Conspiracy theory

Scuttlebutt wouldn’t exist without our valuable sponsors. We feel our advertisers are among the best suppliers for the sport, and hope dearly that their support of Scuttlebutt is sufficiently reciprocated by the support our readers toward them.

We field countless inquiries for advertising information, and try our best to determine the motivation behind the inquiry. We do this partly to insure that the inquiring party has something of value, but also to insure that our advertising information isn’t getting into the hands of some evil empire. This is the conspiracy theory part. Not sure why it exists other than it being the nature of competition.

Often times, when we ask for more detailed information from the inquiring party, they never respond back. I guess this fuels the conspiracy theory. One recent request did respond back, and after explaining the purpose of their request, they provided some closing comments that meant so much to me, that I thought I would share them here:

“I'll sign off by complimenting you on your creation. Scuttlebutt is the most vital communication tool in sailing (other than talking to the crew). You've established a valuable franchise and a fiercely loyal following. It's a great example of establishing a real and tightknit electronic community that brings together people from all levels who care about the sport, and who are eager to share insights with each other. That's a serious accomplishment - the technology pundits have been promising for years that such communities would blossom, but, with the exception of a few political blogs for the Washington 'In' crowd, it hasn't happened. Scuttlebutt is a rare and wonderful exception.”

I would assume that after ten years of publishing Scuttlebutt, one of the ‘Curmudgeon’s Observations’ must have said something about never underestimating the value of a kind word. Just in case we have missed that bit of advice, I would like to offer here that saying something nice to someone that you don’t know might be really appreciated. I know I did. - Craig Leweck