What happened to the B&W portfolio contest?

**Brian Ellis** · 4-Apr-2006, 15:35

Simmons said: "You were too quick to criticize and later you came back and admitted you did not know who the speakers would be . . . . You did not know what you were talking about when you made the post about the Silver Conference but that did not stop you from putting out your uninformed opinion as fact"

Here is the text of the message of mine to which Simmons is referring:

"I thought the fee was on the high side for what the conference was billed although I didn't realize how many well known photographers were speaking or what they were speaking about."

I'll let anyone read my statement and judge for themselves whether I was putting out my "uninformed opinion as fact" or whether I was "quck to criticize" and then "later came back and admitted [I] did not know who the speakers would be." But for Simmons' benefit I'll point out the obvious: when the words "I thought" are used it means the person is expressing an opinion, which by definition is not a statement of fact. And of course I wasn't "quick to criticize" and I didn't "later come back" with anything. My only expression of opinion about the cost was coupled with a simultaneous acknowledgement that it had been formed, in my own mind only, without knowing all the facts.

**steve simmons** · 4-Apr-2006, 17:03

"Quite a profitable scam"

This is the comment I was responding to. How do you know it was a scam? How do you know this has any relation to the first post? What contest are you talking about? You have not provided any useful information. I was simply saying there may be more to the activity than this post gives credit for. Providing some context for this statement would have been helpful. No context for judging any of these contests was provided.

from Brian Ellis
"You're a frequent critic of personal criticism, yet you ask "who is Grump" as though Grump's views are unworthy of expression because he hasn't achieved some known level of expertise or fame."

This is a gross extrapolation. I do not claim that one has to be an expert to post here. I simply have asked that people provide a context for the information they post and that it be accurate.

steve simmons