"Official" Freestyle website long overdue for update?

[Ryan]

Hello all,

What is Free Style Fashion?

For too long, women have had all the choice when it comes to clothing. They have even developed their own style with traditionally male clothes, such as trousers/pants or suits. But now many men are developing their own styles too, should they so choose, with traditionally female clothes, thus claiming their total clothing rights in the same way as women have. That's only fair in an equal society. Anything else is discrimination and we all know discrimination is wrong. It's Freestyle, it's happening, and it's happening NOW!

That's the first paragraph from the "official" website that introduces Freestyle Fashion. Here's its website: http://freespace.virgin.net/firey.fox/freestyle.htm

When you go there, you and many others will probably recognize it. It must be at least ten years ago when I first ran into it. It's a nice place for an introduction to our lifestyle.There are links to such topics as "Discussion," "Footwear" and "Skirts and Kilts." Unfortunately, just about all the links are outdated and dead. (Is Chris of "Chris Atrium" still around?)

I had tried a couple of times to e-mail the apparent owner, "firefoxheels," at hotmail to update the website, but my e-mails got returned. I once asked the owners at hhplace, one of the feel "live" links, to contact "firefoxheels" to provide updates, but I got no reply.

Anyhow, is there anyone who doesn't agree that this site is long overdue for an update and even a rewrite? Can anyone help do this? If not, could someone take down this site and create a new "official" freestyle fashion website? Perhaps we do this as a "team effort. Who would like to participate?

Thanks for reading.

Ryan

[MrUtopia]

I would think someone in the web design business could find out who owns the site name/address to contact them or if it is now available to buy.

[skirtingtoday]

Found this on WHOIS website - not sure if it is a lot of use - note that the expiry date is 2016:-

Registrar: NETWORK SOLUTIONS, LLC.
Whois Server: whois.networksolutions.com
Referral URL: http://www.networksolutions.com/en_US/
Status: clientTransferProhibited

Expiration Date: 2016-11-01
Creation Date: 1995-11-02
Last Update Date: 2011-10-19

Name Servers:
dns1.ntli.net
dns2.ntli.net
See virgin.net DNS Records

Information Updated: Wed, 23 May 2012 13:47:33 UTC
VIRGIN.NET SITE INFORMATION
IP: 194.168.54.50
IP Location: London, United Kingdom
Website Status: active
Server Type: Apache
Alexa Trend/Rank: Up Arrow 1 Month: 28,149 3 Month: 31,055
Page Views per Visit: Up Arrow 1 Month: 2.3 3 Month: 2.3

[crfriend]

This is almost certainly hosted on some form of shared provider -- i.e. "virgin.net" (Part of Sir Richard's empire, perhaps?) and you'll need to identify the individual who subscribed for that provider's services.

Good luck.

[Ryan]

crfriend,

I took a cue from your reply. I put "http://freespace.virgin.net/firey.fox/freestyle.htm" on Internet Explorer's address bar and backspaced everything to ".net." When I sent the result, I found that "freespace.virgin.net" is now "virginmedia.com." I believe this is part of Sir Richard's "empire."

I sent an e-mail to them about that freestyle webpage. I'm waiting for their reply.

It was interesting and frustrating that I couldn't send my inquiry unless I provided a valid UK address, post code and phone number. it seems virginmedia is situated in the UK, but since I'm over across the pond, I used the particulars from the "Topshop" store at Oxford Circus, West End.

Anyhow, as I said I'm waiting for their reply. But if anyone else want to inquiry about that webpage, please don't hesitate to do so. Perhaps the more inquiries they receive, the more responsive they will be.

RYAN

[gorcee]

Virgin Media's not going to have any clue or care about that website. The website is a user-created site on Virgin Media's free hosting service. VM has no interest or ability to release information on any of its users websites.

The WHOIS only resolves the TLD, which is virgin.net, and so will not result in anything useful.

The only way to contact the author is through any links provided on the site itself.

[Milfmog]

What is the point of trying to get hold of the owner of the website? He has obviously lost interest in it and it's not as though it was a particularly good site anyway.

I also don't understand what makes that nasty little freebie site "official".

Seems like too much effort to expend on flogging a dead horse.

Have fun,


Ian.

[SkirtedViking]

Hello all,

What is Free Style Fashion?

For too long, women have had all the choice when it comes to clothing. They have even developed their own style with traditionally male clothes, such as trousers/pants or suits. But now many men are developing their own styles too, should they so choose, with traditionally female clothes, thus claiming their total clothing rights in the same way as women have. That's only fair in an equal society. Anything else is discrimination and we all know discrimination is wrong. It's Freestyle, it's happening, and it's happening NOW!

That's the first paragraph from the "official" website that introduces Freestyle Fashion. Here's its website: http://freespace.virgin.net/firey.fox/freestyle.htm

Do not argue with the introduction of the site.Well put.

[Ryan]

Virgin Media's not going to have any clue or care about that website. The website is a user-created site on Virgin Media's free hosting service. VM has no interest or ability to release information on any of its users websites.

The WHOIS only resolves the TLD, which is virgin.net, and so will not result in anything useful.

The only way to contact the author is through any links provided on the site itself.

Gorcee,

Thank you for your reply.

You may like to know that Virgin Media did show an interest in helping me contact the owners of that Freestyle website. Though they did not put me in contact with the owner, here's the text of the last e-mail they sent me on June 4, 2012:

Re: Virgin Media Helpsite Webform - General Enquiry Form (KMM7685005I87L0KM)‏

6/04/12

Our ref: KANA 2824444

Hello Ryan,

Thanks for your e-mail to Virgin Media to access the webpage to update
the information.

We're sorry that we're unable to provide information of the owner.

It looks your query can be resolved by our technical team. Please call
our team on 151 for free from any Virgin Media Phone or 0044 845 454
1111* from any other phone line and we'll be happy to help you further.

As this was a general enquiry we have been able to assist you today. If
ever you need specific information relating to your account, however,
you would need to quote a Customer Verification Password (CVP) which
ensures your details stay safe.

We can update the contact e-mail address once we receive the correct
CVP.

Kind regards,

Dipti More
Virgin Media

I like to welcome you and anyone else to follow through with this inquiry by calling the phone number provided and referring to "KANA 2824444." I think you and most of the Skirt Cafe members reside in the UK, so I think it would be better if a resident in the UK follow through because:

1) The Virgin Media person might ask "UK-centric" questions which a resident could better answer, since I reside in the US.
2) The Virgin Media might also talk about "UK-centric" subjects which a resident could better understand.
3) I might not understand the speaker if he/she speaks with a heavy British accent. (I once called a store in the UK, and a recording came on. The speaker spoke so fast, with such a thick British accent (cockney?) that I couldn't understand a word of this "English" speaker.)

Good luck to you.

Let's see if we can finally contact the owner of that web page. Or if the owner can't be contacted, at least ask the Virgin Media person if you could at least access the web page to update or rewrite the info.

Thanks again for your reply.

RYAN

[skirtyscot]

I totally agree with Milfmog on this. I really can't see what you hope to achieve.

Anyone intersted in the subject would find SC just as easily, and it is full of info!

[crfriend]

I like to welcome you and anyone else to follow through with this inquiry by calling the phone number provided and referring to "KANA 2824444." I think you and most of the Skirt Cafe members reside in the UK, so I think it would be better if a resident in the UK follow through [...]

Having someone from here who is not the owner of the (defunct) site try to contact the provider could engender charges of fraudulent behaviour -- i.e. trying to misrepresent who they are in order to find the contact or account information for an account that they do not own. I would counsel strenuously against such an action.

This is the Internet, and sites "die" all the time. Sometimes it's something unfortunate, like the owner passing away and not having anyone to "hand the torch to", and sometimes it's something completely and totally mundane, like the owner getting tired of it and just walking away instead of tearing it down.

The information on the site is well presented elsewhere, so if it's a dead relic it's a dead relic.

[Ryan]

I totally agree with Milfmog on this. I really can't see what you hope to achieve.

Anyone intersted in the subject would find SC just as easily, and it is full of info!

Skirtyscot,

If you (and Milfmog) "really" want to see what I hope to achieve with my "endeavor," just Google "freestyle fashion" and look at your resulting "hits."

Most likely you'll see that the web page in question is among the top hits--second, when I last Googled a minute ago--just as everyone else who make this Google search will see. (If you search with another search engine, such as yahoo or bing, that same web page will also show among the top hits.) So everyone who clicks on that web page will see the outdated and dead links and information about freestyle fashion that should be updated and rewritten.

Don't you think that updating that web page is a good idea since most people will likely first see that web page as their introduction to freestyle fashion?

As for your assertion that anyone interested in freestyle fashion could "find SC just as easily . . .," you may be correct. But is SC among the top "hits" that Google provide? And while you may be correct that SC is "full of info" about freestyle fashion, does it provide this info as concisely, with convenient access to relevant, though dead, links as that web page at virgin.net does? (See: http://freespace.virgin.net/firey.fox/freestyle.htm)

I hope you found my reply helpful. And I thank you for your reply.

RYAN

[skirtyscot]

If you (and Milfmog) "really" want to see what I hope to achieve with my "endeavor," just Google "freestyle fashion" and look at your resulting "hits."

Most likely you'll see that the web page in question is among the top hits--

I just did, and it came first.

Don't you think that updating that web page is a good idea since most people will likely first see that web page as their introduction to freestyle fashion?

I'm sure it would be a good thing to do, but anyone who is interested in the subject will, on finding an old page as the first hit, proceed to look at other search results as well. So the dud page isn't really detrimental.

As for your assertion that anyone interested in freestyle fashion could "find SC just as easily . . .," you may be correct. But is SC among the top "hits" that Google provide?

A SkirtCafe thread appeared on page 2. But I accidentally Googled "freestyle fashions" at first, and SC was the third hit. (First hit was the website under discussion, again.)

And while you may be correct that SC is "full of info" about freestyle fashion, does it provide this info as concisely, with convenient access to relevant, though dead, links as that web page at virgin.net does? (See: http://freespace.virgin.net/firey.fox/freestyle.htm)

No. I think it has been suggested, but never done because of the difficulty of keeping links up to date.

[Kieran]

An update is definitely needed, most of the websites linked don't even exist now.
It could be a better and easier option to simply create a new site that is updated regularly.

[Ryan]

I like to welcome you and anyone else to follow through with this inquiry by calling the phone number provided and referring to "KANA 2824444." I think you and most of the Skirt Cafe members reside in the UK, so I think it would be better if a resident in the UK follow through [...]

Having someone from here who is not the owner of the (defunct) site try to contact the provider could engender charges of fraudulent behaviour -- i.e. trying to misrepresent who they are in order to find the contact or account information for an account that they do not own. I would counsel strenuously against such an action.

crfriend,

You would be correct that it would fraudulent if someone contacts Virgin Media and said he is the owner of the defunct site when he is not the owner. But I never told Virgin Media I was the owner of that apparently defunct web site.

Besides, in a previous reply, when I asked someone to contact Virgin Media with the information in the last e-mail they sent me, I wasn't asking for someone to say he was ME. Instead, if you want to contact Virgin Media, tell them you're contacting them because I asked you. Don't say you're me.

I'm sure they will have no problem helping you.

The information on the site is well presented elsewhere, so if it's a dead relic it's a dead relic.

Perhaps, but where? And is this site among the top hits shown with a Google search, or even a Yahoo or a Bing search?

Anyhow, I think it's agreed that something has to be done with this "dead relic." I think I provided a way to do this. Can someone try?

To review: The plan is to contact Virgin Media with the phone number in my email. Once you speak with a live person, you want to to ask that person to either put you in contact with the owner of the web page, or get access to it, so you can change and update it. If the Virgin Media employee can't or won't do this, ask to speak with his/her manager.

If somehow you still can't contact the owner or have access to the web page, consider asking the Virgin Media employee or manager to at least shut it down, so it won't show up in a Google search.

I hope that helps. And I hope someone, preferably living in the UK, will take up this task.

RYAN

BTW, should we get this "dead relic" shut, who wants to create a new Freestyle Fashion web page that would appear among the top hits of Google searches?