zach, yeah, people make fun of your business, get over it. if the berrics really is so successful, why dwell on a few people who ask questions.

haveboard, i really like the site. i really do. good job and keep up the good work with this place.

I post things on here on occasion that have to do with the industry. I apologize if that affects your business.

I know that no one is forcing me to watch the Berrics. I do like a lot of stuff that comes from the Berrics but I also encourage skateboarders to think for themselves by posting about things happening within the industry. This encourages people to not just be spoon feed what they here from the most “highly trafficked website in skateboarding”.

Internet banter is wack, but just because I run a website about skateboarding and encourage conversation about it doesn’t mean I’m not also out there riding my skateboard.

I’ve updated this post, as Berra is not the person posting on Slap. I apologize for being duped by trolls on the Slap Board and once again thank Steve Berra for his follow up video clarifying what the Berrics Unified really is.

I’m not sure if this is sarcasm or a veiled threat. In any case, even if I did leave you my real name (Jacob Hill), what difference would it make? And how are you going to make my shopping experience more enjoyable?

The second video clarified alot of things that people had problems with, both big and small retailers. The Koston remark is funny, and true. If your not into dont watch it. Noone is forcing you to look at the berrics.

And Honestly go ride a skateboard, internet banter is wack. If this whole thing didnt concern my business, I would be skateboarding.

Let’s examine the membership chart. The Basic plan consists only of a shop profile page at $50/month. At $600 per year, this is purely a listing with no banner ads. Your shop will also have less visibility as more shops sign up.

The next plan is “City”, which, in a addition to geo-targeted banner impressions, you’ll get a Field Ops profile for only $1440 up front. There’s one for The Armory in Costa Mesa in my region. Seems like a good deal for a new shop. However, the pricing is graduated–this tends to favor shops in large cities.

The other wider-ranging plans, from State to Region, seem antithetical to the goal of addressing the “war” against small shops. I suppose if I visit an aunt in Lunn Haven, FL, I might drop money on “Xtremely Board” from seeing a Berrics ad, but what sort of criteria determines the honor of being considered? It seems that a chain store like Utility in Southern California could certainly outspend and out-advertise local shops through this very program. None of the pricing here is tiered either. California shops pay the same as Wyoming despite housing 69 times the population.

The most expensive and expansive 2-Region $5280/year plan seems like the most economical deal–a little more than double the State price will give you a 36 state (Midwest/East) advertising base. Why would a local shop want to advertise in 85% of the United States? This clearly favors retailers with a significant web presence like Active, CCS and Utility (they’re already signed up). While some of these web-based shops might be legit, I still do not see the promised benefit to the little guy.

Another benefit to Berrics Unified shops is the ability to sell Berrics-exclusive product. Many companies already sell exclusive product to shops without membership fees. If Unified shops, in turn, sell Berrics gear on the web, how does that affect exclusivity? I’m not saying this isn’t a good deal for some shops, I just do not see how this deviates from the status quo.

It seems like Steve Exit put the last nail in the coffin on this subject, but i’d just like to offer these two thoughts:

First, re: “geotargeted advertising” — anybody can add their businesses information to google maps for free, and this information would show up in “google local” searches. http://maps.google.com/support/bin/static.py?page=guide.cs&guide=21029&topic=21032 it could be safe to say that google maps gets more traffic than the berrics does. that’s an assumption, of course.

Second, if the berrics dropped a google ad unit on their site it could (potentially) pay for the server(s) — and services — that they need to improve the site’s performance, and they wouldn’t need to charge for this ’service’.

IMO – The ‘low end’ for Berrics Unified should cost zero. nothing. nada.

</2cents>

I originally made public statements regarding the first “unified” video, because I felt the message was misleading and lacking certain key facts. As a member of the group in which this program was initially created to help (small struggling skate shops) I felt my concerns were relevant. As a small business owner our day to day battles are hard enough, but to feel “unimportant” based on our inability or refusal to advertise on a certain website is ridiculous. After several back and forth both publicly and privately Steve Berra provided the necessary information to the public (and I applaud him for that)

My problem was not with the program itself, but the way it was feed to the public. I never wanted to launch a “hate campaign” directed towards Berra. Everyone is entitled to their options, but personal attacks have absolutely no grounds in this argument. Religion, race, sexual preference, or ones amazing mustache and fondness of a cold beer had nothing to do with the video or peoples reactions to it.

I will say I know for an absolute fact the person posting as “Celebrity Centre” on the slap boards is NOT Steve Berra. Internet drama can get gnar, and sometimes be taken overboard, but to post claiming to be someone that you are not in hopes to destroy their career and (already questionable) public image is fucked beyond all belief.

In the end i guess the truth is you can find real skateboarders riding skateboards. You can find “important” shops in the streets, educating kids, and keeping the scene alive, and you can find people who have something to say… Saying it straight up. No fake names or anonymous bs. Now go skate