Can You Help a Breeder Who Just Lost Her Entire Collection of Geckos?

@WebSlave: Well, you've really added some value to this conversation.

@April: Of course, the owner of a website has the absolute right to define and enforce whatever policy he/she wants. Such powers have nothing to do with the wisdom or value or such policies.

Is there a world-wide manual, that's simply inane. Of course not. If this is an insular community immune of hearing diverse opinions from potential new members, then you've just offered an additional reason why I wouldn't want to participate in THIS section of this otherwise fantastic resource.

Let's not let this thread degrade into snarkiness and pettiness. I've come here asking for help for someone who has suffered a tragedy from a community I thought would be a sympathetic to her plight. My assumption has proved unsupported by the evidence however. My bad.

Originally Posted by Seattle_Gecko

Really, I've both administered and participated in dozens of forums over the many, many years I've been on on the Internet

Why not go to them and ask for funds, they know you?

Originally Posted by Seattle_Gecko

How can I experience the value of this community if I can't fully participate in it?

There are over 65,000 people who came through the doors just like you did and then chose to become members.

Originally Posted by Lucille

There are over 65,000 people who came through the doors just like you did and then chose to become members.

Let me direct you to the Wikipedia page on logical fallacies such as this:
"Argumentum ad populum (literally, an argument to the people) is the logical fallacy that just because something is popular, it is therefore true. Undoubtedly many popular notions are true, but their truth is not a function of their popularity." (Source: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum)

Mark, pardon my snarkiness but in my opinion your response to Harald was rather aggressive and I felt it was demeaning the 'worth' of this site and staff.

I do think trying to reach out and help someone in need is a good thing and I'm sorry Elsie and Ross lost their collection, that is devestating.

Originally Posted by Seattle_Gecko

Let me direct you to the Wikipedia page

Let me direct you to the door. You came here for money, and then wanted to direct this site to work as you wished.
I do wish your friends the best and hope they get their business back on track.

@April: Your snarkiness is personally welcome, but it generally degrades the actual purpose/content of the post. If you re-read this post from the beginning to end in a few days, sans emotion, I think you may feel differently. If Harald was upset or disturbed by my tone, that in your opinion was aggressive (which I don't share-- it was clear, to the point, and firm), then Harald can surely defend himself.

@Lucille: I've already been invited to the door by someone else. I keep getting called back into the room however. And no, I did not come asking anyone for money. Please show me where I've done so.

Originally Posted by Seattle_Gecko

@WebSlave: Well, you've really added some value to this conversation.

@April: Of course, the owner of a website has the absolute right to define and enforce whatever policy he/she wants. Such powers have nothing to do with the wisdom or value or such policies.

Is there a world-wide manual, that's simply inane. Of course not. If this is an insular community immune of hearing diverse opinions from potential new members, then you've just offered an additional reason why I wouldn't want to participate in THIS section of this otherwise fantastic resource.

Let's not let this thread degrade into snarkiness and pettiness. I've come here asking for help for someone who has suffered a tragedy from a community I thought would be a sympathetic to her plight. My assumption has proved unsupported by the evidence however. My bad.

Yeah, and YOUR value is where exactly?

You chose to move this conversation into one composed of "snarkiness and pettiness", so now you think it "snarky and petty" of others to point your snarkiness out to you? You appear to have made a mistake posting this thread in the first place and want US to clean up your mess. And then you turn around and start snarking at us because we won't do your bidding to do the clean up. It was explained why not, and that just was not good for you, because YOU know better about how things SHOULD be here. Lord have mercy, but how did we EVER get along without your guidance the last 10 years or so?

And to correct another error you are apparently making, we are not unsympathetic to "her plight". We are unsympathetic towards YOUR presumptions about how this site should be run and how you feel that YOU must be right, simply because you wish it to be so.

And yeah, I know, you are yet another genius that knows so much more than I do about the proper way to run a website like this. Spare me, please.... When you set up a site like this and it gets more traffic and more participation, THEN we can talk.

Originally Posted by Seattle_Gecko

Let me direct you to the Wikipedia page on logical fallacies such as this:
"Argumentum ad populum (literally, an argument to the people) is the logical fallacy that just because something is popular, it is therefore true. Undoubtedly many popular notions are true, but their truth is not a function of their popularity." (Source: http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Argumentum_ad_populum)

And please let me direct your attention to yet another Wikipedia page (if this is the game you want to play here) that appears to relate to your statements:

Megalomania is a psycho-pathological condition characterized by delusional fantasies of power, relevance, or omnipotence. 'Megalomania is characterized by an inflated sense of self-esteem and overestimation by persons of their powers and beliefs'.[1] Historically it was used as an old name for narcissistic personality disorder prior to the latter's first use by Heinz Kohut in 1968, and is used these days as a non-clinical equivalent.[2][3] It is not mentioned in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)[4] or the International Statistical Classification of Diseases (ICD).

Originally Posted by Seattle_Gecko

Please show me where I've done so.

Originally Posted by Seattle_Gecko

the best way would be by offering discounts

Mark, all I can say is that your behavior is petty and unwelcome, and you have this false idea that you can just walk onto a site and tell the owner what his policies ought to be.


Should the Ericksons themselves choose to visit the site, I do want them to realize that many of us empathize with their loss and hope that their business can weather this disaster.

You've got one major point wrong...we aren't trying to compel people to pay for the ability to edit their posts. For those that do choose to support this site financially, however, we do offer a combination of benefits. Are they worth the cost for somebody interested in one of those features - probably not, in many cases...but they are nice additions for those that opt for paid membership.
This site (in its current form) was sort of built around the BOI, where no editing/deleting is allowed. Yes, that is different from many other sites...but that is the case in other aspects, as well.

As you indicated, you are new here. Being decidedly critical and snarky will get you nowhere on this site. You chose to jump in before you got a feel for the place...no big deal, except that you expectations are in conflict with how we do things.
Regarding your antagonistic comment about being unable to use my own judgement, you are off the mark. We have, as guidelines, the rules and policies of this site...other than that, we have a good deal of latitude in how we interpret and enforce them. I've used my judgement on this matter a few times already - I left it when I first saw it, decided not to remove it when you asked, chose to reply to that request, and responded to your objection.

You can accept my decision and shrug it off, you can have a little tantrum that will not get your thread deleted (but may get you banned, depending on how you conduct yourself, and how long it goes on), or you can flip us off & leave. Rest assured that you are the only one affected by that decision, so make the choice that is right for you.

One last thing...if you want to continue your discussion of site policy, and how it applies to you, please take it to the Fauna Feedback Forum - it is quite off topic in this thread.