AM

258WESTAUTHENTIC


So how long did they have to wait for their prize in total? Didnt the contest only start like 2 months ago at best?

------------------------------------------------

RON GLASS AUTOGRAPHED COMIC COVERS FOR SELL ON MY SITE FOR A LIMITED TIME ( Limited to 258 Copies )

https://258west.com/category/item.php?id=60

Serenity Comics, Action figures, RPG, Books, Trading cards... Everything Serenity can be found at my store.

http://www.bigdamnstore.com

Thanks for you support

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Friday, August 26, 2005 6:07 AM

FREMDFIRMA


While not involved, I do have to say, from what I *have* seen, I side more with painisscary up there than the rest of us folks...

Site stages contest, site then more-or-less reneges(*See Note)on the prizes.. at the very least an explaination and apology was in order, and there was understandably going to be some PO'ed people.
(and from their own words, only 2 of em!)

They were called on it, probably in less than polite fashion, although given their own conduct I am extremely suspicious of that excuse - we do have our idiots, every little microcosmic society does, but professionalism of any stripe would require simply ignoring them, since it was the sites own screwup that caused the ragefest in the first place... something they seem to have trouble acknowledging.

Then the extreme pettyness that went far above and beyond any possibly-snarky email, directed at our entire community followed by a halfassed damage control apology ?

Oh I do not think so...

And no, I am not going to get into it with them whatever, that would be a waste of time and only stir a nasty kettle of crap that's only now beginning to settle, and it wouldn't accomplish anything useful anyhow.

I will, however, be speaking to their advertisers in a polite, professional manner about whether or not they want their services and products associated with this kind of juvenille and unprofessional behavior, which reflects directly upon the site sponsors.

Therein lies the difference between an angry lynch mob and a quiet, professional throat cutting.

Let's be professional about things, shall we ?

-Frem


=============================================
*Note: First off, they should have had prize-in-hand if they intended to issue it, this is basic and required SOP for contests, and the fact that they did not have it in hand, and took so very long to get it, casts doubt on whether they ever intended to cough up in the first place - which we will never know, one way or the other, since eventually they did cough up.

To conduct a contest for a prize you do not have in hand at the time is simply unacceptable, however, and that simple fact turns 98% of the blame for this directly back on them.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 6:30 AM

THATWEIRDGIRL


All summer the nasty browncoats have been making reputations for us. I'm not proud of this reputation. People find out I'm a fan and they start to laugh. They've all heard the horrible stories about our 'Browncoat Army.' Remember when the stories were about how dedicated and supportive we were? Now we're just a mob of angry geeks out to avenge our master. How did this happen?


I don't care if we were the wronged party...how about a little class, a little maturity next time?

Feel free to yell at me if you feel I'm not a proper browncoat.

www.thatweirdgirl.com
---
"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"

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Friday, August 26, 2005 6:42 AM

DIZ


Quote:

Originally posted by thatweirdgirl:
All summer the nasty browncoats have been making reputations for us. I'm not proud of this reputation. People find out I'm a fan and they start to laugh. They've all heard the horrible stories about our 'Browncoat Army.' Remember when the stories were about how dedicated and supportive we were? Now we're just a mob of angry geeks out to avenge our master. How did this happen?


I don't care if we were the wronged party...how about a little class, a little maturity next time?

Feel free to yell at me if you feel I'm not a proper browncoat.

www.thatweirdgirl.com
---
"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"



The problem is, in any large fandom, the kooks will speak louder then the sane folks, who are undoubtably the larger number. Not everyone who is a fan of Star Trek wears Spock-ears to work, but that's the rep that fandom has (not that there's anything wrong with Spock-ears). As our fandom grows, we are starting to learn the hard way that this is not just a group of friends on the internet who love this show and movie, but a huge mass of humanity with its crazies, kooks, and morons. We best get used to it, because as Firefly/Serenity becomes more popular, the more crazies, kooks, and morons we will have. The trick is not to let it ruin our enjoyment, and to be secure knowing that we do have an awesome fanbase, filled with really cool people (and just a few of the kooks that always get in).

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Friday, August 26, 2005 6:51 AM

THATWEIRDGIRL


I know, I know...trekkie myself....but I'm just so frustrated by all the madness. Every time some website or reviewer says one negative word, 40,000 browncoats send emails or post responses. Some are tasteful but most are crude. I follow the links and read what some of us have posted and I'm horrified by the way they present themselves in the public forums. It makes me sad.

*hides Spock ears under desk*

Nope never worn those in public.

*hides white robes*

Leia? naw, I wouldn't do that.

*hides empire gown*

Why would I dress like an elf?

*laces up combat boots and zips coveralls*

I've got some work to do in the garage, that's all, I swear.

www.thatweirdgirl.com
---
"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:05 AM

DIZ




*shoves her Sailor Moon action figure back in her desk drawer*

I have no idea what you're talking about.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:13 AM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL


Can I just say, this would make an excellent case study on the nature of "blowback"--unintended consequences. The crazy thing is, it just keeps going. There are actually, (as of this posting) at least 3 generations of blowback operating. Sooo interesting...

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:13 AM

THATWEIRDGIRL


*deletes her Sailor Moon inspired photograph*

Um, I'm not sure what you mean...

www.thatweirdgirl.com
---
"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:19 AM

R1Z


What we have learned from all this is that IESB.net's reviews are not an objective attempt to evaluate a film on its merits, but an opportunity for this little man and his wife to attempt to throw their weight around.

Since I'm only interested in the merits of a film, and could not care less who this little man is pissed at, I have no more reason to visit his site.

He and his advertisers will just have to get along without me.

To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks. --Robt. Heinlein

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:26 AM

DIETCOKE


I agree with you. We really need to think about how we come across. When I first joined I remember seeing an article that referred to Browncoats as intelligent, organized and monied. Where did we go wrong?

NY/NJ Browncoats: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/firefly_nyc

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:45 AM

INDIANABANZAI


*looks at fedora and brown leather jacket from indyjacket.com, both hanging in cubicle*

Huh? Fandom? What's that?

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:47 AM

SIMONWHO


It's simple. Nathan started us on a crusade and we went overboard, eventually requiring him to draw us back. Think it's a coincidence that the first post about this event called on Nathan personally for his help?

Now it's descended into a petty childish dispute and I have to say that it is our side who come off worse. We've turned a website that had been incredibly supportive of the BDM into an enemy and yet there are still people who have no connection to the original competition winners who are continuing to fight and disparage, simply because they can.

However this time Daddy isn't the one who started the attack so he can't call it off. So instead the insults and vitriol continue. They've apologised and frankly they've done it better than us and with less reason than us. Frankly, if we don't grow up fast, we're all going to be tarred with the same brush and we'll deserve it too.

Let's put this matter to rest and for god's sake, no more damn fool crusades.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 7:51 AM

THATWEIRDGIRL


...what he said.

www.thatweirdgirl.com
---
"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"

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Friday, August 26, 2005 8:19 AM

RELFEXIVE


....what she said.

"My God - you're like a trained ape. Without the training."

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Friday, August 26, 2005 9:32 AM

BROWNCOAT1

May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one.


Browncoats, friends, comrades. Peace! Let's not allow the vindictive and immature behavior of a couple of people who run some website I have never heard of move us lower ourselves to their level.

I do not know all the particulars of this contest, or why emails from winners went unanswered or not, why prizes were slow in mailing or not, but I do know that we are better than lowering ourselves to foolish actions. We are not some childish uneducated mob that we must rise to such petty bait.

So this website, which claims to have supported the BDM has now turned their energies to slandering and bashing the movie. So? Let them! Who cares? I know I don't. I have never heard of them, and I doubt many have. They seem to be selectively posting bad comments about the movie, but it is easy to see by the quoted email that this is intentionally done in retaliation of some sort of problem stemming from the poster contest. All we need do is post these emails & comments on every Serenity/Firefly site so that all fans, lurkers, and potential fans can see that it only pettiness & vindictive nature that is causing this sudden betrayal. Nothing worse than a low down dirty deceiver.

I would ask that we all ignore these trolls, and their venomous site. Let them stew in their own ire and be done with them. It is a shame they have chosen this childish manner in which to deal w/ a few bad apples, turning on a movie they claimed to support so easily out of anger at a few fans who did not conduct themselves properly. I suppose some do not hold honor, loyalty and integrity in the same regard some of us do in this day & age.

I ask only that each of you think of the community, the cast, the movie, and Joss & all our reputations before you do anything. As you can see by the unreasonable actions of one "website" we are all held responsible for the actions of a few.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org


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Friday, August 26, 2005 9:59 AM

INEVITABLEBETRAYAL


Umm...yeah. That.

_______________________________________________
I wish I had a magical wish-granting plank.

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Friday, August 26, 2005 10:03 AM

MSCKAREN


Quote:

Originally posted by InevitableBetrayal:
Can I just say, this would make an excellent case study on the nature of "blowback"--unintended consequences. The crazy thing is, it just keeps going. There are actually, (as of this posting) at least 3 generations of blowback operating. Sooo interesting...



I agree...very interesting. I wonder how many "last words" there are going to be on the topic. Now, back to inventorying my belly button lint.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."

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Friday, August 26, 2005 10:03 AM

HATEHATEHATEFOX


I say we do nothing. Here's why:

Y'know what, never mind. Let it go.

Edited for brevity and sanity.

~~~~~~~~
Nothing is ever so profoundly regretted as a kind act.
Robertson Davies

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Friday, August 26, 2005 1:32 PM

DANTE144


FOR SHAME!

I am a new Browncoat.

If you act like a jerk in the name of the 'Browncoats' you make us all look bad.

Please don't do that.


"Jesus saves, everyone else takes damage" -tee shirt some girl was wearing at Megacon.

http://dantedreams.com <-my webcomic

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Friday, August 26, 2005 1:52 PM

G1223


The question is are these people important. I never heard of them and by their action not keen on hearing of them anymore.

TANSTAAFL

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Friday, August 26, 2005 2:16 PM

DANTE144


So its ok to be rude to people so loong as they are not important?

"Jesus saves, everyone else takes damage" -tee shirt some girl was wearing at Megacon.

http://dantedreams.com <-my webcomic

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Friday, August 26, 2005 2:26 PM

G1223


I am not being rude to them and I am not letting them be rude to us.

TANSTAAFL

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Friday, August 26, 2005 2:39 PM

CHRISISALL


This is what I think...
*puts his stormtrooper blaster in the closet*
We should ignore it.
*slides his lightsabre under couch*
Nuts come with all fandomes...
*puts his Spock ears in a drawer*
The movie will speak for itself.
*sweeps the stuffed Gremlin, the Superman, and Luke Skywalker costumes (as well as the Galactica uniform) under the drawing table*
I mean, we're all grown-ups here, right?



Never lets go of his communicator Chrisisall

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Friday, August 26, 2005 2:48 PM

THATWEIRDGIRL


Quote:

Originally posted by chrisisall:
I mean, we're all grown-ups here, right?



Um, no. I don't ever plan to be a grown up.

www.thatweirdgirl.com
---
"...turn right at the corner then skip two blocks...no, SKIP, the hopping-like thing kids do...Why? Why not?"

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Friday, August 26, 2005 3:24 PM

CHRISISALL


Oh, I see, you're a Toys-R-Us kid

And don't touch my phaser! Chrisisall

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Saturday, August 27, 2005 5:42 PM

DANTE144


I was just thinking... Any press is good press. Right?

"Jesus saves, everyone else takes damage" -tee shirt some girl was wearing at Megacon.

http://dantedreams.com <-my webcomic

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Saturday, August 27, 2005 5:42 PM

DANTE144


I was just thinking... Any press is good press. Right?

"Jesus saves, everyone else takes damage" -tee shirt some girl was wearing at Megacon.

http://dantedreams.com <-my webcomic

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Sunday, August 28, 2005 5:24 AM

CHRISISALL


No, bad press is BAD.

Chrisisall

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Sunday, August 28, 2005 5:51 AM

SIMONWHO


Quote:

Originally posted by dante144:
I was just thinking... Any press is good press. Right?



I've said it before, I'll say it again; tell that to Michael Jackson.

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