Legitimate Non-Threatening Questions Posed To Matt Nelson

[Red Hook]

Actually, I thought it would be interesting if say, during Baltimore in September, Brian and I did a little "on the floor" convention polling together to see if we could come up with some crude numbers. Just an hour or two, to get started.

 

Brad

[Mushroom]

Actually, I thought it would be interesting if say, during Baltimore in September, Brian and I did a little "on the floor" convention polling together to see if we could come up with some crude numbers. Just an hour or two, to get started.

 

Brad

 

Although not statistically correct or significant (have to put that in Brad just in case the lawyers come back later and cast stones), I think a straw poll would be excellent if you are both willing to give up the time. May I suggest that you decide on a -script between the two of you before hitting the floor so that all people being polled are being asked the same question in the same context.

 

It would be interesting to know:

 

What they collect

Have they heard of pressing

Would a pressed book affect the price that they would pay

If they found pressed books in their collection what would they feel.

 

I'm sure that other forum members could phrase the questions so as to eliminate as much biasness as possible.

[Ze-man]

Frankly I think the average collector STILL doesn't know what pressing is, and they don't care. I think the average HG collector knows what pressing is, and they don't care either.

 

How can a person know if they DONT like something, till they are made aware of it?

 

I agree with you , HG collectors are the ones most affected by NDP, but people who buy mid grades because that is all they can afford(especially key books) does not mean they should not know upon purchase if the book was pressed, nor does it mean they wont care once they found out.

Besides, since when are the minorities opinions pushed aside when people civily discuss a topic?

 

I thought that is who we are fighting for! The uninformed. Well at least the people who think pressing for profit is wrong that is.

 

Ze-

[Aman619]

why not use some of th emoney collected for EWERT ETC (or solicit new funds) to hire actual pollsters to do it?

 

MARK, YOU MUST KNOW OF real polling outfits... chances are there will be quite a few onsite in San Diego for Hollywood who might have a fee for an extra 4 or 5 questions to ask???

[FFB]

Frankly I think the average collector STILL doesn't know what pressing is, and they don't care. I think the average HG collector knows what pressing is, and they don't care either.

 

Another great post based on fact.........

 

I love how posters like yourself and FFB know so much that you can speak on behalf of the populace. The world wouldn't be safe without such wonderful advocates as yourself protecting all our interests.

 

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

[Flaming_Telepath]

Frankly I think the average collector STILL doesn't know what pressing is, and they don't care. I think the average HG collector knows what pressing is, and they don't care either.

 

Another great post based on fact.........

 

I love how posters like yourself and FFB know so much that you can speak on behalf of the populace. The world wouldn't be safe without such wonderful advocates as yourself protecting all our interests.

 

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

And how is the wife?

[Mushroom]

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

Well that would make one then...........

[Ze-man]

 

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

I agree that your name is FFB.. does that count?

 

 

[Ze-man]

Actually, I thought it would be interesting if say, during Baltimore in September, Brian and I did a little "on the floor" convention polling together to see if we could come up with some crude numbers. Just an hour or two, to get started.

 

Brad

 

 

I am sure the dealers would love you and Brian going around Polling people about pressing.

 

Average Con Goer- "They are doing WHAT to our books?"

 

Red- "Pressing them to improve them so they can charge more for them"

 

Average Con Goer - "So you say I should ask every dealer I see about every book I want to buy and what was done to it?"

 

Red- "Basically , yes"

 

 

Dealers in Unison- "Red, get out now!!!!."

[FFB]

why not use some of th emoney collected for EWERT ETC (or solicit new funds) to hire actual pollsters to do it?

 

MARK, YOU MUST KNOW OF real polling outfits... chances are there will be quite a few onsite in San Diego for Hollywood who might have a fee for an extra 4 or 5 questions to ask???

 

As a trademark infringement litigator who has dealt extensively with survey experts, I can tell you with 100% certainty that the money collected from EWERT ETC donors would not cover the initial phone calls with the survey expert to give them enough information to think about crafting the survey, let alone enough to get them to prepare and administer a survey. True survey experts are highly skilled people and are very expensive. Add to that the fact that there aren't that many of them in the US who actually have sufficient expertise to put together a good survey. The pool of experts who actually know what they're doing and whose surveys could actually stand up to cross-examination in court is so small that it would shock you if you realized how few there are.

 

The last full survey I did in a trademark lawsuit was in 2002. It was a relatively simple, three-question survey regarding the similarity between the display screens of two protocol analyzers. The pool of potential customers (the survey population) included about 200 people. It cost my client just a hair under $45,000.00 for the survey expert to design and administer the survey and to tabulate and analyze the results.

 

Anyone could put together an informal survey and pass it around, but to put together a survey that actually meant something would cost in excess of $50,000.00, and given how complicated the issues are and the number of people you'd need to include to arrive at a valid survey sample, probably well in excess of that. It would be awesome if we could do it, but I think it's fair to say that it's cost-prohibitive.

[FFB]

Frankly I think the average collector STILL doesn't know what pressing is, and they don't care. I think the average HG collector knows what pressing is, and they don't care either.

 

Another great post based on fact.........

 

I love how posters like yourself and FFB know so much that you can speak on behalf of the populace. The world wouldn't be safe without such wonderful advocates as yourself protecting all our interests.

 

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

And how is the wife?

 

Cheap shot!

 

Mods notified.

[FFB]

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

Well that would make one then...........

 

No, it's at least two now, thanks to Zeman.

[Red Hook]

Actually, I thought it would be interesting if say, during Baltimore in September, Brian and I did a little "on the floor" convention polling together to see if we could come up with some crude numbers. Just an hour or two, to get started.

 

Brad

 

 

I am sure the dealers would love you and Brian going around Polling people about pressing.

 

Average Con Goer- "They are doing WHAT to our books?"

 

Red- "Pressing them to improve them so they can charge more for them"

 

Average Con Goer - "So you say I should ask every dealer I see about every book I want to buy and what was done to it?"

 

Red- "Basically , yes"

 

 

Dealers in Unison- "Red, get out now!!!!."

 

Seriously, it would purely be an information gathering exercise and would not be about "spreading the word". The structure of the questionnaire would have to be neutrally phrased and something that Brian (or whoever joined me) and I would have to work out. It would not be about giving OUT information, just taking a very rough survey of who knows what if anything, in the current climate.

 

If someone were queried and didn't know anything about pressing, that would be it, and we'd move on. It wouldn't be about politicking. If they did happen to know about pressing, then that would lead to another question and so on.

 

In your examples above (I know, just posted in jest) I would never suggest that pressing was being done just to charge more. That would be editorializing and would have no place in a poll of this nature.

 

Galluping Red

[Flaming_Telepath]

Frankly I think the average collector STILL doesn't know what pressing is, and they don't care. I think the average HG collector knows what pressing is, and they don't care either.

 

Another great post based on fact.........

 

I love how posters like yourself and FFB know so much that you can speak on behalf of the populace. The world wouldn't be safe without such wonderful advocates as yourself protecting all our interests.

 

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

And how is the wife?

 

Cheap shot!

 

Mods notified.

 

Jeez...I've given you a lot worse [embarrassing lack of self control] than that.

 

Thought it was witty, myself, rather than my usual 'offensive'.?

[OldGuy]

How about me and Chris just walk around the convention with our CGC Newsletters and baseball bats. Everyone gets a news letter and anyone that is even suspected of undisclosed pressing also gets a whack on the melon.

 

I don't know if we would learn anything by doing this, but I bet we would do a lot of "teaching", not to mention it would make me feel a lot better about the issue.

[Mushroom]

If someone were queried and didn't know anything about pressing, that would be it, and we'd move on. It wouldn't be about politicking. If they did happen to know about pressing, then that would lead to another question and so on.

 

Galluping Red

 

I am not sure that that would provide anything more meaningful then understanding how many people already know about pressing. As for views from those who alre4ady know then we have already had straw polls already completed on these boards.

 

Surely it would be of benefit to get the great unwashed (already finely represented of their views by Foolkiller) to answer neutral based questions like:

 

Do you know what pressing is?

When I say the word pressing do you want to vomit or do your eyes go ching ching....(just kidding)

Have you ever pressed a book?

If you know about pressing then please rate how you feel about it (1-5 scale)

 

I am sure you guys could come up with 5 or 6 questions.

[jimm94]

why not use some of th emoney collected for EWERT ETC (or solicit new funds) to hire actual pollsters to do it?

 

MARK, YOU MUST KNOW OF real polling outfits... chances are there will be quite a few onsite in San Diego for Hollywood who might have a fee for an extra 4 or 5 questions to ask???

 

FFB Bloviation

 

Not to mention that taking money from the Ewert litigation fund, which a completely separate issue, would be highly inappropriate. People who donated to that did so with a specific purpose in mind. It's not Mark or anyone else's place to reallocate how those monies can be used. Soliciting new funds is obviously an option as Aman mentioned, but as Scott points out, professional polling is extremely expensive.

[Ze-man]

Actually, I thought it would be interesting if say, during Baltimore in September, Brian and I did a little "on the floor" convention polling together to see if we could come up with some crude numbers. Just an hour or two, to get started.

 

Brad

 

 

I am sure the dealers would love you and Brian going around Polling people about pressing.

 

Average Con Goer- "They are doing WHAT to our books?"

 

Red- "Pressing them to improve them so they can charge more for them"

 

Average Con Goer - "So you say I should ask every dealer I see about every book I want to buy and what was done to it?"

 

Red- "Basically , yes"

 

 

Dealers in Unison- "Red, get out now!!!!."

 

Seriously, it would purely be an information gathering exercise and would not be about "spreading the word". The structure of the questionnaire would have to be neutrally phrased and something that Brian (or whoever joined me) and I would have to work out. It would not be about giving OUT information, just taking a very rough survey of who knows what if anything, in the current climate.

 

If someone were queried and didn't know anything about pressing, that would be it, and we'd move on. It wouldn't be about politicking. If they did happen to know about pressing, then that would lead to another question and so on.

 

In your examples above (I know, just posted in jest) I would never suggest that pressing was being done just to charge more. That would be editorializing and would have no place in a poll of this nature.

 

Galluping Red

 

 

I keed I keed.

 

My joke was more in line with how many questions you will field after joe average first hears about pressing. There will obviously be some who have in depth questions, just like there were,and still are here. Or not, if BK is right. Eitherway, it would be interesting to see first hand.

 

I think it is a very valid idea, made even better since it can easily be accomplished. Me thinks me should make a new poll, asking everyone what should, or should not be on the "question list"

 

That way we can gather the "informed opinion" here that makes up this motley crew, and spread it around like a virus at the conventions!

 

Ze-

 

BTW - What is NDP done for then, if not for cash? You are not lying when you say that.Or for that matter even being biased. It is actually just a very true,and valid observation, one that even BK would have a hard time disagreeing with.

 

 

I know I know..shut up Kenny

[FFB]

Frankly I think the average collector STILL doesn't know what pressing is, and they don't care. I think the average HG collector knows what pressing is, and they don't care either.

 

Another great post based on fact.........

 

I love how posters like yourself and FFB know so much that you can speak on behalf of the populace. The world wouldn't be safe without such wonderful advocates as yourself protecting all our interests.

 

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

And how is the wife?

 

Cheap shot!

 

Mods notified.

 

Jeez...I've given you a lot worse [embarrassing lack of self control] than that.

 

Thought it was witty, myself, rather than my usual 'offensive'.?

 

I was just joshing with you about notifying the mods, Nick!

[Flaming_Telepath]

Frankly I think the average collector STILL doesn't know what pressing is, and they don't care. I think the average HG collector knows what pressing is, and they don't care either.

 

Another great post based on fact.........

 

I love how posters like yourself and FFB know so much that you can speak on behalf of the populace. The world wouldn't be safe without such wonderful advocates as yourself protecting all our interests.

 

I don't claim to speak for the entire populace. Just the ones who agree with me.

 

And how is the wife?

 

Cheap shot!

 

Mods notified.

 

Jeez...I've given you a lot worse [embarrassing lack of self control] than that.

 

Thought it was witty, myself, rather than my usual 'offensive'.?

 

I was just joshing with you about notifying the mods, Nick!

 

I thought I had a shot at going out in a martyred blaze of glory!