Who is Nik Richie?

Hooman Karamian is the man behind the diabolical website that prompted the need for my blog. As far as I'm aware, he has changed his names several times and has landed recently on Mr. Nik Richie. Here are a few points (found on TheFrisky.com) to consider: 

• Karamian has a history of using aliases, calling them “stage names.” One of them—Corbin Grimes—was listed as the executive officer of several companies, including Capitol Imaging Group, Talent 2K, and 97 Radio. Karamian and several others at these companies were accused of scamming musicians from 1998 to 2004, by promising to get them their big breaks and taking lots of their money in the process. [Zimbio]

• Karamian married Amanda Toney, a managing partner in a marketing firm, in 2005. She served him with divorce papers last summer. Shortly before receiving the papers, he tweeted (under Nik Richie), “Back 2 Back weekends in Vegas ... what am I doing with my life? I just want to find the one and settle down, maybe have some babies.” 

• In 2008, Karamian was pulled over for speeding. The officer noticed that his eyes were bloodshot and that he was slurring his words. His blood alcohol level was tested at .165, twice the legal limit. He pleaded guilty to drunk driving, paid $2,000 in fines, and was sentenced to four days in jail. This is made even more ironic because TheDirty.com has specifically stated, “Think twice before getting behind the wheel after drinking. DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE, FOLKS.” And warned that people getting DUIs would have their mug shots “plastered up in our hall of shame.” 

If you haven't visited TheDirty.com, I suggest you do, but not frequently. Let me take a moment to explain how Nik Richie makes his money: 

• When a person visits a website, the fact that they visited it gets recorded. This is called a 'Hit' in the internet world. When a website gets a high number of 'hits', it is more likely to receive Advertising interest. The website makes money off ad's that want to be posted on the website because it receives a high traffic volume. 

•  When you run a media website that people are interested in such as PerezHilton.com, TheNewYorkTimes.com, ext, you will receive a high number of 'hits', when you have a juicy story. 

•  Exploiting America's love for drama, gossip and juicy details about people's lives, Nik Richie has created TheDirty.com. This website is in the form of a blog. The website's visitors take pictures of people they may or may not know, send it in along with information (true or false) about the person, and Nik Richie posts it for all to see. Can you see how this would generate a lot of traffic? What if you found out that your neighbour's wife was sleeping around, and there was proof in photo's online? Wouldn't you go and check them out? Thats another dollar for Mr. Richie. 

Here's the issue: Some of it is true, some of it is false, and some of it is just plain irrelevant but gets commented on regardless. Example: A woman posts provocative photos of herself on her Facebook page. Who knows why? Who cares? She likes them. She then breaks up with her boyfriend. In a fit of rage, he sends those photos in to TheDirty.com and says that she has an STD, that she is promiscuous and that she doesn't take care of her child. Is it true? Maybe. But it could also just be his opinion and now her life is effected quite negatively. 

I know what you're thinking. How is this legal? 

Nik Richie, his wife and his lawyer paid a visit to Dr. Phil (who wasn't all that keen on the website either) to explain how the website is legal. Basically, Mr. Richie is hiding behind the fact that he is not the person posting the material. He just owns the website. TheDirty.com is blatant Cyber-Bullying, but it is the people that send in the material doing the bullying, not Nik. What he is doing, is making it possible for them to Cyber-Bully anonymously. If you want to read more about why Mr. Richie is getting away with this website, visit their FAQ page here.

Nik Richie is what a lovely man on Dr. Phil referred to as a "bottom-feeder". He makes hypocritical, reasonless, baseless and often racist comments on the website, and he knows it and will continue to do it because he understands that feeding the drama will generate more 'hits' for TheDirty.com. 

So, lets take the first step. Let's stop visiting the website, and lets try to counteract the damage that Nik Richie has done. 

Until next time... 

Em xo