For the good of the community

[drainbamage]

Apparently the powers that be have decided that we need them to control the community for our own benefit. The words were posted in another thread, no need to create a fuss in that thread, so just going to put it here.

I don't like it, it stinks of hypocrisy when you accept money from sponsors who have high-end corals, but slap down community members who share their own stuff. That the reason for doing this is "for the good of the community and our members" well, sheesh, isn't that big brother? I've always been fond of this site for being the most pleasant reefing site, with mods keeping threads clean of off-topic discussion and crudeness.
But that seems to be going the wayside, with a distinct message of "there's a right way and a wrong way to enjoy this hobby."
In short- I think this sucks, and I'm bummed out about something I really enjoyed shifting to something that's so controlled. I really enjoy people sharing what they have, looking for more information, looking for commonalities between what they have and what others have. I've always enjoyed talking to people and knowing just how stunning their tank looks when they tell me "I have so and so in there." Now, such community is being shunned for our own protection. I'm sorry for being a dissident, but dang, that just sucks.

 

[moto826]

ok im lost

 

[acanman]

me too

 

[clowns101]

Me to just a bit,still trying to figure things out here!

Hold tight!

Thanks

 

[revhtree]

First let me say that you are welcome to your opinion and we are open to hear comments from our members both good and bad.

That being said I am not too sure what you mean. We are not restricting anyone from selling or sharing, we are trying to cut back on threads that "hype" coral for the sole purpose of making the highest amount of profit. I am not sure where you are getting the "slap down members" feeling from. How is what we are doing telling members how they should enjoy the hobby?

I am seriously wondering so don't take my comment as being facetious.

We know for sure where certain members have used a "what do I have" thread to gauge a selling point for the particular coral in the thread.

 

[Wy Renegade]

Think he might be referring to some of the issues and posts occuring in the ID threads - hang in there db, I'm not sure the way some of the posts are coming across is quite the way things are intended. I don't think admin or mods are out to shut down the sharing of corals or the seeking of info - they're just trying to cut back on the people who post up "look what I got threads - and by the way, I have only two frags so send me all your money". Certainly threads showing off corals and tanks have not been touched. Unfortunately it appears that some individuals are also using the new direction as a excuse to post up their negative opinions/thoughts in the ID threads, rather than being helpful or informative.

 

[revhtree]

Posting pics of stuff you have and showing off stuff is perfectly fine. It's a certain few who are using the ID forums for the wrong reasons.

 

[moto826]

ok now i see thanks scoup

 

[drainbamage]

Apologies for being vague, my intention isn't to attack or disparage, simply venting frustration at the concern of losing something that has been thusfar an enjoyable part of my day. As such I'm trying to watch my language so as not to be negative while discussing something I find a negative, a losing challenge surely, but I try.

So as far as slapped down- I'm just reffering to threads having been closed, but more when they're detracted from. Look through the ZoaId threads and countless ones have the same guys detracting from the thread, and seemingly faulting the poster for getting an ID. That the mods are also shutting down threads, or that the phrase "no Hype theads!" keeps coming up in pruned threads with posts erased, all seems to give the feeling of a distinct message being sent.

It's one thing for a person to post "what are these amazing things?" and then flip them to a sale. There's another when a person is looking to confirm identity, especially prior to a sale. If I was buying a piece of artwork, wouldn't it be fair to confirm that what I'm getting is a real Picasso and not a fake? If only there was a community where I could do such a thing! And then lastly when a person asks for what something is, and has a few people pipe in "hey, let me buy one" which then attracts the crows shouting "you're all stupid for paying to much" and the thread degenerates, more often than not getting shut down. Through no fault of the TS, and what I would presume to be no fault of those simply also wanting what to them is something attractive, a fault is implied.
That's where the overreaching message is again seemingly heard. That the members aren't trusted to use their own wisdom to do as they will, and instead the forum representatives will enforce a certain goal, is a cencorship I dislike. Is it something huge now? No, but I've never hesitated to check a problem when I first notice it instead of letting it grow.

 

[drainbamage]

Think he might be referring to some of the issues and posts occuring in the ID threads - hang in there db, I'm not sure the way some of the posts are coming across is quite the way things are intended. I don't think admin or mods are out to shut down the sharing of corals or the seeking of info - they're just trying to cut back on the people who post up "look what I got threads - and by the way, I have only two frags so send me all your money". Certainly threads showing off corals and tanks have not been touched. Unfortunately it appears that some individuals are also using the new direction as a excuse to post up their negative opinions/thoughts in the ID threads, rather than being helpful or informative.

That's what's troubling, the seeming coupling of the thread detractors being both unhelpful and seemingly insulting, with the "policy" now speaking the same message. And I'll also admit, the idea of the mods "taking care" of my senses to prevent me from doing something stupid like blowing all my money just cause someone posted a pretty picture-I've always valued the ability to make my own mistakes. I tend to struggle against any attempt to tell me what to do, with it being told to be in my own best interest. Frankly if someone posted a picture of a brown button polyp and said "Look what I have!" and someone pipped in that they'll send him $1,254.98 via paypal right now, IMO, it's that persons choice. If I saw that, I might PM said person with advice "you can find those cheaper elsewhere" but it's not my place to decide for him how his money should be used, again, IMO.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I think one of the things they are trying to clarify is sale vs. hype; In a sale thread, the saler is required to post a price. In a "look what I got, hype thread" there is no set price, and the seller may set price based on how many people send in a PM asking for a frag. I agree with you that most ID posts are not looking to turn instantly to a sale thread, although I have see it happen with 15 people posting "put me on the frag list" which gets annoying when you're trying to help figure out if something is already IDed or not.

I don't mod here, but have on other forums, and sometimes a thread gets so out of control by the time you notice it, that it is simply easier to lock it down than it is to try and clean up multiple pages of a mess. I do agree that the mods also need to do a better job of cleaning up some of the distracting non-helpful posts, but sometimes its also a tough call between humor and negativity.

 

[revhtree]

Drainbamage you are pretty much right on point.

The post that are being removed are those post where people are not being nice and posting comments that are meant to detract instead of help. Also I did say something to the effect of "protecting our members" but what I should have said was "keeping people from taking advantage of the R2R forums." I am 100% all for people selling what they want for what prices they want to and for people buying what they want and so on. But I am not for people who know better using the forums to hype up their corals for resale.

 

[revhtree]

Please also report post that need to be addressed.

 

[Speg]

I think the mods do a great job at removing the hype...sure, sometimes they end up getting some people who aren't purposely trying to hype, but it's hard to tell these days A few people go on the ID thread and say "WHAT ARE THESE?!" and then a couple days later you see them in the for sale section...

Think about how hard it is for mods to tell who is being honest and who is trying to hype...

Also, I've talked to just about all the mods and they are REALLY down to Earth. So many other forums have mods that are on these weird power trips--not R2R mods. If I have a post that needs to be removed, locked, or moved, they're usually PM'ing me telling me and they apologize to me--they actually say sorry--that's crazy!

Recently, there have been a bunch of threads with a few posters who post absolute nonsense and offer absolutely no help or advice to the original poster. All these few people are doing is racking up posts and not helping anyone...what happens? The thread starts to get really corrupt and useless....what ultimately happens if it isn't closed/shut down? New members come and look up those posts and get incorrect information.

Just saying...

 

[Speg]

by the way...as far as vendors...

(this is all my opinion and may be wrong) R2R >>SEEMS TO<< offer vendors a place to post their goods in their own personal area on R2R. They don't allow these vendors to get away with anything, but they do give them a special area and that's what the vendors pay for. I don't think that's too much to ask for or expect if someone is paying.

I think it's awesome that R2R has these vendors AND allows its members to sell their stuff......

I come from a board where none of this would have been allowed...and the mods were jerks and would never say "sorry" or even be nice....so maybe my opinion on the matter is different because I'm used to something so different.