As some of u may have read online, Housequake has been...sanitized by Prince's henchmem...

I don't post there, but all this web sheriff and no fan taken photos shit is the worst thing an artist can do to fans...especially fan forum that are the best gathering places for us fans who are scattered all over the over the world (The closest Prince fan I have is Pandurito...and he lives the country next to mine...)

If Prince does the same shit to the org, I think I will be mad...matronik mad.

Sorry for these words...but I had to say them. Believe it or not, prince.org is my most beloved forum in the www universe (I thinks that's why I always return...)

hey i'm having a deja-vu

who knows...

all we can do is enjoy the now.

oops, didn't see this. Housequake is on holiday for a week until further notice?

Shame. It's good to have a few sites to discuss events and news.

the Purple Police are out in force. I'm suprised they haven't hit you guys over here yet. I think Prince is being plain silly - but there seems to be no stopping his attacking of fan sites.

so, yes, i think the .org has the same chances as any other site right now of falling under P's scrutiny.

Just plain ridiculous in my eyes

Someone mentioned pics posted on Housequake that were taken during his concerts. (this might be wrong)
IF that's the case, the site should have known better. Photos are banned during performances.
I'm not worried about the org. The mods are pretty good about enforcing site rules on contraband. Plus, one of the mods is an attorney,(although doesn't represent the site) and there's a reasonable approach to legalities. Everything is clear regarding posts, and deleted, when rules are broken.

Step back a moment and contemplate the sheer lunacy of it:

Fan sites attacked by the artist they honor.

The whole thing is just so ridiculous...

Prince is an idiot. Great musician. But still an idiot.

it's really weird that Prince's control has caused the site to go away right now. Housequake.com is more connected to Prince news, reviews, and interviews and such than the org... and now it's been driven to take rest.

Where does the responsibility lie?
IF photos taken at a concert, despite warnings, were indeed posted at Housequake, who's to blame for Prince taking action?
Some countries take liberties with US and International law. Look at patents, for instance. A pharmaceutical company will spend tens of millions of dollars developing a drug, only to have China duplicate it and sell it for less. With no research , no investment, nada.....It's exploitive. Period.

There's a lot of negativity bantered about on these "fan sites"... I wonder if that's what Prince isn't really after?

He might be trying to narrow his fanbase. Who knows what's on his purple mind.

In any case, it's always interesting!

Frankly i can see where he's coming from ;
at HQ they had their own watermark in those pictures and people were told not to use them without permission
ironic isn't it

and yes indeed they allowed pictures taken at the O2

but on the other hand they are his fans
[Edited 10/1/07 9:46am]

from what I was told:

taking pictures at the venue was not ILLEGAL, it was just against their rules. Kind of like putting your feet up on a table might be against the rules at someone's house, but it is not against the law.

I AM REALLY UPSET ABOUT THE WHOLE HQ ISSUE. I HAVE BEEN A MEMBER OF BOTH SITES FOR A FEW YEARS. I REALLY LIKE .ORG BUT I CONSIDER MYSELF A QUAKER. DUE TO HTE RECENT FIASCO OVER AT HQ. I HAVE DECIDED TO MOVE IN WITH YOU GUYS! i HOPE THIS IS ALRIGHT.
I LOVE THE .ORG AND KNOW THAT WE ARE ALL FAMILY!
THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST PRINCE SITES ON THE WEB...I GUESS IT IS THE BEST NOW THAT MY BELOVED HQ IS GONE.!

TO ALL MY .ORG FAMILY I SAY HELLO!!!!!
AND TO ALL MY FELLOW QUAKERS.....HELLO AND NICE TO SEE YA HERE!!!!!

xplnyrslf said:

1. It started long before and is not just about the O2 pictures (which btw were not illegal to post).

2. One of the mods at HQ is an attorney too and they tried the "reasonable approach" tactic as well.

3. The Org could very well be next (I wouldn't be surprised). The difference will be that the Org will give into the legal demands, even if they are unfounded.

DevotedPuppy said:

You, my friend, do not represent the Org nor should you speak on its behalf.

sosgemini said:

You're right. I'm not speaking on the Org's behalf. Everything I posted is my opinion...that's the standard disclaimer, right? All users take responsibility for their posts....and my opinion is that the Org will comply with legal demands.

DevotedPuppy said:

your funny.

sosgemini said:

Thank you--I'll be here all week! (insert rim shot sound here)

DevotedPuppy said:

i agree - the org probably will comply with legal demands, at least to the extent to which the purpose of this site is not unreasonably compromised. i think the org's special "angle" in the fan community is primarily that of a social outlet - hence the tag "online fan COMMUNITY" under the logo - and while HQ may have been a more reliable source to talk shop, watch videos, check out the latest pics, etc., i think the org's most notable resource has been to serve as a virtual meetingplace to simply get to know other people who are fans of prince's work...and not necessarily within strict confines of ONLY talking about prince's work. i think when prince's camp tries to break up THAT functionability of the org, then it'll be challenged. until then, i don't feel that the org has ever had a special investment in the kind of material prince is trying to put the kibbosh on, and as such, if someone posts a no-no on here, it's really not a huge issue for us to comply with his wishes.

and i'm not speaking on behalf of the org or the other mods - i'm just rambling on from my own personal rickety brainbox.

First Reaction : Welcome to the wonderful world of being a Prince Fan!

nevermind
[Edited 10/1/07 12:32pm]

Heiress said:

I think a lot of the negative connotations come from things Prince Does to his Fan Base.

Anxiety said:

good call! Although, this used to be good info too with connected people... Basically what it amounts to is that Prince himself actually checks out Housequake much more often, and is now using it as part of his arsenal of outlets.

ufoclub said:

I hardly doubt P checks it himself. More likely one of his P-Fams did.

superspaceboy said:

no the mods have admitted that even Prince himself checks things and notifies his lawyer. He has also reportedly posted on there before. There is also much communication behind the scenes.

At this time "Websheriff" is even randomly posting here and there (even after initially being banned). Housequake actually banned Prince or any of his hired hands from posting, but have now agreed to let them join and post and view stuff.

Doesn't this all sound incredibly contradictory?
[Edited 10/1/07 12:54pm]

MikeMatronik said:

In a word....NO.

DevotedPuppy said:

1. I assumed there was more to it, than just the pics at O2.

2. HQ was on the losing end of a conflict. They must have been doing something wrong. Elsewise, the Prince reps would have been ignored, and it would be business as usual.

3. You don't "give in" to legal demands. You comply with existing law or suffer the consequences.....

I'm really responding to the limited info I have about the subject.
I think Prince is being petty, by the way.