My apologies | Bloggers Lair | Yakezie Forums

With encouragement from Kevin at Invest It Wisely and Jacob from My Personal Finance Journey, I decided to post this message (from what I did in the past, you might think that it’s hate mail or something, but it’s not).

To the older Yakezie members, I obviously did some pretty bad things in the past. http://yakezie.com/forums/yake…..ychou-com/ Obviously, none of you will forgive me (and you shouldn’t, just the same way you shouldn’t forgive Bernie Madoff), but I need to set the record straight.

To SPF

Yes, I did mass click your Adsense. At the time (when I was just a Challenger), it seemed to me like you were shooting down every comment I made on Yakezie forum (which, now that I look back, was totally warranted because most of my comments were crap like “Congrats!”). At the time, it infuriated me, so as a kind of retaliation, I mass clicked your Adsense units. Now that I look back, it was incredibly stupid and vengeful. I’m really sorry for what I did, but obviously, it doesn’t matter. What happened is what happened. I can’t change that fact.

To Andy

Now this was a total misunderstanding. I posted that pdf detailing our sale on TonyChou.com not to aggrevate you. I realized that the sale of this site would be a total boon to my university application. If I were just to show them the pdf detailing my sale of TonyChou.com, they could think that I forged it on the spot. So I decided to upload it online. As you very well know, all Wordpress sites add dates to posts, so by uploading that pdf online, it would be proof that yes, I sold Investorz Blog for X dollars on December whatever 2011. But just uploading it online isn’t enough, as Wordpress dates can be changed. I needed people to comment on it because comment dates can’t be changed.

But still, it doesn’t change the fact that uploading a pdf detailing the sale isn’t supposed to happen. I didn’t know about this rule at the time, but now I know. I’m sorry for any damage I may have done to you. Please email me tonychou9 (at) hotmail (dot) com if you need any help with Investorz Blog. I’m willing to write a couple of posts for free to make amends for my past behaviour.

To Crystal

At the time, the Forums had already branded me as the bad guy. Part of it was misunderstanding, and part of it my irresponsible behaviour. Anyways, I did write that Business Insider post, but I purposely deleted LifeAndMyFinances and Yakezie from it. Somehow, I let your name slip, and accidently posted your name on it. I’m sorry for any damage it may have caused to your business, but it was eventually taken down.

As for the $40 I didn’t pay you, the story goes like this. After having cleared Andy’s pay check to my account, I sent you an echeck from another account (for tax reasons). The funny thing is, my account was locked my Paypal! Apparently, you’re not allowed having 2 paypal addresses and send free money between them. The reason I had 2 paypal accounts was that in the beginning, I had tonychou9 (at) hotmail (dot) com as my paypal address. Back when I was staff writing at Miss T’s site, she sent me money to investorzblog (at) hotmail (dot) com. Since I didn’t have that email attached to any paypal account, they required me to make a new account with investorzblog (at) hotmail (dot) com.

So when I get my paypal account unlocked, I promise you (as if my promise were to mean anything to anyone anymore), I’ll pay you back that $40, plus an additional $40.

To YFS.

Same thing with Crystal. I’ll pay you back that $75 plus an additional $75.

To Corey

Looking back, that d**khead comment was totally unwarranted. It wasn’t really mad at your $900 offer. I wasn’t mad at your 2 day window (which, as others have pointed out, is standard business procedure). Rather, I was mad at the tone of the email. It sounded like you were playing me like a kid, which is one of my pet peeves. But still, that doesn’t give me the excuse to have called you a d**khead. I’m totally sorry for what I had done.

And to everyone else.

I’m sorry for the uproar I caused on the forums. Obviously, it doesn’t matter. What I had done, is done. No matter what I say, it can’t change the fact. All I wanted to do was set the record properly hear and apologize to those that deserve an apology.

Tony,

I think you have taken a good first step by publicly apologizing to the people you have hurt, as well as explaining what happened in each case.

Thank you,

Amanda

Thank you for the apology.

Very big of you Tony. Best of luck with the applications.

Tony,

I came into the forums at the end of your meteoric rise and fall. I can see where many people here have issue with your actions and may or may not have forgiveness for your behavior.

That being said, the universities you're seeking to apply to may be just as interested in what you've learned from this experience as a blog trading portfolio. Think of it as "I already scored big in 'How to Burn Bridges 101' but it was a prerequisite for "Learning from my Mistakes 102.'" You have had a foray into real world complications of ethics, something that will be mandatory in your matriculation.

I am not talking down to you, nor am I unfamiliar with the concept of youthful ambition. I started college at 15 and was courted by a prized private mathematics institute. I'm smart, I'm a smart ass, and I've jammed my foot so far into my mouth I've chewed on hip on multiple occasions.

On one last note, writing under a pseudonym doesn't make you seem ashamed; it makes you seem like you're being furtive. Honesty and humility may earn you back at least a dialogue with people here, and help you continue to grow to be the person you want to be. I wish you well.