I never thought I would be writing a post as… bizarre… as this one, but I guess it just goes to show how cheap access to the Internet has become, given the types of backbirths exposing their idiocy to the world on it.
This does not appear to be an issue yet (I guess I am just not that important of a gunblogger), but just to make myself clear and start this post off on the right note, neither I, Linoge, nor this webpage, "walls of the city", have any affiliation, account, membership, or association whatsoever with the new website "Smoke & Thunder" found at "smokeandthunder.com", nor will I or this site ever have such an affiliation (link intentionally omitted). Any attempt to portray me or my site having an account at that webpage is a blatant and absolute lie, and should be regarded as such.
Why is this important? Apparently the bottom-dwelling leeches running that site have taken to creating false-flag "membership" accounts of high-profile gunbloggers, personalities, and corporations, and then effectively holding them hostage:
You won’t get anywhere by emailing them. I went round and round with them a couple of weeks ago, after I got an email from them informing me of their awesome new gun site. First I asked them not to use my photo, then they told me they’d just use one from Google images. Then I told them I didn’t want a false profile in my name and they replied with this:
“Those who choose not to participate simply get a static profile, which is little more than a glorified link. The disclaimer “This profile created and maintained by Smokeandthunder.com” makes that abundantly clear. Nothing false or misleading whatsoever.”
Then I screencapped them claiming I was one of their “recently active members” which I most certainly am NOT.
So, yeah. I have a feeling this will end badly for them.
I originally heard about this site from Breda, the author of the above quote, and have since discovered that the benighted minds behind "Smoke & Thunder" have impersonated her, Mr. Completely, Tam, SayUncle, Sebastian, Bitter, Oleg Volk, Caleb, Paige Wyatt, American Guns, NSSF, SHOT Show, Nutnfancy, and The High Road Forum – I cannot get a full accounting of the fake accounts, because their membership roles are only available to those with accounts, and I refuse to provide any perceived patronage or support to that site. Even better, most of these counterfeit accounts include pictures and logos that "Smoke & Thunder" hold neither the copyright nor the trademarks for, opening them up for all kinds of legal heartache, given "impersonation" falls well outside the bounds of "fair use".
Even-even better (even better-er?), "Smoke & Thunder" either names The Truth About Guns as the "#1 Best Gun Blog of 2012", or claims TTAG bestowed upon them that honor (the graphic does not exactly make it clear which). Given that the latter appears to be false (yes, I admit, I loaded TTAG just long enough to run a few quick searches… and took a shower immediately afterwards), the former leads one to make all kinds of interesting assumptions regarding the individuals behind this cringe-worthy webpage, especially given that 2012 is not even two months old yet.
And speaking of cringing, you just have to love a site that has both of the following quotes on its front page:
Smoke & Thunder is a true social networking community and an unrivaled firearms resource directory created for people who love guns and shooting as a hobby or a sport. We aim to bring a touch of class to the would of firearms…
(Emphasis added.)
And…
Seriously folks, we are talking about major gun blogs that offer stone-age commenting systems as the only way of interacting with other users and the blog itself!
Yes, because trash-talking weblogs and lashing out at other people for your lack of comprehension regarding what blogs are and what blogs are not is obviously the right way to bestow that "touch of class" on the cortex.
… *headdesk*
And just to cap off the even-better-ness, it is extremely likely that "Smoke & Thunder" is a credential-farming site, in that they are gathering up the username and password you provide to them, and storing it for… future uses. What future uses? Well, you will not exactly know, now, will you?
So let us recap from the top: impersonating persons of trust, respect, and stature in the firearm-related community; generally acting like a dick; affiliating your site with another site known for being a singularity of dickishness; and coming off sounding like one of the more blatant phishing/pharming (depending on how you look at it) attempts out there. Yeah… I have no idea who is behind this "Smoke & Thunder" site (in fact, the Whois on their domain is quite thoroughly blocked), but you have officially earned the Faragosis Sufferer of the Month Award.
Congratulations. I think.
(Easy-button totally stolen from Robb Allen. I would pay him in pants if I thought he would wear them, but he would not.)
Ouch! That’ll leave a mark. Being dishonest requires so much work. Its really easier to be honest.
Wasn’t there an editor of some cooking magizine from NH that had to have “fair use” explained to her? in the extreamly painfull fashion of discovering the interet hates people who do that sorta thing? One would think people would learn from other’s mistakes…..
@ MAJ Mike: The security risk posed by this site is really concerning… especially with their gross misappropriation of people’s names. Like Barron says, they are leading you to believe that these people approve of the site and its purpose, when, at this point, it is fair to say that none of them do.
It is really making me question what their ulterior motives are.
@ Ruth: I seem to recall the story you are talking about, but damned if I can remember who it was or what magazine she was with.
Unfortunately, while the Internet exposes us to all the ways – new and old – of making the same stupid mistakes all over again, it does not a damned thing for getting people to actually learn from those mistakes. Horse, water, etc.
If you scroll down a bit you’ll see a post where Smoke & Whatever say they awarded TTAG the “best gun blog of 2012″ award. Which is interesting considering it’s only February of 2012 (as you noted), and laughable considering they’ve only been around for at most three weeks – what kind of track record and presence in the community do they have to be awarding “best of” anything awards?
It’s either stupidity or dishonesty; likely both.
They are going to have significant issues. Their internet lawyering skills aren’t enough to protect them.
Suck and fail, S&T, suck and fail.
Actually I was thinking about it and I’d have to dig through the code but there’s a pile of JavaScript on their site as well. It could also be that they are attempting to clickjack your form submissions for THR.
The possibilities are actually quite scary and their actions place me in orange while dealing with them or their website.
Are the people who run THR aware of this linkage?
@ Ruth:
http://www.edrants.com/the-cooks-source-scandal-how-a-magazine-profits-on-theft/
Yep, and the magazine folded from that scandal, IIRC.
As soon as I saw that you had weighed in on this (via a link), I started to chuckle to myself, and I wasn’t disappointed.
I was also going to make a faragosis reference, but you beat me to that.
Someone should create a site named something like ‘gun owners blacklist’. Oh, wait…
If you Google “Smoking Thunder” you get an entry from the Urban Dictionary that’s not very persuasive as to their “young interweb media savvy-ness.” Don’t they do any due-diligent research first even on their own name?
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@ John Hardin: Ah, I missed that post, which is somewhat understandable given the absolutely sucktacular presentation of the site. I have seen better things hosted on Geocities.
Regarding the motivations, I think it might be simpler than even that – I think he is just sucking up to Farago and TTAG, buying into their somewhat questionable traffic numbers and hoping they can direct some of those hits his direction. Cannot blame him for trying, I suppose.
@ SGB: It is kind of funny how they accuse us of “armchair lawyering”, when their own grasp of the relevant legalities is all too tenuous, is it not?
@ bluesun: New proposed name for the site – suckandfail.com! Sadly, I fear that is already taken.
@ Barron Barnett: Do let us know if you go digging… I have absolutely no patience for spammers, phishers, or pharmers, and would be all-too willing to sell them out as such if the evidence supported it.
@ Ruth: If they pay attention to their referral logs, probably. Otherwise, I am not sure.
Also not sure they would care, since they are just getting traffic off this scam.
@ Tango: That is the one! And it certainly did not go well for them in the end.
@ Peter: We do try not to disappoint
. And, yeah, this kind of behavior definitely pushes my “piss me off” switch.
@ DirtCrashr: Holy crap, that is awesome!
Unfortunately, “Smoke and Thunder” is also the name of a perfectly legitimate site about black powder rifles and trapping, and I fear they are going to be unfairly smeared by this idiocy.
Tango, yes, thats it! Thank you.
and Linoge, you’re probly right. Hopefully folks will figure out the difference.
Cannot say as though I know a great deal about THR any more, after Oleg split. But, yeah, one can hope that they catch on to S&T’s idiocy, and identify them for what he is.
My suspicions are now fully confirmed. The gun blogosphere is the biggest… no smallest circle jerk you can find online. Your only requirement for entry is to be an incestuous, snarky shut-in. Zzzzzzzzzzzzz….
@ Smoke & Thunder Admin: Well, hello there Michael, if that is your real name. Allow me to start from the top.
1. That was your one, freebie comment. Any further comments you post that do not abide by the Terms of Use of this site – Terms of Use you agreed to abide by when you clicked the “Post Comment” button found below the commenting field – will be handled appropriately (probably deleted outright, but I may get… creative… with them).
2. Due to your inability to behave in a public setting, all of your future comments will be auto-moderated. Frankly, I do not need your immature graffiti clogging up my site.
3. I have no siblings nor children, therefore I cannot be “incestuous”.
4. You say “snarky” like it is a bad thing. It is not, especially when it is used against vile little trolls like you.
5. Over the course of my time weblogging, I have met over 20 fellow gunbloggers, and that is on the rather low side. We have a yearly convention, we organize get-togethers at SHOT Show and the NRA Annual Meeting, and we have frequent meet-and-greets all over the country. The only “shut-in” here is you – no one conclusively knows who you are, no one has met you, and that significant adds to the growing body of doubt being built against you.
I shall add “psychological projection” to the list of reasons you appear to be a “gun control” extremist wearing a rather crappy wolf’s outfit.
6. Have you any response regarding the court case we discovered involving someone with the name you have given other gunbloggers? I note you have no addressed this revelation anywhere, which leads one to form interesting conclusions.
In closing, do not go away angry, just go away. We do not need you. We do not need your site. And if the past few days are indicative of how you are going to behave, we are going to fight you whenever we get the urge. You had your chance to enter this community cleanly, and you failed miserably – that is on your head.
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