• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    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.

  • IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ!! About the Google Adsense ads being displayed

    =====================
    Posted 08/15/2025
    =====================


    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.....

    =====================
    Addendum: 01/10/2026
    =====================


    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...

Rich said in another thread that an estimated 600-800 Contributors would be needed a year to keep the BOI running (unless of course some dingle-berry attempts a suit, then the anti would be upped). If you think about it in a positive light, we're nearly half way there!

It would be neat to have a counter that was updated weekly with how many Contributors are on the site so we would have an idea how things are going. I realize that would entail a bit of extra work, but it might encourage others.
 
I believe what many people are likely thinking is that they will wait to that day comes, then contribute. Except for the fact that once I make that decision, then that is it.

Seriously folks, I am getting out of the reptile business. This site will no longer provide advertising opportunities for me, will not fulfill any desire I used to have to help clean up this business I used to be in, and won't really offer me a damned thing beneficial if it is not helping me with my retirement financially and ESPECIALLY if it is a huge albatross around my neck because of the financial liability.

I've said it before that this site will only survive if it is operating in the black, and I SERIOUSLY meant that. I believe this site WILL survive with or without the BOI at this point, so I really don't need the liability if the majority of people here aren't willing to help me with that burden.

I really have nothing to lose at all at this point. You all just need to figure out if YOU have something to lose if it goes away. I've done my part since the beginning. Take the baton or not, I'm letting go of it.
 
Rich,
would separating the BOI/forums or just the BOI part of this site and letting someone else take over that section of the website and shoulder the legal and financial liabilities the BOI can bring be an option? This way you can keep the most profitable or most potentially profitable part of this site(fauna classifieds) which could help bring funds for your retirement. At the same time you would be getting rid of the least profitable and most potentially troublesome portion of your website. I’m thinking whether this would be a better option than just shutting down the BOI if it doesn’t start bringing in sufficient funds to make it worth your while. At least this way the BOI would still be around and at the same time it wouldn’t be your problem to deal with anymore?

I’m not a big techie so I’m not even sure whether this could even be done but I’m just wondering
 
I've had several people ask me pointedly if I have ever had someone actually sue me over this site. Well, except for the JeffB suit, which was indirectly related to a BOI issue (I refused to delete a thread upon demand), and escalated from there, no, I have had no other threatened lawsuits actually take place.

However, I get the threats FREQUENTLY. And there always appear to be one or more potential lawsuits waiting in the wings. To give you a for instance, I recently got an email from someone gloating over their interpreting my shutting down the BOI temporarily as my doing so in response to a lawsuit being levied against me. In that email was a link to another website apparently populated with what looks like three people who have had issues exposed within this site and accordingly apparently hold myself and this site as being the cause of those issues. The thread was about this "lawsuit" they apparently assumed had taken place, and were obviously gleeful about it. And interestingly enough, there was a post made in it, that I think pretty much shows what I am talking about concerning the threat of lawsuits being an absolute reality in reference to the BOI having my name on the door.

The person allegedly offering financial assistance has passed a few emails back and forth with me, apparently not pleased about what a member on the BOI said about him within a thread there. He mentioned the possibility of a lawsuit himself, and it appears certain that he is still entertaining that thought from the evidence I see in that thread I am referencing.

So yeah, if any of you think this is some sort of joke, or merely a way to shake down the membership for money, you had better start facing the reality of what I am saying. You won't get a second chance once it is gone if it comes to that.

Anyway, a screen capture is attached as a FYI....
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Took a peek at the forum you linked, Rich...I must say...People complain about what happens here? The behavior on that forum against Fauna and its members is flabbergasting!
 
I wasn't aware I provide a link to them. I didn't intend to. Every time I went there (which has not been often, usually only when someone reminds me with a link to something totally asinine there), I was the only person ("guest") on the site at all, so it is basically defunct except for the three people ranting there. I don't see any reason to give them the attention they apparently crave with more traffic and especially with participation of any kind. I did notice that they would edit dissenting voices when made in posts, so certainly registering there and posting your own contrary opinions would be a complete waste of time.

That screen capture was merely provided as evidence to support what I have been discussing in this thread and others concerning the issue at hand concerning the BOI. I believe some people believe I am just crying "WOLF!" If any of you think I have enjoyed rubbing elbows with such folks because of the BOI, you are sadly mistaken....
 
Yes, you're right. Link was the wrong word...I did mean screenshot. It was easy to find though if you know what you're searching for. ;)
 
Rich those morons are always talking about lawsuits against fauna. I really hope that their garbage isn't being taken seriously. That was one of the jedi twins that was banned from fauna..
 
I would think if they had a lawyer and were planning on doing anything, they wouldn't be posting in a publicly accessible website. Nor do I think any of those horrid posts would be there. It doesn't look too good on them and I can see a decent lawyer being willing to take the case if they have detrimental things posted online.



Q: If our BOI goes, are you going to close down BoardOfInquiry.com too?
 
TripleMoonsExotic said:
I would think if they had a lawyer and were planning on doing anything, they wouldn't be posting in a publicly accessible website. Nor do I think any of those horrid posts would be there. It doesn't look too good on them and I can see a decent lawyer being willing to take the case if they have detrimental things posted online.
Click to expand...

Nope, I'm not taking those folks seriously at all. The point of my screen capture was to show that there are some people who may be considered as credible that apparently have an axe to grind over the BOI and willing to donate money to support a lawsuit against me and/or this site. I would be an absolute fool to ignore threats of this nature and not plan accordingly for the future.

TripleMoonsExotic said:
Q: If our BOI goes, are you going to close down BoardOfInquiry.com too?
Click to expand...

Yep. Not that it ever went anywhere anyway..... :rolleyes: The only reason it is still online is because I just haven't had the time nor initiative to recycle that vBulletin license into something else.

And in a like vein, so will all the BOI forums on this site, which includes the Canadian version. Not that I would be concerned about an international lawsuit, but without fail a lot of people would start posting local BOI issues within that forum, and we would be constantly having to peruse them and delete those that were not primarily Canadian in scope.
 
WebSlave said:
And in a like vein, so will all the BOI forums on this site, which includes the Canadian version.
Click to expand...
Has anybody told them that? I don't get the impression that the Canadian group ventures out to the rest of the site all that much. Might get a few more contributing memberships, if they knew?
 
I don't go to a whole lot of other reptile sites, but at least on that I peek in on has an area that allows people to recount their positive and negative experiences with vendors.

No other site that I am aware of is as extensive or as organized as the BOI in providing prospective buyers and sellers with a way to research prior to a transaction.

I'm just curious though as to how other sites shield themselves from a potentially crippling suit? Or are they counting on luck, or do they cave and remove posts when push comes to shove? I don't know, but maybe the answers might be relevant to the situation here.

Anyone know how other sites are coping with the liability issue?
 
Wow. Im sorry to hear this. I have always come and checked the BOI before purchasing ever since I found out about Fauna in January. It has saved me a lot of heartache and $$. I think someone was right in saying, put a price on each time you have been saved and say Thank you ( not a direct quote obviously).. I couldn't imagine the stress this must bring on you from the constant worry about dumb@sses and their ignorance. There is always going to be somebody who doesnt like you.. Hell, the majority of women in the world think Brad Pitt is a Godsend.. Me, NOPE. Im for Jim Carrey. :) I don't even know how to become a member or what the paid membership entails. I dont think I even realized there was the ability to be paid and I apologize for my ignorance. I feel like Ive been taking advantage of you (tell your wife Im sorry. LOL)... Regardless of your decision, I want to say a personal heartfelt thank you for what you have done for the reptile community in giving them the chance to expose scumbags, meet great people, and add awesome critters to our families.
 
With all due respect, if you had ever used the BOI for its intended purpose, you would have a different view on things...the BOI has saved many hobbyists countless dollars and headache.
 
singingtothewheat said:
Maybe it's time for the B.O.I. to fade away
Click to expand...

That could very well be true. And if so, then I'm ok with that happening. I've done all I can, and want, to do with it. The ball is in everyone else's court now and it's the losing point at stake. Personally, I feel pretty confident that FaunaClassifieds can survive without the BOI any longer. Traffic will take a hit, but it's survived those before for one reason or another.

We're getting a new or renewed paid membership every day or two now. Extrapolating the likely results come January first, I seriously doubt we will hit the target membership (at least 600). I may very well lock down the BOI to paid members sooner rather than later. Just haven't had time to put much thought into it because of higher priorities right now. I'm sure it's GOING to happen, I just need to figure out HOW to best do it to cause the least amount of hate mail. I am certainly not looking forward to the inevitable emails from people who lose access and just think they got banned or something is broken here. Most people just don't take the time to search for and read notices around here... Maybe I'll just do it before Expo, since I don't read emails when I am away anyway... :D
 
My question is your asking for more members to contribute if they do and on Jan 1st you close down sections or limit use because it wasn't enough people. Will there be any reimbursement for those people that tried to help but no longer wish to be with the site as it has changed? What kind of promise/guarantee can you offer the new members that join up between now and then and what kind of reassurance are you offering to the people who are already members?? Just trying to make my decision on what I want to do.....
 
DeeRa said:
My question is your asking for more members to contribute if they do and on Jan 1st you close down sections or limit use because it wasn't enough people. Will there be any reimbursement for those people that tried to help but no longer wish to be with the site as it has changed? What kind of promise/guarantee can you offer the new members that join up between now and then and what kind of reassurance are you offering to the people who are already members?? Just trying to make my decision on what I want to do.....
Click to expand...

Deidra have you ever saved money from a classified add here whether it be as a seller or a buyer?
See I paid my subscription mainly for the money I had saved from doing my research on the BOI, but I have also saved a tone by posting free for sale/trade ads here. Think of the money you saved and see if it is worth it to contribute.
Even if Rich closes down the BOI then he will still need contributors to help run the site in his retirement. You are not paying for just the BOI but for the site in large and well I think the small parts I use outside of the BOI are well worth 25 bucks. So I will continue to contribute long after the BOI is gone if it does go away.
 
DeeRa said:
My question is your asking for more members to contribute if they do and on Jan 1st you close down sections or limit use because it wasn't enough people. Will there be any reimbursement for those people that tried to help but no longer wish to be with the site as it has changed? What kind of promise/guarantee can you offer the new members that join up between now and then and what kind of reassurance are you offering to the people who are already members?? Just trying to make my decision on what I want to do.....
Click to expand...

Sorry, but the only guarantee I am offering is that if the membership does not want to financially support the BOI based on the concerns I have already aired, then I GUARANTEE that it will not be here much longer.

If anyone feels this is unfair, that I have not done enough as it is to support the BOI with my own headaches and out of my own pocket for years, before this site even had the capability of accepting contributions, regardless of the fact that I have faced down MANY threats of lawsuits because of what someone else has posted on this site, well I am OK with that. I can certainly live without those headaches and those threats in my life. At this point, I have more to gain then I have to lose with the BOI going away if that financial support isn't forthcoming.

So is this site making money now? Yes it is. Is it enough to pay for a SERIOUS lawsuit? Hardly..... And I have NO intention of allowing what someone else wants to say on this site drag me into court to drain my retirement savings. I've seen others taking swipes at me (yet again) saying that I should run this site strictly AT COST, meaning I guess server and hosting costs. I'm sure that when they apply for a job somewhere, they figure out their costs to drive to and from work and those few expenses associated with actually DOING the job and ask for that amount of compensation only from their prospective employer..... :rolleyes: I sure wish I lived in the world that those people live in.... Even completely disregarding the potential expense of a lawsuit, really, just how much are your efforts and time worth?

Anyway, sorry if this is a repeat to some people, but apparently it is necessary for some others.
 
Back
Top