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Post by martindn on Mar 20, 2009 23:10:06 GMT
Gerrit,
HWI is a community. A group of people with a common interest, Hayley. I thoroughly enjoy it and am glad it is here. Hayley herself is too, I heard the speech she gave at Buxton last year thanking us all for our support. HWI is one of the ways she is supported. There is a repository of information about her, and the history of the career of the greatest singer I have ever heard is here. In years to come she will be a legend, once the rest of the world wakes up to what she is. When that happens, the contents of this site will be priceless. Isn't that worth doing?
The thing about HWI is that it is within the control of an independent group of fans. Not a record company, that is out for profit. The folk who run this site do it for love. And you can interpret "love" in the tennis sense of "nothing" if you wish. But they are here because they believe in Hayley. It brings together people who don't have to support Hayley, but chose to do so because they love her music, not because they hope to make money out of her.
I know you have had a bitter experience with Katherine. KJ is still a fine singer, and is mentoring young Faryl, I saw them perform together in December. I know you feel let down, and upset by some of the things KJ has done. But please, don't try to push that onto Hayley. She is a different person, and seems to value what HWI does. And as Graham says, we too like it here. Do we need any other justification?
Martin
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Post by gerrit on Mar 20, 2009 23:37:15 GMT
Hi all,
Thank you for your comments. I think that it is important though to realise that I am finished with Katherine Jenkins. I have no intentiion of wasting any more of my money or time on her. I have never had ANY direct positive feedback from her.
Martin, why do you think I am returning here? My most positive experiences are with meeting Hayley.
Cheers,
Gerrit
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Jillian
Global Moderator
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Post by Jillian on Mar 20, 2009 23:53:56 GMT
Forgive me if this post is in the wrong place, but I'm not very familar at all with Katherine Jenkins, but I have noticed a bit of grumbling about her here and there. What is it that she's doing/has done which is causing all the discontentment?
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Post by comet on Mar 21, 2009 0:06:05 GMT
All rather odd !
I was at Katherine's recent concert in Dublin and I'm booked for the next one.
At one point during the last concert Katherine looked down at the front row at some faces she was familiar with and she thanked them personally and sincerely for their support during her recent difficulties. She gave them a huge smile as she did this and they gave her a huge round of applause. These were her true supporters who had flown from England and elsewhere to SUPPORT her,
These were people from her forum, which forum I am not sure
I thought one of the basic principles of christianity was forgiveness.. and I use a small c in christianity deliberately.
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Post by grant on Mar 21, 2009 0:23:28 GMT
Gerritt Perhaps nobody responded to your earlier post because it made sense. I was dismayed and, I have to say disgusted by your follow up post, which certainly did not. I can only imagine you have completely missed the point about why HWI exists and I don't intend to elaborate as Roger, Graham, Martin and Irish Hayley Fan have already done that in exemplary style. You say there is no point in HWI continuing to exist, but in your subsequent post you completed the Bedlam survey!  I rest my case!! Grant |
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Post by grant on Mar 21, 2009 0:28:59 GMT
Support Hayley we do in all aspects, Grant's initiative in his poster appeal is evidence to this ! All of the above would not happen without HWI  Thank you Graham. My little initiative is just one small aspect of all the good that is done here. Gerritt has done himself no favours with his outburst Best wishes Grant |
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Post by larryhauck on Mar 21, 2009 3:22:37 GMT
Gerritt,
A lot of people don't consider HWI a waste of time. I'm 70 years old and I appreciate the work the moderators do to keep us apprised of Hayley's schedule, and other things relevant to her.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. However if I felt as you do I'd just quit logging in to HWI.
Larry
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Jillian
Global Moderator
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Post by Jillian on Mar 21, 2009 3:26:25 GMT
I don't mean to add fuel to the fire, but I figured here might be the place for me to say just how amazing I think this board is! I don't think that I'd know anywhere as much about Hayley if it wasn't for this place. This morning I thought that I might start wading back through the old concert threads (because I'm a recent member, they're all new to me). I started with the thread for Hayley's concert at St James Church with Dame Malvina Major and I was wowed with all the beautiful photos (especially the candids) and the great videos that were nestled away in that thread. Another great thread was the concert at Sheperd's Bush with Dave Dobbin! Wow!
I'm beginning to wonder what else is hiding itself away in the depths of those old threads! If it wasn't for this place, all of those moments would be lost in time.
I also think that to a certain extent, Hayley and her management do rely a lot on places like this to take videos and photos to ensure that international fans and new fans can get a glimpse of what Hayley does. A prime example is how little information we're getting about the Japanese tour compared to the amount we get when Hayley's fan sites are in full swing.
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Post by comet on Mar 21, 2009 17:34:26 GMT
Some people have yacht clubs, others have tennis or football, yet others go "Down the pub"
This forum is all of these things for me, I can watch it out of the corner of my eye as threads develop, I can join in, or ignore the conversation as I please,
I can work away and have the forum running at the same time.
This forum is not just about Hayley and her music, it is about it's members and their interaction.
"LONG LIVE THE FORUM"
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Post by postscript on Mar 21, 2009 21:41:27 GMT
Hi, Gerrit.
1. I did respond to you and linked it to the Faryl site as i picked up ona specific mention in your previous post.
2. Since you seem to believe you are wasting your time, why are you wasting your time, no one has asked you to do so!
Yours aye.
Peter S.
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Post by postscript on Mar 21, 2009 21:50:27 GMT
This is fine, Gerrit, but why bother HWI on these matters? What you seem to be saying without actually saying it is that KJI never caught the interest that HWI has and you seem to be berating HWI's success as the cause of the failure of your endeavours. This could be because we are a group of people here rather than a solo operation. If I have misconstrued please correct me.
Peter S.
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Post by gerrit on Mar 22, 2009 0:04:33 GMT
Hmmm,
Why should English people support a New Zealand singer, and leave it to a Dutchman to support a singer from the UK (like Katherine is)?
It costs money (and an awful amount of time) to maintain a site.
Frankly, I was a supporter of Hayley as far back as 2003 (frankly, at a time when HWI was run by Simon Smalley and Keith Sheel, both of whom have unfortunately passed away) and well before the current management of this site took over (yes, I am talking about Roger and Dave), and long before 95% of the current membership of this forum were involved here.
Now, it came from among the membership of the HWI forum AT THAT TIME to suggest to me to start a site similar to HWI for Katherine Jenkins (based on the fact that in 2004, Katherine was a guest artist to Hayley). It is FOR THAT REASON I started spending time on Katherine, and because of the amount of time I needed for KJI I stopped supporting Hayley.
Now, despite the fact that I started spending time on Katherine, the only singer who kept making time available to me was Hayley. I was at the the Classical Brits last year. Katherine was there. Hayley was there. Hayley saw me and purposely came to me for a chat (having recognised me from previous meetings in Cardiff, Llanduddno and Helsinki). No such favour has been bestowed on me by Katherine Jenkins ever.
So I have been mulling around in my brain about the way Hayley has treated me, and the way Katherine has (not) treated me. I have felt for a while now that I should never have wasted my time on Katherine Jenkins.
Now I am coming back here and my comments are being shot down in flames by * who know NOTHING about what went before.
Not surprising of course. Who of the current membership still knows anything about Simon and Keith? Who of you know ANYTHING about those early days?
Some of the reactions in this thread I find personally offensive. The authors are forgiven, because I realise they can't possibly know what has been going on the past.
Why * (sorry for being offensive here), does any * here think they can shoot me down?
NONE OF YOU (including Dave and Roger) have been involved with Hayley for as long as I have been. And now I start making a few critical comments, and I am shot down in flames by people who know NOTHING about the past.
Let me tell you this.
H-W-I was started by Simon Smalley and Keith Sheel, early 2002. At that time I was approached by them for support them, and I did. Unfortunately, both Simon and Keith died too young.
*
Now, after having decided to support Hayley, I thought it was a good idea too to support one of her guest artists.
Right now, I feel that I made a mistake at that time.
And now that I have come to that conclusion, some * who know nothing about what went before, are talking about my outburst in this thread.
*
Here is another outburst. I have always supported Hayley (why do you think I have attended Hayley concerts in 5 different countries, more than anyone else here, as far as I know).
So al you * criticising me, what ARE YOUR CREDENTIALS.
Yes, Postscript (Peter S.) *
*
I am bothering HWI with these matters simply because I have more righs to bother HWI with anything than YOU WILL EVER HAVE.
Thank you, Peter (and any other *), for your utter ignorance of how I featured in the early days of Hayley Westenra International.
Gerrit
Deletions by Dave marked *
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Post by grant on Mar 22, 2009 0:38:35 GMT
Gerrit I find your latest post offensive and utterly without substance and your attack on the current membership disgraceful. Now I am coming back here and my comments are being shot down in flames by * who know NOTHING about what went before. Not surprising of course. Who of the current membership still knows anything about Simon and Keith? Who of you know ANYTHING about those early days? The early days as you call them are gone. I may not have been here from the beginning but I did know Simon and Keith and they have left behind them the most amazing legacy which Roger and Dave (and the other moderators) are carrying on, I'm certain, in a way that Keith and Simon would have wished and certainly in a way that is appreciated by the majority of us here. All you seem able to do is try to ridicule those of us who support this forum now - * we're made of stronger stuff than that!!! Grant Deletions by Dave marked * |
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Dave
Administrator
HWI Admin
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Post by Dave on Mar 22, 2009 1:06:35 GMT
OK, everyone's had their say and I'm locking this thread, at least for the moment, before it degenerates any further into personal remarks or attacks. We did discuss locking it about 12 hours ago but things are worse now.
I'll be doing some culling of personal remarks in a minute, the worst examples I've noticed... but it's late so I won't spend much time on it. We may do more, later in the day.
Dave
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Post by roger on Mar 22, 2009 19:53:54 GMT
Gerrit, Why should English people support a New Zealand singer, and leave it to a Dutchman to support a singer from the UK (like Katherine is)? Because we all have the right to support whoever we wish regardless of our location. It costs money (and an awful amount of time) to maintain a site. Yes it does, and some people do it willingly. So I have been mulling around in my brain about the way Hayley has treated me, and the way Katherine has (not) treated me. I have felt for a while now that I should never have wasted my time on Katherine Jenkins. A fansite exists to enable us to support the singer – not the other way around. If Hayley has given you some of her time, then you are one of the lucky few (as am I) but neither of us have any right to expect it just because we run a fansite. The same is true of Katherine. Why * (sorry for being offensive here), does any * here think they can shoot me down? If you make outbursts like this, don’t be surprised when members react strongly. NONE OF YOU (including Dave and Roger) have been involved with Hayley for as long as I have been. That may be true (but not by long) but at least our commitment has been continuous. You seem to have forgotten that in 2006 you complained bitterly that your name was included on the Team Page of the main site, claimed that you had never accepted the position and demanded that it be removed. Also, in June 2006, you closed you account on this forum. Your claim that you have supported Hayley longer than we have is therefore misleading. Here is another outburst. I have always supported Hayley (why do you think I have attended Hayley concerts in 5 different countries, more than anyone else here, as far as I know). So what? Belinda travelled from New Zealand to see her in London. Stuart made the reverse journey to New Zealand. Timj and Larry have crossed the Atlantic several times to see her. I have travelled more than 12,000 miles in total for the same reason. Does that give us any right to expect any preferential treatment? No, it does not but it puts your efforts to shame. I am bothering HWI with these matters simply because I have more righs to bother HWI with anything than YOU WILL EVER HAVE. You have absolutely no such right whatsoever. Try it and we will deal with in it any way we deem appropriate. Thank you, Peter (and any other *), for your utter ignorance of how I featured in the early days of Hayley Westenra International. Compared to some here, your "featuring" has been minimal and short-lived other than to post to the forum in ways which, like now, were often unacceptable. ConclusionIf Katherine hasn’t given you enough of her precious time for your liking, I am sure it is for purely practical reasons. Or it may be because she has seen your outbursts somewhere on the internet. Whatever, it certainly isn't the fault of anybody here. 24 hours earlier, you were telling us that HWI was obsolete and that we were wasting our time running it. Now you seem to want to use it to your own personal advantage.  And finally, if you wish to close KJI, then close it and stop inflicting your frustration on this forum because it is no concern of ours.Roger |
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