My response to Ruth Ruane - quoting her and her past actions
My Primer for my online natural perfumery course is copyrighted.
Ruth Ruane aka White Witch is a former student and former member of the huge NP group I host who has been posting, without permission, and in violation of a copyright notice, excerpts of the original rough draft version of my Natural Perfumery Primer on her various blogs. I don't believe she will cease and desist this action, but perhaps what follows will give a clearer picture of the background on this issue. I have no publisher to back me on this, since I publish the Primer. Not she, or anyone else, has the legal or ethical right to post excerpts, except for small bits, with permission. She has stated her intent to post the entire Primer, over time. Ruth Ruane is, for the record, the only student who had a complaint. My online class for natural perfumery has dozens of great students enrolled, and I have testimonials to prove they find the coursework challenging, educational and that it is helping advance their careers in perfumery.
If there is just a single person complaining - Ruth Ruane aka whitewitchzita, and her posts contain libel and rancorous immature rants. Upon review of the following, you will be able to determine motivation. Ruth Ruane recently declared in an interview that she wants to be "the most famous natural perfumer in the world." Then she established an "academy" for perfumery. Very ambitious.
When Ruth Ruane quit the class, she filed numerous complaints against me. Only a week before quitting she was praising me publicly in the class and on the natural perfumery group. Her turnaround seems to be motivated by embarrassment at being put on moderation due to very inappropriate posts she was making to the class via group email, and bullying of the classmates, which they complained about.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) received two complaints from Ruane, the second submitted after her first was rejected. They then rewarded me with a B+ rating due to her harassment, which signals they found my business policies and practices to be "very good." Ironically, I had a "C" rating with them before, which is the average rating of a company they know nothing about. So actually, that worked well for me.
In late November, a few days after she quit, it became apparent that Ruth Ruane stole the NP group email list and spammed the 1600 members - it took months of apologies on my part to clean up her mess.
The following is a very long response I wrote when she complained to the Guild, the BBB, the Florida State attorneys' office, and the local Consumer Protection Agency. They all found her claims to be without merit, and advised me I should sue her for libel. I refuse to do so, as I realize Ruth has problems that, if you read her many blogs against me, are deep and in need of sympathy.
I have dozens of students, including a PhD, certified aromatherapists, several attorneys and none of them have complaints. Why? Well, that is the reason for this revealing post - Ruth Ruane had an agenda. Very sad, but true, and I only hope she can get help for her obsession and anger.
She has now established the "Natural Perfume Academy". A friend enrolled last year when she offered classes for free, and informed me that Ruth Ruane used the Moodle platform I pioneered for natural perfumery, she used my Primer, slightly rewritten, my evaluation forms, and many methods, such as dilution and organoleptic studies. She and another person who has often taken posts from the NP Yahoo group I host are now calling the Primer a Handbook. Justine Crane is the instructor for this course, since Ruth Ruane does not make perfumes. How can a director of a learning academy have no experience in the field?
I stand by my syllabus, my teaching methods and my award-winning perfumes. They are original and my product.
Update: I feel so uncomfortable having her language on my blog, I have removed the post. If anyone wishes to read the formal response I gave to the agencies and the Guild, please email me from here and I'll send it as an attachment. Thank you for understanding.
Ruth Ruane aka White Witch is a former student and former member of the huge NP group I host who has been posting, without permission, and in violation of a copyright notice, excerpts of the original rough draft version of my Natural Perfumery Primer on her various blogs. I don't believe she will cease and desist this action, but perhaps what follows will give a clearer picture of the background on this issue. I have no publisher to back me on this, since I publish the Primer. Not she, or anyone else, has the legal or ethical right to post excerpts, except for small bits, with permission. She has stated her intent to post the entire Primer, over time. Ruth Ruane is, for the record, the only student who had a complaint. My online class for natural perfumery has dozens of great students enrolled, and I have testimonials to prove they find the coursework challenging, educational and that it is helping advance their careers in perfumery.
If there is just a single person complaining - Ruth Ruane aka whitewitchzita, and her posts contain libel and rancorous immature rants. Upon review of the following, you will be able to determine motivation. Ruth Ruane recently declared in an interview that she wants to be "the most famous natural perfumer in the world." Then she established an "academy" for perfumery. Very ambitious.
When Ruth Ruane quit the class, she filed numerous complaints against me. Only a week before quitting she was praising me publicly in the class and on the natural perfumery group. Her turnaround seems to be motivated by embarrassment at being put on moderation due to very inappropriate posts she was making to the class via group email, and bullying of the classmates, which they complained about.
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) received two complaints from Ruane, the second submitted after her first was rejected. They then rewarded me with a B+ rating due to her harassment, which signals they found my business policies and practices to be "very good." Ironically, I had a "C" rating with them before, which is the average rating of a company they know nothing about. So actually, that worked well for me.
In late November, a few days after she quit, it became apparent that Ruth Ruane stole the NP group email list and spammed the 1600 members - it took months of apologies on my part to clean up her mess.
The following is a very long response I wrote when she complained to the Guild, the BBB, the Florida State attorneys' office, and the local Consumer Protection Agency. They all found her claims to be without merit, and advised me I should sue her for libel. I refuse to do so, as I realize Ruth has problems that, if you read her many blogs against me, are deep and in need of sympathy.
I have dozens of students, including a PhD, certified aromatherapists, several attorneys and none of them have complaints. Why? Well, that is the reason for this revealing post - Ruth Ruane had an agenda. Very sad, but true, and I only hope she can get help for her obsession and anger.
She has now established the "Natural Perfume Academy". A friend enrolled last year when she offered classes for free, and informed me that Ruth Ruane used the Moodle platform I pioneered for natural perfumery, she used my Primer, slightly rewritten, my evaluation forms, and many methods, such as dilution and organoleptic studies. She and another person who has often taken posts from the NP Yahoo group I host are now calling the Primer a Handbook. Justine Crane is the instructor for this course, since Ruth Ruane does not make perfumes. How can a director of a learning academy have no experience in the field?
I stand by my syllabus, my teaching methods and my award-winning perfumes. They are original and my product.
Update: I feel so uncomfortable having her language on my blog, I have removed the post. If anyone wishes to read the formal response I gave to the agencies and the Guild, please email me from here and I'll send it as an attachment. Thank you for understanding.
Great post! I'm glad you stopped being the victim and exposed her. Ruth Ruane drove me crazy in the group, always begging for attention like a five year old kid. Then she'd go medieval for no reason. What a nightmare for you in the class with her trying to take over.
ReplyDeleteLike someone wrote on the group, you responded, you didn't react.
No wonder you're a leader in natural perfumery. I may take your course in the spring if my job is still there. Go Obama!
Louise
Dear Louise:
ReplyDeleteThanks for your kind note. Many wrote me privately, even those who were not students. I have to just move forward, working 24/7 as I do, loving and promoting natural perfumery and hope for some peace on her end.