I missed Reef-a-palooza: any other frag swaps coming up

[Captain Quirk]

Originally posted by All Delight
As far as selection goes RAP this year was way better then CFM. And admission was only $5. Maybe RAP was more expensive because alot of the sellers were retailers. CFM is more www based stores that are run out of their homes.

Something to keep in mind is that all of the CFM events are geared towards captive propagation. Although you can have a wild caught coral and have it in your tank for a month and frag it (or something like that - forgot the criteria), still, the intent is to promote captive propagation.

The hobby is going to be facing a supply "crises" (self inflicted, I might add) within a decade or so, so the earlier people get on the "home grown" bandwagon, the better off we'll all be...

Don't get me wrong. I'm all for saving a buck. But IMO there's a far larger picture to think of here...

BTW I understand they have a much larger space this year (last year was REEEEALY crowded)...

[Bergovoy]

Originally posted by Captain Quirk
I totally disagree. When you have a lot of events you dilute the value of each event. What's so special about an event when there'll be another one a month or so later?

IMO it's better to concentrate resources to make the semi/bi annual events all they can be. Give people not only value in the product/merchandise but also do the hobby a favor by EDUCATING people and trying to emphasize the responsibilities we have as stewards of the planet...

*hugs tree*

And, oh, even porn stars get tired of s3x... There CAN be too much of a good thing...

You are speaking from the perspective of a sponsor, or promoter or maybe a vendor or manufacturer...

BUT from a consumer point of view, the more events the merrier... If there are that many vendors willing to promote thier wares and or they feel the need to be front and center to the public, then it will only benefit the end user. I want a devalued product that works like a million bucks...

Again, not looking at all perspectives will get you only part of the picture...

[Captain Quirk]

Originally posted by Bergovoy
You are speaking from the perspective of a sponsor, or promoter or maybe a vendor or manufacturer...

Uh, no, I'm speaking from the perspective of a hobbyist. A hobbyist with more than a 20 second look towards the future of the hobby...

BUT from a consumer point of view, the more events the merrier...

Still disagree. That's akin to the more movies they make the better... I'll take quality over quantity, thank you.

If there are that many vendors willing to promote thier wares and or they feel the need to be front and center to the public, then it will only benefit the end user. I want a devalued product that works like a million bucks...

Don't know how to respond to that... Although I'm not a fan of the way that we often get "gouged" for our stuff just because it's "reef", I also don't see that it does any good to price manufacturers out of the market. The increase of manufacturers is helping drive down costs to the consumer already; this has helped tremendously. I don't think manufacturers will want to be at 12 events a year...

Also, education should be key in anything we do. So many of us look at livestock as just dollars and hence that livestock is "devalued" (to use your term). There isn't enough of a sense of responsibility towards these creatures we all find so beautiful. There will undoubtedly come a day when wild caught specimens will be unavailable or at the least require a permit. Just because it isn't that way now doesn't mean we shouldn't treat our current livestock with the same amount of respect.

Again, not looking at all perspectives will get you only part of the picture...

Undoubtedly. Are YOU looking at all perspectives?

I may not be fully aware of all the aspects involving each facet of the hobby, however I do make an attempt to understand them all to a degree. Perhaps it's my socialistic nature that makes me lean a bit more heavily towards education and conservation. Perhaps I should be a bit less selfish...

[gtrestoration]

I don't want to search out the posts in this thread that I'd like to address so I'll just skim the surface.

First, RAP is a club event and RC recognizes the greater good to the hobby these clubs provide. Along with that RC allows these clubs to use RC to promote the events they hold. That can be a monthly meeting, backyard swap or what's become a mega-event like RAP.
IMO there's no fine line here at all. To me the rules of engagement are pretty clear. SCMAS is a club that I'd assume holds non-profit status and as long as that status remains I see no issues with promotions of their events.
Other events like CFM are for profit and have been handled as such in the past. As regular RC members we can discuss those events with limits based on the posters involvement. So in my case, since I sold at both RAP and CFM you didn't see me participate in those threads in a way that could be interpreted as promoting my offerings.

I think my participation in last years CFM thread probably did more harm than good when the Riff-Raff thing came up. BTW, in retrospect I don't regret any of those comments and still proudly stand by them. In fact I still have the shirt to prove it.

SteveU

[raskal311]

Where is Greg? I think its time for another good old backyard swap!!

[ReefMeister2]

I think its safe to say, "All swaps are good swaps" regardless of the acronym behind them.


kinda like the ole saying....I've never met a beer I didn't like!

[epicfish]

Originally posted by ReefMeister2
I think its safe to say, "All swaps are good swaps" regardless of the acronym behind them.


kinda like the ole saying....I've never met a beer I didn't like!

Saying? It's the truth!

I have NEVER met a beer I didn't like!

I think that having more swaps is a good idea, but maybe have most of them be backyard swaps with one or two big events per year where all the vendors come down to a large venue. Helps preserve the "value" of the event as someone put it.

The more swaps we have, the more captive propagation is promoted since most people just trade frags of their own stuff at these swaps...better than going to a LFS and buying something that was caught from our oceans the week before.

[ReefMeister2]

Originally posted by epicfish
Saying? It's the truth!

The more swaps we have, the more captive propagation is promoted since most people just trade frags of their own stuff at these swaps...better than going to a LFS and buying something that was caught from our oceans the week before.

Ahhhh, but let's not forget that without their support (LFS) we'd have nothing but computer screens to look at! I'll find a real gem at Eye Candy for as little as $20-30 sometimes. I've taken people from out of state into a store here and they just look on with astonishment. "that coral would go for $120 or more back home" they said! (just looking at frogspawn, lol) "Whole colonies are incredibly expensive if you live outside of California".

We've got a very beautiful thing going on here in Southern California. Over 100 dedicated reef stores within 100 mile radius! We're 'bout as spoiled as a ground hog in soft dirt, yeessiree!

[Captain Quirk]

Originally posted by epicfish
Saying? It's the truth!

I have NEVER met a beer I didn't like!

I think that having more swaps is a good idea, but maybe have most of them be backyard swaps with one or two big events per year where all the vendors come down to a large venue. Helps preserve the "value" of the event as someone put it.

The more swaps we have, the more captive propagation is promoted since most people just trade frags of their own stuff at these swaps...better than going to a LFS and buying something that was caught from our oceans the week before.

First, there are many beers I don't like. But that's me.

Second, I agree with the rest of your post. Backyard and club swaps do a LOT to not only promote captive propagation but it also gives hobbyists a less expensive way to obtain livestock that they can learn to raise. 2 events a year are fine, thank you. Hopefully RAP gets back into it's roots a bit more this time, but that's another conversation...

Nice feedback! Not just because I happen to agree with it, but... Well, except for the beer part...

:P

[ReefMeister2]

Ya know, now that you metion it..

I did have a "Jalepeno" Beer at Lake Havasu one time....

.....that was a pretty one hard to get down!

[ReefMeister2]

Originally posted by Bebo77
lol.. from the look of his "occupation" you think that he put on RAP all by himself...

This statement is 95% True, unfortunately

But I'm sure that RAP '08 will be JUST as nice, if not better!

I can't wait to finally see an honest-to-goodness frag swap as merely an obersver this time. RAP '07 was my first experience!

[Captain Quirk]

quote:Originally posted by Bebo77
lol.. from the look of his "occupation" you think that he put on RAP all by himself...

Originally posted by ReefMeister2
This statement is 95% True, unfortunately

Yes, it is! Why, that same year he single handedly not only did rap "all by himself" but he also cured Cancer, defeated the Borg, won a Nobel peace prize, beat Big Blue and was even Knighted!

How do you DO it, Mr. Adams?

Whatever you're smoking, please, stop bogarting it. Pass it around!

Martyrdom works in some religions. I am hopeful it doesn't work very well here...

[ReefMeister2]

Captain Quirk,

You've been warned countless times to quit broadcasting your hate here on Reef Central. Please go elsewhere

Thank you!

[beerguy]

BOTH of you need to take your argument somewhere other than RC.