Bot Patrol has some strange interpretations of their charter

Bot Patrol is a group founded by Rosetta Bisiani in order to combat the increasing number of “bots” that were taking over many casinos and other places that had camping chairs. Yes, I was a part of this group, once. At the time that I joined, the group requested a $5L fee. It’s not a hefty price, but I’d probably pay $500L to join just for the principle of the matter.

Unfortunately, I got ejected from the group today. So did many of my friends, some of whom were active in the group and others that were not so much. All were against bots in general and thus we all joined the group as promoting that we were against this practice. So I IM’d Rosetta Bisani and here’s the full dialogue for disclosure:

[6:24] Rosetta Bisiani: (Saved Mon Jun 18 08:02:06 2007) You have been ejected from ‘Bot Patrol’ by Rosetta Bisiani.
[6:36] Darius Sartre: huh? why?
[6:37] Darius Sartre: why’d I get ejected?
[7:08] Rosetta Bisiani: do you use this group? I havent seen yourname in a long time
[7:08] Darius Sartre: I don’t hang in the same casinos as such. I got reports from several friends that are very much in the group too that got ejected.
[7:09] Rosetta Bisiani: sry
[7:09] Rosetta Bisiani: i left a mesege about not being active
[7:09] Rosetta Bisiani: where have you been camping??
[7:10] Darius Sartre: Al, Amiya, Fiona, all came to me with a wth. Was going to go write a SL media article about it, but I figured (Amiya said you were US based) that I’d give you some time for resolution before I went and wrote it.
[7:10] Darius Sartre: Sunshine Park and Spinach Games mainly.
[7:10] Darius Sartre: most people on Bot Patrol are LV/GR.
[7:10] Darius Sartre: I haven’t been around those in a long long time.
[7:11] Rosetta Bisiani: you were not helping in the group to find seats
[7:11] Rosetta Bisiani: sry
[7:12] Darius Sartre: then I want my $5L back pls. The fact that you charge for enrollment, and I was paying is backing the principle of it.
[7:13] Rosetta Bisiani: whos ur alt in this group,anyone/
[7:14] Darius Sartre: no.
[7:14] Rosetta Bisiani: when have you imed this group?
[7:14] Darius Sartre: I don’t have alts in the group.
[7:14] Rosetta Bisiani: ur name has not been in an IM at all to tell others of open seats..only to take a empty seat
[7:14] Darius Sartre: it doesn’t say in the charter that you have to talk in it. and when I’m on, no one asks about chairs. that’s not my problem.
[7:15] Rosetta Bisiani: ok,well i did leave it in chat
[7:16] Rosetta Bisiani: read it again
[7:16] Darius Sartre: I can’t read it. I’m not in group. *sigh*
[7:16] Darius Sartre: thus, if I close my client, I don’t get to open the chat anymore
[7:19] Darius Sartre: either way, I’m just giving fair warning that I’m writing an article about it. I’m against bots as anyone else, but since there is nothing that says you must chat, then you can’t hold me to that. It’s the same as any other legal charter.
[7:19] Darius Sartre: Either way, it’s your group, do as you wish with it. Thanks for at least IMing back.
[7:20] Rosetta Bisiani: ok,thanks and have a good day,bye bye

Here’s the issue with this whole thing. The charter states:

Ever have our camp chair stolen by a Bot, or you tired of wondering around casino after casino for hours looking for a place to camp for the night? This is a group of friendly people dedicated to putting an end to the ugly take over of bots in SL. We use this group chat to tell members of free chairs or pick a name from online members to TP to a chair you are about to give up. Join now and get a free Tee Shirt to Let Bots Know we wont give up…..lol

What’s interesting about all of this is the mismanagement of terminology. Nothing in the charter states you must be actively chatting. It does say what they use the group chat for, but that’s it.  Apparently from those that I spoke to about the issue, while Rosetta claims she has told people in chat and in IMs that they need to do this, I nor anyone else have any IMs logged of this particular conversation on the mandatory contribution chatting.  At all.  Not a single person.  Nor was there a refund for the fee even though in all technicality, there was not a violation of charter and thus the ejections were out of bounds. Abuse of power? By any other legal means, definitely.

It’s just principle that a refund is in order. Yet, no one that got ejected got one and everyone got the same speech as above. Even those that were actively participating in the group itself got the same thing. Very strange when you figure that the point was to fight bots, and not kicking people out that actually want to be part of the fight.

Gauging from the chat I had with the founder of Bot Patrol, it personally makes me weary of doing any business with her or any associates. Maybe some others from BP have better luck but currently my circle of friends have all but been ejected and without due reasoning or principle. As I’ve stated in the chat log to Rosetta, it’s her group and she can do with it what she wishes, but someone once taught me that your reputation is the only thing that you truly own in life. It’s fragile, and easily broken, but it’s also one of the things that you can build to mean something. Maybe this incidence has soured me on the founder’s reputation, but I’d be curious as to whom would come to the defense of these actions? Either way, today’s ejection has left a sour taste in both my and many others’ mouth.

And to top it off: Bots win again. What a way to start the week.