Snipes
GOOD WILL TO ALL MEN
by the Kakker: 23 Dec 2009
But not if your name is Rudolph "Sue" Muller.
He has set his legal rottweiler, one Reinhardt Buys of Toilette & Douche, upon Debbie and Halicon. Read the story here. The Kakker has seldom seen anything so vague and weak, and he had a good chuckle reading the supposed accusations.
The Kakker will write further in this regard anon. For now, dear "Sue", try to understand that if a statement is true, it cannot be "defamation". And, dear Kakkerlakkers, please note that any attempt to mention this on MyBB will result in immediate deletion of your post, and possibly more "drastic" consequences - the Kakker can see you quivering in fear already.
It also remains to be seen if the rottweiler has any teeth or if it was bought cheap and toothless like a Cape flats whore.
HARVEST TIME
by the Kakker: 16 Dec 2009
As you sow so shall you reap, as the saying goes.
The consequences of past actions are catching up with some of the MyBB faithful. Firstly, Jannie van Zyl, one time Vodacom rep on the forum and now CEO of iBurst, and the company he leads are embroiled in a dirty little fight over an iBurst tower in Craigavon. The issue is clouded by numerous claims, counter-claims, accusations and denials: only a court of law has a chance at sorting it out. But would it have got to this stage if MyBB and dear Jannie had not infuriated Debbie Love on the forum? Debbie is active on the side of the residents of Craigavon who do not want this ugly tower near them, understandably. The Kakker himself considers it bad business to stomp the tails of tigers.
Then we have Rudolph. The BBLounge forum, for one, is finally growing in numbers, and proving to be popular with those disaffected with or banned from MyBB. In fact, poor Rudolph is frequently held up to ridicule there for his ill-conceived attempts to hold the lid down on a boiling pot. Rudolph even tried the laughable solution of making "BBLounge" a banned phrase on MyBB, to much justified hilarity. He did have the sense to reverse out of this silliness, the Kakker admits.
But Rudolph needs to learn that people will have their say. Censorship has been rampant on MyBB recently, with bannings, post and thread deletions being very frequent. Rudolph needs to understand that if he accepts criticism on forum he at least has some right of reply, whereas censorship and bannings merely cause those affected to say their pieces elswhere, where Rudolph has no control at all. Then he really starts getting egg on his face.
Further facial egg comes from the big annual MyBB conference. Vodacom, the company hosting the annual bumlick, and its associate iBurst are protected game on MyBB, and prospective delegates were advised on the forum to tone their questions down, the example "why is your service so bad" not being permitted. After all, we should not offend those institutions clever enough to use the MyBB forum as an extension to their marketing campaigns, and to use Rudolph as a supposedly independent extension to their PR department. There is no ASASA to see through the pseudo-independence in this case, not so Jannie?
The Kakker was hoping to get a copy of the forum dog's sex manual for Christmas - it seems he will be disappointed. Have a pleasant festive season all.
TIME TO CATCH UP
by the Kakker: 20 Sep 2009
It has been a while.
It seems that the Vodacom rep on the forum is now the CEO of iBurst. The Kakker wonders how this will affect the next MyBB conference - will it now be sponsored or funded by iBurst, a company running deep in the red? How else will it affect Rudolph's cosy little relationship with the Vodacom family?
Once again MyBB has been suckered by a local con artist - one ZA Portal, a supposed free local proxy that turned out to be ( allegedly that is ) funded by fraudulent foreign credit cards. One user won, in one of the forum's periodic competitions, a 2GB account on forum, sponsored by ZA Portal. Needless to say the prize was not forthcoming. The portal was reported on with some fanfare by the MyBB staff reporter. Sucks to be suckered again, hey.
A new moderator has been appointed - an individual with a monstrous post count. He apparently "works" for a living, but the Kakker wonders how deserving he is of his monthly paycheck, given the time spent on the forum. He seems to be trying to make a good impression on Rudolph to judge by his zeal. The Kakker assumes he is not being paid for this moderation, making him another unpaid employee of Rudolph's little goldmine.
Or is it such a goldmine? Way back, the monthly hit counts were regularly posted to general admiration and fawning, but they have been conspicuous in their absence lately. Has the fabled economic downturn also affected MyBB? Or is the forum getting past its sell-by date?
To end with humour. The forum dog is threatening to author a sex manual. The Kakker predicts huge countrywide sales if the work is ever forthcoming, especially if it is profusely illustrated with pictures of our favourite doggy in action. The Kakker has some titles in mind - "Bonking in Boksburg" - "Doggies do it from Behind" - "West Rand Wanking" - and so on. Let the Kakker know of any good ones you might come up with.
NOW YOU SEE IT; NOW YOU DON'T
by the Kakker: 24 May 2009
Rudolph must really think his site visitors are a bunch of pawpaws. His censorship is actually getting funny.
Rudolph reported on some ridiculous little surveys puporting to show that Vodacom is the best network ( remember Vodacom - the company that "assists" in staging the MyBB conference where Rudolph can be the main man? ). He was rightfully taken to task and once again accused of bias in favour of Vodacom, with one member asking some really telling questions:
"What is the purpose of this website? To promote the status quo? Or to be a positive voice for change? VC and MTN have been ripping off consumers for years. We are are still at +-R200 per gig. Voice and SMS charges are still usury. It is beyond disgusting. Where are the articles about that? Where is the outrage? Rewarding any of these parasitic monstrosities with the word "best" is wholly undeserved."
No outrage here, as expected. One must not bite the hand that feeds you.
Rudolph gave a particularly weak response which the member tore to shreds in a reply which concluded "With silly, superficial articles like this one, this site is slowly losing its teeth, its spirit and its relevance."
In no time at all the reply was predictably deleted.
Kakker to Rudolph - Do you REALLY think your members are so stupid that they cannot see who you are protecting? Such ham-fisted censorship only makes you look to be the stupid one.
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
by the Kakker: 22 Apr 2009
The Kakker is thrilled to see that Hellkom's BBLounge is up and running - the Kakker will sign up there soon. The new forum looks really good, and already there are many familiar nicks present. There seems to be a good vibe about the BBLounge, so if you are feeling censored, suppressed, and cramped at Rudolph's place, the Kakker suggests you stretch out at the Lounge and express your true feelings. It's bright and cheerful too.
The opening of the BBLounge seems to have stirred up some extraordinary whines and accusations on MyBroadband. The most bizarre of these is an allegation that the new forum has "stolen" the "uniqueness" of MyBroadband. Posts in defence of the new forum have been censored as expected, and the applicable thread closed. No dissent now - no rocking the boat - be happy little campers everybody.
To those behind this pathetic allegation, remember that in the old days MyBroadband and Hellkom stood together in the good fight, and supported each other. Hellkom and the MyBroadband activists helped to put MyBroadband on the map: now Rudolph has turned his back on Hellkom and has rudely dumped the activists. Realise too that MyBroadband, in its paranoid desire to get hits, hits, and more hits to fill the company coffers, has become a very different place, catering more to young, yappy, semi-illiterates than to mature and critical minds. To put it another way, MyBroadband is pissing off more and more members with its pathetic attempts to stamp out criticism.
Others on MyBroadband scoff at the small size of the new forum, clearly forgetting that it has just opened its doors.
The Kakker wishes the BBLounge success, and hopes that the baby elements stay on the old forum. If you can handle free expression and are capable of independent thinking, head off to the lounge.
[ Thanks for the emails. ]
THE SUPPRESSION CONTINUES
by the Kakker: 18 Apr 2009
Rudolph is tightening his grip on his forum in yet another attempt to suppress dissent. The "Forum Suggestions & Gripes" has lost the "& Gripes" part and complaints must now be addressed via private message and not in public.
The Kakker is encouraged by the objections posted by a small minority while being discouraged by the support given to the move by some of the usual asslickers.
The paranoia has become laughable.
Still no decision seems to have been made on the future of the Philosophical Debates part of the forum. The section is still there, but the regulars appear to have left for greener pastures.
The Kakker hopes that the rumoured new forums will open to the public soon and that they will be more tolerant of free expession and criticism.
INDECISIONS, INDECISIONS
by the Kakker: 28 Mar 2009
Much of the forum is quiet lately. One issue still unresolved is the fate of religious debate though.
Rudolph tried one poll in the Philosophical Debates part of the forum, presumably to demonstrate overwhelming support for his expressed desire to close any religious debate. The poll backfired, with the majority wanting these debates to continue. No problem to Rudolph. He set up ANOTHER poll in the general Off Topic part, this one excluding an option to keep religious debates on the forum.
This one also backfired badly. Very many forum members stated in posts that they resent the omission of a "keep" option and would have voted for it if it were there. Once again the majority voted for some form of continued religious debate.
The Kakker wonders what is behind this. He does suspect that it has more to do with Rudolph's own religious convictions and those of his wife than with anything else. Cara was one voice clamouring to shut it down, saying "Close it ... I don't see much that's constructive about that forum."
The issue drags on......
There are encouraging rumours of at least two new forums starting up. The Kakker wishes these initiatives well.
The Kakker also received an anonymous tip-off that Rudolph has turned his back on another long-time supporter of MyBroadband - this time in the shape of Hellkom. If you look for articles on Hellkom originating on MyBroadband, you are shown this message: "Sorry, the content you are looking for has been removed due to a request by MyBroadband. We apologise for the inconvenience." If anything gives the lie to the pretence of activism, it is this latest betrayal.
When Rudolph increased the number of banner adverts on the site, members made it clear that intrusive animated banners would not be acceptable. Yet there is one horror that is being shown repeatedly - one featuring an animated character named Norm. Some quiet bitching has been voiced. The Kakker recommends a good ad-blocker, like Ad Blocker Pro. Simple and quick, and bye-bye Norm. Bye-bye ill-gotten gains to Rudolph too.
REKAKKED
by the Kakker: 15 Mar 2009
Your friend the Kakker is back from his wanderings around the cold northern climes - it is good to see you all again.
Well, well, many things have been happening on the forum it seems. The latest example of the free prizes in exchange for hits marketing campaign - for Click2BuyIT - fell spinning out of the sky to crash and burn on the ground. The first hint of problems was the unexpected announcement of a change in prize sponsor. Then came an admission that the advertising on the forum had not been paid for. Then Click2BuyIT disappeared off the web. But the warning signs had been there and had been ignored, with one member earlier posting that Click2BuyIT had stolen his money. What a fuckup.
The censorship continues unabated. The latest round was in the form of an announcement by Rudolph that religious debates are to be banned. Howls of protests came from the atheist extremists, cries of support from the Jesus brigade, and even regurgitated Dogmor from the forum dog. Rudolph put a poll up in which the vast majority voted to allow religious debate. The thread got closed, but was re-opened, although another thread on the topic was deleted. Who knows what will result.
Why the sudden need to close down religious discussion on the forum? Did Rudolph's dominee take him to task at nagmaal? Did the Jesus freaks wet their panties? Did an ayatollah declare a jihad? Ridiculous.
Rudolph needs to be careful though. It seems that one of the local car forums had a bit of a fracas when the martinet moderators became too extreme in their censorship and personal opinions. Another forum site was set up in no time at all, and large numbers of forum members left to join the new one. Surprisingly quick and easy, and away went all those page impressions to greener pastures.
Thank you for the emails - yes, the Kakker does get them, and appreciates the support.
Lastly, a picture of the forum dog doing what it does best:
The forum dog working the g-spot.
YOU'VE WON A PRIZE!
by the Kakker: 15 Feb 2009
Rudolph Muller must have thought he was on to a winner with his forum competitions. Offer up a few grand's worth of electronics as prizes, some free t-shirts, and all the forum sheep will beat a path to your client's web page. It is simple highly targeted marketing to the tech crowd, who cannot resist the chance of a freebie. And it worked like a wet dream. The first one, at least.
The latest one is a bit of a damp squib though. An iPod, a handful of useless low-value vouchers, and the inevitable free t-shirts have not been enough to spark much interest. In a week of exposure on the forum there have only been a meagre 260-odd entries posted. The client, Click2buyit, cannot be very happy.
Why such a weak response? Are the forum members getting jaded? The Kakker would like to think it is because they are wising up a little, and that the post by a forum member describing how this advertiser ( allegedly ) pulled a fast one on him had a dampening effect of forum enthusiasm.
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND
by the Kakker: 14 Feb 2009
In times past MyBroadband was an activism site that became a thorn in the sides of many telecoms companies. What irony that it has become necessary to start an activism site against MyBroadband itself. There must have been many amongst Telkom's management in days gone by who would have been happy if something bad and physical were to befall Rudolph Muller. Nowadays Muller is himself happy to host and condone threats of violence against that thorn in HIS side, the Kakker.
The Kakker sees that there is ongoing speculation on the forum about the Kakker. It currently is focused incorrectly on an ex-member recently banned, who is therefore in no position to defend himself. Such is the result of suppression and censorship.
The Kakker also sees that there is a local meet coming up next weekend. Is the forum dog attending? If he is, the Kakker might consider stopping by for a beer.
BITS & PIECES
by the Kakker: Friday the 13th Feb 2009
The censorship and bannings continue unabated on MyBroadband. The Kakker would like to express his admiration to those who have been courageous enough to stand up against the Muller regime. While protests on the forum seem futile at this time, the Kakker urges those who have been silenced to speak out elsewhere.
Muller's new venture - a gaming forum - seems to be taking off. One advantage to main forum members is that it might syphon off some of the kiddie crowd. It does, however, clearly demonstrate the monetary greed at the heart of Muller's enterprise, once again giving the lie to his pretence of "consumer activism".
The Kakker has noticed the forum dog still yapping threats of physical violence against the Kakker's person. The Kakker has the latest ones saved, as well as earlier ones. Are these threats made with the approval of Muller and his team? The Kakker would assume so, since some remain undeleted on the forum.
RUDOLPH MULLER HACKED
by the Kakker: 10 Feb 2009
A day or two back a pro-Hamas post by "rpm" appeared in one of the Current Affairs threads. The anti-Palestinian drones got a slight fright and protested. Let Rudolph tell the story -
"Comments made in this thread did not come from me. We are investigating the issue now - no idea how the person got hold of my account."
"We dont know if the guy gained access to my account details or used a PC which I have used previously and forgot to log out. We have the IP address and should therefore be able to get hold of them."
"I move around a bit and am lazy from time to time to log in every time. I am however more concerned that my account details were somehow compromised..."
The Kakker would like to congratulate the person who did this. The Kakker will even offer him or her a "Get Out of the KAK Free" card for the amusement provided. Next time publish the password somewhere obvious on the net and win a case of the Kakker's own home-brewed KakkerLager!
MORAL DECAY
by the Kakker: 9 Feb 2009
The Kakker would like to thank those who sent emails. It seems that the censorship on MyBroadband is now quite out of control as Rudolph Muller tries to protect his advertising income stream.
The Kakker has seen moral decay many times in business life. First you take R10 from the till. Nobody notices, so next time it is R50, R100 and so on. You cover up and you lie, and you carry on doing it. Each time it becomes easier, and the lying becomes easier, until it is second nature.
So with MyBroadband. While the activists were still around it was necessary to at least acknowledge and respond to criticism. They were banned, so it became easier to delete critical posts and threads. Confidence in doing so grew and grew, and now suppression of opinions and critical questions is oh so easy for Rudolph.
The Kakker would remind visitors to his little site that MyBroadband is actively censoring posts and threads critical of its advertisers. The Kakker therefore strongly recommends that MyBroadband advertisers who are out of line be reported NOT on the site, but to appropriate external sites and institutions such as Hellopeter, the Advertising Standards Authority, the Department of Trade and Industry, and to your local newspapers, and that the placement of the advertisements on MyBroadband be clearly noted in your complaint or report.
Do NOT give MyBroadband opportunity to cover up.
SERVICE WITH A SMILE
by the Kakker: 9 Feb 2009
"I can certainly appreciate that the growth and changes to MyBroadband may not suit everyone’s needs, but we continue to do our best to serve our members as best we can. These needs change over time, and we must adapt to serve you guys." - RPM
It took the Kakker a long time to stop laughing at this one from Rudolph!
What kind of fools does he take his remaining members for? Does your friend the Kakker really have to point out that the real needs being served are Rudolph's own?
A sudden urge to vomit is overtaking me BLEUGH!!
STFU AGAIN
by the Kakker: 8 Feb 2009
It looks like Rudolph moved very swiftly to smother the dissent brewing about the protection of advertisers. A number of posts were deleted and the thread closed.
The Kakker therefore wishes to point out to any MyBroadband members chancing upon this little site that the forum is being quite heavily censored. Critical views are being suppressed and advertisers protected.
MONEY CAN'T BUY ME LOVE
by the Kakker: 8 Feb 2009
Mybroadband's carefully encouraged image of an activist site barely scraping together enough every month to pay for the "massive" hosting and bandwidth costs has been taking a few knocks of late.
Rudolph Muller has been advertising for a Managing Editor. This certainly makes sense to the Kakker, given the current method of shovelling up marketing press releases virtually verbatim as "news". The interesting item is the salary offered - R300k p/a. Now that's a fair salary, but the point is that it indicates the site is making money, and lots of it.
But be careful, very careful, of having your say about the forum advertisers. One member who had recently ( allegedly ) been diddled out of money by a forum advertiser had the gall to question Rudolph about allowing such firms to advertise on site. Completely misreading a question from the member, Rudolph got all hissy, stating "This is a rather serious allegation, and as it is clearly false I fail to understand why on earth you will make such an allegation…". In response, the member has sensibly decided to leave to forum.
The Kakker would like to know if, with all this lovely money pouring in, the moderators are now getting paid.
