This is directed at some specific friends from my private chatboard and as a general statement to others following the developments of late. They know who they are. We've all known each other for many years and spent many intimate moments together and have all met face to face. This has appeared privately and I decided to make it public as a way to have it come unfiltered directly from me.
Sometimes you have to burn an old bridge to build a new bridge. A better and stronger bridge.
Sometimes you have to clear the land to build a new structure and relationships.
As many of you have heard, we have buried the hatchet with Domain
Sponsor. Ron Sheridan and I have kissed and made up. We hugged in
public, shook hands and I feel it was genuine all the way around.
Howard and I had two constructive meetings with Lawrence, Josh and Jeff. I want to take a moment to
publicly thank Chis Siverten (whose name I never spell right). But I
want to thank Chris because I believe he was an important factor in
having us come together.
So we move forward in a new spirit and hopefully this new bridge will be stronger and out last the old one.
It brings the industry together instead of dividing it. So that brings me to what I would like from folks that if they choose, may come and go freely from my private board again.
This (my private chatboard not my blog) IS my LIVING ROOM. It will REMAIN my living room. That is
something that I ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to compromise on. If that is not
acceptable. If that rubs you the wrong way. If you are going to hold a
grudge against me. If you are going to challenge that in your mind or
in your heart, let's just be friends. We don't have to interact with
each other HERE. We can all communicate via many methods. Just this is
my SANCTUARY. This is my home for invited guests. But please, those ARE
my keys. Treat me and conduct yourselves like you were a GUEST in MY
HOME. If you can't do that, I can say no more.
So if we can get to a meeting of the minds there, then I can say
what I need to say and hopefully good people with good hearts and find
a way forward.
In my living room, I do not expect folks to promote competing events.
You can do it on an infinite amount of websites and lots of other
INDUSTRY boards, but PLEASE, not here. It's just not right. Do it
anywhere you like, just not here. Let ME take the lead in that
department. If we are all cooperating it may not even be an issue.
It's not a place to take pot shots at me. I don't need that. I don't
want that. My TIME becomes wrapped up in "Just curious" stuff. I don't
like to ignore things, and feel compelled to respond when I just don't
have the TIME or energy to do it. It drains me and I don't want that
anymore. I don't need to justify everything I do.
I am a sensitive person. I feel things deeply. I just want to be
treated nice HERE. I am a pinnata out there. But this is my HOME and I
want to be surrounded by people looking out for each others back as
opposed to walking around with a target on MY back. I have just always
tried to do my best. Take all sides into account. And believe me folks,
there are a lot of folks pulling or tugging me in one direction or
another. My JOB is to take it all in. Consider it all. Make the best
decision I can.
If T.R.A.F.F.I.C. is just another "Trade show" and anyone is going to run
around and saying things that are not positive and have under tones of
negativity, then we can still be friends. We can interact. Just not
HERE. Don't use my resources to undermine my hard work and that of Howard and our wives.
I don't think I am asking much in return for devoting my TIME to what I
believe has benefited everyone in the business. If you don't think I
have done good. Have done things that you have such venom in your heart
for me, then please, you just don't belong here and those folks are the
ones I just want no part of. You see how they behave. That behavior would not be welcome in any of our homes. I don't think that is unreasonable. That
is MY TOS.
It's OK if you don't accept the terms. Just don't say you do when you
really don't and you are out to undermine me, Howard, TRAFFIC at every
turn. If THAT is who you are and SOME of you ARE in that camp, then I
ask you to pause a moment and decide how YOU want to move forward. The
burden is on you at THIS juncture. I have my heart open. It's a tender
heart. If you expect to poke that heart, or worse, let's just agree to
disagree and go our own ways. If you want to open your heart, then we
can all move forward. It is your decisions and choice. I have only good
will. If you fool me, that is on you.
But if we can get thru these TINY hurdles, we can all do great things.
So that is my olive branch. Maybe you like it maybe you don't. The
board has been focused on business much more than personalities of late. Like
Lawrence told me....we need to take the "DRAMA" out and communicate
more. The personality nonsense out for there is no place for that. Can
we do that? My hand is extended. My heart is open. I will do my part as
well. That is my proposal. I can't do more. I REFUSE to do less. If we
can come to common ground, GREAT! If we can't then that is just how it
is and I guess we will all deal with it. Either way, I hope we can mend
things, If not, it is ok.
Right now I am exhausted and I can't wait to get home and reflect on
what we all accomplished this week at T.R.A.F.F.I.C. and where we go from here. I hope we
did what we promised at the show. I think we pulled it off. The folks
seemed to be happy with things. They were THRILLED that DS and us were
able to fix things and agree to work closer and cooperate and still
remain competitors without trying to injure us.
And before I sign off, want to thank the folks at Sedo for the pre
event. It showed there is a way to have functions that help each other.
I hope it is a model we can use in the future that allows more of us to
make it EASIER for those coming from Australia and other distant
countries from flying back and forth more than necessary.
Oh well better shut up before I get in trouble. I hope the folks
reading this know me well enough to know the spirit of what I have
written. It is not a sign of weakness and I have never felt stronger.
It is just doing my part to fix things and get on the right course. I
can do no more than that. Hand extended. Heart opened. But ZERO
tolerance from my beliefs and TOS.
Have a GREAT day.
Rick Schwartz
