This life of this forum (LPS) is basically gone

[Maximus]

We need our members back in this forum. They contributed a lot of information, beautiful pictures and a sense of humor after a long days work. You know who you are and are indeed missed by me and a lot of other members. Mods, please let them post pics again. This forum isn't the same anymore

[Maximus]

Well, the title should have read, "The life of this forum is basically gone". Sorry about that.

[JenDub]

Maximus you are making me sad

.....for now, try to use your imagination....I am thinking of something pink=)

[yoshiod9]

i'm gonna have to agree, sang...the same thing happened when mane got banned...the lps forum took a huge hit. at least they didn't get banned though...

but try to see it from the mods p.o.v. the people that got banned are a commercial entity who are posting pictures of their livestock and by doing so, are breaking the rc rules. i'm thinking that if the people who got banned spoke to the mods and created a different name that had no connections with their commercial entity, things would be OK and they would be allowed to post pics again(and it's not like we wouldn't know who was posting all the bajillion different micro/acan pics!) .

[Jus Reefin]

Originally posted by yoshiod9
i'm thinking that if the people who got banned spoke to the mods and created a different name that had no connections with their commercial entity, things would be OK and they would be allowed to post pics again(and it's not like we wouldn't know who was posting all the bajillion different micro/acan pics!) .

not a snowballs chance on MARS of that happening....no further comment on the subject


now back to the topic

can't they just post some Pics they don't use to sell with?

[gotdesl]

...or route pictures through a non-partisan third party with no identifying marks or citation given?

[mschriskim]

I feel the same way as Maximus.

I myself started LPS 4 months ago (Big big help from RC and this LPS section)

After I have done many readings and seeing pics than I jumped on it...

Since than I learn lots of tips from RC on LPS section even how to take nice pics and and met many nice people...

Now I am not getting fun as I used to be... back than when I get nice corals first thing I do is posting pics on LPS section but not anymore and I do not much fun than it used to be... as many of them I do not see them around... yes they are around but it is different.

We want to see their pics..... and we want to have fun again.... as we have experience we will be more carefullllll.....

If I am only allow to put comments but not pics I will not having much fun here on this board so will not come in to this board as much as it used to be... this is what is happening with some of us now... which cause this board is getting somewhat so different and not much fun...

Mods, could you do something about this... As many of us had fun old days but not anymore...
This board is for infos, pics, help and fun.... but it is somewhat totally different than few month ago....

I am sure this feeling is not just few people....

Hey guys who feel same way say something here...

Thanks

Chris

[beerguy]

Originally posted by gotdesl
...or route pictures through a non-partisan third party with no identifying marks or citation given?

Please look up the definition of "shill" if you'd like my opinion of that.

Look folks, we're very serious about RC remaining a non-commercial venue. I'm sorry that asking the rules to be followed is so burdensome, but that's the way it needs to be. Also, we've commented on it before, feedback discussions regarding the way the board is run don't belong here, they belong in the Feedback and Questions forum.

Thanks

[shane 1111]

mane was very funny and informitive
this form is starting to go down hill
no fun any more

[beerguy]

Originally posted by shane 1111
mane was very funny and informitive
this form is starting to go down hill
no fun any more

\

Then you should be upset with mane for completely ignoring the rules and getting himself banned. How is that RC's fault? You had to agree to the rules when you signed up. I'm having a really hard time figuring out how we're the bad guys.

[shane 1111]

beerguy your not the bad guys.
no one is posting pics aney more and people are not answering questions as much as they used to.

[Jus Reefin]

Doug, can we move this to the correct forum for discussion?

No one is calling RC bad guys like is always jumped to the conclusion. They are just voicing there feellings and they are correct. Between the Zoanthid, SPS and LPS forum having so many people banned the forums really don't offer the info they used to. That's not to say WHO'S fault it is.

Bottom line is RC is more of a business now rather then a community and so it must be ran like such!

[shane 1111]

Dosent people sharing frages help the hobby
and help lower the demand for wild collected corals

[beerguy]

[moved]

Bottom line is RC is more of a business now rather then a community and so it must be ran like such!

I don't think that I understand your statement or how it applies.

Reef Central is a VERY large board. Bandwidth and hosting needs are significant. Sponsors incur most of those costs. Sponsorship doesn't allow you to sell product on RC, it gives you a banner ad and your own forum (at higher levels). If we allow anyone who feels like it to do commercial posting it significantly lowers the value proposition to those sponsors. They stop sponsoring RC, you start seeing server busy or unavailable messages, everyone looses.

Many of the folks who post in the LPS forum do so for the love of the hobby. Many others, mostly the loudest complainers, have been using it as a tool to take advantage of the price bubbles in the LPS markets; that's what we're preventing. Ebay does the selling thing really well, we don't think the two should mix.

Case in point, we just had a situation in another forum where a user was using multiple accounts to drive sales and discredit other vendors. From the outside it looks perfectly harmless. You see:

"Hey XXX, thanks for a great shipment. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from you again." XXX responds, "No problem, always a pleasure."

To folks who don't see behind the scenes it looks like a great review. Once you realize that it's the same person making both statements it reads a little differently. That's exactly why we work so hard to keep "commercial" entities our of normal discussions.

[Anemone]

Originally posted by Jus Reefin
No one is calling RC bad guys like is always jumped to the conclusion.

Come on!

Mods, please let them post pics again. This forum isn't the same anymore

Mods, could you do something about this... As many of us had fun old days but not anymore...

mane was very funny and informitive
this form is starting to go down hill
no fun any more

These are supposed to be viewed as "the mods are good guys?"

Listen, mane may have been a "good guy," but he and a few of the zoanthid retailers are the prime reason we have the rules we have (and that we have to enforce them). Some people recognize no rules at all when there's money to be made. Unfortunately, enforcing the rules rigidly (as we are forced to do by the commerce-oriented crowd) impacts some folks who are on the "good" side of the line. We know that and regret it. But the moment we allow the line to shift we have either a whole slew of posts from "undercover" retailers or a whole slew of complaints from folks who have been on the receiving end of warnings in the past.

Many folks complain long and loud about how unfair and restrictive the policies are, and how they we are "ruining" the forums, but they are also the first to report others. We (mods and staff) walk a very fine line every day and try to enforce RC's rules fairly and impartially.

And what do we hear?

Originally posted by Jus Reefin
Bottom line is RC is more of a business now rather then a community and so it must be ran like such!

Ah, nothing like a nice slam to end a post. For my response, see above.

Kevin

[Jus Reefin]

Doug, your first paragraph justifies my comment perfectly. The bottom line is those rules are "ENFORCED" now due to the need for Sponsorship to keep RC up and running. With the cost of a Sponsorship ( a whole topic on it's own) RC does not want to lose it's sponsors due to a few Hobbiest using RC for profit only ( as the theroy would have it). I don't doubt that you do get a few of those type of trolls. These issues don't arrize on many of the other boards as they are not as big and DO NOT need sponsorship to keep them going. Thus the BUSINESS aspect.

[Jus Reefin]

I'm done talking. You are obvisouly to sensitive about anything about RC. SLAM????????

PEACE

[beerguy]

Originally posted by Jus Reefin
Doug, your first paragraph justifies my comment perfectly. The bottom line is those rules are "ENFORCED" now due to the need for Sponsorship to keep RC up and running. With the cost of a Sponsorship ( a whole topic on it's own) RC does not want to lose it's sponsors due to a few Hobbiest using RC for profit only ( as the theroy would have it). I don't doubt that you do get a few of those type of trolls. These issues don't arrize on many of the other boards as they are not as big and DO NOT need sponsorship to keep them going. Thus the BUSINESS aspect.

Nothing has changed. We have always worked very hard to make this a venue for non-commercailly motived information sharing. We believe in that, every one of us mods/staff/admins, to the core. No one is getting rich here, this board is run ENTIRELY by volunteers. Are we interested in keeping it running, at expected standards, for a long time? absolutely which is why we have to step up enforcement of the rules from time to time.

The bigger we get the more folks we get trying to make a buck "under the radar" which results in more folks being banned for doing so. It isn't because we've changed the rules, it's because more folks are trying to break them.

Bottom line. We think we do a pretty good job running the largest Aquarium forum on the planet. We can't, however, be all things to all people. If we're not meeting your needs perhaps there are other forums more suited to what you're looking for in the hobby.

[Anemone]

Originally posted by Jus Reefin
I'm done talking. You are obvisouly to sensitive about anything about RC. SLAM????????

PEACE

Obviously. I'm sure you intended your quoted comment as nothing but a compliment.

Kevin

[Jus Reefin]

Originally posted by beerguy
If we're not meeting your needs perhaps there are other forums more suited to what you're looking for in the hobby.

That's always the answer...............I give up......

Kevin,

Not a compliment nor a SLAM just my OPINION!

[gotdesl]

From Webster's -

"Main Entry: 1shill
Pronunciation: 'shil
Function: intransitive verb
Etymology: 2shill
1 : to act as a shill
2 : to act as a spokesperson or promoter <the eminent Shakespearean producer, director, actor and star... is now shilling for a brokerage house -- Andy Rooney> "

So by my suggestion, it would not be shilling nor would the person posting be a shill. If I were to pose as a satisfied customer and promote business for the individual, then it would be shilling. Hence the reason that I suggested no identifying marks or credit given to the owner. Per my suggestion, they would just be pictures, nothing less... nothing more.

[Anemone]

Originally posted by Jus Reefin
Kevin,

Not a compliment nor a SLAM just my OPINION!

Your opinion is that RC is not a community but a business, and you don't see how anyone associated with this community might find that a slam? No, I don't buy that.

Kevin

[shane 1111]

mostly the loudest complainers, have been using it as a tool to take advantage of the price bubbles in the LPS markets; that's what we're preventing.

what dose this mean??= ( using it as a tool to take advantage of the price bubbles )
i am not trying to complain

[Jus Reefin]

And that's YOUR opinion!

[beerguy]

Shane, within the context of this thread, the prices on LPS corals recently, I'm pretty sure that you could infer a meaning from my statement.