Caveat emptor? Caveat lector more like!
Over the weekend I was made aware of a blog that had been created which alleged that I have been underhand in the way I have run my business with relation to the Event Photographer Society and and Uzair Kharawala, from SF Digital. The website implied that I had received financial reward from the Event Photographer Society in some underhand way. This is a blatant lie – the sort of thing we would expect from those appearing before the Leveson Inquiry. The only ‘payment’ I’ve received from the EPS was for sandwiches & refreshments bought from Costco for the delegates attending an EPS event in Leamington Spa. I may, of course, have eaten a cookie or two during the day, but that’s hardly a crime. The anonymous blog also alleged that I am a ‘senior partner’ in the EPS which, again, is unfounded. I am not sure about the exact make up of the management of the EPS, but as far as I am aware, there are no ‘partners’ – just Mike Weeks, the guy who runs it.
The blog entry also alleged some dishonesty with a testimonial that I wrote to Oz, thanking him for an excellent training day which he had run and I had attended. There was nothing underhand at all – I had paid my money, I had attended the course and found it to be an excellent day. I have spoken with Oz on three occasions – once on the phone, the training day and at the EPS autumn meet last year. The stupidity of the article was the accusation that Oz’s testimonials were written by ‘people who know him.’ Of course they are! They are written by customers who’ve met him!
It was somewhat amusing that the author of the blog, masquerading under the pseudonym “Beau” thinks that my previous blog entry “Workshops & Whiners” was attempting to “set upon” anyone who attempts to “muscle in on event training.” Anyone with a modicum of intelligence would understand from reading my post that this is diametrically opposed to what I was saying! If you are going to rant, make sure you understand the topic. It is not really that surprising that the author didn’t use their real name – lest their friends realise just how dim-witted they are.
The moral of the story is this: Caveat lector – reader beware. If someone doesn’t have the bottle to own up to their allegations, don’t believe a word of what they’ve written!