brocklanders

No worries for deleting the thread, Wizzo...I keep copies! Back to what I was saying:

Tam,

I'd be hard pressed to find a time when visiting one of my galleries on Smut Server, PimpServer, or BestSexHost -- aside from my dumb ass typing in the wrong URL -- redirected me to their 404 page. In fact, it never has happened.

However I read posts from people on this board all the time asking why his/her good listing on the Hun goes to Lightning's 404 page every "Nth" time it is visited:

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Posted by Rictor 01-16-2001 11:37 PM

"Hey Lightning,
I'm bust approving and deleting posts to my TGP and I always get a large number of 404 errors from people on your host. Do you delete a lot of cheaters or something? You must work fast...these are sites that were made and submitted today."
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Posted by Killerelf
03-07-2001 01:39 AM

...My only complaint about lightningfree is that I kept getting e-mails about 404 pages. And then I started getting them myself. Kinda erks me a little. If the banners that are added at the top and bottom of the pages are not making enough money then they should just change them.
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This one is my favorite:

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Posted by Wanda 03-26-2001 09:01 PM

I can not believe there are so many dumbasses that post the wrong URL from Lightining free. The only 404s I get are on there. Great FREE server, but it seems I get all my amateur post from there. Getting rather tired of rejecting people.
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Posted by ldinternet 05-06-2001 02:30 PM
I don't know whether it is the secutiry on my computer, the hotlink protection for Lightning Free or whatever - but when I used to run "clean tgps" (as oppose to circle jerks that look like tgps) every other gallery that I reviewed on Lightning Free gave me a 404 error. When I refreshed that gallery, it worked fine.
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Posted by Lust 06-07-2001 09:13 PM

Yesterday I try to submit my gallery to Richards-Realm....
But get "Your site or your host has been banned."
....
I drop mail to he, and he ask:
"Unfortunately your host had trouble serving the pages and 404s kept popping
up."
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There are plenty more....I just didn't know the character limit on this post so I stopped cutting and pasting. I have been keeping up with this issue right from the start. Call it luck or whatever, but the 8 times I have followed links from this board to sites hosted on his servers (posted by people complaining about this phenomenon), I experience the same 404 redirect they are.

Again Tam, I'm not at issue with the stealing traffic part. If you need to steal traffic to become profitable, that's your prerogative. If people don't like it, they can host else where. But...

Although I am not a lawyer, I question the legality of the whole "stealing traffic" concept in the first place:

(1) "We will never re-direct or steal your traffic." is on the front of Lightning's site. Yet he does. Isn't this considered false advertising?

(2) I also see no mention in the TOS of his right to steal traffic and thereby cause his users lost revenue. To me this borders on breach of contract.

As for your mention of The Hun, how can you compare the two? The Hun clearly states in his rules that: "Sites that suddenly have a console, exit traffic redirect, blind links, redirects or just banners after I put the link up will be removed and put on the blacklist."

Webmasters submitting to the Hun know the rules, and if they agree, will post to his site. Webmasters using Lightning know the rules, and if they agree, will use him too. Except they don't know about the traffic redirection rule. Withholding information in most ethics circles is considered lieing.

Tam, the Webmasters who use the freehosts work hard for a living. If they knew freehost "A" was redirecting traffic and freehost "B" was not (all other things considered equal), which one would they use?

Furthermore, his actions are analogous to taking money out of your pocket without telling you. On what grounds can you justify this? "Every free host does it so its ok" is something my 6 year-old nephew would say (if he knew what a freehost was, lol).

Look, you guys are all family -- I applaud your dedication in defending him. But emotion aside, what he does is deceitful.

As for the Dan/Sexhound thing, again, I am not him. If your source is basing this strictly on my forum name, I suggest a bit more detective work is in order. I chose the name simply b/c I love the movie Boogie Nights.

--Brock