Mr. Smart is the Best Forum Poster [INTERNET HISTORY ITT]

[Segoris]

Kinda the definition of throwing someone under the bus... or at least positioning someone to stand in the street at the bus-stop while holding the schedule in your hand.

To that, I just figure we'll hear the same thing in his next post:

It is NOT plagiarism throwing someone under the bus.
And if it is plagiarism throwing someone under the bus, Serek Dmart didn't write do it.
And if he did write do it, GET A LIFE.

Also, I do love the following post on mmorpg:

I suspect Smart did not even write it. Why? Two paragraphs without mentioning himself.

[Velorath]

And now his most recent string of excuses and bullshit:

So on Sunday morning when I opened up my email, it was like a bomb had gone off in there. And that was even before I saw the "Alganon" Google alerts.

It started with an accusation of plagiarism by a little known blog site. Then it got picked up, completely and unprofessionally transformed by Massively in a news (!) bit no less and accusing Alganon of stealing a press release. Yah.

The rest is history.

Though Marti at PR Sirens has since issued a statement to the blog that first posted it, my official statement appears below.

Quote
"Quite frankly, this is much ado about nothing. In fact, traditionally, massively multiplayer online games have been about three basic gameplay pillars which include combat, exploration and character progression. These are
the basic principles of the RPG genre and by extension MMO games which are primarily in that genre.

John Smedley of SOE, actually uttered those same words in his New Orleans Fan Fair 2004 keynote speech which predates Ray Muzyka's own commentary in the 2008 press release for Bioware's upcoming Star Wars : The Old Republic MMO. John said "Traditionally, massively multiplier online games have been about three basic gameplay elements - combat, exploration and character progression. In Everquest 2, we've added a fourth element to the equation; a story"

Practically, every game related press release reads like the next one. Whether they're pushing an MMO, an FPS or an RTS game, the gist and context are the same - only words are mangled in order to avoid sounding like a broken
record. For example, the reference to "pillars" is a commonly used phrase in various structure driven disciplines (e.g. the government).

So that single referenced line that the PR Sirens used to precede my commentary was chosen as inspiration in order to convey the premise
of my quotes that followed. In truth, the reference should either have been reworded or credited and sourced. As I understand it now, that was the original intent; but they failed to make the change in their draft and which was to become the final version that went out on PRWeb. And since Quest Online - like most companies that hire outside PR firms - don't have to fact check press releases, we clearly had no idea what had happened until my inbox started lighting up on Sunday morning.

This was clearly an unintentional oversight and shouldn't even be news; but here we are. Just another glorious day in the gaming industry. It's all about hits and giggles.

By the by, so far I don't think anybody has been able to find evidence of the supposed Smedley quote from Fan Faire 2004 (even when you correct the multiplier misspelling).


Also, the PR guy who wrote the release made an appearance in order to fall on his sword:

The fault lies with me, not with Derek or Quest Online. I drafted the press release. As a CEO he looked it over, approved it, moved it forward. While drafting the quote, I looked for inspiration from other press releases, about MMOs. Yes, sometimes it is easier to write something up by using someone else’s thoughts as examples.

Alas, while doing so, I made a mistake of sending Derek an earlier draft of the press release where I added temporary a quote that best resonated the thoughts I wanted to express. And I fracked up in the process. it was never my intention to use the quote I did find. its too bloody original, to start with. I applaud the person behind the words. Few things catch my attention where quotes come to play and this one did.

But to me PR is not about press releases. Its about disseminating information about the game and the company. As such, quotes get cut from press releases 85-90%, as reporters make press releases theirs on regular basis, so maybe I should have drafted something less original or had Derek draft his own quote – like I usually do. Hell, he’s filled with great thoughts and ideas, and as you all know, he is not shy about sharing them. Its in part why I always wanted to work with him. Its great to work with someone who stands behind his company, his team and the product like he does. So its a pleasure to represent him and Alganon.

With all that said, I committed a terrible blunder, considering the fiasco under which Derek took over the company and all the work he put into the game and the work I’ve done to stir the coverage to the game away from other controversies. And here I created a new one. It certainly gives people more ammunition against Quest Online and Serek Dmart, which of course is easy done, considering the recent months. In the end it is about Alganon. The game stands on its own. It was an original concept built on ideas and examples of great games and today it stands on its own merits. Most players and the press who have delved into the game find it enjoyable and fun to play. Its worth every penny and more.

And its about me – I screwed up and will live with the consequences. As for PR, it did the game justice. The press release did the game justice. It provided the player with a high level overview of the game and highlighted the key points I wanted the gamer to get in advance to purchasing the game. Words of another company that best highlighted the points I wanted to make and did in a final draft that will never see the light of day.

I’m probably going to get fired for this blunder. And if that’s the course of action Derek takes, I’m ok with that. I stand up for my mistakes. And this one is mine.

[HaemishM]

Wow, it was hard to read that PR guy's mea culpa over the horrible grammatical errors and the copious amounts of Doctor Cock in his mouth.

[Velorath]

Also, I decided to take the challenge (quotes included so it would search for the exact phrase):

And if you really want to have fun with semantics, go ahead and run "Traditionally, massively multiplayer online games" through Google. Have fun with that.

The results:

Page 1: 9 results are stories about the whole plagiarism thing.  1 is a link to a site posting the SWTOR quote.

Page 2: 6 plagiarism.  4 SWTOR.

Page 3: 1 plagiarism.  9 SWTOR.

Page 4: 2 plagiarism.  8 SWTOR.

Page 5: All links are to SWTOR articles, except for a spam site.

Page 6: Starting to get some links to non-english sites.  All but one seem to reference the SWTOR press release.  That one, which I think might be in Portuguese, has the word Alganon in the title.

Last page: 1 SWTOR.  2 spam sites.


So if this challenge was to show that it's some extremely common phrase that gets thrown around by everybody, I think it has backfired a bit on the good Doctor.

[fuser]

But to me PR is not about press releases. Its about disseminating information about the game and the company. As such, quotes get cut from press releases 85-90%, as reporters make press releases theirs on regular basis, so maybe I should have drafted something less original or had Derek draft his own quote – like I usually do.

It's hard to take him seriously. The excuse for his plagiarism is saying he should be less original?

[Ixxit]

I think the PR Guy is Serek Dmart sock puppet #6549.  Sure sounds like him.

[Velorath]

I think the PR Guy is Serek Dmart sock puppet #6549.  Sure sounds like him.

She exists apparently, although from looking around, I'm left with the distinct impression that she is the entirety of PR Sirens.

[IainC]

I think the PR Guy is Serek Dmart sock puppet #6549.  Sure sounds like him.

She exists apparently, although from looking around, I'm left with the distinct impression that she is the entirety of PR Sirens.

There's a PR firm called Siren PR based in London and NY but I'm drawing a blank on PR Sirens except for this one person who appears to be the author of the mea culpa. Despite apparently graduating from San Jose State with a communications degree she writes appallingly poorly.

[Musashi]

He's got to be making this up. 

There's no way a PR person with a degree in communications doesn't capitalize the beginning of a sentence in a public statement.  A guy with a fake doctorate on the other hand...

A professional PR firm is definitely not using the word 'frak' in a public statement.  A nerd who makes space games on the other hand...

There are also many, many typos.  I don't think a professional is going to make those kinds of mistakes.  A retard who regularly  throws up on the internet on the other hand...

[IainC]

He's got to be making this up. 

There's no way a PR person with a degree in communications doesn't capitalize the beginning of a sentence in a public statement.  A guy with a fake doctorate on the other hand...

A professional PR firm is definitely not using the word 'frak' in a public statement.  A nerd who makes space games on the other hand...

There are also many, many typos.  I don't think a professional is going to make those kinds of mistakes.  A retard who regularly  throws up on the internet on the other hand...

I'm not going to link the pages in question because that's a dick move. However here are some quotes from her official (public) site and Facebook public wall:

    I have a passion for history and horses. I used to compete in endurance racing and I even made the [redacted] Team in 92. But that was then. Currently, I am a proud owner for a black Percheron gelding named Knight. Knight is an ex jousting horse who lost the passion for lance carrying, armor bearing jousters, who bounced their sticks on his head. I started Knight under saddle before he entered the jousting world and I fell in love with him from the start. When I heard of him retirement, I jumped at the chance to own him.

this is going to be one of those days. i wish it was in me to get drunk, but this unwillingness to loose control comes into play. I really wish I could just blink this day away.

[My dog] was ran a mock in the backyard. Today I finally figure out what the commotion was all about. My hunter didn't like a possum invading his territory. Sooo... well... he killed him. I'm sad for the possum, but proud of my hunter.

Friendship is a two way streak ... I'll burry you.

There is also some execrable fiction on the site which is full of spelling errors, poorly constructed sentences and leaden prose.

[Signe]

A two way streak.  Oh,  !

[Stormwaltz]

Despite apparently graduating from San Jose State with a communications degree she writes appallingly poorly.

I knew many comm majors in college. Not all of them excelled at the written word.

For that matter, though I'm an English major, I'm an appallingly poor presenter.

[RhyssaFireheart]

Despite apparently graduating from San Jose State with a communications degree she writes appallingly poorly.

I knew many comm majors in college. Not all of them excelled at the written word.

For that matter, though I'm an English major, I'm an appallingly poor presenter.

That may be true, but if you were writing an apology for a mistake such as this, wouldn't you take the time to proofread it at least once before hitting the post button?  Especially when replying in the guise of your occupation which happens to be media/PR/talking to people professionally.  Simple typos are one thing when tossing a quick update on the FB wall, but some of those mistakes are just horrible.

[palmer_eldritch]

I’m probably going to get fired for this blunder. And if that’s the course of action Derek takes, I’m ok with that.

If she works for a PR firm (as Serek said), I'm not sure why she thinks Serek makes the decision about whether she gets fired, as I assume he's not actually her boss. Even if he demands her head, the decision still lies with her employer. Unless it's a one-person firm and she means "lose the contract".

If he'd just said nothing, would anyone really care? A game's hype is the same as hype from another game a few years ago - does that make headlines? If he hadn't started publicly flailing around that is.

[IainC]

I’m probably going to get fired for this blunder. And if that’s the course of action Derek takes, I’m ok with that.

If she works for a PR firm (as Serek said), I'm not sure why she thinks Serek makes the decision about whether she gets fired, as I assume he's not actually her boss. Even if he demands her head, the decision still lies with her employer. Unless it's a one-person firm and she means "lose the contract".

If he'd just said nothing, would anyone really care? A game's hype is the same as hype from another game a few years ago - does that make headlines? If he hadn't started publicly flailing around that is.

It is a one-person PR firm.

[Abagadro]

The term "fired" is often used when clients terminate an outside consultant/attorney/accountant.

[IainC]

Amusingly the tag-line on the PR Sirens site is 'When YOUR reputation matters...'

[Ingmar]

I wonder how you actually hire PR Sirens, given the lack of contact information on that website?

[Draegan]

I am a horrific speller, but I usually remember to use spell check.

[UnSub]

Despite apparently graduating from San Jose State with a communications degree she writes appallingly poorly.

I knew many comm majors in college. Not all of them excelled at the written word.

This.

PR people are often appalling writers, but their aim is to have a quote or two the journalist can lift and insert straight into the article.

Given how quickly press releases are cranked out, the quality of writing is often less important than speed and contacts / exposure.

Of course, here's the irony: by continuing to comment on it, D-Sma keeps it alive.

[Sheepherder]

[My dog] was ran a mock in the backyard. Today I finally figure out what the commotion was all about. My hunter didn't like a possum invading his territory. Sooo... well... he killed him. I'm sad for the possum, but proud of my hunter.

Amok.  Meaning a violent bout of insane rage.  Originating in Malaysia.  Similar to the native American belief in Wendigo possession without the cannibalism.  Also conceptually similar to Berserk.  It's not fucking hard.

[Tmon]

[My dog] was ran a mock in the backyard. Today I finally figure out what the commotion was all about. My hunter didn't like a possum invading his territory. Sooo... well... he killed him. I'm sad for the possum, but proud of my hunter.

Amok.  Meaning a violent bout of insane rage.  Originating in Malaysia.  Similar to the native American belief in Wendigo possession without the cannibalism.  Also conceptually similar to Berserk.  It's not fucking hard.

Whenever someone mentions amok I think of this http://www.khmerkromrecipes.com/recipes/recipe157.html I wonder how it would work with possum?

[Musashi]

Wow.  Coconut and fish.  My two least favorite things.

[Falwell]

As for PR, it did the game justice. The press release did the game justice.

Ahahaha, you ain't fucking kidding sweetheart.

[schild]

Comm is the easiest major in school. The Art Studio majors at UMD used to make fun of them.

As an Art Studio major, I don't think we should be making fun of anyone except math majors, because they're nerds.

[Bzalthek]

Fuck you squared too, sir!  At least I know an isomorphism when I see one!

[Falconeer]

Amok.  Meaning a violent bout of insane rage.  Originating in Malaysia.  Similar to the native American belief in Wendigo possession without the cannibalism.  Also conceptually similar to Berserk.  It's not fucking hard.

Whenever someone mentions amok I think of this http://www.khmerkromrecipes.com/recipes/recipe157.html I wonder how it would work with possum?

Whenever someone mentions "amok" I think of this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6415041127658517732#

[Xuri]

http://warpcorebreach.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/where-theres-one-plagiarised-source/

[Murgos]

There's a PR firm called Siren PR based in London and NY but I'm drawing a blank on PR Sirens except for this one person who appears to be the author of the mea culpa.

So, what you are saying is that unoriginal thinking and ripping people off for their ideas and hard work is par for the course?

[NowhereMan]

I can understand cranking out huge numbers of words and making mistakes with press release crap or not noticing little things you throw on your FB wall but releasing public statements that haven't even been spell checked? Jesus does she only have wordpad to write things on or something?

[March]

I can understand cranking out huge numbers of words and making mistakes with press release crap or not noticing little things you throw on your FB wall but releasing public statements that haven't even been spell checked? Jesus does she only have wordpad to write things on or something?

What kind of tyrannical and unrealistic demands you people have... do you really expect Dmart to pay outside firms to _both_ Fact Check AND Proof-read (or proofread, if you prefer) public utterances on behalf of his company?  Seriously.

[Ollie]

Yes, yes, a thousand times yes. Quest Online has finally found a PR professional worthy of representing Alganon in all its derivative mediocrity. Best of all, her propensity for fuck-ups should keep Dmart knee-deep in interviews for the unforeseeable future. How could he resist?

[Murgos]

What kind of tyrannical and unrealistic demands you people have... do you really expect Dmart to pay outside firms to _both_ Fact Check AND Proof-read (or proofread, if you prefer) public utterances on behalf of his company?  Seriously.

Considering the revealed grammatical prowess of the PR firm (lol) I think DSmart wrote the press release.

[ashrik]

I know a few of you guys also use the SA forums. Apparently DSmart is poised to make an appearance "in a couple of hours" if any of you care to ruin your day that way. Games subforum

[Segoris]

Considering the revealed grammatical prowess of the PR firm (lol) I think DSmart wrote the press release.

Even if the grammar was 100% correct, I'd still be convinced it was Dmart after this little gem:

Hell, he’s filled with great thoughts and ideas, and as you all know, he is not shy about sharing them. Its in part why I always wanted to work with him. Its great to work with someone who stands behind his company, his team and the product like he does. So its a pleasure to represent him and Alganon.