A CASE OF MISTAKEN DOMAIN IDENTITY
Aaah, this one is just too precious!
I got this OUT STANDING email from one of my very special loyal readers.
Hi Seth,
Sorry this is quite long but well worth the read.
Basically 2 colleagues of mine found this website www.thefirstworldwidewebsitewerenothinghappens.com and one of them picked up that there was a typo in the domain name so they asked me to register the domain with the correct spelling. Which I did. On Monday late afternoon.
What follows is what transpired between 3:30pm and 10:43pm yesterday as a result of the above.
Check out the links to the pictures in two of the emails below, they are hilarious.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 3:29 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: HELPHi,
My name is João Geada and i developed early this month a website for KitKat with the url: www.thefirstworldwidewebsitewherenothinghappens.com
I discovered yesterday that the url got a mispelling. On the word WHERE is WERE and when i try to solve it i as aware that you guys registered this url.
I’m in trouble with my client and i want to know if you can help me by selling it to me.Thanks for your help
Cheers
João
++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 1:40 PM, Bruce Wright <Bruce@mnemonic.co.za> wrote:How much is it worth to you?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 3:43 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPDue to the crisis, the less possible;)
50€?++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 2:01 PM, Bruce Wright <Bruce@mnemonic.co.za> wrote:I’m also in a huge crisis.
How about 5000€?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 3:57 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPi dont have that kind of money. Come on, do me a fair price. I’ll have to pay it from my pocket and i’m just a freelancer.
Please…
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: Bruce Wright
Sent: Tue 2009/02/03 04:02 PM
To: joao geada
Subject: RE: HELPOK. 1000€? FINAL?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:04 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELP200€
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 4:12 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPBe a Obama man. I’m in trouble. I’ll hold you in gratitude for the rest of my life and, one, day, i’ll repay it;)
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 5:06 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPBruce?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 6:24 PM, Bruce Wright <Bruce@mnemonic.co.za> wrote:How about asking your client to pay half?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 8:11 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPCan you contact me please?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tue 2009/02/03 08:20 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPMy client refuses to pay for my mistake. Please man, be a pal.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 8:25 PM, Bruce Wright <Bruce@mnemonic.co.za> wrote:Nice clients you have!
Alex seems to think so too.
What’s your phone number and I’ll possibly contact you?
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tue 2009/02/03 08:43 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELP
[gives number]
++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 8:49 PM, Bruce Wright <Bruce@mnemonic.co.za> wrote:Joao,
Do me a favor and I’ll gladly hand over the domain. Take a photograph of yourself holding up a sign saying “Thank you Bruce Wright from Mnemonic” and post it on http://www.thefirstworldwidewebsitewerenothinghappens.com/MnemonicRocks and the domain is yours.
I don’t want your money. I’ve looked into your profile etc. and from what I can ascertain is you are possibly a nice guy. What I’m asking for above is just a little bit more sweat just to make sure you don’t make such a stupid mistake again.
We can then sort this out and you’ll be out of the shit.
Regards
Bruce
++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 8:58 PM, joao geada <joaogeada@gmail.com> wrote:DONE!!!!
++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 8:59 PM, joao geada <joaogeada@gmail.com> wrote:You’re a great guy and yes, i’m pretty stupid;)
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 9:46 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPhttp://www.thefirstworldwidewebsitewerenothinghappens.com/MnemonicRocks/
It’s online. Check it out.
Tell me how do we do the ‘transaction’ please.
Cheers
++++++++++++++++++++++++
On Tue, Feb 3, 2009 at 9:52 PM, Bruce Wright <Bruce@mnemonic.co.za> wrote:Ok. Thank you. You’re a legend. True.
In terms of transferring the domain – apply for the transfer and I’ll vote on the ticket.
But before I do that, can I ask you for one more bit of punishment (because I can).
Please take another photo of you and the team behind you in the last photo holding up a sign saying:
Hello Jade, sleep tight!
Hello Lesley, sorry for distracting your husband.
Hello Seth. 2Oceansvibe.com rocks.
Viva South Africa.
Cape Town rocks. Obama Rocks.
Do that, send me the link and I promise the domain is yours.
++++++++++++++++++++++++
From: joao geada [mailto:joaogeada@gmail.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 03, 2009 10:05 PM
To: Bruce Wright
Subject: Re: HELPIt’s in my blog;)
http://thekingoflalaland.blogspot.com/
ABSOLUTELY UN BE LIEVABLE!!
Hah! Bruce Wright from Mnemonic, you are a first class BEAUTY.
Good work there, and welcome to the “GOLD FAMILY” of loyal 2oceansvibe readers (strictly reserved for readers who go above and beyond the call of 2oceansvibe).
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51 Comments
Luca
18 Feb 2009
Bruce, what a class act! Kudos.
jeanne
18 Feb 2009
Legend!
Rsvdog
18 Feb 2009
Stuff of movies I tell you!! That’s classic…
Andre
18 Feb 2009
This is absolutely priceless – well done!:)
Deems
18 Feb 2009
Classic – how a WTF? can be turned into a FTW!
Josephine
18 Feb 2009
Bruce you are a Howick LEGEND dude!
GavinDN
18 Feb 2009
goodwon bluce!! humour!
Mox
18 Feb 2009
Good humour. The power of leverage
Alex
18 Feb 2009
The Spelling Error Spotters:
http://kingjamesblog.typepad.com/welcome_to_king_james/2009/02/confession.html
Chris M
18 Feb 2009
Bro, that’s just priceless! Big up for handing over the domain free of charge, respect.
Ah man, I’m having such a good laugh
Simko
18 Feb 2009
Good humor, good people.
Bongani Bondi
19 Feb 2009
classic … kudos for a great lark
Ryan
19 Feb 2009
I find this kind of behaviour from a digital agency to be less than decent. And to make a public spectacle out of it makes it even more embarrassing for them. You don’t go around sabotaging other people’s campaigns, especially when I’m sure this digital agency has made many mistakes of its own. Should we start exposing THEIR mistakes in public for a good laugh? Low class. I don’t like this at all.
Seth
19 Feb 2009
MY
WORST
KIND
OF
PERSON
Ryan
19 Feb 2009
Oh really? So you think this kind of thing IS funny?
Let’s have a laugh then shall we:
twooceansvibe.com was registered THREE YEARS after you started 2oceansvibe.com. What a clever boy he was, taking advantage of your stupidity. Damn that’s funny. BWAHHAHAHAHAHAHAhahah hoooo hhaaaaa hahahahahahah hhooooo hoooo hooo.
In Mnemonic’s case, look at this stunner of a joke for their client Bell’s Whisky: bellswhiskey.co.za was registered by another jester of a guy, when Mnemonic should’ve registered the alternative spelling for their client if they weren’t as stupid as the Kit Kat guy. Woooooooo hahahahahhahahahahaha.
Man, what a laugh.
Johnny
19 Feb 2009
I don’t like it either. The guy makes a silly error attributable to the fact that English is not his first language, so first Bruce tries to screw him out of money and then he calls him stupid and humiliates him. Then he makes the guy act like a clown to generate some publicity for himself. And he’s a legend for this?
Christiaan
19 Feb 2009
This is awesome!
The fact of the matter is, if you’re a dumbass, you will be called upon it, that’s just how life word! I couldn’t care less about humiliating a person that justifies the action.
Well done Bruce!
idale
19 Feb 2009
Remote Humiliation – I think we’ve coined Web 3.0…
Bruce
19 Feb 2009
If you’d like to know the absolute truth then listen up. At one point in the email conversation I thought I was been taken by Alex (the person who asked me to register the domain) so I emailed
“Nice clients you have!
Alex seems to think so too.
What’s your phone number and I’ll possibly contact you?”
There were only 3 ways that I could catch her if it was her:
- the phone number returned was a local number
- as she didn’t own the domain with the mistake in it (I did a lookup) she would not be able to add any content using that domain.
- I would recognise the person in the photo
Joao was fantastic and continues to be, we have had further conversations and I can assure you he’s absolutely fine. This was his last email:
Hi mate,
To complete the transfer of the domain, ‘my guys’ keep me asking for the EPPkey. Can you put me in touch with ‘your guys’?
If i got a gold cannes lion for this job, i will scream your name on stage;)
Cheers
J
P-lo
19 Feb 2009
ref to Ryan’s “pain point”. For the guys in this industry the humour is priceless, as for Ryan’s issue, I’m sure there’s an excel spreadsheet he could merge cells and sum-up to keep himself busy. Nice work Bruce.
Ryan
19 Feb 2009
P-lo, you just don’t get it and never will. Shame.
Ryan
19 Feb 2009
Oh and just for the record, I *am* in the digital industry. But I don’t screw people over and flaunt power over them by making them pose like 419 scammers. If you do, I hope your clients never find out about it or end up on the receiving end.
Bruce
19 Feb 2009
Ryan, you seem to be pretty peturbed by this.
I mailed Joao earlier and below was his response. Feel free to contact me directly if you wish and I can possibly help put your mind at ease.
Hi Bruce,
No problem. I actually enjoy the ‘happening’. It was a lot of fun. But i still havent got the eppkey. Can you please check it out?
cheers
J
On Thu, Feb 19, 2009 at 10:23 AM, Bruce Wright wrote:
Hi Joao,
I hope you’re fine. Is everything sorted out with the domain on your side? And, I honestly never had any intension of causing you any humiliation. You cool?
Cheers
Bruce
Olive
19 Feb 2009
Ryan, Ryan, Ryan.
Why would Mnemonic register “whiskey” with the “e” when the SCOTTISH equivalent is “whisky”. Wanna start having people thinking Bells is an Irish whiskey?? Huh?
Clearly you know nothing about brand integrity?
Feel sorry for the poor guys you work for. May their brands never touch your paws. OR are you a one-bit designer / coder which holds a grudge?
I say one up for Bruce.
Ryan
19 Feb 2009
Good grief Olive but you’re dumb.
Do you think the average consumer knows the difference in spelling, or cares for that matter?
Do you think Bells is happy to lose thousands of visits per month due to the fact that Mnemonic didn’t register the domain?
Do you think Coke should’ve just ignored the recent mycoke.co.za debacle and said “anyone who drinks coke knows that they should go to cocacola.com, and screw them too if they don’t”?
The fact that you endorse this kind of ostrich old school mentality just goes to prove how dense you are, and how poorly off your clients must be.
Carry on laughing over this kind of thing and boozing it up at the ad agency bar from 2pm on a Friday. Your clients will probably never know the difference … until a hungrier, smarter agency enlightens them. When that happens, I hope you remember this conversation.
Bruce
19 Feb 2009
Ryan. Diageo registers their own domains. We are not at liberty to register domains on their behalf. We recommended that they register derivatives back in 1999 when we took on the business. Debate over. Ryan if you’ve got an axe to grind – drop me a line dude.
jose
19 Feb 2009
jeez dude. are you tapping into peoples email adresses here. seems you are too close to this mneumonic thing for comfort
as seth says above
MY
WORST
KIND
OF
PERSON
Ganoosh
19 Feb 2009
Why are you taking yourself so seriously Ryan! No one else does!
P-lo
19 Feb 2009
Ryan, I’ll but http://www.ryanneedsaholiday.aiy, especially for you pal, for free, with arrows pointing to it. It’s YOUR day pal. Take it easy and spread the vibe, just like Bruce.
griff
19 Feb 2009
Ryan, just go back to being a geek. You can’t be a geek and a poes at the same time. That’s my job.
There can only be one.
(Queue Highlander theme music)
Seth Rotherham
19 Feb 2009
Check out the chicks who found the spelling mistake in the first place!
http://kingjamesblog.typepad.com/welcome_to_king_james/2009/02/confession.html
THAT, my friends, is damn funny!
Jose
19 Feb 2009
hey post 31. you are not seth. Go up to the real seth’s post 14 and you will see how the real seth posts.
nice try……..
AVT
Eugenic
19 Feb 2009
Ryan
my god man, you are FUNNY. (I hope you noticed the upper case typing, which suggests that I shouted the last word)
In my highly paid, yet moderately taxing financial services job, I employ many really smart people. Interestingly, none of them ever find the need to comment negatively on other peoples’ intelligence (unlike you). They merely smile knowingly. in your case, they are all smiling. Why do you think that is?
Eugenic
19 Feb 2009
Ryan
1 last thing – don’t be angry because you are poor and can’t afford all the nice things I have, rather lower you expectations to match your ability. There there my boy, don’t believe everything mummy promised
The Cartoonist
20 Feb 2009
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!! Is this Ryan dude SERIOUS??!! An ability to face your mistakes and laugh about them is an extremely admirable quality and what life is all about. Poor Ryan doesn’t sound like a vewy happy bunny, awwwww. Come now wittle fuwwy bunny, take the carrot out your ass. Good bunny.
Phil
20 Feb 2009
Ryan….you take life way too serious bud. I’m just smiling…knowingly. Awesome job Bruce – great sense of humour!
Nick H
20 Feb 2009
Like sands through the hour glass…. so are the days of our lives…. da da da daaaa da! Ryan take your thumb out your ass and stop being so serious, its the weekend, you can get back on to it on Monday!
James
20 Feb 2009
The whole thing was done in bad taste. I agree with Ryan that as an agency, Mnemonic should have had more integrity. The fact that they are gloating about it so much and doing little follow up posts like they’ve won a fucking Oscar suggests that this is the best thing that’s happened at the Mnemonic offices in a while. Why don’t you focus on doing some WORK that you can gloat and be proud of. You guys have a shit rep in the industry and most of the people I know don’t even want to applying there. Bum taps all round for the spelling bees.
Craig
20 Feb 2009
Thats friggin hilarious. truly classy shit.
Tho I can see where Ryan is getting his attitude from, most likely because Bruce thought to try and make money from it(jokingly of course). And stalled joao geada from resolving the issue as fast as possible(as like he said, it was for a client). Bruce you took advantage of it, for humour. Which is fucking funny. But some may think its truly degrading. Many will in fact. So in a sense, its a bit of a dick thing to do. But joao geada wasnt a tight arse, so all is well.
We all make mistakes, and we all have different personalities which can affect how we react to these situations. I found it truly funny, Ryan didnt. And thats that. There isnt much reason to try and debate the humour involved. Not everything I find funny, is funny to others.
But perhaps joao geada shouldn’t have his dignity attacked becos of it. That incorrect domain, should maybe have a forwarder to the legit domain. Thats more professional and helpful?? Instead of using it as and attempt to gain personal satisfaction from taking the piss outa someone.
Anyways, Just chill out Ryan dude. It was a joke, and joao geada didnt mind. If he did, then it would exactly be funny. And Bruce would more so look like some stupid jock picking on skinny dude with glasses.
fuckit.. Funny shit.
Loving Ryan
20 Feb 2009
Ryan you are a wet blanket. Wet like the underpants of a perv. Please accept my sympathy on account of you being a sorry soul. Good luck to you in life… when you get one that is.
Fly Fishing South Africa
20 Feb 2009
Good work!
Ryan chill!
All worked out in the end. Finny stuff.
Eattherich
20 Feb 2009
Eugenic: “In my highly paid, yet moderately taxing financial services job..” Jeez, the arrogance is just dripping off the page. Someone who measure’s a person’s worth by how much money they make is my “worst…kind…of…person.”
Craig
20 Feb 2009
whahaa ye “highly paid yet moderately taxing” …Am i missing something here? Sounds kinda… contradictory. lol
Very patronizing…
d-_-b
20 Feb 2009
James,
Well said, i agree with you apart from the slander on the company, try keep it unbiased before you start sound like Eugenic
GavinDN
20 Feb 2009
Ryan, there’s a little game called “hide and go fuck yourself” go play you arrogant prick!
David
20 Feb 2009
Ryan,
One of my mates registered the ‘mycoke’ website. He did this way before coke even thought of registering any such/similar website. His website was listed as the official coke fest website by some of the bands involved, as well as the BBC in the UK. Is this his fault for seeing a gap in the market, so to speak, or is this the fault of the marketing company for a large international brand getting careless/lazy etc etc, whilst still collecting enormous fees?
If a marketing company, getting paid huge percentages of cash can act as incompitent/careless, would you want them representing your brand?
I say punish them. Get them to up their game, do some work, instead of sitting back and collecting on nothing!
Register what you can, it could turn out more fruitfull than the Zimbabwian lottery.
Ryan, cry us a river and grow up, this is the real world mate. Dont run with the big dogs if you piss like a puppy!
Len
20 Feb 2009
It’s like a bunch of retards trying to fuck a doorknob out there…
Luca
23 Feb 2009
Im not even going to bother reading any further in the debate. I read what wankface Ryan said and that was enough.
Definitely the worst kind of person. Look at the basic facts moron – a bit of humour had by all, including Joao, to shed a bit of laughs on what could have been a potentially big fuck up for Joao. What’s wrong with bringing some light hearted jest into the workplace.
Get of your high horse, you are no hero rescuing anyone from ridicule. Im sure Joao is mature enough to enjoy a laugh at his own expense.
“If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
Dean
23 Feb 2009
HAHAHA. This is funny shit. Ryan you are the kind of people society loves to have because you provide this kind of humour. Bruce, killer man. That was damn quick and I doubt you ever intended of getting cash from the guy. Such a pity Ryan hasn’t been back here for awile.
Anyway, the Kit Kat website idea is so brilliant it deserves a Lion at Cannes and what Bruce did was also priceless. Both did brilliantly. Ryan, when last did you come up with anything your mom was even proud of? Let’s see where you work please? Easy to diss Mnemonic but prove where you work in the industry please? Let’s see the (great) work you do…
Alex
23 Feb 2009
Just so y’ulle know, Bruce never intended on making money off Joao. This was what we originally intended to do with the correctly spelt URL:
http://mybrandedlife.wordpress.com/2009/02/19/oh-its-on/
May this revelation let Ryan rest in peace.
Love y’ulle
xxxx
Jenny and Alex
Tanya
29 Jul 2009
Why am I still reading this blog? A monkey eating his own poo is more entertaining and that same monkey would produce a better blog! My blog is insightful and thought provoking and I can barely get any readers. It says something about the general public when they’d rather read about your pathetic scam on some poor guy! Yassus I’d tell you to get a life but I’m afraid it wouldn’t help! Shame, it must be the years of not getting laid that’ve made you this way.
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