Beckett Suspended Me for Using Kiva.org

Some of you (probably most of you, actually) know of me and my blog from posts that started out on the Beckett Baseball Message Boards. I like to cruise the boards and keep an eye on the hobby, but I also like to get to know people on the boards and their stories. Anyways, I recently started a thread about microlending, which I recently tried out on Kiva.org. The thread was met with mixed responses, but overall I think people were appreciative of the idea and showed an aptitude for thinking of more than just their own bottom line.

The thread was not meant to promote Kiva or to increase my own financial numbers, but Beckett suspended my account for "spamming" the boards. I understand that my thread was borderline promotion of a financial institution, but anyone who knows anything about Kiva realizes that it's a non-profit organization and there is absolutely no way that I or anyone else would gain some kind of monetary kick back for informing others of its existence.

My suspension from the Beckett boards will last until March 23, so my threads titled under the "My $.02" heading will continue some time after the suspension is lifted. Until then, I'll be posting solely on this blog or the Chief Noc-a-homa blog. My thanks goes out to those who defended my microlending thread, and hopefully some of those that opposed it will realize the sincere intentions behind it.

Here's a picture and short profile of the family that I lended my first $25 to:

Mrs. Yon Phalla is 37 years old and works as a teacher at Check Angre secondary school in the Takmoa district of the Kandal province. Her husband, Mr. Chhan Vanthan, is 44 years old and drives a motorcycle taxi. They have two children who are both in school. To earn a living for their family, Yon and her husband work hard everyday. Yon is requesting $1100.00 in order to build a fifteen-room house that she can then rent to customers. She has proven to be a reliable client of HKL. And she thanks HKL for their support and promises to be accurate in her loan payment.

(About 13% of the requested $1100 has been met, for a total of $150. As I get updates about Yon and her family I'll post them here.)

Thanks,

Adam G.