...TiE Seattle Does Not, Unfortunately.

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July 9, 2007

I was getting ready to post a friendly, pushy reminder about a fantastic event which is taking place tomorrow, in DC at Tony and Joe’s (read: Sequoia ;)— but when I went to Vinay’s excellent website, something else caught my attention.

Something wrong.

All of us have at some point or another, met self righteous folk, very often rich entrepreneurs, who act like they’re God’s gift to the rest of us. Here’s where they become even more obnoxious if you can imagine what that might look like. TiE Seattle approached me last year to do a story on them for a prominent CA Indian paper which I promptly did. I didn’t play any games with them, didn’t dangle them for weeks. They asked, said their story had not been told before, I promptly, gladly did a story on them. Period.

Afterward, at every single TiE event I went to, their president (who shares his name with a Bollywood superstar) would drop as I’d be right in the middle of dinner, and demand right away, “So when are you doing another story on us?” At first I thought he was making small talk, then I thought he was just some overeager zealot but then I heard from many people that his malaise was something else. He just suffered from a bad case of pushy Swagger, EGO and a of lack of good manners. So I did what every journalist does. Ignored his prattle and stopped going to TiE Seattle…

I approached TiE asking them if they’d be kind enough to circulate an email to their member base telling them about Vinay and the bone marrow drive for him in Seattle. Just an email. I didn’t ask them for money or anything else. Just an email. 15 days out and what do I get? Zilch. Not even the courtesy of a, “Right now we’re too busy counting our dollars and won’t be able to email our members. Thank you for asking.”

Is it too much to ask to help a dying man? [SeattlePI]

Can I buy a round of WTFs, straight up? I’ve been called some…interesting things on SM these past few days, but maybe one of the trolls should have hurled “naive” my way. How could anyone say no to this cause? I can understand why the blogger, Priyanka Joshi, whom I quoted above, said this:

Corp-Social Responsibility? Hahaha![SeattlePI]

Would it have been THAT difficult to forward Priyanka’s email to their members? Maybe there are good souls in the Seattle chapter who would’ve wanted to help Vinay. It’s a shame that certain people are too…I don’t know what to put here…to help another human being.

Disclaimer for those who need it:

I am not denigrating TiE, its chapters or even its Seattle members. I’m just echoing another bloggers shock and disappointment in whomever decided that a wee email wasn’t important enough to pass on…okay?

I mean, it’s not like I sent the following words heavenwards…

So, in spirit of human dignity, as I pray for Vinay tonight, I’m also saying a prayer for TiE Seattle. “May TiE’s swagger and a lack of concern for other people be replaced by genuine compassion for the rich and the middle class alike.” Amen. [SeattlePI]

…but that’s only because I didn’t think of them, first. Amen.

Health and Medicine Issues

POSTED BY anna @ 6:31 PM

27 comments

1 · Ardy on July 9, 2007 6:45 PM · Direct link

Atlanta is having a drive too soon. Will post the details on it once I have them...

2 · chick pea on July 9, 2007 7:19 PM · Direct link

ATL:

Thursday, July 12, 2007
Time: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Where: W Hotel
Savu Bar
111 Perimeter Ctr W
Atlanta, GA 30346
Neighborhood: Perimeter Center in the north side of Atlanta

3 · slhok on July 9, 2007 8:15 PM · Direct link

at every single TiE event I went to, their president (who shares his name with a Bollywood superstar) would drop as I’d be right in the middle of dinner, and demand right away, “So when are you doing another story on us?” At first I thought he was making small talk...

dude, this happens to me all the time. and i actually gotta do it cause those hot shots are the publisher's buddies. i gotta quit soon.

4 · FOBGuy on July 9, 2007 8:25 PM · Direct link

Wow,
This attitude of TiE stinks. I thought they were better than this. Well I am doing my part to help,sent in my registration materials by mail to AADP. Wishing Vinay a speedy recovery.

5 · trollerboi on July 9, 2007 9:10 PM · Direct link

Just as disclaimer i'm not fond of coteries and the TIE has always seemed like a cabal with a secret nutstroke. Even so, the handwringing and noodlelashing in the email is very unseemly. Temperance! old girl, is the path to Om sveet Om.

6 · HMF on July 9, 2007 9:15 PM · Direct link

NetIp sent a post out. I assume theyve been tapped.

7 · Branch Dravidian on July 9, 2007 9:29 PM · Direct link

Geez... those guys build starfighters for the Empire.
What did you expect?

8 · Seahawks fan on July 9, 2007 9:32 PM · Direct link

dude, this happens to me all the time. and i actually gotta do it cause those hot shots are the publisher's buddies. i gotta quit soon.

If you do quit, here's hoping your next job is not with Gannett. Unless you enjoy being overworked and underpaid.

9 · Punjabi Assassin on July 9, 2007 9:51 PM · Direct link

I don't know how I feel about this post. My first impression was that we shouldn't be putting TiE Seattle on blast. I agree that it wouldn't hurt them to circulate the email, especially if they are being asked by someone who helped them on the past, but I don't think any of us have the right to swing the moral hammer over their heads. How is that right? Don't they have the right to choose even if we don't like that choice? TiE Seattle feels shady, but helping Vinay is starting to become something mean and angry, and that just doesn't sit well with me.

And while I'm on the subject, I don't think its right to dump on people who choose not to go through with the procedure in some cases. It all depends on how they ended up becoming a donor. May people are told how easy it is to register, a swab of the cheek, but fail to mention what goes into donating. I did appreciate Anna's post here because it did give some of that to those who read it, but many others don't mention the details of donating, just the ease of registering. If you are one of those people who registered not knowing what donating would entail (didn't read the brochure that you should have) I feel we can't jump on them for not donating. We want to hide the details that may shy people away, but then blast them for not donating. Thats a bit shady to me.

People who do know what they are getting into should follow through and I feel we are on better footing when confronting those folks. I suspect, since I've been asked a few times, that many people don't get told the details of donation, but are encouraged by the cost/benefit, ease of registering v. saving a life.

Should people be willing to register and save a life? Without a doubt! But we have to be fair in how we approach them in order to later hold them to account.

10 · nidhi on July 9, 2007 10:02 PM · Direct link

WTF.

11 · Pondatti on July 9, 2007 10:07 PM · Direct link

If you are one of those people who registered not knowing what donating would entail (didn't read the brochure that you should have) I feel we can't jump on them for not donating. We want to hide the details that may shy people away, but then blast them for not donating. Thats a bit shady to me.

...except...that they ask you over and over again, almost to the point of annoyance, if you understand what you are signing and what it means and how it all works. If you have been to any of the drives, you would have witnessed that. You have to sign a special checklist affirming that you have been informed of five different things.

No one is jumping on anyone. I'm perplexed about why you think people aren't being treated "fairly".

12 · Pondatti on July 9, 2007 10:09 PM · Direct link

(didn't read the brochure that you should have) I feel we can't jump on them for not donating. We want to hide the details that may shy people away

Sorry, one more thing-- even YOU wrote "didn't read the brochure (they) should have"...willful ignorance isn't the same as being misled.

As for TiE...petty.

13 · Punjabi Assassin on July 9, 2007 10:20 PM · Direct link

Pondatti,

I agree willful ignorance is not the same. But people are ignorant and thats just the truth. People don't seek out information. If we are encouraging them to sign up for something, should we tell them what that is?

Pondatti, I haven't signed myself yet, I only recently decided to do it, so I don't know what they have to sign. Could you tell me what those things are?

Also, its sad to say, people don't read all the disclaimers. Don't you think, if telling them procedure details is important, that its effective to just tell them? The person encouraging you to sign up, should they also tell you the possible reasons you may choose not to follow through? I think if we have a registry of 30,000 names of which 1/2 are fickly donors, it sends a false sense of security. Wouldn't you rather hve 5,000 committed donors so you know exactly where you stand and ho much work needs to be done?

Pondatti, people are jumping on others. When the one individual refused to go along with the procedure, he/she was attacked for their decision. I was speaking to that.

14 · Salil Maniktahla on July 9, 2007 10:35 PM · Direct link

Well, I've got some firsthand experience with TiE, too. I am of the opinion that their chapters exhibit a near-universal desire for as much publicity and press as they can get for free, without really doing too much to earn it. They host conferences, and sometimes they have decent keynote speakers, but I feel like the events are kind of...self-congratulatory. Quite a few participants belong to what I call the "old brown network," which isn't that old, but sure does act like it.

I guess I'm more concerned that we're lambasting them over not replying to an email request, as opposed to several emails, or some emails and a phone call or two. One email does not necessarily indicate that you're being ignored, right?

15 · Aparna on July 9, 2007 10:56 PM · Direct link

As much as I understand your desire to help Vinay, you have no right to call him a dying man. He may be terminally ill, that doesnt mean you dramatize his case and remind him everyday about his impending future. Despite his illness, like you have pointed in your next post, if he is immensely positive to the extent of inspiring you with his optimism, well, pick up and lesson. And again, isnt the whole point of this to find him a donor and help him get back to his life like before?

16 · louiecypher on July 9, 2007 10:59 PM · Direct link

Based on my limited interactions with TiE this may have more to do with lack of organization/crossing of emails than cold hearted retribution. I really, really hope so.

17 · Salil Maniktahla on July 9, 2007 11:13 PM · Direct link

Am I no longer able to comment? This is a test...

18 · Karthik on July 9, 2007 11:13 PM · Direct link

@15:

WTF are you talking about? She has quoted someone else, if you have problems I suggest taking it up with them.

And can all you people please lay off of Anna. She is doing whatever she can to help and when you start picking her words apart, what you end up doing is sidetracking the conversation and kicking someone off the team who could be of some help (even if it is small).

And for everyone who is in two minds to register, The entire process took less than 15 mts. A few forms and 3 swabs. Think of it as helping a close friend or in my case, distant family. Just make sure that you have researched the info before you go, it will save you time when you are filling out the forms.

19 · brownian on July 9, 2007 11:24 PM · Direct link

There is something unsavoury about this. If you really want to get that email across, find a friend in TiE who will send it across, instead of sending it to someone with whom you have quarrelled. This self-righteousness is not good. Have you responded to every single email asking for some kind of help every single time in your life?

20 · Shalu on July 9, 2007 11:28 PM · Direct link

Just for clarification purposes...did Tie actually say 'no', or did they just not reply to an email? There's a big difference between saying "No, we will not circulate this email" and simply not responding to that email. First question is, did the email actually go through to them? And second, could they have overlooked it?

21 · brownian on July 9, 2007 11:30 PM · Direct link

Moreover, this seems like an effective and irresponsible way to get back at a person you personally dislike - in this case, someone who shares his name with a film star. This is sneaky yellow journalism.

22 · Shalu on July 9, 2007 11:46 PM · Direct link

And hey, I volunteer for an organization that works very effectively for women's rights in India. If everybody who reads this message doesn't send them $20, I will blast Sepia Mutiny and call them the irresponsible hypocrtites and moral degenerates they are.

Well $20 is an investment whereas an email is free and is often just a click of a button, so I think the analogy may not be the same.

However, I'm on your side on this. Totally irresponsible blogging/journalism on the part of Priyanka Joshi. I've been on the NetIP board before and was constantly inundated with charitable requests...we read through all of them--but it took time to get through the emails because we all had busy day jobs. Chances are they just didn't get to it.

23 · A N N A on July 9, 2007 11:52 PM · Direct link

Once again, I innocently did something because I personally don't think there can be enough posts about this cause, if it means it jars one more person to follow through and go to a drive...and it blows up in my face. Awesome.

I've received emails from a few of you, to the effect of, "I've been thinking about it, but your last post finally convinced me to stop putting this off and...". I am no great writer or persuasive voice, okay? These people are stepping up because of repetition. I want to keep the story alive, because I don't want people to let this fall to the wayside, mentally.

Two points, in my defense (and it sickens and annoys me that I have to type that):

I got this story FROM VINAY'S WEBSITE. I thought that meant it was kosher to post, not yellow or shady or anything else I'm getting accused of (which is super fun by the way!).

I DIDN'T SAY HE WAS DYING. Joshi did. People, please read carefully before you accuse me of things. Please?

24 · brownian on July 9, 2007 11:59 PM · Direct link

I see Sepia Mutiny's been censoring harmless posts of mine. Oh I see, it's a private blog and so on, and they can do what they want, even defame people, thanks to their million hits.

But Shalu, I would rather pay $20 to a cause that is important than send an email to hundreds of people in these days of spam. I get dozens of emails asking me to forward stuff to other people I know because it is a matter of life and death to some person. I don't forward a single one. So sue me.

25 · Shalu on July 10, 2007 12:04 AM · Direct link

ANNA, I'm sorry that some of our posts doubting the integrity of the allegations against TiE have upset you. I completely respect your desire to keep the registration word alive for Vinay and my friend Sameer, but do you really want Sepia Mutiny passing along these serious allegations against a non-profit that (as far as I can see) have no merit?

26 · A N N A on July 10, 2007 12:07 AM · Direct link

ANNA, I'm sorry that some of our posts doubting the integrity of the allegations against TiE have upset you...do you really want Sepia Mutiny passing along these serious allegations against a non-profit that (as far as I can see) have no merit?

Shalu, it's from Vinay's site. "In the news". I don't understand why people don't interpret that the way I did...if they had no merit or were not worth mentioning, why would such an excellent, thorough site post it?

27 · A N N A on July 10, 2007 12:11 AM · Direct link

I see Sepia Mutiny's been censoring harmless posts of mine. Oh I see, it's a private blog and so on, and they can do what they want, even defame people, thanks to their million hits.

If I were censoring you, I would have deleted Shalu's response to you, which quotes you. I accidentally hit delete instead of a different button and was in the middle of apologizing to you when I saw this. So much for that.

Thanks for assuming the worst about me and this site. Since you're not going to give me a chance or the benefit of your doubt, I guess I can vent and say that your words were uncalled for. This thread is now worthless and I'm closing it. For the last few days, it's been open season on me, but I guess some of you either missed that or don't care. Well, I don't care to keep explaining what I did, when I didn't really do anything except try and help.

Comments closed.