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I shall always be loyal to this site. The buddies here have taught me so much about different topics. When you have a great thing others will try and copy only to fail when they are less than the original.
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Hello Greg -
Very interesting! Although I do not know who you are talking about the story remain the same. The scuba industry - like many others is completely disfunctional when it comes to cooperating for the betterment of the whole. It really is sad. Dive shops condemn the internet sales of equipment. Agencies are going at other agencies. Advanced divers at times look down their noses at those just starting out.....on and on and on. Ifringement can be illegal which is not the same as simple envy - which is clearly what your competition is experiencing. While I know it exasperating for someone to steal your ideas, and that is what this is! You should also be flattered by the "copycat". You have done a great job with Divebuddy. Thats all I have to say....its Saturday morning.......I’m going diving now!
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Gini - 5/19/2012 8:32 AM 
All I can say is that if they do as "good" of a job as they did with their regular website, you have nothing to worry about. It’s horrible!
Be flattered and don’t worry!
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Your stuck with me !!!!!
This is my dive home !!!!!
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Alright, who are we talking about? I don’t know, but would like to know.
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Greg - 5/19/2012 11:07 PM
Thank you for the comments and kind words. I didn’t really have a doubt that divebuddy members would remain a part of this community. I’m more frustrated with the lack of ethics and good business sense with some companies. I would rather encourage and promote innovation, instead of take someone else’s ideas and pawn it off as my own. That is another big reason why I wanted to create DiveBuddy from scratch. All the code is my own except for the Google maps. That gives me the flexibility to try new things and react faster to changes.
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Dutch - 5/20/2012 1:55 AM
I am with both Smithsgold and diverray. You are stuck with me and who are we talking about... That said, since I started diving in the ’70s, the industry has changed from an easy going hobby/passion to become a cut throat hard business.
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Eve - 5/20/2012 4:56 AM
Keep doing what you do Greg, the others that steal from you will drop away into the abyss, so no worries.
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I know the eight hundred pound gorilla your talking about Greg. It’s unfortunate that on their face they promote themselves as an advocate for the sport of scuba diving and in fact they have done many wonderful things for the sport. Under that facade lurks a organization that is highly protectlive of their retail affilates and steers the insurance industry that support the sport by it’s shear weight of numbers. Try getting group insurance for a dive training organization that doesn’t include retail equipment sales. With the retail sales you are not considered a dive center and without that rating no group insurance policy by either of the 2 major scuba insurance companies. After trying to deal with them it seems they exist to further only the retail scuba industry regardless of the small scuba business’ they roadblock or step on along the way. In fact during my conversation with one of it’s officials I was told flatly that they are a retail association and not what their acronym states.
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Gini - 5/21/2012 5:15 PM
Great analysis, RAWalker! I recently dropped out of that organization’s instructor training course when I found out that only about 3 of the 10 day course has anything to do with diving...the rest was about selling. Sorry, not my bag.
So for the first time in my life, I can happily say I’m a quitter.
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Man, I love DiveBuddy.com members! I love that people notice the time-sweat-tears that "I" have had to go through while Greg put this site together. hehe.. Just kidding. (kind of) Baby, I’m proud of you. To all of you wild and crazy divers, thanks for your dedication to our site.
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it sounds like that gorilla is Put Another Dollar In. Am I right and what do I win if I am right??? Please dont tell me a free bumper sticker.
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Eve - 5/23/2012 5:16 PM
From malibu: it sounds like that gorilla is Put Another Dollar In. Am I right and what do I win if I am right??? Please dont tell me a free bumper sticker....
Nope it is TWO bumper stickers, one for the front and one for the back !
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