Monday, October 30, 2006

AGA Corruption - Members Leaving

Remember that AGA published a buch of lies and slander about me and my software, and that I offered a free copy of Moyo Go to anyone cancelling their membership?

Well, some folks cancelled their membership. But now it turns out that some people don't renew their membership! I have just been informed by someone that they received this email from AGA:

Your American Go Association membership is critical to sustaining and growing the American Go-playing community, which has experienced record growth in the last few years, with more tournaments, clubs and activities that ever before. Your membership expires on x/xx/2006 and we're counting on your continued support to enable us to continue publishing the popular weekly E-Journal, the Yearbook, rating players, and promoting American Go across the country.

This someone hasn't forgotten about what AGA did in an attempt to harm my business!
This person's AGA membership has expired and now it's AGA, and not me, who will be left in the cold because this person is not going to renew the subscription. Chapeau. Some people do have principles.

So that's several AGA memberships down the drain for who knows - the coming decade? With 30 USD/year for say the coming ten years and three people disgusted with them, that makes 900 USD in lost income for AGA. That's perhaps comparable to the damage AGA caused to my Go software company. I can't judge it because I have more than 100 American customers, but AGA's "review" was incredibly vile so it must have had a negative effect on at least their more naive readership.

When I asked AGA to rectify their nonsense, they invited anyone to write why they did not like me, so the following AGA eJournal had gems like: "I think that Frank might even install a virus on my computer, I don't trust him".

I have a dark brown suspicion that it's going to be much more than a handful of non-renewers, if AGA does not publicly apologize and publishes an unbiased review of my software. I'm not asking for laurels, I'm asking to cut the slander and lies, that's all. People are wiser than to subsidise an organization that puts the political/commercial agenda of their officers before unbiased reporting.

Be ethical - don't renew your AGA subscription. They don't deserve it. Instead of buying a year of AGA subscription, send AGA a protest email, send it to me with full headers and receive Moyo Go Studio for the same price as a year of AGA membership. AGA might think they are "big" and I am "small", but we will see who has the last laugh. Thousands of people read this blog (more than 1500 profile views). I have more than a hundred American customers. Americans read this blog too. Please boycot AGA, until they stop boycotting me. They don't deserve your money. They are not interested in unbiased reporting, but they are interested in your money.