Islandmaan, I do know how you feel. He accused me of starting flames here and everywhere, with the truth being that I NEVER start flames – I abhor them. He kept repeating it and I am sure many of the newer members came away believing it.
I don’t think most people realize how hurtful some things are when they are directed against you personally.
He would have days where he would insult people over and over, calling them stupid and incompetent and all kinds of choice words. This can be funny unless you are the recipient and want to negate the statement, but every way you can think of doing it really WILL make you look stupid.
The most unfounded statements are the ones one cannot defend oneself against – how could you explain that you did not think of bribery? Personally, it would never have entered my mind when reading your post. Now, who has the dirty mind? But since you cannot prove what you thought, you are bound to be having a hard time dealing with this.
You can call it an “abrasive posting style”, and CAP has overlooked it over and over again, also giving him warnings to stop insulting people.
I actually usually agree with Classics, I do on may many issues. He has a refreshing attitude towards a lot of SEO practices. But abusing people for no reason will eventually come back to you – in the beginning people still thought it funny but then the complaints and hurt feelings just kept piling up.
There was value in his contributions, but eventually the hurt feelings and complaints he engendered outweighed that.
Islandmaan, Classics has a problem with exposing his identity, I think. The anonymity – well, with the prominent stance he takes on SEO, his site would undergo considerable scrutiny. Also, he used to have long, combative threads at WOL under his real name. I think that is why he doesn’t want anyone to know who he is. This belligerence is not a new thing, nor a thing unique to CAP.
In the end, I find it inconceivable that someone would purposefully hurt so many of the people in his own community. I must assume Classics has a problem. I hope the hiatus will give him a chance to sort that out.
I think we need to let it go for now – what’s done is done and perhaps Classics will be back with us with a fresh outlook and invigorated postings.