• Responding to email notices you receive.
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  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
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    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Mike Greathouse [you decide]

Art Klass said:
I was surprised and dumbfounded when I first found out about this mess. I took some time to reflect on how I felt.

Mike is an administrator on my site which I also host through him. Mike has helped me so much with my site! He offered to do this and I greatly appreciate his efforts. He has been very patient with me. I have the computer savvy of a hermit crab and without Mike I would be screwed. This holds a tremendous amount of weight with me.

Yup, it looks like Mike did some trolling here. That doesn't change my opinion of him or the fact that I consider him my friend.

Mike has done an awful lot of good for the herp community.
Click to expand...

I don't know exactly how I feel about this either....

I do know that IF all of this actually was Mike, I am really disappointed. I would also like to hear from him about the whys. There are a whole lot of scenarios and reasons that could possibly be behind it that I ran through in my head, some making more sense than others.....while none of them would make it "right", some make it more understandable. And with the small amount of knowledge I have about IPs and ISPs and all of that, well....I just don't know what I believe.

I do know that I have to agree with what Art and some others have said, that regardless of whether I agree with Mike doing this (IF he did), or whether I agree with the things that he may have said in these alternate personas (IF he did)....I still do not think that it makes him a "bad guy" persay. Again as Art said, he's done a whole lot of good for the herp community in general, and before I pass any kind of judgement otherwise, I really think that for all of the good that he has done, I owe him as much as to hear his side of the story before damning him.

:shrug01: *sighs and walks away*
 
I specifically avoided using the [BAD BUY] label on this thread simply because I really did not think it appropriate, under the circumstances. I don't really think Mike is a bad guy at all. But he has some issues that are apparently clouding his judgment in his relationship with this site and the members within it. His manner of choice for expressing them here simply have to stop.

THAT is what this thread is hoped to accomplish. To apply the peer pressure power of the BOI to convince him that if he is in fact engaging in trolling this site via false registration, to STOP before more damage is inflicted on both sides of the aisle.
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That got shot in the ass pretty quick. So far he's been made a villan , scammer & I'm sure a few have him sitting in dark room waiting to launch a missle attack at your server.

I always thought the whole Shrillomn thing was funny. I like Wes but watching folks poke him with a stick has been an odd form amusement for me for a couple years now.

I won't apologize for not jumping on the bandwagon against Mike. Never had a prob with him and still don't. He has offered us his help getting our site up until we're back on our feet , even footing the fees for the domain name etc. Mike is one of the good guys. If , IF , the worst he has done is make some posts some members don't agree with , then how can be a scammer? Not like he is running around selling fake hets or bad animals under an assumed name.

I shake my head at this thread. I shake my head at some of the members getting the noose ready.

Even if Mike says he is/was Shrillomn , Sledgehammer & Walk of Life , it won't change much if anything.

Could someone point me to some of these " malicious " attacks?
 
They are above Bryon, but there are many more.

However, this post turns my stomach:

Originally Posted by Sledgehammer
I owe everyone here a very big apology.
Today I received a pm from someone whose opinion I respect and he really opened my eyes to my recent behavior here.

Wes, Jim, Bobby, Rozann, and any others who I have mistreated - I am sorry.

None of you deserved the treatment that you received from me and I am very sorry. I have no excuse other then that I was completely out of line and I hope that at some point you can forgive me.

All of you have earned the respect of your peers here.

Again, I am sorry.
Click to expand...
 
Interesting reading Bobby. Thanks for the links. Its amazing how quickly we forget things.

A couple of things I walked away with after reading those threads is how Mike was not only posting as Shrill and Sledge but also as himself in those threads egging it all on. Manipulative to say the least.

Also how Mike seen how it pitted many good members here into arguing and getting upset with one another and kept egging that on as well. And for what? For his personal enjoyment? Because he didnt like some of Rich's decisions? Because he didnt like a couple members here? So he basically manipulated the entire community into getting into fights and arguments with one another.... well done Mike. Kinda reminds me of the Stephen King novel Needful Things.

I know that there are a few people on this site that considered each other friends prior to the turmoil that the Shrill/Sledge/Mike threads created, that no longer do consider each other friends. That I think bothers me more than anything about all of this.

Go back and read all those threads for yourself people.
 
I identified...

Sledgehammer as a troll after his 7th post and posted my opinion. Dragondad jumped all over me for it, and (I think) hit my karma. What say you now Michael Heald?
 
Since I consider Mike to be a good guy, and someone I trust and has trusted me. My feeling on this is, (should this prove out) I would still take Mike over some of the people crying foul at the top of the little bitty brains.


As a matter of fact, if I remember Shrill, his point was to prove what was possible without moderation on the forum. And thats a point that many agreed with, and I believe the WS Mods are an offshoot of the desire to have more moderation. Sledge I really never paid much attention too, and David if you care to be specific I might even remember the situation. But if its comes out that Mike G is Sledge, I would still have to go with the point he was proving......

I look at it this way, Mike may be the alias as stipulated. But he did so to prove a point to make Fauna better. Can we second guess the actions if they prove true....maybe? Can we second guess the fact he couldnt do so under his own name. I can, given the present freedom of the wolf pack, lynch mob, or any other name that would call someones vet to verify a fecal, start attacking a so called friend without hearing both sides. To turn years of good work into trash over a percieved misdeed. (Gee Bobby maybe you should go read what you have done in your numerous exits from fauna). Or label someone a scumbag...liar....how about thief. With no real evidence. It wasnt so long ago that calling someone a thief without proof warrented a civil suit.....gee maybe it still does. Care to help Lucille?

Proxy servers, same IP when using a Proxy. No big deal. I bet 75 % of this forum could come on as any of the questionable IP's by the end of today if they so desired.

Does this warrant the BOI nope. Does this warrant the name calling and attacks on Mikes person...definatly not. This man has done more for the hobby/business than all of your dibble combined Bobby/Chuck/ anyone else who thinks they are something.
 
David Scarboro said:
Sledgehammer as a troll after his 7th post and posted my opinion. Dragondad jumped all over me for it, and (I think) hit my karma. What say you now Michael Heald?
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LMAO! I just checked your karma...it wasn't Dragondad who gave you bad karma on 12/31/2006...it was Mike Greathouse! :rofl:

Mike Greathouse - 08:18, 31st Dec 2006: Uncalled for - he was simply trying to help!
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Are you kidding me? This is getting ridiculous!

Talk about manipulative... :rolleyes:
 
sorry...let me clarify...

carl3 said:
Someone please correct if I am wrong but does this thread qualify for the BOI since it does not have anything to do with an actual business transaction?
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What I meant to say...
Someone please correct if I am wrong but does this thread qualify for the BOI since it does not have anything to do with an actual business transaction as it relates to the purchase of a reptile?

Maybe there could be a separate BOI forum for business transactions not related to the purchase of a reptile?
 
Dragondad said:
Proxy servers, same IP when using a Proxy. No big deal. I bet 75 % of this forum could come on as any of the questionable IP's by the end of today if they so desired.
Click to expand...
At the time that I did my research a year ago, Mike posted from somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 IP addresses over the course of his time here. Shrillomn posted from 35-40 IP addresses. Shrillomn NEVER posted from the same IP address as any other member of this forum...except Mike...TWICE. Additionally, Mike had NEVER posted from the same IP address as any other member of this forum...except Shrillomn...TWICE (with one exception: Mike also posted from the same IP as Suncoast Herpetological, which is what prompted my call to John. John explained at the time that Mike does IT work for him, and works on his computers from time to time.)

The odds of this being a "mistake"...well, it's simply NOT a mistake.
 
varnyard said:
I'm sorry Kelli, I did not hear you, did you say ghost accounts? Or troll accounts? I only have one, and it is all me!! However, do these "Ghost" accounts use them to make personal attacks? As well as attacks against the site? And by all means, don't hold back now, spill the beans!! ;)
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Roger Jolly.
 
Interesting reading Bobby. Thanks for the links. Its amazing how quickly we forget things.

A couple of things I walked away with after reading those threads is how Mike was not only posting as Shrill and Sledge but also as himself in those threads egging it all on. Manipulative to say the least.

Also how Mike seen how it pitted many good members here into arguing and getting upset with one another and kept egging that on as well. And for what? For his personal enjoyment? Because he didnt like some of Rich's decisions? Because he didnt like a couple members here? So he basically manipulated the entire community into getting into fights and arguments with one another.... well done Mike. Kinda reminds me of the Stephen King novel Needful Things.

I know that there are a few people on this site that considered each other friends prior to the turmoil that the Shrill/Sledge/Mike threads created, that no longer do consider each other friends. That I think bothers me more than anything about all of this.

Go back and read all those threads for yourself people.
Click to expand...

I agree Sammy, when you know that they are all the same person it sheds a whole new light on the threads.
 
You know what upsets me the most about this thread?
The fact that some of you who claim Mike was a great friend and person, have completely turned their backs on him without ever hearing from him.
In an instant someone has gone from being labeled a good guy to a scumbag without even waiting to hear from the person accused of things in this thread.
 
SPJ said:
You know what upsets me the most about this thread?
The fact that some of you who claim Mike was a great friend and person, have completely turned their backs on him without ever hearing from him.
In an instant someone has gone from being labeled a good guy to a scumbag without even waiting to hear from the person accused of things in this thread.
Click to expand...


Do you think that Mike'll come here to speak up for himself?
 
Steve,

SPJ writes:
The fact that some of you who claim Mike was a great friend and person, have completely turned their backs on him without ever hearing from him.
In an instant someone has gone from being labeled a good guy to a scumbag without even waiting to hear from the person accused of things in this thread.
Click to expand...

There are two ways to evaluate your use of the word "friends". The first would be that true friends of Mike were too hasty in condemnation. The second would be that those calling themselves "friends" but now calling Mike a "liar and scumbag" misused the term of being a prior "friend". I think that just displays the different levels of "friendship".

My thoughts specific to Mike were posted earlier, and have not changed. However, I can also respect those who are quite repulsed by the whole thing. During the height of the Shrilomn postings, another member "positively" identified me as the culprit. I took enormous offense, not so much because there was no proof, but because I saw it as an afront to my integrity, to suggest that I would stoop to using an alias to say anything disparaging about another here. Regardless of personalities, that is a significant threshold to many. I certainly found the action repulsive, with no added explanation required.
 
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