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Hi everyone.

Well, after some thought and a little encouragement I've decided to post this apology in a new thread. This is not meant to make one change their opinion of me but simply to ask forgiveness for behavior that I wish not to repeat.

I am sorry to everyone whom posts here and the related products and brands that are well-served by this site.

The sock puppet of cklavier was an invented personage that was intended to give more exposure to the Essex brand. Although the thread I created under the cklavier name was not intended to trash competition it was perceived to do such by some. I simply do not trash competition even if is under a pseudonym (check my history).

If it is decided that I can no longer post on this site than so be it. I accept it and deserve it as the consequence for my action.

For the record: I am in sales, I do work for a Steinway dealer (I cannot reveal more than that as my employer has requested not revealing such--I know this is hard for some, but PLEASE try to understand my situation) and the cklavier sock has been the ONLY sock I have created in my entire history here.

I am sorry to Ken, Frank, and the other directors of this site for any tarnishing of Piano World that has occurred due to my trangression.

Sincerely,

This is my first post on this topic, either here or in the alternative thread. I wish to speak to one of the more unfortunate side effects of this form of sock puppetry. Of course, there are many such side effects, but one of them strikes me as something that has as yet gone unmentioned.

The side effect is this: when people post on this forum, making various points or asking questions, I tend to take them seriously (unless, of course, the thread is a joke on its face), and if I post a response, that response is generally a product of serious thought. This means that I am at risk of feeling very, very foolish when the questions are revealed as fakes and the poster is not really asking questions at all. This in turn makes me hesitate to post in the future, lest the person who is purporting to ask for information be revealed as not really seeking information at all.

This inhibitory effect, in my view, can cause more damage to PW than blatant self-promotion. The blatant self-promotion can be identified and its reliability assessed. The deception involved in the use of an identity like cklavier, however, is far more insidious because more difficult to detecct. It also makes me doubt any and all posts in which amateurs purport to seek information or affirmation of a choice they are making. I might even be reluctant to seek advice, because while identified dealers would be writing some of the responses, who would know whether the amateurs posting their views were really salespeople in disguise?

I know that you can't really credit anything on the Internet without careful thought first, but I suppose I had hopes (naive, apparently), that a forum like this would be different.

On the other hand, kudos to those dealers who identify themselves and who have worked so successfully to establish and maintain their credibility on this forum. There are many, which is one of the many things that I value about this forum.

Anyway, just my two cents, as they say.

I accept your apology.

Well, Pianomadam, you achieved your aim - of giving more exposure to the Essex brand - and you are still doing so!

Now, come on, admit it. It is basically a Pearl River is it not?

Adrian

Group photo of PW

PM,
I always viewed your posts with suspicion but that was because of your obvious bias and "hard-hitting" sales tactics. Your are not the first or probably last sock puppet. At least you confessed. That is more than some around here. Because of that, I accept your apology.

Pianomadam,

I personally accept your apology. Thank you.

Pianomadam and I have discussed this whole affair in private messages. While I personally accept her apology, it does not affect any decision on any consequences which may come from her actions. She has made this apology knowing this. I commend her for coming forward like this.

The rest of the issue will be decided when Frank B. gets back from NAMM.

Ken

Ken,

I suggest that you lock both threads until next week.

A tempest in a tea cup!