www.herphabitats.com AKA Richard Brooks/ Reptile Information Database

Well, if you're going to to the owner and spokesman for your organization, then accountability for the content of your site rests firmly on your shoulders.

Blaming it on one of your volunteer editors is tacky and unprofessional.

to=be

Who is "blaming" anyone? It went down exactly as I had written it. "I" didn't alter that caresheet and "I" didn't realise the bad info had been added. That isn't me blaming anyone, that is actual fact! "I" however am the one over here chatting about it as "I" own the website in question. (Thats another fact.) "I" am the one who immediately removed the caresheet. (Another fact.) "I" am also the one who took the steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. (Another fact.) "I" am the one who spoke with Bobby for over an hour on the phone getting this resolved. (Another fact.) "I" am the one who actually added it to the R.I.D. (Another fact.)

Accountability isn't an issue. It never was. (Nor does it say it was anywhere in this thread. No one is "blaming" anyone for the incident and it doesn't say so anywhere in this thread.) This thread does nothing more than outline the events as they unfolded. (Another fact.)

Regardless as to how much you try to decipher and find reasoning to execute a site bashing, this is over and has been dealt with. Move on, we have.

Originally Posted by jsrocket

Well, if you're going to to the owner and spokesman for your organization, then accountability for the content of your site rests firmly on your shoulders.

Blaming it on one of your volunteer editors is tacky and unprofessional.

He was stating the process, not assigning blame. If you want to be helpful, provide some constructive critique of the system? Maybe you can find a better system of controls?

This is a very good project, not a scammer deal or something that needs to be attacked.

Well, whaddie you know. Here's some interesting reading about Rich Brooks. Seems he may not be the magnanimous, upstanding, dedicated to helping herpers type of guy that he seems. For some reason, this guy had my radar beeping, and now I know why.

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...p/t-36247.html

Maybe this should become a BOI thread? Starting your own forum while moderating one isn't a foul but if he went about it that way......

Since it's in the sound off forum...

A number of the sheets on that website are questionable at best, stating certain things as absolutes when it's inappropriate to do so, containing misleading language and mangling a few concepts pretty harshly. There also appears to be no real editing when it comes to spelling or syntax- which shouldn't be the case for something being posted as an informational resource.

I'd absolutely question the qualification of some of the apparantly more prolific "contributors" as well as the contribution process. If someone's content can be posted without their knowledge or edited without their consent prior to a completed page then... well... it's failing entirely in it's stated goals and bordering very quickly on murky legal waters. I'll add that some of the pages have wording that seems eerily familiar but that I can't quite place; this thread was my first trip to that site so I'm getting this feeling of having seen much of that content elsewhere, possibly with a different author being credited.

Yeah, I'm being critical and a bit nasty but I feel, strongly, that IF someone sets out to provide unsolicited information and puts themselves up there as a resource, that they have an obligation to contribute something of substance. Something that exceeds in scope or depth or detail or accuracy all those other sources that already exist. There is absolutely no point to putting together a resource like that if it fails to even meet the standards of quality that already exist. What this site looks like to me, is a well intentioned but ultimately failing venture that's started regurgitating other websites without any editing to verify the accuracy of content as it's posted or any contributions that signifigantly advance the avaliable information past what already exists.

Road to hell and so on...

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/foru...ad.php?t=36247
Rich, I know this thread is a few years old but I think it wise to address it. I can't see anyone supporting the site of someone who would behave in this manner. Is it accurate?

Here's the email:

This is to all ReptileForum.com members.

I have some very bad news to share with you about one of our
moderators. Rich or (iguanairs) has stabbed me in the back.

Rich was one of ReptileForums admins which gave him access to the
entire forum. He was the only moderator with this status and he had more
power than any other moderator. I trusted rich with this amount of power
because I counted him as my friend. I trusted him 100%

However, yesterday he did something that was illegal and very wrong. He
decided to start his own forum because he was not happy about the
success of ReptileForums.com He knew that reptileforums was one of the
fastest growing reptile message boards on the net. In fact, reptileforums is
the 4th largest reptile board anywhere. Rich got jealous and decided to
start his forum without telling me. Looking at his site, I know he must
have been working on it for weeks all without telling me.

Well, once he got this new forum ready to launch, he needed a way to
promote it, so he decided to hack my forums by deleting everything off
the homepage and putting 8 of his own banners all over the homepage that
lead to this new site. He then left a note that said “ReptileForums is
moving, click on the banner to be taken to the new site” along with
some other words which I don’t want to repeat.

After, he did this, he also start to reply to every thread possible
telling everybody that reptileforums is moving with a link to his new
site.

After he did this, he must of told lies to the other moderators,
because he got most of all my moderators to leave with him. He was telling
them that I was being disrespectful and ignoring all his requests which
was a LIE.

After doing all this, he went even further. He then logged into the
admin panel and STOLE my email list of all reptile forums members and he
has been emailing them about his new site. Not only is this illegal, but
it is wrong and his email is a complete LIE.

To even make this worse, 2 hrs before Rich did all of this, he was
chatting with me on AOL about how he liked the new layout which I created.
He was telling me how great it looked and we chatted away for ten
minutes as if we were friends. He did not bring up that he started a new
forum, he did not tell me that he was going to delete my homepage and
replace it with all his banners, he did tell me that has was sending out
emails to my members and lying to them.

After all this happened, Rich finally chatted with me on AOL. I asked
him why he did this. He said because he was mad that I have a popup on
the topsites page of reptileforums.com and he said that I was ignoring
ALL of his private messages to me. THIS WAS ALL A LIE. I did not receive
one private message from him on reptileforums about any of this. I have
PROOF. I logged into the database and there was no private messages to
me from Rich. I also told him that the only reason I have a popup on
the topsites page is because it helps my topsite members receive more
traffic. The popup is a traffic exchange popup which brings in even more
traffic to the topsites page. Why would I remove this??? It is only on
one page and the topsites page is not a page that reptileforum members
would visit.

After asking Rich again why he did all this, he still told me it was
because I did not answer his private messages and because there was a
popup on one page. I asked Rich why he didn’t send me an email or why he
didn’t try to chat with me about any of this and he did not answer;
because he knew he was lying. I caught him and he knew it. The fact is,
Rich never sent any PMs to me and never contacted me about any of this. He
just needed an excuse to start his own forum.

Reptile Forum members….does this make any sense to you???

Heres the big question.

If rich really thought I was ignoring him, then why didn’t he just
leave and start a new forum instead of deleting my content off the
homepage and stealing my email list and lying to everyone???

Rich had no right to do any of these things, it was illegal and morally
wrong. I have spent thousands of dollars on reptileforums and I have
personally coded everything, created the layout, added all the care
sheets and articles and promoted it all by myself.

I trusted Rich as my friend, but I can see that he just wanted to hurt
me. He stabbed me in the back and lied to everyone. If you got an email
from rich, then delete it. He is a liar and a back stabber.


Why would you want to be a part of Rich’s site when you understand what
he did to mine?

Also, you may see posts from users that are posting hateful messages on
reptileforums that are leading to Rich’s new site. This is Rich, he is
using reptileforums to promote his own site. He is using my traffic to
promote his own site. I have worked very hard to earn all my traffic
that goes to reptileforums and Rich is taking it away. Not only is it
against the terms of use contract, but it is morally wrong. You don’t
become a member of another board and start driving other members to your
site by writing lies to everyone and putting down the owner which Rich is
doing.

What makes it worse is, I lost a friend. Rich, if your reading this,
you were my friend and I trusted you with my entire board. I did not
think you would do something like this.

This is a notice to ALL reptileforum members, please be warned of
Rich’s actions and please be aware of his lies.

I have not came into his board posting hateful posts and directing any
of his members back to my board. I have not posted my banners all over
his site, and I will not steal his email list and start spamming them
about my board. I am a bigger person than that. I have morals.


Thank you for reading this.
Joshua Writer
Owner & Founder
www.ReptileForums.com

PS. You have to ask yourself this question: Would a morally right
person, delete content off another’s persons web page and steal their email
list and post hate messages all over the forum? Would they create a
message board behind your back and chat with you 2 hrs before pretending
to be your friend. Would they lie to your members and deceive them? I
don’t think so.

He was the only moderator with this status and he had more
power than any other moderator. I trusted rich with this amount of power
because I counted him as my friend. I trusted him 100%

Well, once he got this new forum ready to launch, he needed a way to
promote it, so he decided to hack my forums by deleting everything off
the homepage and putting 8 of his own banners all over the homepage that
lead to this new site.

Well, once he got this new forum ready to launch, he needed a way to
promote it, so he decided to hack my forums by deleting everything off
the homepage and putting 8 of his own banners all over the homepage that
lead to this new site. He then left a note that said “ReptileForums is
moving, click on the banner to be taken to the new site” along with
some other words which I don’t want to repeat.

After doing all this, he went even further. He then logged into the
admin panel and STOLE my email list of all reptile forums members and he
has been emailing them about his new site.

Is this true Rich? We discussed you leaving ReptileForum.com, but you never told me about this.

I agree with Dennis, this needs to be addressed.

Originally Posted by Dennis Hultman

Is it accurate?

No need. Bobby, I wouldn't give this site any support. Just my opinion.

Originally Posted by iguanairs

This move was due to unassisted aid from the current owner of Reptileforums. There were a number of ideas that the members shared to help improve the forum. Unfortunately,none of the existing Admins or Mods. had the ability to make any of them come true. The owner was the only individual capable of adding and editing forums.

The owner also found it necessary to use pop advertising on the forum. As an Administrator of Reptile Forums,I informed him that the members did not like this. His lack of respect in his response was his demise: "I don't care,they can deal with it!"

That response prompted myself, as well as the moderating team to reconsider our current status on Reptileforums.If he didn't respect the members,why should we respect his forum? Why continue to create a forum that the owner didn't appreciate or participate in? That was the flame that started the creation of Herp Center.

The moderators and a select handful of members from Reptileforums have been working hard to get Herp Center ready for members. We are proud to announce that we are open for business!

The current staff consists of :

Rich (Iguanairs)-Site Administrator

Dominick-Administrator

Merlin-Super Moderator

Bitis Gabonica-Moderator

Lyn-Moderator

(Fran...when he returns from out of town work-Moderator)

Tricia Powers....(waiting for a response!)-Moderator .