Family Matter

Carver

Carver

Joined
Dec 20, 1998
Messages
540
Spark, I may be risking sounding emotional but, I do`nt agree with your locking of the thread welcoming Danelle as a moderator on the Spyderco forum. People refer to BF as a family and this seems to be a family matter.
 
I agree. No reason to close the thread. No body was ripping Spyderco only expressing grief. Sal does have a business to run and I will remain a customer. Nevertheless, I will miss her.
 
I don't have a problem with you discussing it, I just feel that

1. The title of the thread was no longer appropriate for the content and a new thread would probably be better off started
2. This is a Spyderco matter, and if they choose to tell/not tell us the why's and wherefores, that's their business.

I too will miss Danelle and fervently hope that she will maintain a prescence here on the site.

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com

Insert witty quip here
 
I'm the one who started that thread, and I FULLY agree with Spark. At the time of posting the new topic, nothing was known of the "impending disaster" that threatened our close family here on the BF Spyderco Forum.

Thanks for acting so quickly, Spark!
 
Actually, I was quite surprized when I saw the thread in the first place. It was my understanding that I was given the responsibility to Moderate the Spyderco Forum. Michelle and Dexter were my back-ups. I have no idea how or why anyone thought Danelle had become a Moderator. Who moderates this forum is my decision alone.

I know most of you really liked Danelle and she tried hard to service your needs. It was also part of her job. I can respect and appreciate your disappointment. She gave many of you a great deal of attention. For whatever reasons, it just didn't work out. We all wish Danelle a happy and successful future in whatever she chooses to do.

However, to say that Danelle was the face and Spirit of Spyderco is IMO somewhat unfair. Spyderco has been doing the same things the same ways with the same philosophies for 23 years. Most of the 1200+ posts with which I have tried to answer your questions have been done on my own time.

Michelle began as a secretary 8 years ago. She is currently responsible for Sales worldwide. She set up the entire export program. That means anyone outside of the US that has Spyderco available in their country, was the result of her efforts. Heyns?, Dan?, Clay? Michelle is one of the most decicated, hard working and loyal member in the Spyderco "family".

As the person responsible for Customer Service, she also is the one (along with me) that makes the decisions in Customer Service. Danelle carried out those decisions.

I humbly request that you seek to see the bigger picture. Spyderco was not created in the past 8 months that we have been sharing your forum. Nor will the forum or our philosophies change (unless you decide you don't want us here and you change it).

sal
 
Sal, I agree that Danelle was not the sole "face" of Spyderco, but she was a "face" of Spyderco and, whatever happened, the announcement was rather abrupt for a group of people who had come to feel that she was a friend, just as they feel that you are a friend. Under the circumstances, I posit that the responses posted have been reasonable up to the point of threatening not to buy Spydie products again. That is just silly! I am aware that you generally respond to the postings, but we have seldom heard from Michelle, and what we have heard has not always been fortunate, as you may remember. Her abrupt announcement in the Forum was another unfortunate post. There must have been more diplomatic ways of saying what needed to be said. The impression that the tone gives me is most negative where everyone, Danelle included, is concerned. As a Quaker, I am trying to see that of God in everyone, but the abruptness and tone of the posting makes that difficult. Thank you for your time and patience.

------------------
Walk in the Light,
Hugh


 
Hugh,
Nice summary, Couldn't say it better.



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~Keith~
"War to the knife and knife to the hilt"

 
Making Dannelle a moderator was my mistake, and mine alone, I did so soley because we now have the capability to have multiple moderators and I thought that since she helped represent Spyderco on these forums, it was a no brainer. My mistake, my responsability, I changed it ASAP when I read the thread.

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com

Insert witty quip here
 
I must say that Sal raises a good point.
I have been a fan of Spyderco products for years now and as yet have no bad experiences with them.
I will say that Danelle certainly helped to elevate my opinion of the company(not the product) and I will miss her.
I will continue to conduct business with Spyderco however, unless they give me a solid reason not to.
Thanks for an excellent product Sal, and good luck with the forums Michelle.

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"Worst of all my foes, I fear the enemy within"
*John Wesley*

Romans 10:9-10

"Military" Fans Unite!!

 
Sal,
I am still VERY positive about Spyderco's products. NOTHING will be able to change my view on that, except the products themselves... But you MUST know that by now, if you've seen my posts!

However, the moment that Spyderco entered the forums, friendships were made and emotions came into play. The description of the BF Spyderco Forum being close to a "family" is not too far off, for some of us, and can largely be attributed to the open style and attitude with which Spyderco has handled matters here (which is commendable!!!). Unlike with ANY other manufacturer, I could ask my questions here and KNOW that I would be answered in due time, and that this answer would be the BEST one I could expect, because YOU guys are here. As has been said previously in this thread, Danelle has filled in on MOST occasions for representing Spyderco, along with yourself.

Danelle filled the void that exists in almost ALL companies of similar stature - that of being a "friend-at-the-factory", someone looking PERSONALLY after all our interests, NOT just being "Customer Service - What is your complaint?"... I don't think that this perception is unfair to anybody, because she was mostly the one that we had contact with (speaking for myself, for one!). We'll have to see what happens in this regard in future... Whoever takes over, will have to be DARN good in order to match this, as certain expectations have been set by the way that Danelle handled matters IN ALL INSTANCES WHERE I'VE HAD CONTACT WITH SPYDERCO. I'm sure that many forumites will be able to second this motion...

Nearly all my EMAIL to Spyderco (and there's been LOTS!) have been answered by Danelle, MOSTLY on the same day that I've sent it! However, it seemed to me that she got kinda overworked over there, because response times began to suffer the last week or two...

That being said (typed
wink.gif
), I've sent EMAIL recently to find out what's happening to current repair work that I have at Customer Service, now that Danelle's gone. I have sent the details of Danelle's and my EMAILS (detailing the problems and the solutions offered by Danelle) to Spyderco's Customer Service to make sure that the process doesn't stop (or change) now that "the boat's been rocked". I AM STILL WAITING FOR A RESPONSE ON THAT FROM CUSTOMER SERVICE...
 
Hugh - Our Human Resources Manager is very good at what she does. She is aware of all of the potential legal problems that could possibly hurt our company. Being a small company, we are aware of this potential and have avoided potential problems in the past by being aware.

Michelle was required by Human Resources to post the change in status in a legal and proper manner. This is still Spyderco's forum. Anyone from Spyderco that posts on this forum is in fact representing Spyderco. Legally, we must be sure that anyone that seems to be representing Spyderco is in fact a part of Spyderco.

We've had problems in the past with non Spyderco people claiming to respresent Spyderco or were associated with Spyderco because they used to work for Spyderco and caused us great trouble. Though we would never expect someone to act in such a manner, the fact that it has occurred requires that we follow procedure.

Spyderco's "family" has existed for 23 years. We try to make it a good "family" and those that are here would agree.

But I must state that it is also a business.

sal

 
Sal - I have no idea what happened between Danelle and Spyderco, but I have to agree with Hugh here. Michelle's post was rather abrupt and ill-timed IMO. You guys should have taken some time to gather yourselves and decide on a more approriate way of conveying that type of info.

While Danelle may not be the "sole" face of Spyderco to forumites, she was (along with you) the most visible by far. We rarely "see" Joyce, Michelle, and Vince here. I'm sure they are fine people (with plenty of things to do other than forum hopping
wink.gif
), but you and Danelle were the first people that we thought of when the name Spyderco was mentioned.

When you say "to say that Danelle was the face and Spirit of Spyderco is IMO somewhat unfair." and "As the person responsible for Customer Service, she also is the one (along with me) that makes the decisions in Customer Service. Danelle carried out those decisions." - you make it sound like Danelle was merely a pawn in your game. Whatever her role was within the company, she was much more than that to us forumites. Please choose your words more carefully.

I don't mean this as a rant, just one man's opinion on the matter. Please take it in the spirit in which it's intended. Thank you.

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Kelly

SenatorsPlace.com
AKTI Member #A000289

Deo Vindice


 
I guess I am taking the middle ground on this. It was a rather abrupt announcement. Anytime bad news is announced in an abrupt manner, it comes across as harsh and uncaring. At the same time, whether we like it or not, sometimes the best way to deliver bad news is to do it quickly and be done with it.

This is very much like a family here. And, like in all families, things happen that evryone won't agree with, familiy members move on under strained circumstances. A good family will air their feelings and opinions and then move on. That's how I see this situation. I will miss Danelle being at Spyderco, but the rest of the family is still there. Maybe we'll get the chance to meet another member of the family and have a new friend. Change isn't always fun, but you have to make the best of it.

------------------
Paranoia is only smart thinking
when everyone is out to get you.


 
This is a really tricky situation.

I have recently come back into the Spyderco fold, after feeling that the knives were too common and low end. After playing in the high end knife area I can say I was wrong.

I will continue to to support Spyderco with my paychecks, and recommed them to friends.

Sal- it is your company, and you are there. You make the decisions that need to be made, and take credit for the good stuff and heat for the bad stuff. That takes balls. This commotion had to be expected, because you are a forward thinker. I am not sure that all the heat is justified, but we are emotional people. You seem to be just as disappointed in the forumnites and taking their tone. There are alot of assumptions and gruff feelings going around, and they are being voiced by people without a larger frame of reference. The bitterness, I think will die down, and life will calm down.

Danelle- you postings that I have seen were fairly positive and upbeat. You helped me make more than one crucial decision, and I appreciate it. Although we have only emailed and talked on the phone (on the week that I was there, did the White Russians help?) you are a friend of mine. The forumites are being supportive and jumping on your bandwagon. I am trying to avoid the knee jerk reaction of taking sides, because I thought you were neat before the cool sticker and the offer of the tour (Patrick was a little suprised tho').

I can separate Danelle the person and Spyderco. I have no idea if the customer service will be better/worse/the same, but that is something that time will tell. Danelle was neat and cool, even without all the help that she gave. If you talk to her you can see that.

While I am sad to see her go, I hope that she is happy, that Sal weathers the storm and that everyone makes the best of this situation.

Sorry, I got a little long (as usual)but I had to say this.

pat
 
To the Spyderco Family,

I was a customer before Danelle joined you and I'll be your customer into the foreseeable future. I shall also miss Danelle. I don't see any incompatibility there. I sincerely wish all of you and her a long and happy life.

Now, can we get back to those things that are our business, namely better steels, sharper edges, and beatuful designs?

Christopher
 
Kelly - Forgive me if my words sent the wrong message. I'm not trying to demean Danelle in any way.

If the announcement was less than ideal as you see it, I'm sorry if that offended you, The situation was not ideal either. hopefully we will never face this problem again, and if we do, I'm sure we will improve our methods. We never guarantee to be perfect...only to do our best.

I appreciate the support and the criticism.

I came into this forum in the middle of a Spyderco flame last December. I enjoyed the level of communication and the members participating, so I hung around. I accepted Mike & Spark's offer to moderate a Spyderco forum. Now, 9 months and more than 10,000 posts later I am still here, moderating the forum. Like you, I don't get paid to do this. I do it on my own time (often to the consternation of my lovely wife). I moderate this forum evenings and on weekends.

I'm sure there will always be decisions that Spyderco or I make that will not be liked by all. Greg62 & Yekim haven't purchased Spyderco products since January because they don't like our Advertising policy. Haven't heard much from Greg, but I communicate with Yekin regularly. I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions even if they don't agree with mine. I'm not going to hold that against anyone.

I also make mistakes, heck even the same one more than once. I've been accused of being wrong, but never of lying or being insincere.

I can understand that many are disappointed in the status change. Danelle is a nice person and made many friends during her time here. If some choose to reject Spyderco because of it, that is your choice. We will still try to make the best products we can and the Spyderco forum will still be here tomorrow. Customer service will be sorted out and will continue the same service that customer service has been doing for many many years.

sal
 
Welcome, Michelle!Believe it or not right now,we're a pretty friendly bunch,and I'm sure all of us wish you well.You work for a great company!

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"To grow older is inevitable.To grow UP is optional."


 
Sal - If such an unfortunate thing happens again in the future, perhaps it would be better/possible if YOU were to make the first announcement in softer terms, before Michelle or whoever makes the 'Human Resources'-advised 'official, legal' statement. Just a thought that may make things less emotional in another case.

Most of the posts (after the first, 'How dare you treat my sister that way!' ones) have been good. I think the forumites had to get it 'out of their system'. But we must remember something that has been said by Sal and others: Spyderco - even though it is a family, and one we feel a part of - is a business. And as a business decisions will be made that some/many/all of us 'extended family members' don't agree with. And even though we feel such a closeness with 'family' members, it's none of our 'business' why decisions are made. They're made because they have to be and because they're best for the business of Spyderco. And that's what's best for the whole 'family'.

Danelle is no longer part of Spyderco (though she's still around). There's nothing we can do to change that. We have to just accept it and go on. The products and quality of Spyderco haven't changed. It's still the same company. And even if Sal was to leave, (Sal, if you're reading this, don't leave, OK?
wink.gif
), most probably the products and quality would continue on as they are. Let's not lose our perspective.

We pray that Danelle is blessed by the Lord in her future endeavors.

And we welcome Michelle to a 'more involved' position here on the Spydie forum. Let's let bygones be bygones (both Danelle's departure and Michelle's previous negatively-received posts [guess I wasn't around for that - I don't remember anything about it]), and move forward.

Michelle - like AlaChoctaw said, we're really a pretty friendly bunch.
smile.gif
You just sorta caught us at a bad time. But welcome, and enjoy the forums with us!

"And this too shall pass." Life goes on. So does this forum and our Spydie family.

Now, when is that Trooper, ah, I mean that Regiment, ah, I mean that ... you know, the baby Military - when is that scheduled to make it's debut?

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Cutting through all the muck,
we get to what's really important.

John 3:3-7

God Bless You!
 
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