She got ripped and I got snookered
I got scammed, duped, snookered & and just plain embarrassed. You see I meet someone in an irc chat some time back. I was trying to get help with some css I was working on. That person helped me and continued to help learn some of the advanced css concepts.
I started designing sites back in 1996 for clients. Of course back then we used tables instead of css to layout a design. I was pretty good at that. But now I have a harder time working with xhtml and css. I am figuring it out to a degree.
So back on topic. The guy I had meet eventually told me he was Lorelei from TopTut.com. Up to this point I had never seen or heard of her or atleast I don’t think so. I would send him my css problems and he would send them back fixed. After working with this guy we came up with an agreement; he would devlop a css framework that I felt comfortable working with and I would do some php work for him.
At the time it seemed like a good deal, but as time went by he changed the deal a few times and seemed to not be doing what he promised.
So this last week I told him I need him to keep up his end of the deal. So he suggested that he would let me use his cuurent design as a tempary framework until he had time to get me the complete framework. I was not really happy about this but he told me I could use it in anyway I wanted, as he already had a new design in the works for his site.
He sent me the css and a copy of the html, css and a few psd describing the layout. I was a bit suprised that he hadn’t given me the entire theme files but I was ok with it because I wanted to convert it to a WordPress theme myself.
I was however disappointed that he had not included a file for the single or comment file so I emailed him and never replied back.
At that point I decided to get to work first I designed the images in Photoshop, then I copied the files to my development server and started the conversion to theme and worked on the css.
I started to have a few questions so I emailed hi again, still no reply. I had come to the conclusion that he was upset with me because I hadn’t finished his php before he gave me the css. But I felt justified because what he gave me was just the start not the entire framework he had promised.
I did try getting in contact with him by posting a comment on what I thought was his site
But of course still no reply. I was able to figure most of it at on my own, and was getting excited. the theme was looking amazing. I couldn’t wait to get it up on my site.
I even anouced my twitter
So After working on it for a few days I uploaded it to my site. Later that night I was reading my rss feeds and was shocked to read this: Ripped My Theme? You will Get Reported! I was spinning! I couldn’t understand what the hell had happened. Why was this guy that I had been talking to over the last few weeks turned on me.
I went to bed, confused and angry. When I got up the next day I decide to try and figure out why this had happened. I emailed him a few times. I got no awnser so I decide to try and find out as much about him as I could.
After a bit of poking around I relized that the guy I had been dealing with was not Lorelei. I downloaded one of her themes and was looking at the theme’s function files. The person I was dealing with told me that they new very little php.
The more I looked into Lorelei the more I realized I had been scammed.
So the answer to everyone question is; Yes I did rip Lorelei’s design. I was told that the design was mine and all the rights were mine as well.
Lorelei, I am very sorry this has all happened. You are an amazing designer!
I have no idea why this guy did what he did, but when it comes right down to I should have done more research on this person.
Here is a screenshot of the design.
I will not be using it!
Feel free to share your thoughts, I will not edit or delet them. (Sorry Tijger)
David,
You might be thinking I am Lorelei, but I am not.
Thanks for your clarification, I will not give my thoughts about it because I am an outsider.
Good luck with your blog!
Anyway, I leave in shame now since me as being from Holland have lost from Russia in the European Championships…lol
David - what an awful experience, I’m sorry to hear that you got ’snookered’ and Lorelie got ripped. Unfortunate that Lorelie called you out publicly, instead of dropping you a private note first to find out what you thought you were doing over here — I hate seeing things like this going public without the chance for the ‘offender’ to make things right… sometimes there is an innocent explanation, so try to give the benefit of the doubt first, before causing so much angst. Though, I do understand Lorelie’s frustration, to be sure.
Cooler heads do prevail.
Hard lessons learned here - - but the important thing is that you righted the wrong, good for you. And the good news is that you can start from scratch on your own custom theme — can’t wait to see what ya do
Lisa Thank you for your comments.
After things seem to cool down a bit I wondered what I might have done or said if the this happened to me.
I would have to say; I might have taken the same or similar. I do not blame her for her actions.
If she had known me a bit better or seen the things I have done for the WordPress theme community maybe…..
I’m sure everything will work out for the best. I have been using a simple css file to do my themes. It always seem to limit my designs (Dropped sidebar syndrome )
Now I’m using the css blueprint framework, or at least trying too.
Can’t ever go wrong with Blueprint, I have to say
So sorry for what had happened David. Next time, be very careful.
Man that really is unfortunate.
>.> I think you shoulda looked into more before you did business with him. Especially if he wasn’t answering your emails.
@ David
I feel bad for you, if it is of any comfort to you, Lorelei is no saint (read the “So the Real Issue is” part), she has her own share of ripping people off and believe me I am yet to see her write an apology. But nonetheless, it is unfortunate to find you on the receiving end. Feel free to email me your CSS questions.
Hehe, sunny..
Yes, also she made mistakes when she started and also she has (just like David) has made apologies to the persons she ripped, or in some cases got “snookered”
Everyone learns from his/hers mistakes.
BUT what i do find funny is that also the mighty and powerfull wordpress.org doesnt post all comments (especially not when they are negative towards them)….freedom of speech?
And I guess for that reason she will never make an apology towards that, if she is not allowed to tell the whole story from her side (whether its believed by you or others..or not).
Same as I had here with David, when he edited my comments, I would never have said “no hard feelings” if he at least didnt admit
I heared the whole story from her side and I read yours, allthough the new “identity” of the wordpress-administrator was not yet revealed, we found that out later
The funny thing about it was, that even wordpress BANNED my account, saying I was Lorelei, while when they would do a proper check they could easily say that my IP is from Holland, and hers is 100000000000000s of miles away
Unfortunatly toptut is down now, but also there is a post she made which adds something to the whole story you are refering too in your comment.
Ow, yes I am a friend of Lorelei and might not have an objective view, but where 2 people fight both are to blame.
People learn from their mistakes, but its good to see that you remember something which happend so long ago.
Will try to find the Lorelei”s not posted replies to wordpress when toptut is back.
A blog should post every comment, wether its good for their reputation or not.
I always say: a good blog accepts negative responses/comments, because that shows profesionalism from the authors side.
ps. David…can you merge this with my previous comment, or else im overflowing your blog…..lol (and ofcourse delete this part)
Oeps…little error, when you read the post on sunny’s blog, there is also a link to the post on toptut from Lorelei.
Weird it didnt get posted in the wordpress-community, true or false thats nevermind, but someone shouldnt be made “silent”
@ David,
I like your new design even better, and thanks for taking the time to explain. I’ll update my blog saying the issue is resolved between us,
but I just moved to dedicated server and forgot to change NS, so I’m offline for good knows how long.
@ Hso,
Unfortunately, much as I admired your work 2 years ago when you used your moderator’s “powers” against all other designers (yet had no guts to admit you were and pretended to be 2 different people for “ethical reasons”),
it’s funny to see you popping out, still bitter and hypocrite. You obviously have no other place to vent your energy at..
You, who stuff 7 links in your free themes (no one does that..), yet ask in huge
letters for donations on your site to keep the freebies coming.
I don’t mean to sound arrogant,
but someone who stores all the images on free photobucket and would be happy if a random user will throw a few bucks his way, yet trying to sound like he dominates the wp market is just funny.
Funny, like the fact that you keep the screenshot of your “Rank 15″ on technorati, while you are hardly in top 200 anymore for long time. Don’t try SO hard to fake a successful status… Might look like you just trick people into buying advertising space.
On a side note Hso, the difference between me “ripping” your free theme 2 years ago and apologizing AND explaining, while you were coward
enough to even approve my comment back then because people would not feel enough pity for you, and the case between me and David which we already resolved privately, is that you released a FREE theme that stated it can be modified with credits intact, which was exactly what i did, while David got scammed and used my UNIQUE theme, pulled from my server.
It’s a shame you could not see the difference here. Anyway, i still love your blog hso, the diet cookies reviews blend in perfect with css lessons
Hope to see more of them.
It is exactly this kind of arrogance you exude that makes it hard to forget what you are all about Lorelei. I do admit that the Technorati thing is old and must go and I will remove it. Everything else that you list in your comment seems awfully childish to warrant my response, you can try to smear me, but let’s not forget that the mud gets on your hand first.
I am not pretending to be anything more than what I am. The difference between the two of us is that I did not steal from others to make a quick buck and you can not say the same about you no matter how many false apologies you claim to have written.
And as your friend writes in her/his comment, you allegedly made “apologies to the persons” you ripped, how come I did not get one?
I think you forgot to read one part of my comment Sunny:
BUT what i do find funny is that also the mighty and powerfull wordpress.org doesnt post all comments (especially not when they are negative towards them)….freedom of speech?
And I guess for that reason she will never make an apology towards that, if she is not allowed to tell the whole story from her side (whether its believed by you or others..or not).
Simply said: when YOU dont accept comments (whether you believe them or not) to be posted, I guess the only thing what would have been good enough for you to be posted would be something like: Ooowwww, I am so sorry mighty designer, I tried to explain it but ofcourse I have no right to do so, please accept them with whole my heart.
Same as Lorelei did when she caught David, she “crushed” him but at least he has gotten a fair chance to defend himself, and his comments were not deleted or not even posted.
You think you have all wisdom and truth, but you dont.
You banned members from wordpress just because you THOUGHT they were Lorelei.
WHAT ACTUAL PROOF DO YOU PROVIDE ON THAT CASE?
At least Lorelei has posted some PROOF about the actual ripping.
You just went on and on with YOUR side of the story, and just shutting up anyone who wanted to say something back which wasnt according your liking.
Great way to deal with the issues.
Every story has 2 sides, Ive heared yours, and I have heared yours.
Guess where the truth lays???
Might be somewhere in the middle
Im glad to hear that David and Lorelei have worked it out AND that she will post something about it on her blog.
This is something YOU will never do, because you are the Allmighty hso himself, the one and only preclaimed top wp-designer.
Ok, lemme stop…
Every story has 2 sides Sunny, you shouldnt have been so afraid to let both sides hear..
You have your proof (well, i think you have..never provided)…or maybe you just werent that sure anymore when Lorelei mentioned a few things?
So better not post what she said….
So sorry to hear that!
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