If the contributing members are not contributing enough to provide funding in case of a legal action, which seems to be the case, then Rich should not have to bear that risk and cost himself. If new members thought the information is of enough value to them to keep the site going, they would have become contributing members. With your suggestion, new members would have no incentive to help outings return for the valuable information they receive.
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Responding to email notices you receive.
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In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.
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IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed
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Posted 08/15/2025
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Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.
Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."
Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....
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Addendum: 01/10/2026
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Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....
The BOI will be coming to an end on 02-02-2020
- Thread starter WebSlave
- Start date
If the contributing members are not contributing enough to provide funding in case of a legal action, which seems to be the case, then Rich should not have to bear that risk and cost himself. If new members thought the information is of enough value to them to keep the site going, they would have become contributing members. With your suggestion, new members would have no incentive to help outings return for the valuable information they receive.
Yeah, maybe good for the new members, but where does that leave things for me concerning the reason in the first place this is taking place? Not enough new members registering to make any difference, as best I can tell. And certainly not in the case of contributing members. So the support for the BOI has just lost the critical mass it needed to survive, and not likely to return.
BTW, on 08-02-2019, I will be closing down the BOI to both posting and viewing by all but Contributor level members and above. I had set it this way originally when this thread was active, but then with the situation on facebook seemingly potentially bringing more past and future members here, I relented thinking that the highlighted notice about the BOI being removed on 02-02-2020 might change the outlook somewhat if more of those people took note of what the future was bringing. But this does not appear to be a significant change in outlook here any longer. So back to the original course.
Royal Roaches
Member
Hello, thank you for all your hard work over the years....a thankless job I'm sure.
I just renewed my membership....I'm a terrible procrastinator.
I think 25 bucks is a worthwhile investment regardless of my personal level of involvement on this site. I feel like I'm contributing to a community, a community that I'm enthused to be a part of.....if you support a cause then why not invest into it. (money, time, volunteer, etc...)
I have read a lot of what you have written Rich, I have been involved in many different endeavors that required quite a bit of my time.....some were very rewarding others were a real pita....
Have you considered selling Fauna to someone who may have more time, willing to sacrifice more of a monetary investment, and/or isn't quite so burned out....at least I get the vibe you are burned out. At least you seem to no longer have the "idealism" that more than likely used to energize your Fauna passion.
It would be a shame to lose such a great resource....although having walked a wee bit in shoes like yours....I understand completely why sometimes you just have to walk away. Send me a PM if you ever consider selling "Fauna World".....Mike
I just renewed my membership....I'm a terrible procrastinator.
I think 25 bucks is a worthwhile investment regardless of my personal level of involvement on this site. I feel like I'm contributing to a community, a community that I'm enthused to be a part of.....if you support a cause then why not invest into it. (money, time, volunteer, etc...)
I have read a lot of what you have written Rich, I have been involved in many different endeavors that required quite a bit of my time.....some were very rewarding others were a real pita....
Have you considered selling Fauna to someone who may have more time, willing to sacrifice more of a monetary investment, and/or isn't quite so burned out....at least I get the vibe you are burned out. At least you seem to no longer have the "idealism" that more than likely used to energize your Fauna passion.
It would be a shame to lose such a great resource....although having walked a wee bit in shoes like yours....I understand completely why sometimes you just have to walk away. Send me a PM if you ever consider selling "Fauna World".....Mike
Heck, if someone would throw a rational figure at me, of course I would consider selling FaunaClassifieds. Problem is, every time a discussion heads in that direction, first thing a person will ask me is what I would want for it. When I tell them, "I don't know, make me your best offer", they then want me to gather up all the figures and details about the income producing and traffic history of this site for them. Thanks, but no thanks. I am not interested in doing that kind of work for likely no return on that effort. If I were actively pursuing selling the site, then yes, the burden would be on me to take on that task. But I am not, so the burden is on a prospective buyer to make the determination of what the site will be worth to them, and make an offer accordingly. Then I will either accept or decline, and the discussion is over with. Clean and simple.
In actuality, I don't think divesting this site of the BOI will have much of an impact with traffic or income it is bringing in. Just the reduction in potential liability from frivolous lawsuits will be a huge benefit. And also result in a huge reduction in general aggravation and headaches. So I can't see this site not being able to produce even a modest income for me, with much reduced headaches, for perhaps the rest of my life. So with all that in mind, no, I'm not actively considering selling the site, nor pursuing that path. That is not to say that if someone threw a surprise offer at me that would be stupid of me to decline, I wouldn't accept it. But I just don't see that happening.
Of course I have had offers over the years, but they weren't realistic, or perhaps just fishing for financial information only for curiosity sake, and I declined to continue the discussion.
Anyway, thanks for renewing your membership. I do appreciate everyone who is trying to help out when they can. It is JUST the Board of Inquiry that is going away, not the entire site.
In actuality, I don't think divesting this site of the BOI will have much of an impact with traffic or income it is bringing in. Just the reduction in potential liability from frivolous lawsuits will be a huge benefit. And also result in a huge reduction in general aggravation and headaches. So I can't see this site not being able to produce even a modest income for me, with much reduced headaches, for perhaps the rest of my life. So with all that in mind, no, I'm not actively considering selling the site, nor pursuing that path. That is not to say that if someone threw a surprise offer at me that would be stupid of me to decline, I wouldn't accept it. But I just don't see that happening.
Of course I have had offers over the years, but they weren't realistic, or perhaps just fishing for financial information only for curiosity sake, and I declined to continue the discussion.
Anyway, thanks for renewing your membership. I do appreciate everyone who is trying to help out when they can. It is JUST the Board of Inquiry that is going away, not the entire site.
elthznd901
Member
Facebook for the animal groups is dying(probably already mentioned somewhere in this thread but I didn't read it all).. they are closing down animal groups left and right even if there is a singular hint of a post with an animal for sale. I would be surprised if this didn't drive traffic to this site.. BOI or not. That said I have noticed many of the newer people to the herp community people dont know about this site and only really know about Facebook (and some Morphmarket). I am not sure how you can get the word out there, but I do try and mention the site whenever I can.
Thank you.
[email protected]
New member
As of this morning it looks like the biggest FBI (Feedback and Inquiry) Facebook group has been shut down by facebook. I would fully expect people to come back to the BOI for research and posting Feedback on sellers and buyers very soon 
Yay! Back to the good forum days
Yay! Back to the good forum days 
WTF? That was not a sales group at all.
It was not supposed to be. But despite rules and almost heroic oversight, people were constantly trying to sell, give references to friends, etc. I did not see anyone brazen enough to put up ads, but they would comment in a thread that if the thread OP wanted a better deal, to contact them or their friend or a company which was not the subject of the inquiry.
When I asked you if you considered selling it, you didn’t seem to want to, I guess I could have got the wrong impression.
[email protected]
New member
True, but I'm sure with the amount of reported content on the group it just became too much for Facebook so they deleted it. Their TOS has "community standards" as a requirement so if your group has enough reported content or the group itself is reported it gets put on internal review on fb and eventually deleted if no resolution is found. It sucks... but on the bright side we still have BOI and all the old timers can teach the new comers to the reptile community just what a great resource this was/is/could be again....
I have said it before. All it would take is for someone to make a credible threat to file a lawsuit against facebook for something unflattering about them being posted in a "BOI style" page or group there, and my opinion is that facebook will yank it in a heartbeat. Not saying this has happened, but I believe it is the most likely scenario.
Unfortunately, people coming back here from facebook to view the Board of Inquiry here are going to be sorely disappointed to find out that it is now closed to all but Contributor level and above members. And on 02-02-2020, it will be gone completely.
Unfortunately, people coming back here from facebook to view the Board of Inquiry here are going to be sorely disappointed to find out that it is now closed to all but Contributor level and above members. And on 02-02-2020, it will be gone completely.
Jason, no, I am not actively pursuing selling the site, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't entertain a serious offer. I still expect this site will produce at least a modest income for me through the rest of my life, and with the BOI gone much of the headaches associated with this site will then have been lifted.
Sorry if I may have given you such a negative impression about my attitude concerning your query.
For me it's not about the money the site brings in, it is more about keeping the BOI going. This site has been a huge asset to myself and many others, I've just recently joined compared to the majority of people that are active here. I will be in touch with you privately again, before the end of the year. Thanks for the work you have put into this site and the community.
I got an interesting email today, which I believe may just be the first of many like it coming in the near future.
A member asked me about what they could do about being scammed on this site. Whether it is on this site or not is actually immaterial. He (and I am guessing it is a "he") said he got scammed by a seller here and could not place a Trader's Ratings entry about that seller. So I assume he is not a Contributor level member or above, since the Trader's Ratings have been closed to regular members for quite some time. And obviously since the BOI is now also closed to anyone below Contributor level, his options are extremely limited. We also do not allow BOI style postings to take place in the classifieds sections. So what are his options to alert people about someone who (in his opinion) has scammed him?
Quite frankly, there will be very few options. Yes, he can still use the Trader's Ratings and the BOI if he becomes a Contributor level member, but in the case of the BOI, that will only last till February when the BOI will be going away. In the case of the Trader's Ratings, if I see that becoming just a "BOI Lite" and being utilized in such a manner that I am again subject to liability from such entries there, then the Trader's Ratings will be following in the path of the BOI into oblivion.
Yes, I know any such legal action would be frivolous and I would beat it in court, but quite frankly my days of being willing to go through that hassle and expense for everyone else to be able to have their say here about such incidents has ended.
So how about contacting me and/or the staff of this site? Not going to gain anything, as we cannot take sides and summarily ban someone just on someone else's say so. Actually, unless a person is violating the stated rules, there is nothing we can do at all. So regretfully all such requests will just have to be ignored. Our hands are tied by current circumstances. Doing other wise would just expose us to liability that no one here is willing to accept for your sake.
I am also speculating that the classifieds sections may quickly become a free for all as people attempt to take BOI style issues and inject them into classified ad threads. This will not be allowed. It has never really ever been allowed, but I foresee that becoming a bigger problem in the future. And it can quite likely quickly reach the point to where the classifieds sections will be altered such that there can no longer be replies made to those ad threads at all, from anyone. Unfortunate, I know, but I am not going to burn out the moderators by allowing that sort of thing to continue unabated.
I know this sounds harsh, but these are all logical progressions stemming from the decision forced upon me to have to close down the Board of Inquiry. I do wish it had not been so, but it is, and that is that.
A member asked me about what they could do about being scammed on this site. Whether it is on this site or not is actually immaterial. He (and I am guessing it is a "he") said he got scammed by a seller here and could not place a Trader's Ratings entry about that seller. So I assume he is not a Contributor level member or above, since the Trader's Ratings have been closed to regular members for quite some time. And obviously since the BOI is now also closed to anyone below Contributor level, his options are extremely limited. We also do not allow BOI style postings to take place in the classifieds sections. So what are his options to alert people about someone who (in his opinion) has scammed him?
Quite frankly, there will be very few options. Yes, he can still use the Trader's Ratings and the BOI if he becomes a Contributor level member, but in the case of the BOI, that will only last till February when the BOI will be going away. In the case of the Trader's Ratings, if I see that becoming just a "BOI Lite" and being utilized in such a manner that I am again subject to liability from such entries there, then the Trader's Ratings will be following in the path of the BOI into oblivion.
Yes, I know any such legal action would be frivolous and I would beat it in court, but quite frankly my days of being willing to go through that hassle and expense for everyone else to be able to have their say here about such incidents has ended.
So how about contacting me and/or the staff of this site? Not going to gain anything, as we cannot take sides and summarily ban someone just on someone else's say so. Actually, unless a person is violating the stated rules, there is nothing we can do at all. So regretfully all such requests will just have to be ignored. Our hands are tied by current circumstances. Doing other wise would just expose us to liability that no one here is willing to accept for your sake.
I am also speculating that the classifieds sections may quickly become a free for all as people attempt to take BOI style issues and inject them into classified ad threads. This will not be allowed. It has never really ever been allowed, but I foresee that becoming a bigger problem in the future. And it can quite likely quickly reach the point to where the classifieds sections will be altered such that there can no longer be replies made to those ad threads at all, from anyone. Unfortunate, I know, but I am not going to burn out the moderators by allowing that sort of thing to continue unabated.
I know this sounds harsh, but these are all logical progressions stemming from the decision forced upon me to have to close down the Board of Inquiry. I do wish it had not been so, but it is, and that is that.
yeloowtang
New member
I know we've talked about this already and that it's too late now. I just can't help but think blocking the BOI is counter productive to bringing in people. the information is what I think most come here for.
you told me in the past that you tried making the for sale section for contributing members only , that it almost killed the site !!! thing is, blocking the BOI is doing the exact same thing, difference being that the information that brings in members / visitors is blocked to what I'm guessing is 85+% of traffic.. where as the people selling here are the ones making $$ off you using this site for free and still are.. sellers are the ones who should really be forking up $$ to use this site and it's traffic..
I don't know, maybe I'm completely wrong here but I feel that blocking the one single thing that makes this site what it is, will ultimately kill it for good..
making the for sale section that paying part along with that members club section might be better.. make it 10$ I know we've talked about this as well.. but remember that if you get many 10$, that is better than no 25$
most , I believe wouldn't mind 10$ for that privilege , and if not, then call it quits !!!! still sellers are the ones making direct money off your back.
most people are part of many other sites, hell I must be member in a good 50-60 forums that I visit..
again, best of luck, prob... no easy solution at this point and time.
you told me in the past that you tried making the for sale section for contributing members only , that it almost killed the site !!! thing is, blocking the BOI is doing the exact same thing, difference being that the information that brings in members / visitors is blocked to what I'm guessing is 85+% of traffic.. where as the people selling here are the ones making $$ off you using this site for free and still are.. sellers are the ones who should really be forking up $$ to use this site and it's traffic..
I don't know, maybe I'm completely wrong here but I feel that blocking the one single thing that makes this site what it is, will ultimately kill it for good..
making the for sale section that paying part along with that members club section might be better.. make it 10$ I know we've talked about this as well.. but remember that if you get many 10$, that is better than no 25$
most , I believe wouldn't mind 10$ for that privilege , and if not, then call it quits !!!! still sellers are the ones making direct money off your back.
most people are part of many other sites, hell I must be member in a good 50-60 forums that I visit..
again, best of luck, prob... no easy solution at this point and time.
As I have stated before, if this site fails completely because it needed the BOI to survive, then so be it. As best I can tell, it was headed in that direction anyway, so I'm just cutting out the section that gives me the most headaches and the one part of my life that exposes me to the potential of having to wind up in court simply because I allowed someone to post what they wanted here about someone else. If the site without the BOI continues along operating in the black, no matter how small, providing me with even a small additional retirement income, then fine. If not, then that is fine too. It won't kill me either way.
I just don't need the headaches. Actually, I never did, but I thought the BOI was a real benefit to this industry. Apparently not as much as I had hoped. The reduction in traffic and financial support just gave me the perfect reason to drop it off of my shoulders. Had things been different in that department, I would have very likely never considered this path.
Sorry, but I have no intention of charging people to use the classifieds. Been there, tried that. If anything would kill this site deader than a doornail, that would be it. I would hope that people are smart enough to realize that if they are making sales here and this site is good for them, then it behooves them to make the effort to make certain that it can afford to remain here available to them for their future business plans. If not? Then oh well. I will just as happily go into FULL retirement.
I just don't need the headaches. Actually, I never did, but I thought the BOI was a real benefit to this industry. Apparently not as much as I had hoped. The reduction in traffic and financial support just gave me the perfect reason to drop it off of my shoulders. Had things been different in that department, I would have very likely never considered this path.
Sorry, but I have no intention of charging people to use the classifieds. Been there, tried that. If anything would kill this site deader than a doornail, that would be it. I would hope that people are smart enough to realize that if they are making sales here and this site is good for them, then it behooves them to make the effort to make certain that it can afford to remain here available to them for their future business plans. If not? Then oh well. I will just as happily go into FULL retirement.
I got another email today from someone who apparently got scammed.
I guess I wasn't clear enough earlier, so I need to be blunt. Please don't contact me in any fashion about your getting scammed by another. I can't do anything for you. I have no authority nor ability to be a private investigator or act in any sort of law enforcement capacity. You buy and sell on the internet at your own risk.
I offered the BOI to everyone to try to help clean out the bad guys, and apparently it wasn't good enough or worth enough to the majority of the people in this industry to support and keep alive. As a result, it is going away. Period.
So YOU ARE ON YOUR OWN with your business transactions. I would suggest that you research carefully about anyone you are considering doing business with, but how and where you will be able to do that, well, sorry, I don't know what to suggest to you any longer.
yeloowtang
New member
makes total sense Rich, we don't know how much trouble all this can cause but I can imagine..
as you said, you don't need the headaches or have to pay from your pockets deal with them.
I was hoping the for sale section would be a good idea as I've seen that elsewhere, people had to give 5% from the sale, most were happy..
wishing you all the best no matter the outcome
as you said, you don't need the headaches or have to pay from your pockets deal with them.
I was hoping the for sale section would be a good idea as I've seen that elsewhere, people had to give 5% from the sale, most were happy..
wishing you all the best no matter the outcome
JordanAFSOC
New member
Sounds like you're burnt out and bitter that this site isn't more profitable. I read through most of this thread and I'm getting the impression you're using the BOI as ransom to get more contributing members. Either way, this is a poor decision logically, financially, and morally. You clearly no longer care about helping members of this community as you have in the past. You clearly aren't well versed in website management either as literally thousands, or millions, of forums online are profitable without subscriptions.
I found this site, and many others rather useful in the past. You're just coming across very jaded and frankly, there are now better avenues for those of us in the hobby to use. I'll be deleting Fauna from the tabs on my computer. Enjoy your retirement; you clearly need it.
I found this site, and many others rather useful in the past. You're just coming across very jaded and frankly, there are now better avenues for those of us in the hobby to use. I'll be deleting Fauna from the tabs on my computer. Enjoy your retirement; you clearly need it.