A rose by any other name would smell as sweet ~ Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
Definitions of "brat" on the Web ~ a very troublesome childI have mentioned the C-Brats several times already. It's a web site, a "home for C-Dory people." It is our repository of technical knowledge, our market place, our photo gallery, and more - but most of all, it is where we communicate daily about our boats, motors, electronics, destinations, aspirations, economics, current events, kids, dogs, and sometimes politics. No rules. Just be nice.
But it is a pretty weird name - "brats"? It might be sausage cooked in beer but it isn't. My friend Roger Johnson suggested that it might mean:C = C-Dory
B = Boating
R = Recreation
A = AndT = Technical
S = Symposium
Mike Barber, Tyboo, says he REALLY likes that one!
But it isn't that either. What is it? OK here we go.
When I first saw a C-Dory in Active Cove at Patos Island that fateful fall day in 2002 and started my Internet research, I did not come upon C-Brats, because at that time it did not exist. Instead I found a site on MSN called C-DOGs (C-Dory Owners Group). My friend Brock Arnold (Catman) recalls my first post: "I don't know when, I don't know how, but one day I will have one!"
But all was not peace and harmony on C-DOGs. The Grand Poohbah, a guy named Dale, Fishwisher, had lots and lots of rules. Hey, it was his site, he owned it, and he had every right to make rules. I guess it is up to the user community whether they like the rules or not, or like the site enough to follow the rules. As it turned out, they didn't.
Now, a whole lot of us know Greg Davidson - his 1985 Classic C-Dory Redfox is legendary and Greg's exploits in Alaska are legendary too. Greg and Redfox were featured in the 2004 C-Dory brochure. Greg is a pretty independent guy and got in trouble a few times with the Poob, for heinous offenses like posting nature photos instead of boat photos. Greg started referring to himself as a "C-Brat," and it was absolutely in the "troublesome child" sense of the word! The original C-Brat!
Mike Barber started another MSN site called C-Brats mainly as a place for Greg to post his pictures that the Poob did not allow on the C-DOG site. Greg finally committed one last heinous crime - he inserted a photo in a post. This was against the rules and the Poob called Greg out publicly on it. Mike stood up for Greg. Greg, Mike and some others got booted off the C-DOG site. Mike registered the name C-Brats.com. C-Brats, it seems, was born out of stupid rules on C-DOGs.
For a while, I really don't remember how long, there were two MSN sites for C-Dory owners. A few folks participated in both. But little by little, C-Brats surpassed C-DOGSs. Then, computer guru extraordinaire, Bill Geiss, Da Nag, created the current C-Brat site, with the phpBB software, with a lot more bells and whistles and functionality compared to the MSN sites. Now 3,600 plus users strong, and growing daily, the MSN sites could not compete with the forums (fora?), galleries, searches, maps and all the rest of the phpBB C-Brat site. The rest is history. C-DOGs withered and died. MSN ceased to exist. C-Brats flourishes!
So, that is it - the true story of the C-Brats!
I took this picture of Mike at Blakely Island in 2003 - epitomizing the true spirit of the C-Brat
Now the other side of the story of the C-Brats:
ReplyDeleteBy The Grand Poobah, a guy named Dale, FishWisher
The original C-Dory site was well run and had hundreds of members. We kept information is distinct catagories of threads so that information was easily found by anyone seeking C-Dory related help. We had photo albums managed the same way. Sloppy users who didn't care if the site continued to be easily harvested for information were corrected as necessary for the benefit of all. Some didn't like our rules and moved on - for the betterment of the site.
I had rules about hijacking threads, photos on threads which would widen the page and make it difficult to read, etc. etc. Yes, RedFox started up another site because he didn't like our rules. When he posted an invitation on the site for all to come to his new site, he was very properly booted.
The other founders of the C-Brats stayed with the C-DOG site until they chose to leave. That decision was made when I forbade the posting of a disgruntled C-Dory owner's very disparaging comments about a C-Dory dealer. Their choice was to make a big ruckus as they left, decrying the unfairness of not allowing a C-Dory dealer to be assassinated on my site. Good riddance.
The newcomers to the C-Brats had little or no knowledge of the history of the (now) two C-Dory sites, and their cross-posting became intolerable. I finally asked another member to take over, and eventually we just tossed in the towel as the whole purpose of the C-DOG site was to foster information and photos in a friendly environment. Frendliness is hard to come by during a power struggle.
The site that now proudly proclaims "no rules" is as well organized as the original site ever was. The format began very much the same way as the original site. So now those whose true agenda was to have their own site now have one. More power to them, and congratulations to them for what really does seem to be a very good site.
And now you know...
I was gonna get all riled up, until I read that second to last sentence...dang, if that doesn't look like a compliment.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dale!