Fellas... do not post any recruiting lists or offers from Rivals.com

[VT_Football_Fan]

The Cease and Desist letter was a little over the top, don't you think?

My thoughts exactly. I mean its FREE to make an account and post. All he had to do was take 2 minutes to make one and write a post saying "Hey guys I don't mind if you do _____ but could you please _____?" Even Brian would be welcomed especially if he was cordial about it. It takes more time and effort to write and send a C&D than it would to do that.

 

[bigesse16]

The Cease and Desist letter was a little over the top, don't you think? If Brian is really behind this, then someone needs to tell him he's going after the wrong people.

I don't know because I don't know what what actually said. I know that Brian is very fair on Rivals and knows that it's hard to control information, as least so he says on the board. He asks to at least cite if information is posted. I've been a member for a year and have enjoyed it. It's a lose-lose situation for him because it's his job to write the material and get people to join, but if his information is leaked and he complains, it may turn off potential subscribers, but then his information is attainable by anyone and do not need to join.

I have signed up to Scout, TSL, and Rivals and prefer Rivals, although TSL is probably the best priced and offers student discounts. This site is the best free site and definitely an alternative to the pay sites, but there are a lot of things that you don't get here that you get at rivals. I like reading and watching interviews with recruits, as well as their analysis. I probably overvalue it, but I have no problem with it. My opinion may change down the road, though.

 

[HokieGhost]

I don't know because I don't know what what actually said. I know that Brian is very fair on Rivals and knows that it's hard to control information, as least so he says on the board. He asks to at least cite if information is posted. I've been a member for a year and have enjoyed it. It's a lose-lose situation for him because it's his job to write the material and get people to join, but if his information is leaked and he complains, it may turn off potential subscribers, but then his information is attainable by anyone and do not need to join.

I have signed up to Scout, TSL, and Rivals and prefer Rivals, although TSL is probably the best priced and offers student discounts. This site is the best free site and definitely an alternative to the pay sites, but there are a lot of things that you don't get here that you get at rivals. I like reading and watching interviews with recruits, as well as their analysis. I probably overvalue it, but I have no problem with it. My opinion may change down the road, though.

I think the post that started this thread should give you an excellent idea what was said in the letter from Rivals. It was a Cease and Desist letter, which is basically a legal shot over the bow with the promise of a broadside to follow should the actions alleged in the letter continue. It's meant to intimidate the recipient, pure and simple. It works if you've actually done something provably wrong...but if not, it's a heavy-handed bluff and pisses off the recipient, creating more problems than it's worth.

Here's a little chronology on Tech message boards as far back as I have personally participated:

*joined HokieCentral in 1999 (paid site)

*HokieCentral became TSL (still a paid site)

*Beamerball was started by the Tech football program (paid site)

*TCB007 started up and died within a couple of years (paid site - $20/yr)

*Brian Mohr took over the HokieHaven/Rivals site and did a pretty good job getting it off the ground and providing value-added services (paid site)

*The free SportsHoopla site starts up

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Esse, you answered your own question. The proprietary value of rivals is the articles, interviews and videos which are great and I miss from there. Brian is going way over the top. Not one word of his proprietary stuff has ever been posted here. He is pissed that we have compiled a list of prospects on our own, which is perfectly within our right. I used to be a member. I don't have his percentages or any of that bullshit over here. We, collectively find out about recruits, cite the sources and post it. These kids self promote now. YouTube is full of recruit videos. Twitter tells the offers before Rivals does. The Rivals message board has a certain faction that wants to feel cool and in the know and make actual students pay for it. That is crap. Real people with real connections have come here to provide free resources, that they find on their own because we consider that bullshit.

If Brian's articles were being posted here or his interviews, even in summary form, I would understand but he is mad that he has a free competitor. That is all. I would love for him to come here and tell us his side. He clearly visits the site. Please, we are reasonable people, come explain.

 

[bigesse16]

Again I don't know why there was a Cease and Desist letter, nor who sent it. Rivals is bigger than Brian and someone else may have sent it or made him send it. All I do know is that Brian has been pretty fair to people over on the Gobbler in regards to taking his information. He understands he can't keep the information from reaching other sites and people, but at least would like credit. The problem is that those who know people and have sources or scour the internet and find information freely, like many here, find the same information which is going to happen since it's all Hokie news. And while many at Rivals feel privileged, many here hold a grudge for that. Honestly, I don't care about either because it's all about VT, which is what I want to read and write about. I like both sites for these reasons.

So, my point is that I'm reserving judgment because I don't know the details involved and frankly I doubt many here do either. I doubt you'll see Brian explain this here anyway since he'd be joining a competitor site. I on the otherhand, will stay at both because both have their benefits.

 

[HokieGhost]

1) I think most of us know why Rivals sent a CaD Letter...I'm not sure why that's so difficult to understand. Whether it's based on a factual assumption is the key to understanding this discussion.

2) It doesn't matter who sent it from Rivals...it got sent and was reported as received by the OP.

3) As far as Brian being fair, I was thrown off of HokieHaven a few years ago because I thought he was being biased in favor of a certain set of posters who seemed to enjoy ganging up on other posters with a different viewpoint. It probably didn't help that I was not the most diplomatic in my exchanges with Brian on this subject. It's his board...he can do anything he wants.

He also went after me on Twitter about a year or so ago after he was told by a HokieHaven poster that I was posting information from the pay side of HokieHaven and bad-mouthing the site. You can guess where that information came from. I told Brian that I had absolutely no interest in taking information from the pay side of HokieHaven when I could easily find any number of free sources on the Internet.

I then told him to prove whatever it was I was said to have done. I also told him that he was welcome to refute anything I posted about HokieHaven that he believed was untruthful. I never heard from him again, and I certainly don't expect him to post anything over here even though he lurks on a regular basis. I certainly hope Brian cites SportsHoopla when he reads, and later posts, information he personally hasn't uncovered. What's good for the goose is good for the gander.

I'm not the only one who can tell you a similar story. I'm not saying Brian's not a good guy because he is...but he loses sight of reality, and loses respect, when he gets involved in this kind of crap.

4) Brian's been getting clear credit on this site for everything he's done on the PAY side of HokieHaven. He doesn't get credit for any other source of information because that belongs to other individual sources and/or personal sources of some of our posters. Heck, we even make sure everyone knows when we link to content on the FREE side of Rivals even though they clearly tell you the content is FREE.

5) Just my own opinion, but I've grown to trust what I'm being told by the OP, and if he says the site was sent a Cease and Desist Letter then you can take that to the bank. As to the exact details of a CaD letter, we've all been around the Internet long enough to know what that means without knowing each exact detail. Just because you personally haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I'm done on this subject...I'm not sure why it comes coming back up.