TripleMoonsExotic
New member
Rich already owns a BOI only site (BoardOfInquiry.com). He has also stated he has no plans to sell it at this point. The choices were close it all down or members step up and provide monetary support to back it up.
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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....
About the BOI and it's future here...
- Thread starter WebSlave
- Start date
Oh, BoardOfInquiry.com is going to go away, regardless. It never went anywhere, and I haven't even been to it myself for quite a while now. And then it was to just clean up all the spam in there. But would you believe that I got threatened with a lawsuit over something posted THERE as well? Sheesh...
You know, I'm about ready to take on a lawsuit just to show people what their threats can earn them in court. I believe they can be construed as a TERRORISTIC THREAT, and possibly treated as such legally. I'll have to check with my attorney about that aspect. With all the sensitivity these days over terrorism, perhaps these people throwing around legal threats are actually violating the law in so doing. One thing I will have when I retire is LOTS of time to pursue things like this, and truth be know, I actually find the legal field quite fascinating. After all, most of what an attorney does is to just try to interpret the law, and actually anyone can do that if they put enough time and effort into the research.
hhmoore
tired & cranky shadow
The thing is, a very large portion of the membership seems to be unaware that this is taking place...or simply doesn't care.
What purpose would such an indicator serve, other than to allow those of us that do care to breathe a sigh of relief if the magic number is reached. Some people are going to contribute. Some may sit and watch, thinking that if the goal is not reached they will jump in before the close...but more likely will somehow forget to take that step. Some will probably watch, rooting for the demise of the BOI.
Why promote a bare minimum mentality? The BOI is a great tool. What's wrong with people supporting it because they use it...without regard for whether some arbitrary number is reached? And really, what Rich has been talking about is a minimum number. Would it be bad to have 30 more people contribute...or 300? The more the better, IMO. Unfortunately, as things have been outlined, it doesn't sound like after the fact support will help keep the BOI open once it shifts to contributor access only. I understand Rich's logic - after all, he's got his life to consider, and he HAS tried the paid access thing before.
MedusaCoils
I don't have a problem!!
What if I start mass PM'ing people that are members of this forum and letting them know what is going on?
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Actually, that may not be a good idea.
It would probably be a violation of the site TOS. Namely the part about spamming and you would ban me! Or would you? I mean, it's for a good cause and all! I'm going to have to think about this!
Wayne
Shadera
Wayward Python Wet Nurse
But that does bring up a good idea. How about a mass email for the users of the forum, outlining the story and what's going on/will be done. Since there are so many who are saying they had no idea, and so many more never come to any section of the site where things like this are posted, is it worth a shot?
Well actually I can do a mass email from this site. But I try not to do that very often. You wouldn't believe the number of bounced emails I get from abandoned email accounts that people use to register here. And my server tech guy warned me about doing such things as they can trigger spam blockers as well.
hhmoore
tired & cranky shadow
A mass PM would avoid that issue. That said, I hate getting those things.
MedusaCoils
I don't have a problem!!
OMG! I finally inspired an idea and it "might" be a good one.
I have to settle down, before this one swells my head! Wayne
Actually I don't believe this system has the capability of a mass PM. Even if it did, most people have their user cp set to send them an email notice upon receipt of a PM, so I would STILL get flooded with those bounce back emails.
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2003
- Messages
- 10,207
- Reaction score
- 504
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- 0
Could you utilize the member list and then the last visit option? That way you could go back a month or two and those people would be the folks that have used the site and may actually want to do something about it.
Chances are you'd have much less bounced back e-mails too.
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2003
- Messages
- 10,207
- Reaction score
- 504
- Points
- 0
Or could you use the "What's happening today?" list? Those 1500 plus people that were online yesterday would be a good start.
Or better yet, could there be a page made that would have to be viewed prior to viewing the BOI? Instead of a sticky the page would pop up and at the bottom of that page you would have the link to the BOI?
Or better yet, could there be a page made that would have to be viewed prior to viewing the BOI? Instead of a sticky the page would pop up and at the bottom of that page you would have the link to the BOI?
paul buckley
New member
just paid up my member fee and a donation to help keep the boi going. it'd be like driving blind to be involved in this hobby without it. i was confused at first and thought the "donate" button was the same as "membership". maybe you need a clear button for both; rather than the navigation through the user cp button?
anway - great site rich... i hope you figure it out.
anway - great site rich... i hope you figure it out.
birdman123
New member
Whyre there legal payments need to be paid out? Hey Rich if it comes down to do it why don't you give the website to someone who can pay for it? I don't know if it does come down to it I'm saying.
So Chris,
Do you know of anyone who would want a site where it might cost $50,000 a pop to defend its member's rights to say how they feel about not-so-ethical vendors? And there is NO guarantee that you would only get one lawsuit a year. You could get two or three. Even if one is in the right, and would prevail, one would still have to respond and hire an attorney EACH time a suit was filed.
Do you know any possible takers that would want to spend money under those circumstances, for a site that would not give the kind of financial returns to cover those costs?
No. I know you don't.
A buyer of this site would shut down the BOI rather than having that liability.
Do you know of anyone who would want a site where it might cost $50,000 a pop to defend its member's rights to say how they feel about not-so-ethical vendors? And there is NO guarantee that you would only get one lawsuit a year. You could get two or three. Even if one is in the right, and would prevail, one would still have to respond and hire an attorney EACH time a suit was filed.
Do you know any possible takers that would want to spend money under those circumstances, for a site that would not give the kind of financial returns to cover those costs?
No. I know you don't.
A buyer of this site would shut down the BOI rather than having that liability.
ToshaMc
New member
Just my two cents but if you only allow paying members to post on the BOI -- you are thereby requiring people to pay if they want to defend themselves. If they choose not to then they get slammed by the paying members. Sorry just doesn't seem impartial.
MedusaCoils
I don't have a problem!!
didnt Allen belcher want to buy this site he offered in a thread
I think he was met with a resounding, "HELL NO!!" too! After reading about him, seeing the proof and witnessing his behavior, on these forums. I seriously believe that he is faaaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from what this site needs. If he was able to buy it, I wouldn't come around here any more!
Well, in a "Court of Law", wouldn't you have to pay a defense attorney, even if you aren't guilty? Besides, $25, for a year long membership, isn't asking a whole lot.
Wayne
JG1153
Member
I would hate to see the BOI go away as it would be a great loss to our industry and anyone can easily see why that would be, but making the BOI a paid members only section of the site is a terrible idea all around too. It would cripple the BOI and end up turning into something it was not originally designed for. It would end up withering away which would be even sadder than just shutting it down
Think about it this way. If I’m someone within the hobby who isn’t very involved , in that I might buy an animal or two every few years or so and I have the most wonderful transaction with a certain vendor in which I spent $30 am I then going to turn around and pay $25 to start a thread and tell everyone that this vendor is a great guy/gal and people should definitely do business with him? Probably not. Is this same kind of person going to spend $25 before spending those $30 to research a vendor? Again, probably not.
If the deal goes wrong and this person gets scammed are they going spend an extra $25 to let people know? Of course not. In that kind of a situation you tend to cut your losses and so scammers will run even more rampant through our industry.
And who does all of this affect the most? All of us who are more active members and need to know about all these small transactions in order to gauge the reputability of a certain vendor or even customer and who are also for the most part the constituency of the BOI. this information not being able to make it onto the BOI immediately affects the efficacy and undermines the whole purpose of the BOI.
Making the BOI a paid membership excludes all these people from being able to share their experience with us.It also keeps people from being able to defend themselves when charges are levied against them.
Making the BOI paid membership only turns it into a private paid club, nothing more than a herp fraternity. What’s to keep those in the club from bashing or grouping against and destroying the reputations those not in the club? Why should I pay to defend my good name in a forum supposedly designed for free speech? How free is this free speech if I’m forced to pay in order to exert it?
By the same token if I’m someone who is an active member of the herp community is it going to be worth to me to pay $25 to do my due diligence before initiating a transaction knowing that the information available on the BOI is going to be nowhere near complete and very likely heavily biased by those few who chose to pay.
The BOI part of this site is a great idea. I think everyone can agree with that, which is why is attracts so many people, but it’s more of a “public service” type of great idea than a “financial” great idea. As such I don’t think that this kind of a site will ever make a whole lot of money directly. When you try to do that it directly affects the premise of the original idea the BOI is based on which will in turn directly affect It’s popularity and success. Think about it, the whole premise of the BOI is free speech, but again how free is this speech going to be if you’re forced to pay for it?
I gladly and freely became a paid member of this site and I would gladly do it all over again as long as it is my choice to do so . I don’t know how gladly or if I would pay the $25 forced fee to be part of this site though.
Having said that, there are plenty of ways of making this of site profitable in indirect ways.
Another thing to be considered is the amount of people this part of the site brings to Fauna. Rick thinks Fauna will do fine without the BOI but that might not be the case. Think about how many people come here specifically for the BOI, or come here for the BOI and then head over to the classifieds or other part of the site.
Once the BOI is gone or becomes a paid club how many of those folks will still come here . shutting down or turning the BOI into a paid club could potentially cripple Fauna as a whole. The BOI is the baited hook that brings people here and keeps them here. It is also what makes this site unique. When the BOI is gone what will set this site apart from all the others, some of which are bigger and have better circulation, and make people want to come here? When the BOI shuts down or becomes paid only membership traffic to Fauna will most likely drop quite considerably. This will in turn affect revenue off of advertising. It will also affect the classifieds section which will in turn affect membership and traffic which will again affect revenues. You get the picture.
Yes this kind of a site carries a lot of liability and it’s understandable why Rick wouldn’t want to deal with it anymore given his current circumstances but there are other options other than shutting down or changing the structure of the site. Why is selling or transferring the BOI to someone willing to shoulder the liability not an option?
This is just my humble opinion but perhaps it's time for Rick to pass the torch, but what do I know other than I seriously doubt the money is just going to start piling up into his bank account compliments of the BOI and ultimately it's his site to do what he pleases.
Think about it this way. If I’m someone within the hobby who isn’t very involved , in that I might buy an animal or two every few years or so and I have the most wonderful transaction with a certain vendor in which I spent $30 am I then going to turn around and pay $25 to start a thread and tell everyone that this vendor is a great guy/gal and people should definitely do business with him? Probably not. Is this same kind of person going to spend $25 before spending those $30 to research a vendor? Again, probably not.
If the deal goes wrong and this person gets scammed are they going spend an extra $25 to let people know? Of course not. In that kind of a situation you tend to cut your losses and so scammers will run even more rampant through our industry.
And who does all of this affect the most? All of us who are more active members and need to know about all these small transactions in order to gauge the reputability of a certain vendor or even customer and who are also for the most part the constituency of the BOI. this information not being able to make it onto the BOI immediately affects the efficacy and undermines the whole purpose of the BOI.
Making the BOI a paid membership excludes all these people from being able to share their experience with us.It also keeps people from being able to defend themselves when charges are levied against them.
Making the BOI paid membership only turns it into a private paid club, nothing more than a herp fraternity. What’s to keep those in the club from bashing or grouping against and destroying the reputations those not in the club? Why should I pay to defend my good name in a forum supposedly designed for free speech? How free is this free speech if I’m forced to pay in order to exert it?
By the same token if I’m someone who is an active member of the herp community is it going to be worth to me to pay $25 to do my due diligence before initiating a transaction knowing that the information available on the BOI is going to be nowhere near complete and very likely heavily biased by those few who chose to pay.
The BOI part of this site is a great idea. I think everyone can agree with that, which is why is attracts so many people, but it’s more of a “public service” type of great idea than a “financial” great idea. As such I don’t think that this kind of a site will ever make a whole lot of money directly. When you try to do that it directly affects the premise of the original idea the BOI is based on which will in turn directly affect It’s popularity and success. Think about it, the whole premise of the BOI is free speech, but again how free is this speech going to be if you’re forced to pay for it?
I gladly and freely became a paid member of this site and I would gladly do it all over again as long as it is my choice to do so . I don’t know how gladly or if I would pay the $25 forced fee to be part of this site though.
Having said that, there are plenty of ways of making this of site profitable in indirect ways.
Another thing to be considered is the amount of people this part of the site brings to Fauna. Rick thinks Fauna will do fine without the BOI but that might not be the case. Think about how many people come here specifically for the BOI, or come here for the BOI and then head over to the classifieds or other part of the site.
Once the BOI is gone or becomes a paid club how many of those folks will still come here . shutting down or turning the BOI into a paid club could potentially cripple Fauna as a whole. The BOI is the baited hook that brings people here and keeps them here. It is also what makes this site unique. When the BOI is gone what will set this site apart from all the others, some of which are bigger and have better circulation, and make people want to come here? When the BOI shuts down or becomes paid only membership traffic to Fauna will most likely drop quite considerably. This will in turn affect revenue off of advertising. It will also affect the classifieds section which will in turn affect membership and traffic which will again affect revenues. You get the picture.
Yes this kind of a site carries a lot of liability and it’s understandable why Rick wouldn’t want to deal with it anymore given his current circumstances but there are other options other than shutting down or changing the structure of the site. Why is selling or transferring the BOI to someone willing to shoulder the liability not an option?
This is just my humble opinion but perhaps it's time for Rick to pass the torch, but what do I know other than I seriously doubt the money is just going to start piling up into his bank account compliments of the BOI and ultimately it's his site to do what he pleases.
TripleMoonsExotic
New member
I imagine it has ceased to become an option because no one creditable is willing to shell out the actual worth of the site. I think you would be extremely surprised how much this site is worth between its software, servers, advertising revenue and daily views.
You've also got to realize that if their is a new owner, and the general online population doesn't care for him and how he does things...This site will die just as quickly...
You've also got to realize that if their is a new owner, and the general online population doesn't care for him and how he does things...This site will die just as quickly...
Shadera
Wayward Python Wet Nurse
If enough people would contribute, the paid members only option won't even come into play. As it is, the paid members only option will likely only be for a year before the BOI is shut down entirely.
I'll be one of those people who will leave when the BOI goes. The site is a package deal for me, and I've hung around because I like to be able to look up seller's reputations before I send them my money, and I also like to be able to give feedback where it's due on the people I've done business with for others researching sellers.
Either way, I wish the site nothing but the best.
I'll be one of those people who will leave when the BOI goes. The site is a package deal for me, and I've hung around because I like to be able to look up seller's reputations before I send them my money, and I also like to be able to give feedback where it's due on the people I've done business with for others researching sellers.
Either way, I wish the site nothing but the best.