Hello.

My name is The Digital Dude, and I get a lot of e-mails every day.

I'm one of the rare webmasters who still reads every e-mail he gets, but thanks to my Autoresponder, I don't have to reply to every single one any more. Most of the e-mails I get either pertain to Flash questions or, more often, to the status of my unfinished site.

Lately, I've been getting a growing number of e-mails regarding the latter topic; some from fans who've been following me from my original "Version 2" site and word their e-mails politely, others from belligerent folks who don't seem to realize that this is MY site and I can do whatever the heck I want with it.

fdk;'qafjdakjqlf dajf ldsf dslfs b9sj bsd jb-sdj b-sj gs-0j gs0j d0j fs0fs0-fjds-f0saj

Just like that.

Those who are on my newsletter list know I'm past the point of making promises about when my site will be done. The majority of my subscribers actually get mad when I post updates on the status of the site, and, for that reason, I make a point of not bringing it up when I write my newsletters. This page and my Star Trek: Voyager Rant has not been advertised, either.

The e-mail you're about to read is one I normally would have replied to and deleted; however, given the sudden rise of interest in my site's status, I thought perhaps this e-mail would answer any questions you may have.

To: The Digital Dude
Subject: An empty box

Hey dude

You ever wondered why it is you've waited so long to finish up this intro? You seem to be a great procrastinator.

At one time the content of your page out shone the intro. It was cool, and interesting all at the same time.

It's like a box of cereal, the outside is meant to catch the eye, but if the stuff on the insides no good, you're not going to buy that one again, let alone eat the stuff. Right now the box seems kinda empty.

Some of the best cereal I've eaten came in a rather nondescript box.

I don't know if you see where I'm going with this.

Too much time has passed, the thrill is gone, most people who at one time cared about when your new site was going to be ready have long given up hope.

I suspect you set your sights too high, they were lofty aspirations, but you didn't have the wings to fly higher Icarus...

I think it's time you put forward the best inside of the box you have. The intro, if it's still important to you could come later.

You've got a great talent, it's sad to see you worry so much about pleasing us. Please yourself, and the whole thing might just fall into place.

Glyn
Montreal

Hey, Glyn:

Thanks for writing, but I've really heard all of this before. Believe me when I say I'm not stressing about my site; over the past 2 years, I've gotten to the point where I pretty much couldn't care less if or when my site ever gets done. I'm not sure why you've placed so much emphasis on me "finishing up" my site's intro, if anything, it's the overwhelming amount of content I'm putting on my site that's taking the longest time to complete. The intro is already done, and has been for about a year.

Between the workload at my full-time job, the book reviews I'm doing for Flash developers everywhere, my occasional freelance projects and my site, every now and then I remember that we weren't put on Earth to sit in front of monitors, and that it's important for me to take time to enjoy my life.

I've been receiving a great deal of e-mails to the tune of "we're losing interest" lately; the underlying message in each of these is, "I'm still interested in your site, but I hate waiting." Rest assured, my friend, the site WILL be done some time this year. I won't promise an exact date, because I apparently can't finish personal projects on any sort of a deadline!

---
I leave you with that, folks.

Update, June 11th 2001

The e-mail you're about to read was left by someone who was too spineless to leave his e-mail address on my Voyager page's contact form. I've been forced to reply here and hope he'll read it.

Subject: Star Trek: Voyager - "Endgame"

Endgame: It's only a show!
URL1:    Get a life.
Name:    Jeff
Date:    6/11/01
Time:    10:08:02 AM

Comments:

People are starving. People ae being destroyed and thrown into mass graves without names. People are are going hungry. People are being attacked for the color of their skin.
Your rant is about Star Trek?
What's worse, a bad television episode, or the idiots who waste hours from their lives to watch it? Perhaps if you spent less time in front of the boob tube, your Flash movies would improve to be more than silly self indulgent ramblings and become socially important Art. Get a life.

Apparently, I'm not the only one with a sad, empty life. If you're so upset about the state of the world, you could try going ahead and DOING SOMETHING about it rather than preaching to me, though the last I heard, it was CATTLE that was being destroyed and thrown into mass graves, not PEOPLE (unless the media has for some reason decided to stop covering news of mass murder).

If you don't like my site or my work, that's your decision, I really couldn't care less. However, I fail to see see what's "socially important" about you trying to cast your lonely rage on other people. I'm sorry you're not a member of the 99% of the human population my site was created for.

---
That's right, folks! This really IS my site and I really CAN put whatever I want on it!

While I'm on the subject, let me share with you an e-mail I received from someone who not only couldn't remember that he willingly joined my newsletter list, but apparently can't read instructions either.

Subject: Contacting our legal team

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- (Whatever that is)
Hash: SHA1 (Wow. It sounds even MORE official now!)

You say we have to sign up to receive this?

I believe our corporate lawyers will disagree with you when the email addy it was sent to is "Undisclosed-Recipient:@(withheld);"

Check your records buddy or dude, and make sure we get removed from your list. No, we didn't sign up, and we're not ABLE to sign off.

Remove us Dude, or we'll get the courts to do so.

Regards,
(Name Withheld)

------Original Message-----
From: XDude.com Newsletter
Sent: Monday, March 19, 2001 8:48 AM (yeah, almost 3 months ago)
Subject: The Digital Update - March 19, 2001

> ** This newsletter is never sent unsolicited, and is not spam. **
> ** Unsubscribe instructions are at the bottom of this message. **
> ** All e-mails with "remove" in the subject will be IGNORED.   **

...

> 3) -- Unsubscribe Information --

> The Digital Update is a 100% voluntary list. Because it's a newsletter where you must
> willingly enter your e-mail address to subscribe, it is in NO way a spam newsletter!
> If someone has added your e-mail address to my list without your knowledge, you
> may unsubscribe here: http://www.xdude.com/newsletter.htm

> If you simply want to leave the list for no apparent reason, you may do so here:
> http://www.xdude.com/newsletter.htm

> Please note that due to the sheer volume of replies I get to each newsletter I send,
> I will not be able to remove you from my list myself. You did the work to join, you
> do the work to leave!

I'm so very, extremely sorry.
Please don't bring your lawyers on me.
Lord save me, I have never been this scared in my whole entire life.

At the bottom of the exact same e-mail you just sent me, there are a few lines that say:

Unsubscribe Here
http://www.xdude.com/newsletter.htm

Again, in capital letters:

UNSUBSCRIBE HERE
http://www.xdude.com/newsletter.htm

With arrows this time, in case you missed it the first two times:

> > > UNSUBSCRIBE HERE < < <
http://www.xdude.com/newsletter.htm

---
You have no idea, folks. If I only got a PENNY for every "threatening" e-mail I've received about my newsletters!

Do YOU own YOUR very own corporation, too? Here are some pointers!

• If your corporation is large enough to need its own lawyers, you should probably get those lawyers to send your "threatening" e-mails in the first place. What else are you paying them for?
• Before doing so, make sure you actually have a CASE and that it's important enough to be brought to the attention of the legal system (make sure you actually read the e-mail you're about to sue over.)
• Check your e-mail more often than once every 3 months.

Update, June 14th 2001

pipes_320 wondered:

XDude of http://www.xdude.com I'd like to ask him if he hates his loyal fans who enjoy his work or if he is just tired of being pestered by so many of his minions about when his site will be done.
-Wes

Don't get the wrong idea, folks! I don't hate anybody.

The number of people who mail me every day asking me when my site's gonna be done is only an indication that after all this time, there is STILL interest in a site that's been "offline" for nearly two years.

The folks who accuse me of sending them "spam" are simply misinformed, and the people who cower in anonymity tossing meaningless insults can go flip themselves.

In the two and a half years that I've had a site, I've received well over 10,000 e-mails. Of that number, I think I may have gotten a total of one or two that had unkind comments. While it's safe to say that I've read just about every kind of compliment that can be written, I'll never get sick of receiving mail from the good people who take the time out of their day to send me a letter.

I try to reply to most of the e-mail I get, but there just aren't enough hours in a day. When I get an e-mail full of gushing praise that I don't have time to reply to, I delete it in the hopes that the sender knows I've read their message, appreciate their comments, and that I'm not a snobby Web designer who sets up filters to automatically transfer everything from the "Inbox" to the "Trash." Many of the uplifting, inspiring e-mails I get are saved in a special folder I refer to every now and then when I need a pick-me-up.

No, friends, my fans have been nothing but kind to me! I certainly don't take them for granted. Please accept my sincere apologies if I've offended you with any of the comments I made above.

-X

-

"The Dough" - "Voyager" - Frequently Asked Questions - Book Review Center