• 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....

An end to competing advertising on this site (Rescinded!)

"...I took the less traveled by..."; should have been

"...I took the less roadtraveled by..."

My future goal is to be a better editor of my own writing. :)
 
See what I meant? What about this instead:

..."I took the one less traveled by"...

:) :) :)
 
Maybe when I get this software updated, I'll ask the programmer to put a "Are you sure?" prompt after someone clicks the Submit Reply button..... :rofl: I find that I don't proof read my own posts as much a I used to.....
 
WebSlave said:
That's just not the way I do things. Maybe because that was how my father was, and I would rather not be like him.
Click to expand...
I personally appreciate the communication of changes, and why. Helps me to understand where you're coming from.
 
I understand it--I don't agree with it. There is no other forum on the web like Fauna. That's the truth. You put up with things here that others just plain don't want to deal with...but in so doing, you have something unique, because no one is going to TRY to duplicate it. No matter how much certain others may disparage fauna's forums, they wouldn't know what they were like if they didn't come here.

They come here, in part, because of the BOI...because EVERYONE comes here, sooner or later. Drama or no drama, there is no where else to get anything remotely similar to the BOI. It's freedom of speech, honesty, and it's the best thing the community has to police itself. Obviously someone who puts up a signature with 'hey, come visit my forum, we don't have the #@$ Fauna has there!" is being an ass. Where I think you're mistaken is in believing that this tactic actually works. Point blank, if someone isn't happy here, they're perfectly capable of googling up other reptile forums that have different rule sets. Seeing someone's banner isn't going to make them leave. It might cause them to join another forum TOO, but it won't make them leave this one. Fauna remains the second largest reptile forum I've yet to find (Yes, Kingsnake is larger...but I check here first when I'm looking to buy animals...and I check here second if I check Kingsnake for ads. I don't check Kingsnake for information, because the info here is BETTER). It's been this way for years.

Yes, there are kinder, gentler forums with good information...what's wrong with letting people mention them too, though? They simply aren't going to LEAVE Fauna unless they were planning to anyhow. Now, I don't have a forum, so I don't really have any personal stock in any of this--but there are many folks who have an information site, or even a business site, that includes forums. Are they all to be considered competitors? There would be practically no sites left to refer people to, if so, and that would be a shame, because herpers should have access to all of the information they can get their hands on--and people come to fauna for information first many times.

I understand your feelings (hurt, most likely, and aggravated), but is this really practical in the long run? I maintain that even the worst offenders have no chance of actually luring people away from Fauna, and the best policy would be to laugh at them, and then ignore it. Still--it's your site, as always, and we'll all abide by the rules (or else, lol). I just wanted to put down some food for thought.
 
WingedWolf said:
I understand it--I don't agree with it. There is no other forum on the web like Fauna. That's the truth. You put up with things here that others just plain don't want to deal with...but in so doing, you have something unique, because no one is going to TRY to duplicate it. No matter how much certain others may disparage fauna's forums, they wouldn't know what they were like if they didn't come here.

They come here, in part, because of the BOI...because EVERYONE comes here, sooner or later. Drama or no drama, there is no where else to get anything remotely similar to the BOI. It's freedom of speech, honesty, and it's the best thing the community has to police itself. Obviously someone who puts up a signature with 'hey, come visit my forum, we don't have the #@$ Fauna has there!" is being an ass. Where I think you're mistaken is in believing that this tactic actually works. Point blank, if someone isn't happy here, they're perfectly capable of googling up other reptile forums that have different rule sets. Seeing someone's banner isn't going to make them leave. It might cause them to join another forum TOO, but it won't make them leave this one. Fauna remains the second largest reptile forum I've yet to find (Yes, Kingsnake is larger...but I check here first when I'm looking to buy animals...and I check here second if I check Kingsnake for ads. I don't check Kingsnake for information, because the info here is BETTER). It's been this way for years.

Yes, there are kinder, gentler forums with good information...what's wrong with letting people mention them too, though? They simply aren't going to LEAVE Fauna unless they were planning to anyhow. Now, I don't have a forum, so I don't really have any personal stock in any of this--but there are many folks who have an information site, or even a business site, that includes forums. Are they all to be considered competitors? There would be practically no sites left to refer people to, if so, and that would be a shame, because herpers should have access to all of the information they can get their hands on--and people come to fauna for information first many times.

I understand your feelings (hurt, most likely, and aggravated), but is this really practical in the long run? I maintain that even the worst offenders have no chance of actually luring people away from Fauna, and the best policy would be to laugh at them, and then ignore it. Still--it's your site, as always, and we'll all abide by the rules (or else, lol). I just wanted to put down some food for thought.
Click to expand...

Yep, food for thought. Here's a side order.... I just got damned tired of hearing people saying derogatory crap about this site in reference to why someone should come to theirs or one they now prefer to frequent. I got tired of someone getting their panties in a wad over some sort of disagreement, normally concerning the way I run this site, and in their exit act, they post all sorts of links where someone interested in following them can go. Certainly an invitation to leave this site along with them.

And I am not real inclined to support ANYONE who tries to duplicate the BOI specifically with their own website. Certainly most such people don't have a clue about such things, thinking they can possibly have a BOI atmosphere without the crap that goes along with it, but no, I'm not interested in helping them along at all. The main reason for this is that if there are 40 BOI style sites out there and someone gets listed as a bad guy in 39 of them, the one person who goes to the 40th where the bad guy isn't mentioned runs the risk of getting screwed simply because they didn't check ALL the sites. Further, most people aren't going to be interested in duplicating their plight in every BOI type forum on the internet simply because no one could spread themselves so thinly. So information will just get lost in the crowd, to the detriment of many unwary and diligent people. The BOI is only effective because it is THE place for people to go to check on such things. I am certainly not willing to help dilute that effectiveness by giving someone a leg up to step on my head to try to get their new site exposure here. And in the process damage the effectiveness of a tool that was a long time in the making.

So is it more fair to just eliminate all links of what appear to be competing sites, or simply limit it to those reference by members using the above mentioned tactics? Quite frankly, my opinion is that I am not obligated in any way to help anyone who gives me a ration of crap in any manner whatsoever, or otherwise tries to dilute the effectiveness of something I built and have worked hard to maintain over the years. Certainly I would like to limit the collateral damage that a general blanket policy produces, but I couldn't think of suitable wording for a policy that would basically say "Any forum site referenced by someone who just pisses me off will be blocked from using the advertising potential of this site."

Yeah, I guess I can do that, but I felt a little uncomfortable doing so.... :rofl:
 
Oh, I don't know...I think it's kind of amusing to say exactly that, and perfectly acceptable--it IS your site. lol You can boot whomever you want for whatever reason you want.

I agree with you 100%--when the question of whether to put in 'something like the BOI' has come up on forums I've been on, I've put in my 2 cents and said exactly that--the BOI is a lot less useful if there's more than one.

People with easily bruised feelings WILL go elsewhere...but they'll sneak back next time they want to buy something from someone they don't personally know, because to do otherwise would just be foolish.

Most forums aren't looking to 'compete' with Fauna, but I guess there might be a few out there created for that specific purpose--in that context, I say more power to you...they deserve sneers. If people can't come up with an original idea, they ought to throw in the towel.
 
I'll give it some thought............ Probably best for me to be less protective of this site and just let the cards fall where they will.....

Thanks for the thoughts.
 
Well, during the mind numbing labor of setting up baby snakes and feeding the suckers, I've been thinking this over. And I agree. Why worry about competing sites? If people believe this site is a "has been" and want to go elsewhere, then I certainly couldn't stop that by blocking their advertising solely on this site. If people want to follow the siren's call of their own self interests to set up a competing BOI-style forum, and in the process destroy this one, then that will be on their head, not mine.

So as of now, I am rescinding the restriction on advertising by similar or competing websites. The only caveat to this is if I have a PERSONAL reason to dislike someone or their website, then their advertising will not be accepted. In other words, don't believe that you can crap in my living room and assume I am going to be OK with your putting a sign on my front door pointing to your living room.
 
WebSlave said:
Well, during the mind numbing labor of setting up baby snakes and feeding the suckers, I've been thinking this over. And I agree. Why worry about competing sites? If people believe this site is a "has been" and want to go elsewhere, then I certainly couldn't stop that by blocking their advertising solely on this site. If people want to follow the siren's call of their own self interests to set up a competing BOI-style forum, and in the process destroy this one, then that will be on their head, not mine.

So as of now, I am rescinding the restriction on advertising by similar or competing websites. The only caveat to this is if I have a PERSONAL reason to dislike someone or their website, then their advertising will not be accepted. In other words, don't believe that you can crap in my living room and assume I am going to be OK with your putting a sign on my front door pointing to your living room.
Click to expand...

Very well said Rich :)
 
Ain't nobody else gonna go through all the trouble you've put into this place, to try and create something similar. I just can't see it even being tried.

Even if someone hated you, or had it in for you enough to try, the BOI is already too well established, and known, for that to succeed. But I'm sure it would be a pretty comical attempt.

My 2¢
 
crotalusadamanteus said:
Ain't nobody else gonna go through all the trouble you've put into this place, to try and create something similar. I just can't see it even being tried.

Even if someone hated you, or had it in for you enough to try, the BOI is already too well established, and known, for that to succeed. But I'm sure it would be a pretty comical attempt.

My 2¢
Click to expand...

I suspect there are a couple of people out there just as dumb as I am.... :rolleyes:
 
I could not point at specific examples as I never paid enough attention to actually check out the other sites~ but as I recall over the years there has been at least two or three that claimed they would and could do it "Better" than Fauna......usually throwing it in Rich's face when they try it........seems like I've not heard anything like that for a while now.....guess they were wrong. I don't imagine it will be long before another comes along and builds a "better" mousetrap that won't catch mice~ they come and they go. Just blow it off like you always have Rich~ less trouble for you in the long run.
 
WebSlave said:
I suspect there are a couple of people out there just as dumb as I am.... :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

You don't exactly strike me as a dumb person. Tenacious perhaps..... but that's an admirable enough trait.

I'll have to take your word on the rest. I personally have never run across one of those sites that I'm aware of. But I don't exactly search for new forums to join either. LOL

Like you said, let the cards fall where they fall. Ain't NOTHING worth making yourself sick over. :NoNo:
 
The only caveat to this is if I have a PERSONAL reason to dislike someone or their website, then their advertising will not be accepted.
Click to expand...
Do you think you will ever lift the ban and do away with the word filter here for:
{deleted}
??????
 
Golden Gate Geckos said:
Do you think you will ever lift the ban and do away with the word filter here for:
{deleted}
??????
Click to expand...

No. Because of the WHY of the matter, and the subsequent gutting of the leopard gecko forum here. This clearly falls under the "crapping in my living room" policy.
 
Webslave, I don't blame you one second for your decisions. Unlike most webmasters, you have the intelligence, patience and civility to explain your decisions, and even ask members if they have a better idea.

My hat is off to you on many different levels.
 
WebSlave said:
That's just not the way I do things. Maybe because that was how my father was, and I would rather not be like him.
Click to expand...

Are we related? I don't ever remember getting a reason or at least a logical reason for any of my daddy's decisions.

Sellers in eBay forums are ruthless and the community on Etsy has more backstabbers arriving every week. I refuse to enter one hedgehog forum.
I read and join forums to read and learn. Learning from the mistakes of others
is way more painless than experiencing it for myself.

The newest money making trend that is going to self destruct is ghost hunting on tv. Religion has cornered the market on selling something that may or may not exist. I don't see reselling K2 meters, IR thermometers, and all of the other ghost hunting equipment as the next big thing. I could be wrong. Parker Brothers is still making Ouija boards.

Trying to educate the public about the living creatures that share the land with us makes sense to me. Sharing the animals with others should make people want to keep them from becoming extinct.

Oops. I'm rambling now. Feel free to move this post to the proper area of this site.:D
 
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