As most of my regular readers know, I love hypnosis . . . all types. I am a certified hypnotherapist and I also love performance hypnosis. As part of my love of stage hypnosis, I maintain a number of resources on stage hypnotists among others. Until very recently, I maintained a list of stage hypnotists on the web. Taipei Hypnotic Stage Hypnotism has a number of hits and until now I would get requests from hypnotists for me to add their names.

In fact, I have maintained this resource site since 1996 and no one had ever requested that their name be removed from the list . . . until today . . . when I received the first and only request by someone to remove their name. To top it off, it’s the rudest and most offensive email I’ve ever received regarding online resources. Don’t let me tell it . . . here are his exact words:

From: s_l_s@pro___ings.com
To: p_____s@n__u.ed_.t_
Subject: re: S_e_e M__d_, hypnotist on your site!!!!!!!!!!!
Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 00:49:47 -0700

You do not have my permission to list me OR have a link to my site on your site.

You are to cease and desist this immediately!!!!

You must also remove my name from any meta-tags or coding in your website. You are also not allowed to use my name in any search engine submissions.

You are stealing hits away from my site by using my name on your site and in your search engine submissions. I am a webmaster as well as a hypnotist – I know what you’re doing. VERY SNEAKY. VERY ILLEGAL – WHEN YOU DON’T ASK.

You have 48 hours to comply before I sick my lawyer on you, GOT IT!?!?!?!?

I’m not trying to be a dick, but you never asked me. I don’t allow it either, so please comply.

Consider this fair warning.

Thanks!

St___ M__de
www.pro____ings.com
5__-7__-8__3
s_les@pro____ings.com

Naturally, I have removed the fellow’s name from my site. I have also removed his name from this post so as not to give him any unfair hits. However, I would like to point out that he doesn’t really know what he’s talking about as a webmaster. Search engines such as Google increase rank placement based upon how many pages refer to your page. So, if more folks link to you, the higher your ranking. So, if my site mentioned his name and had a link to his pages then his search placement will be higher. Also, since I had a link to his site, folks who searched for a stage hypnotist and found my site would know to go to him. Since my site is a stage hypnosis resource site, it is more likely folks would go to it than to a site that is based only on a person’s name.

Oh well, obviously he is an experienced webmaster and knows what he’s talking about. Of course, it is interesting that a professional entertainer would not want folks to mention him on their pages. Where I come from, publicity is something an entertainer seeks.

However, since he so politely asked me . . . out of the blue with no preamble . . . I have taken his name off my site. This is partly out of respect for his desire to remain unknown and linkless on this great beast we call the internet and partly out of a desire not to inflict his rather endearing personality upon others.

I have removed his name and the links from this post so as to continue to respect his desire to not have his name spread about the internet and also so I don’t accidentally increase traffic to his site. I really wouldn’t want folks to think he’s a rude arrogant loud mouthed d*mb*ss st*pid f**k either. It is my exreme personal desire that folks not draw this conclusion regarding him and I would certainly never say that here or anywhere else on the internet.

Of course, I have removed his name from my site merely as a courtesy. Legally, I am within my rights to link to his site. There are no protections against folks linking to a website. Since I have never used his name in any meta-tags or search site submissions, his request that I not do so is silly and his fantasy that I would somehow wish to use his name to increase hits to my page is rather vainglorious and silly. To accuse someone of such unethical behavior in a blanket statement when any look at the code for the page clearly shows it is not the case, is a whole lot of bullshit. Why would I use the name of a third rate half-assed performer who erroneously uses the moniker “America’s Funniest Hypnotist” when he is most certainly not even in the top fifty to increase my hits when I could use references to some very top notch wonderful hypnotists to do that . . . assuming mentioning Frank Santos, Marshal Sylver, Martin St. James, Tom Silver, Paul McKenna, Jerry Valley, Don Mottin, and others would have that sort of an effect with a much higher rate of return than this guy’s name could ever produce. Of course, if my stage hypnosis site was only about promoting myself, then I would only have my own material there with no mention of or links to other stage hypnotists.

Now, had his request been polite, I wouldn’t have felt the need to post about this. I would have just removed his name and left it at that. I would be a little bit curious as to why someone who works as a professional performer would want to lower his positive publicity but I would have cut the name anyway. As it is, since he was so overwhelmingly dickish about the whole thing, I feel I must at least point this out.

One interesting thing, other than that single link in the list of stage hypnotists online and a couple bad reviews I just found online after receiving this rather offensive email, I never even heard of the guy.

In any case, I have removed the link . . . I would also strongly suggest that anyone else who might have a link to this guy take theirs down too just so they can avoid any of his wrathful missives in the future as well. Of course, I will save his email . . . so I know that in the future if anyone ever asks me to refer them to a stage hypnotist, I know never ever refer them to this guy. I wouldn’t tell others not to refer him either as they can make up their own minds but I certainly wouldn’t and won’t and would encourage anyone I know to not do so either. Of course, if you, dear reader, ever are in need of a stage hypnotist . . . the choice is entirely up to you. You can choose to go with a pleasant competent and entertaining stage hypnotist or . . . if you choose to . . . you can hire a rude self-important dumbass. The choice is yours.

Those of you who know me personally or who are regular readers of my blog or essays know that I don’t usually get quite so peckish but this guy set me off.

Sheesh!