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Post by puffy on Jun 21, 2017 19:40:23 GMT -5
There are some forums that I check maybe once a month.They may have in the past been fairly active but now they seem to have only a very few new posts if any at all.Pipes.org is one that I posted on some years ago.Now there's almost nothing going on there.There's a few more almost as bad..Just wondering what happens on these forums to make folks leave them.
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Post by papipeguy on Jun 21, 2017 20:10:07 GMT -5
The ebb and flow on forums counts on new blood and the overall fell of the place. I hope we can make the Patch comfortable and welcoming for many years. Keeping things interesting is key so we count on folks like you to keep everyone engaged in the conversation.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 20:45:44 GMT -5
I have observed over the years that many pipers sign up to a forum and essentially read only. In some cases, they be intimidated from posting. This forum seems user friendly, with a fairly wide range of age & experience (which is good in my book).
The What Are You Smoking thread is a great way for any new pipers to get started and I hope many more join in the near future and do exactly that.
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Zach
Pro Member
If you can't send money, send tobacco.
Posts: 4,369
First Name: Zach
Favorite Pipe: Too many currently, bound to change
Favorite Tobacco: Haunted Bookshop, Big 'N' Burley, Pegasus, Habana Daydream, OJK, Rum Twist, FVF, Escudo, Orlik Golden Sliced, Kendal Flake, Ennerdale
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Post by Zach on Jun 21, 2017 20:50:32 GMT -5
Bad administration and stagnant membership use.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 21, 2017 22:16:33 GMT -5
In my opinion:
The lack of interesting discussions.
Content added to a topic that has no bearing.
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Post by Artistik on Jun 22, 2017 7:29:39 GMT -5
I am new to this forum, but I was on a previous forum for many years. The other forum slowly became "cliqueish" and the Administration developed a "don't give a damn" attitude.
That doesn't appear to be the case on the Patch.
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Post by Darin on Jun 22, 2017 13:19:21 GMT -5
I think it's caused by members who start threads and never reply to the comments. 
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Post by trailboss on Jun 22, 2017 13:29:03 GMT -5
It really helps that after fifty posts on this forum, every month Sparks ships off an 8 oz. bag of Stonehaven to active participants....it certainly keeps me involved.
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Post by Lady Margaret on Jun 22, 2017 13:32:29 GMT -5
I think it's caused by members who start threads and never reply to the comments.
LOL! replying to every comment helps one's post count 
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Post by Lady Margaret on Jun 22, 2017 13:33:07 GMT -5
It really helps that after fifty posts on this forum, every month Sparks ships off an 8 oz. bag of Stonehaven to active participants....it certainly keeps me involved.
ahem.
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Zach
Pro Member
If you can't send money, send tobacco.
Posts: 4,369
First Name: Zach
Favorite Pipe: Too many currently, bound to change
Favorite Tobacco: Haunted Bookshop, Big 'N' Burley, Pegasus, Habana Daydream, OJK, Rum Twist, FVF, Escudo, Orlik Golden Sliced, Kendal Flake, Ennerdale
Location:
Member is Online
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Post by Zach on Jun 22, 2017 13:50:23 GMT -5
It really helps that after fifty posts on this forum, every month Sparks ships off an 8 oz. bag of Stonehaven to active participants....it certainly keeps me involved. Well, you got jipped. I just received 2x 1991 tins of the VaPer Three Nuns when I passed 50 posts... |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2017 14:58:15 GMT -5
I think it's caused by believe it is that membersers who start threads and never reply to the comments.
Humor noted, but you make a valid point. If one starts a thread, I believe it is that members resposibility and courtesy to monitor the thread and respond to it where warranted. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2017 15:01:36 GMT -5
I am new to this forum, but I was on a previous forum for many years. The other forum slowly became "cliqueish" and the Administration developed a "don't give a damn" attitude. That doesn't appear to be the case on the Patch. You summed that up perfectly Art. My feelings exactly and suspect that of a few others as well. |
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Zach
Pro Member
If you can't send money, send tobacco.
Posts: 4,369
First Name: Zach
Favorite Pipe: Too many currently, bound to change
Favorite Tobacco: Haunted Bookshop, Big 'N' Burley, Pegasus, Habana Daydream, OJK, Rum Twist, FVF, Escudo, Orlik Golden Sliced, Kendal Flake, Ennerdale
Location:
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Post by Zach on Jun 22, 2017 17:24:04 GMT -5
I suppose I should note I'm an admin on pipesmokerunlimited, but I'm not trying to advertise. I know some of you are also members there, I just thought it worth mentioning for those who don't know.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 22, 2017 18:09:49 GMT -5
Then there are those who spend time reading the posts and see the bashing of the topic, OP, or a business which goes for awhile.
These same people read posts asking for help and don't get it, Or the advice is off the wall.
Then there are those that are there to glean all the information they can with out contributing to the topics(s).
Then there are people like me who doesn't post often because of the lack of something to say.
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Post by johnlawitzke on Jun 22, 2017 22:16:26 GMT -5
I suppose I should note I'm an admin on pipesmokerunlimited, but I'm not trying to advertise. I know some of you are also members there, I just thought it worth mentioning for those who don't know. Look a post that mentions another forum which doesn't get administratively deleted immediately! Selected URLs that the site ownership doesn't like aren't auto censored to asterisks. Enough said. People know where I'm talking about. What I am loving here at the Patch so far is the open, friendly, family feeling that used to be at my old online hang out. In terms of the OP's question, online community dynamics evolve and change over time just like in the real world. However, online the changes are more rapid and noticeable. I've seen too many online communities where people think being anonymous makes it ok to be rude, obnoxious, and extremely negative. In the pipe world, luckily, that is far less common. However, there are sites like that out there. Plus, people's interests change; one day they are there online and the next they are never heard from again. |
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Post by sparks on Jun 23, 2017 6:58:37 GMT -5
Look a post that mentions another forum which doesn't get administratively deleted immediately! Selected URLs that the site ownership doesn't like aren't auto censored to asterisks. Enough said. People know where I'm talking about. Yep, that's not how we work here. If you look at the Community Feed page, we actually advertise other forums. It's also not a stretch to see me post something from another forum and link back to them. My approach has always been to encourage a community spirit. This idea that "this is my sandbox" is just ridiculous to me. That was the goal. It really helps that after fifty posts on this forum, every month Sparks ships off an 8 oz. bag of Stonehaven to active participants....it certainly keeps me involved. Looks like Charlie is cut off. |
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Zach
Pro Member
If you can't send money, send tobacco.
Posts: 4,369
First Name: Zach
Favorite Pipe: Too many currently, bound to change
Favorite Tobacco: Haunted Bookshop, Big 'N' Burley, Pegasus, Habana Daydream, OJK, Rum Twist, FVF, Escudo, Orlik Golden Sliced, Kendal Flake, Ennerdale
Location:
Member is Online
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Post by Zach on Jun 23, 2017 7:11:51 GMT -5
All great points made by everyone. I do really appreciate the feeling here of not having to worry about posting a link, or otherwise literally just trying to share something relevant and informative about the pipe community.
Not being able to link to another pipe forum, pipe sales site, or otherwise pipe related something is just silly and has no positive purpose. As long as you aren't advertising and just trying to push your own agenda or merch and doing so in a spammy manner, of course.
Overall when you look at pipe forums we're a very calm bunch of people and tend to be more friendly than anonymous, handle-only communities, and I figure that's because in real life, we are all more calm and collected than non-pipe smokers.
Drama in pipe forums should be non-existent.
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Post by Lady Margaret on Jun 23, 2017 7:17:31 GMT -5
Look a post that mentions another forum which doesn't get administratively deleted immediately! Selected URLs that the site ownership doesn't like aren't auto censored to asterisks. Enough said. People know where I'm talking about. Yep, that's not how we work here. If you look at the Community Feed page, we actually advertise other forums. It's also not a stretch to see me post something from another forum and link back to them. My approach has always been to encourage a community spirit. This idea that "this is my sandbox" is just ridiculous to me. That was the goal. It really helps that after fifty posts on this forum, every month Sparks ships off an 8 oz. bag of Stonehaven to active participants....it certainly keeps me involved. Looks like Charlie is cut off.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ 
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Post by trailboss on Jun 23, 2017 13:27:56 GMT -5
Now I'm pissed!
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Post by peteguy on Jun 23, 2017 13:43:19 GMT -5
Some out there might say this is a low activity forum. I would rather read quality over quantity. If I see another how many bowls a day do you smoke thread I am sending Charlie Mixture 79 every month.\ Some of the old boards are used to read are barely alive. Others have a new bunch of names I don't recognize. Some people I miss and some I dont. |
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Post by trailboss on Jun 23, 2017 13:52:12 GMT -5
79 tins a month?  I need to start a new thread.... |
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Post by trailboss on Jun 23, 2017 13:56:24 GMT -5
Agree....Some of the other sites are pretty fertile ground on how not to do it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 23, 2017 14:29:46 GMT -5
Forums become boring if the same people post over and over . After the clique is formed among a few select members they start to octracize and discourage any new ideas or members from joining in to the foray . Add in some peculiar moderators , a couple of posters who feel the need to reiterate a synopsis in every thread and have a recipe for failure . In a effort to regain popularity the recycling of long dead posts are resurrected from the dead . Some horrible threads are allowed to continue while others are removed and never seen again . There are some very esteemed seasoned pipers here of late it is my hope that they can share and teach and never preach .
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sablebrush52
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Favorite Pipe: Barling
Favorite Tobacco: whatever is in it
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Post by sablebrush52 on Jun 24, 2017 1:04:30 GMT -5
There are some forums that I check maybe once a month.They may have in the past been fairly active but now they seem to have only a very few new posts if any at all.Pipes.org is one that I posted on some years ago.Now there's almost nothing going on there.There's a few more almost as bad..Just wondering what happens on these forums to make folks leave them. I can speak to Pipes.org as I witnessed it die. That forum was already ailing, the victim of the second worst moderator ever to be given sway over a forum. I say second worst because I don't know all the moderators on the Internet, so it's entirely possible that there was someone even worse. The site owner decided that it was time to migrate the site onto a new platform. When he did so, he screwed up the linking to the forums and it took him several weeks to get around to fixing the problem. That was the deathblow. The corpse was further kicked a few times by the requirement that approval of a post by a moderator was needed before the post could appear. The second worst moderator in the known Universe having been given the boot, there was no one to approve posts in a timely manner, so that was the end of that. |
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Grimpeur
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Favorite Pipe: The Falcon!
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Post by Grimpeur on Jun 24, 2017 1:52:26 GMT -5
@sablebrush, I am pretty sure you're referring to the forum that ensured I wasn't to try any forum about anything for over a decade. He was, indeed, the worst in the universe.
I imagine that being a moderator can be a bit of a challenge at times; I certainly appreciate the work done by those who do the job.
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sablebrush52
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Favorite Tobacco: whatever is in it
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Post by sablebrush52 on Jun 24, 2017 12:22:34 GMT -5
@sablebrush, I am pretty sure you're referring to the forum that ensured I wasn't to try any forum about anything for over a decade. He was, indeed, the worst in the universe. I imagine that being a moderator can be a bit of a challenge at times; I certainly appreciate the work done by those who do the job. The guy was rude and tyrannical, socially incompetent, knew little about pipes or tobacco, except names like "Dunhill" and Penzance" and fancied himself a brilliant writer. There were some great contributors on the maintenance forum, which was run by another moderator who was knowledgeable and socially competent. The death of Pipes.org was a shame as it was entirely avoidable. The site owner should have dumped the crappy moderator, but he was largely uninvolved with the site. Its demise propelled me to other sites, which has been largely a good thing. |
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Post by trailboss on Jun 24, 2017 12:49:58 GMT -5
Having the right moderators are so important...good judgment, roll with the punches, exercise discipline in a proprtional matter when needed are so important, and putting the candle snuffer on a thread that goes awry...Justin has done a good job with the current set of Henchmen he has on the job....  And it goes without saying that the individual forum member needs to practice self governance also, and give others the benefit of the doubt in an electronic medium that doesn't always communicate the nuances...simply employing an emoticon can help alleviate misunderstandings. |
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Zach
Pro Member
If you can't send money, send tobacco.
Posts: 4,369
First Name: Zach
Favorite Pipe: Too many currently, bound to change
Favorite Tobacco: Haunted Bookshop, Big 'N' Burley, Pegasus, Habana Daydream, OJK, Rum Twist, FVF, Escudo, Orlik Golden Sliced, Kendal Flake, Ennerdale
Location:
Member is Online
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Post by Zach on Jun 24, 2017 12:58:38 GMT -5
Well let's try to not directly name drop and bash other people and forums. That's not cool either, whether true or not, we are a community. It doesn't matter if one posts 25 times a day, that doesn't ostracize members or force them to do anything and as long as it doesn't go outside the rules, you shouldn't wish to censor someone's free speech or minimize their joy in talking in a community. Jim will be ok with me saying so, but some have spoken out about JimInks posting too much, smoking too much, supporting or shilling for tobacco companies and reviews, and other silly rude opinions towards him. Keep the rude and the hate in religion and politics and leave piping out of it. People like Jim post a lot because this is their fun and joy and you shouldn't feel you can take a dump on another for having too much fun. Let's not worry about how much someone posts because it doesn't harm you. |
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Post by trailboss on Jun 24, 2017 13:20:56 GMT -5
After posting about 3000 posts without ever being disciplined on a forum, I had the audacity to join another forum when there was a major rift...the admin of that forum lurked and excommunicated me (and many others) pretty much for that reason....  sometimes when I search out a particular pipe related subject, Google hits direct me there....it is amazing how many people got bounced and are now "anonymous". Others that really went on vulgar rants about that website during that time on another forum are back on there...I can honestly say that I never got into the gutter over it all...heck it is their loss. |
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