Shout-Out To Bob Hawkes

[Internet.Domains]

Please give a shout-out to our very own @Bob Hawkes!

It was recently uncovered that Bob was feeling a little less motivated, and possibly retiring from Namepros, after some recent bullying. This saddened me as Bob has been a wonderful contributor and a valuable asset to this community. I may not agree with everything he writes, but I respect and admire his contributions. He is passionate and good natured. He is always respectful and the bullying he has recently endured is completely uncalled for.

Please give @Bob Hawkes a shout-out in the comments or Like/Thanks this post to let him know there are those who care!

(The best defense against bullies is letting those who bully know we stand with those who are bullied)

 

[BRANDERX]

Yes, one needs to be thick-skinned in this business, but bullying is NOT ok & should not be allowed on this forum.

You have many options on how to deal with TLDR posts, & bullying is not one of them.

This place is full of needlessly lengthy posts, that's why I skip a lot of it. That is no reason for me to disrespect or intimidate anyone.

Stay Bob Hawkes, kick out the bully NamePros.

Kudos to the OP..

 

[FolioTeam]

How can anyone not like Bob?

 

[dande]

^^You guys should keep it short please. We are tired of lengthy posts. Learn how to summarize!

 

[BaileyUK]

GUILTY as charged.

First of all let me say how nice it is to read all the positive remarks made to Bob. Secondly I wish to apologize to Bob, I should have realized he's quite a sensitive soul and that I should have taken that into consideration.

In my defense I will add that he chose to open-up a private/direct message with me when things got a little bit close to the bone in a certain thread, I don't think that was a good move, sure he was asking me to correct a certain error in my comments, I thought it best not to get in to a private discussion with Bob while the public discussion was still heated. I then received the request again about 20 minutes later.

There is no doubt I was calling A-spade-A-spade, as I saw it in this DM exchange. No swearing or anything like that but, I did question (and dispute) his contribution to the thread also. Whilst I can understand using the DM service when in a convivial conversation . Not the smartest move when things are not convivial.

So once again I apologize to Bob, he did himself (as always) conduct himself most politely But, I should have continued to ignore the requests, my mistake.

As for the Mod deleted postings made by myself, xynames, and hawkeye in this particular thread. I still think they were justified. But thankfully a recent posting has cleared up some of the misunderstanding of direction of NamePros .
I refer to the recent posting by Namepros CMO

"Who wouldn't want want to own a dot Ninja domain" That posting brought a smile to my face and showed me why, and perhaps a few others had been on the wrong track and tact.in calling out a certain other Ntld advocate

 

[handpicked]

For me, Bob's skillfully crafted words ooze wisdom and levelheadedness. Not only did I admire his contour and comradeship at NP but also an ardent fan of his dynamic personality. Experienced and wise... yet, child like inquisitiveness. I don't know the issues, but, kindly forgive all and comeback unhurt. I am learning a lot from you Sir, particularly me coming from an non-English speaking background. I liked your status post indicated as 'semi-retired'. Be that way. Don't ever retire. A little shout-out.

 

[xynames]

Maybe it would be fun to pretend to leave then. Like sticking around at your own funeral to see what people will say about you.


Anyway, back to business. Good luck to all!

 

[HotKey]

Is it better to be loved, or be right? Obviously Bob is loved.

If I decided to leave NP I doubt anyone would even care, certainly there would be no long thread gushing with sentimentality for me.

Nope XYZ- , I would care, I find your posts, and actually a few others here, refreshingly blunt and generally bang-on. Just because we don't agree with a post, doesn't mean we can't respect it, and the person it's coming from.

I think it's totally ok to adjust our posting style towards the person we're posting to.. otherwise sometimes it can feel like we're all a product on an assembly line. We're not, we're all individuals. But adjusting ours posts to the individual, well that's a different art altogether. We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Its recognizing them that really defines us.

**

WB Bob- wow does Jag work fast!..

 

[xynames]

Thank you Recons.

You know, the other day someone posted something I believe it was namemarket? that made me stop and think, he said that something I had said to him in the past made him shy away from NamePros for a while. That is never my intention and I felt bad when I read that statement from namemarket.

There are others I have clashed with too, Keith I think is one, and from what you are saying, maybe you too, Recons? But the fact that I can't recall the usernames or the exact things said is because it was never anything personal, was just differing opinions. I try to criticize ideas not people.

I recall a thread where Mike Mann came into a thread here at NP, on my invitation, and said something to someone about "Somehow I don't find Clockwork Orange to be a viable threat" referring to the guy's avatar. NOW, in the context of what we are discussing today, that would have been considered a personal attack, no? But the person to whom it was directed mostly took it in stride and came back with a joke as his response.

There are a couple people on here whom I clashed with in the past, who after a few direct messages have now become allies and associates/friends.

But anyway, if we have learned anything from this experience it is to be more professional, and I will endeavor to uphold that professionalism in my posts.

I wrote this a while back and I think it is good to be reminded of it:

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I agree with virtually everything in your post just now @xynames and was proud to be the first of, what I think will be many likes, on the content. It is easy to in a heated thread become more one sided than you would be in person to person conversation, or even in DM sometimes. As you say, by building bridges like that, can help foster more respectful and professional discussions down the road.

If I could say one more thing, I think sometimes we overlook the critical difference in exactly how we say something. Let me give a couple of examples (made up ones) to demonstrate what I mean.

Let's say someone really thinks an idea proposed is terrible, and says: "That is a foolish and anyone who is really knowledgeable or successful would not say it." What saying it that way does is indirectly labels the person a fool for thinking that way, and also implies they don't know anything much in general. Most will respond and the fight is on because it was worded personally.

But what if instead it was "While I appreciate the time you took to explain the idea, I am not buying it at all. In my opinion, the justification overlooks (blah blah) and instead what I prefer to do is to concentrate on what has resulted in sales in my own portfolio, which is (blah blah)" Words like in my opinion moves it from an attack on someone else's beliefs to a rationale for why you feel differently. It is a world of difference. I think it not only is a more professional way to say it, but also way more effective.

I volunteer at community newspaper and we often have to deal with opinions in submissions. One important thing I learned is that we can never know with certainty others' motivations, and therefore it is always wrong to claim that we do. That is why when someone hypothetically says something like "Fred is just hyping this because he is getting a payback from the zzz registry." we are doing several things we should not, in my opinion, do. We really don't know why Fred is so positive on whatever. We almost certainly had no evidence for bit about payback and were saying as fact something that is not. Instead it would be far more effective to say something like. "I don't agree with Fred's enthusiasm for TLD because the biggest sale yet on it is $450 and there are only 5 sales overall." I think that would be far more effective in persuading others because it provides evidence, and Fred can, if he wants, react to the sales data, but it is not about Fred or his ethics.

I think also we sometimes think that we are simply debating an issue, but our own enthusiasm for one side causes us to misrepresent what the other person said. Now that is for sure to escalate debate because the other person will correct and the fight is on.

Bob

 

[carob]

Many thanks to Bob for your posts. Well-researched, reasoned, informative. And data-rich. And courteous.

Most of us come here to make money from domains and to do that we need information and advice, and to be prepared to re-think things. You can learn a lot listening to Bob, and if you don't agree or don't understand something, think about it, ask questions, test your assumptions.

 

[kite26]

@Bob Hawkes From the little i know about him (reading his posts) is one of the best people here. First human and then whatever else. A community doesn't need robot-domainers with 1 million bumps!

 

[Tunababa8v]

Why will anyone not like Bob? The man keeps it real and I like him except his long post of course and thats because am too lazy to read.

Bob, many at times some members have exchanged harsh words with me and by the next day I don't even remember the person's moniker again. I am too busy looking for auction domains and closeout that I take less notice of such things. You Bob are an inspiration to lot of members and dont let the unruly behaviour of a few deter you from rendering your services .

In Dj Khaled voice: 'You are special'
'You are appreciated '

 

[dande]

I am @Bob Hawkes and I approve these posts!

Sometimes I imagine the kind of energy and time Bob put into this community. Practically on every post and every discussion at the same time, making invaluable contributions and keeping discussions alive. His respect to others is second to none. Whoever that bring themselves to bully Bob simply has no respect to humanity.

Bob, do not give up because of bully. Else, you let them win.

We all love you!

 

[FavourB]

OH yeah he has impacted me too, and I want to use this meduim to say a BIG Thank You @Bob Hawkes ..
It was your post I first met in namepros and I must confess I was encouraged..
Without wasting time I followed you on Twitter and up till date my Twitter is set to show me your post I missed when am offline.. That's how much you impacted me in this industry..

You Haters are my haters BOB and I love what you do here.
Keep the fire burning Bob

 

[Internet.Domains]

Is bully the correct adjective here?

Maybe I missed the bullying posts elsewhere.

The post you quoted was more critical than bullying.

Much like his other posts.

Wouldn't critic be a better descriptive adjective?

Further, does his experience and education give him more credibility to his criticism?

The random pic I found as my current display pic says successful people compliment, unsuccessful people criticize. Granted the definition of success is subjective to each individual. Nonetheless, I have it as my display pic for the time being to remind myself of alternative things to do/say besides more negative attracting things such as criticizing.

Show attachment 119607

I don't want to profess to know everything as I'm trying to figure it out just like everyone else. But for what my opinion is worth, might I suggest more compliments are in order (from all parties)?

Not necessarily complimenting the content if you disagree, but perhaps compliment the time they took to reply. Some people value their time more than others. For those struggling to find value in their time, the value of somebody else's time may often be overlooked.

Yes, I completely agree with @Bob Hawkes , that the graphic @Grilled shared is a terrific message.

For me personally, I really liked the Forgive vs. Hold a Grudge. Holding a grudge is like carrying around extra baggage that is very burdensome.

On the other hand, forgiving others is very liberating.

Hope you all find some peace today and beyond!

 

[frank-germany]

Back to the Ignore feature that many people have posted about already. Some people have replied they don't want to use it because they might like other posts from that person. That's the way it goes.

I use the ignore feature a lot
and really I can only recommend it

life becomes smoother

 

[myfavorite]

@Bob Hawkes is always willing to share knowledge freely which many have really gained from.

Please @Bob Hawkes know that those of us with you are by far more than those that may be against. Your contributions are highly appreciated.

Thanks and do not abandon us because of the negligible minority.

 

[myfavorite]

Some people don't seems to understand the difference between expressing a difference in opinion and bullying or outrightly insulting another person.

While others don't seems to understand the weight of the word they used against others.

Then some are plain rude, too proud and arrogant. World renowned Domainers like Mike Mann are members here but you don't see them insulting people unnecessarily.

I believe we are here to learn and equally pass knowledge which may be different from other peoples opinion. Let's be civil in our contributions and expressing differences in opinion.

Thanks

 

[BrandEntrance.com]

As a new community member i learnt a lot from @Bob Hawkes . Thanks a lot.

Same for me. I always read his posts when I see them.

 

[Mister Funsky]

Please give a shout-out to our very own @Bob Hawkes!

Bob, this forum needs input from anyone and everyone willing to contribute in a thoughtful manner which is what you have always done. You are enthusiastic about domaining and it is clear the vast majority of lurkers and posters want you to stay.

 

[Bob Hawkes]

First thank you for your apology @BaileyUK. I also wanted to thank @xynames for his generous comments earlier in the thread, and in particular say again I totally respect the right of anyone to their opinion on any matter as long as things are said in a factually accurate and respectful manner. Please people, do not try to suppress any views on any side of an issue as long as they pass that test.

While I do not think it is wise to comment on many good points raised on all sides, I do feel compelled to comment on the issue of the DM I sent to Bailey. It is true that I did send a DM a few minutes after a post he made but in it I made clear I totally respected his right to post his opinions. The title of the thread was "While Still Time to Edit...." and I simply was privately pointing out that he had, through reposting and commenting, repeated something untrue (that I had not publicly reported sales details). Since it had been corrected in that very thread. I wanted to discretely give him the opportunity to edit his post so it was factually correct because I suspected he thought what he said was true but it was not. I did this as DM because the thread was already confrontational (when I had corrected the person who first made the inaccurate statement) and I hoped with a polite DM we could achieve what I wanted (stop the further spread of incorrect information about me).

It is true the DM continued as he first asked for details. I provided the post number and link that included 2 of my posts from the Report Completed Domain Name Sales Here thread from the last 10 months, one from 2019, that gave the name, price, date, sales venue, net proceeds, and sales process. It then continued back and forth. I apologize for that as it was already very late at night in UK.

I would be delighted to share or have NPs share the complete unabridged DM exchange that night so others can decide for themselves the nature of the exchange if I have @BaileyUK permission to do so. Please let me know as obviously it is not proper to share any DM without permission of both parties. I give my permission for a posting of the unabridged total DM that night. Please let me know if I have your permission to post what we both said.

Bob

 

[Bob Hawkes]

I just can’t see myself ever direct messaging someone asking him to remove a post in which all he did was state that I was wrong. Let alone doing it twice after getting no response.

I think a danger all of us (me included!) sometimes assume things without knowing if they are true or not. I think we should be cautious, please all of us. It just leads to misinformation and unfair hurt.

In this particular case with respect to your statements here is the truth:

• I did not ask him to remove the post (simply asked him to correct an untrue statement of fact within it if he had made it without knowing it was untrue)
• I did not ask twice with no response. He responded quickly asking for evidence, I provided the link with the evidence, etc. It was strictly a one by one message scenario (if he gives me permission to share the unabridged you will clearly see that).
• "in which all he did was state that I was wrong" I was not questioning an opinion he expressed, I simply requested that he remove the statement that I had no reported sales, since it was factually untrue.

I think if we could learn from this there is something we all must do better.

Bob

 

[Jv1999]

nah, all Bobbehh needs is a huge 4-5 fig sail and ppl will not dis him anymore and his words will b gold

cuz that's sersiously the only thing ppl care about on NP, the sails. You can write a storm, quote stats to the moon... but everyone will clamor to the guy who always posted one-word posts and had 0 likes but finally sold a domain for over the value of a house. Then suddenly everyone thinks his posts are like the Rosetta Stone

 

[mr-x]

If Namepros has a great guy award, it should be Bob.

Best to you @Bob Hawkes. You're a good example for all.

 

[karmaco]

nah, all Bobbehh needs is a huge 4-5 fig sail and ppl will not dis him anymore and his words will b gold

cuz that's sersiously the only thing ppl care about on NP, the sails. You can write a storm, quote stats to the moon... but everyone will clamor to the guy who always posted one-word posts and had 0 likes but finally sold a domain for over the value of a house. Then suddenly everyone thinks his posts are like the Rosetta Stone

I don’t think that is entirely true. I get the same amount of likes whether I post a $500 sale or a $5K sale. This place is supportive like that