Ok. Wow I failed out of the gate on that post as it seems most people took my post to be "Drama Diana fear mongering."
I'll own that, as I am a professional writer and should be better at articulating a concern and quite obviously I failed. Bob started the post and never chimed back in so I don't know if he got it but very obviously my post to his thread wasn't clear.
My concern is that a group may be attempting to undermine the goal (Bob's vision) of helping others and changing the world. I am not talking about starting another forum about being a nomad or van life. This is an adaptation of audience. Expedition Forums Versus Pirate 4x4. One is mostly polite and the other you put your flame suit on and hope to get answers past the abuse hurled your way. I myself would prefer a different forum style. Just my own preference. This one is good and I like it. My style is just different, I don't get offended by internet dots. Language doesn't hurt my feelings, and not everyone has to like me.
My concern, said a different way is many people come here and "Hear the word of Bob" (for those that miss polite sarcastic humor that was what the preceding is) do so via google searches. He has been around for ever, has a good number count, so he tops google's first page. IN A GOOD WAY. Few people search google past the second page and even fewer use Yandex or other search engines to do combination searches. What you search is what you see. This then follows your other browsing activities based on what you like, what you read, how long you stay on a page, what you click. The internet is not free. An AI, several actually, analyze everything, each keystroke you make. Pay attention to the AD Header on the top of each page here, and see how it changes. I don't know how aware Bob is about how all this works. He has an internet web person that is having difficulties stopping mail posts. This is not said as a criticism, just an observation. If you saw me using a stove, in my car, that could poison and kill me, I would hope you would ignore my feeling and tell me this was dangerous. Perhaps I know and I think I know better. Perhaps I don't know. Either way you've done your best for a fellow human being. That is ALL WE OWE anyone else, nothing more and nothing less.
I see a situation that could kill Bob's mission in helping others.
I care because I think the cause is a nobel one, and the message reminiscent of the Haight Ashbury movement.
Perhaps I should have used that as an example and not Burning Man. We seemed to get sidetracked on how it is different than RTR and not the real issue.
MONEY!
All one has to do is destroy the online persona, make it seem less credible. Less knowledgeable, emotionally unstable, weird, odd, socially suspect. It evolves and gains a life of it's own and as more and more click sock puppets more and more sock puppets are served to those that really need what Bob is doing. RTR will remain RTR and people will come and go. LIFE WILL GO ON. Reach, influence and the ability to help will be diminished.
I could ignore it. Doesn't affect me. But, if I am correct, and this is a plan to destroy a man with great ideas, and movement. Do I do nothing? I could be wrong, by all means I am not saying I am an expert at this. But, I do find it rather odd that within six months the negative seems to be growing exponentially. I want to be wrong!! This Canadian is more than happy, over joyed, to be wrong in this case. I will sing; I Will Survive in a pink tutu at the next RTR I can attend in penance for being wrong, and do so happily.
But I know from the member lists and posts I've seen we have talented people in this tribe. Talented people that can help and discover if I am wrong. People that can help take steps, provide advice and make sure the goal of helping as many people as possible in a correct way is maintained. Not if we have our camp and those other people have there camp and those over there are all wacked out Burning Man types tossing garbage and getting cops involved. That was never my point.
My point is, put very bluntly. Bob is a self proclaimed introvert and loner. People like this have amazing capacities. One of them is NOT asking for help. I personally think he needs to do this. Not to pick up garbage at RTR, or make sure the noise is down and people behaved. He has a brand, he IS a brand and while he might not like the moniker, I know I don't. I think the brand is being intentionally attacked in an attempt to make a fast buck. He has friends in this tribe who need to step up and help. He needs to accept this help, if for the only reason that he wants to see a quasi famous Canadian storyteller belt out a rendition of I will survive in a pink tutu.
I will say nothing more past this as I can't afford the time to write/read/edit, and rewrite something that I am beginning to see as a Don Quixote exercise.
