Friday, June 14, 2013

Why creative people should avoid forums?

I have posted the below in two threads of a DIY-audio forum:

-----------
[QUOTE=srb02;6863140]
I have also cobbled together the 330v version of this 6v6 SE amp:[url]http://...[/url],
as a simple rectifier tube change fixed voltages. To me, very nice, better bass, alittle less top end.
It just wasn't the same sweet musical sound of the RH84, w/ sylvania blk plates, and a harmonix 12at7. Real nice. It is difficult to describe, other than to my ears, it has a  "vey easy to listen to, sound".
[/QUOTE]

I have already had some problems here for commenting on the way my schematics were butchered. Posts just vanish, it's probably due to a conflict of interests. Do authors have any rights? Never mind, that is why I am not publishing any schematics on forums any more, only on my blog.
Therefore, I am NOT commenting on that.
I am commenting on the fact that when "designers" do not posses the knowledge they claim,  problems are bound to happen. Does anyone want to enjoy a RH84 with 6V6? Maybe all octal with 6SL7 driver? Well, all he/she needs to do is apply the driver circuitry of the RH Universal version 2 (totally Universal) to the rest of the RH84 revision 2 schematics.
Yes, those schematics were not available to the public in 2011, but I was available by e-mail... does anyone think I "invented" this approach yesterday? Someone could have asked. But whom can you ask, when the real author is not known...
-------------

The post was "offensive" enough to get me banned on the forum. So much for conflicts of interest, rights of the authors: unfortunately, it seems that at least on some DIY-audio forums the "prominent contributors" are moderators as well - they can delete posts that are not in their best interest, and when doing that, no trace remains, no explanation or reference.

It is not the first time I get banned, and I do not care all that much about it. What I do care is the freedom of expression, the fact that such posts get deleted and thus remain invisible to other visitors - who cannot know what has actually happened, why did the user get banned, and what was so offensive about the particular post.

Italians say "oltre al danno, anche la beffa": to paraphrase, besides being offended by someone's disregard of your work (and the fact that your work is subject to plagiarism), one gets expelled from a community for protesting that fact (while it is those who commit plagiarism who should be expelled). "Plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and a breach of journalistic ethics. It is subject to sanctions like expulsion." (Quote from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism) Quite the contrary, it seems that in DIY-audio circles plagiarism is considered as normal, logical, and an "expected personality feature of the DIY-er" (to paraphrase one moderator who considers the modification of the schematics of others without mentioning the author of the original schematics, i.e. the reference - as normal and expected behaviour: those who would like to avoid having their work subject to plagiarism should not post or publish their work).

I beg to differ.