Info Chameleon Forums dot com (Bad Experience)

[fasterznu]

Hello, I am here to share my experience from Chameleonforums.com. Unfortunately it was not a good one...

It all started when I had to reach out for help and join forums due to an unexpected life situation that has left me unable to continue my plan of breeding chameleons. I joined chameleonforums and here to try to spread the word about my situation in hopes to find new homes for my chameleons.

Chameleonforums has a rule where a member must make a certain number of posts before being allowed to post in the classified section. They do not state how many number of posts are needed and when asked they say there is no specific number. Other members chimed in saying it took them 30-50 posts. In my opinion that is a little ridiculous considering to hit that number would take an average person at least 3-4 weeks if not more. Keep in mind I am in a current situation where time is a big factor...

I state my dilemma on there forum in the general discussion thread. A moderator then moves and locks it in the classified thread, does not notify me of this move. I then start a thread stating they locked my thread to hopefully shed some light on why it was done. They then said in the thread it was because it was in the improper section and that in order to post in there I need to follow the rules as the other members.

After that, I started frequenting other members threads saying things like "very beautiful" or "nice" or "" to try to accumulate that number of posts they need so I can utilize the site to help my chameleons. Also keep in mind they know my situation and why I am there, I am not a business trying to greatly benefit from there site without paying.

Shortly after that, I messaged a moderator to see if there was a specific number of posts that need to be met. I was told there is not and that he sees I am making a lot of short or one word posts. this makes me think the moderators pick and choose when you have met there own set number of posts. Keep in mind that is not posted in the rules as "not allowed to make short posts". He also tells me I must follow the rules as the rest of the members did.

After that message I then started a thread in hopes to meet new people, create conversation and gain the post I need without going into other members threads where I honestly felt out of place. I felt this was in no way breaking there rules and I wouldn't be making "one word posts". Shortly after I start the thread and get a couple comments from other members a very rude moderator, Decadancin, makes a post basically telling me to talk to myself in the thread because I am only there for one agenda and that I don't need to bother or interact with anyone else.

In my opinion that is neither constructive nor a positive thing to tell someone. Especially coming from a moderator and on top of that I am not there for personal gain but looking out for the well being of my animals. Which there poor display shows they care nothing about the animals well being. After he makes his comment I post in the thread asking members if that was friendly or not and the members who were able to comment before the thread got shut down fully agreed with me that it was completely rude and out of line.

I guess once the moderators started to see members agree with me the best choice of action was to eliminate me by banning me from the site. This action by them clearly shows they care nothing about the animals well being and one of the main reasons I am starting this thread to spread awareness of how bad that forum and it's moderators are.

If you yourself agree or have had a bad experience with that site or its moderators please feel free to post here.

Sorry for the long vent but it had to be said, I hope this thread sheds some light on what kind of people are running that forum.

 

[Lucille]

I joined chameleonforums and here to try to spread the word about my situation in hopes to find new homes for my chameleons.

Chameleonforums has a rule where a member must make a certain number of posts before being allowed to post in the classified section.

It sounds as if they want people there primarily to discuss chameleons, and have that rule in place to prevent exactly what you say you tried to do.
You could have come here to FaunaClassified and posted your critters for sale without having a lot of discussion first.

I think you should have respected their wishes rather than trying to make a lot of posts just so you could sell. You could have, and can still, go to sites without those restrictions.

This action by them clearly shows they care nothing about the animals well being and one of the main reasons I am starting this thread to spread awareness of how bad that forum and it's moderators are.

In fact, they care enough about their site and chameleons to take the time and effort to maintain the discussion part of the forums as the primary focus. You should have respected that.

 

[Craig Wyatt]

Well you can post your critters here. It's free. There's no time restriction or number of post you have to make first. You could do it right now. Easy peasy. Problem solved. This site gets a lot more traffic than chameleon forums. So if your reasonable of what you want it shouldn't take long at all to find good homes for your Chams.

 

[bobcochran]

Lucille, you hit the nail on the head! Chameleon Forums is primarily a discussion group to advance the captive husbandry of chameleons. OP stated in the discussion section he is forced to abort his plans to breed and sell chameleons for whatever reasons and needed to recoup his investment. He had nothing to contribute and wasn't there to learn, just to sell the 2 pair of chams. As you and Craig pointed out there are more than enough sites in existence to accommodate him, Chameleon Forums just isn't one of them.

 

[fasterznu]

It sounds as if they want people there primarily to discuss chameleons, and have that rule in place to prevent exactly what you say you tried to do.
You could have come here to FaunaClassified and posted your critters for sale without having a lot of discussion first.

I think you should have respected their wishes rather than trying to make a lot of posts just so you could sell. You could have, and can still, go to sites without those restrictions.




In fact, they care enough about their site and chameleons to take the time and effort to maintain the discussion part of the forums as the primary focus. You should have respected that.

Actually I think they have that rule in place to stop vendors from selling on their site without paying any dues. Also it may be in place to keep bots from filling the site with garbage which I clearly am not a bot. I did respect there rules and I did follow them by making a thread as described above but I guess you think it is OK for a moderator to tell a member not to interact with anyone else on the site and to make pointless posts in my own thread by myself? How is creating a positive thread breaking any rule and being disrespectful? If anything it was Decadancin who was disrespectful to me by telling me that when all I was doing was following there rules.

Well you can post your critters here. It's free. There's no time restriction or number of post you have to make first. You could do it right now. Easy peasy. Problem solved. This site gets a lot more traffic than chameleon forums. So if your reasonable of what you want it shouldn't take long at all to find good homes for your Chams.

Thank you and I have and I greatly appreciate it! This forum is 10x better than that sad excuse of a forum. I joined and can use the site freely like a forum should be. Thank you again Faunaclassifieds!

 

[Chris Anderson]

Posting on any online forum is a privilege, not a right, contingent on obeying the rules of that site. When you registered on ChameleonForums, you agreed to their Terms Of Service and Rules as a condition of creating your account (you have to explicitly check a box agreeing to them). While the BOI has a different set of rules than ChameleonForums, on both you can lose your ability to post if you fail to abide by their rules, whether or not you like or agree with them, and whether or not you read and comprehended them when you signed up.

The marketplace rules on ChameleonForums explicitly state that "Only active members and site sponsors may post classified ads." The same page explicitly lists information on the number of classified posts and new classified adds that can be created each month by members of different level (http://www.chameleonforums.com/help/market/#classified_rules). An explanation for this policy is also provided: "New Members are restricted from posting classified ads. This rule helps curb abuse and commercial spam."

On September 6th, you posted a thread in the site assistance forum about not being able to post in the classifieds section (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/cant-post-to-chameleons-for-sale.152649/). These rules were explained to you and you confirmed in your post that you understood them. Despite having just had the rules explained to you by a moderator and you acknowledging them, the next day you posted a classified add in one of the discussion forums (against the site rules). Rather than deleted that add, that same "very rude moderator, Decadancin" who explained the rules to you the day before moved it to the classifieds section (its still there, in fact: http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/in-need-of-help-need-new-homes.152677/). As per the classified rules, however, "Replies to threads in this section have been blocked. Questions should be sent privately to the seller by private message or email." So, when your add was moved to the classified section, replies to that thread were blocked because of how the classified section is run. Now, the moderator had every right to delete your post, give you a warning or infraction, and move on, however he did you a favor and moved it into the proper section for you, in spite of the fact that you were not supposed to be able to post there and you knew it!

You then started another thread complaining about not being able to reply to your classified add (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/thread-locked.152697/). Again that same "very rude moderator, Decadancin" explained to you what happened and you posted acknowledging it and thanking him.

On September 10th, you posted a new thread in the discussion sections as an update to your classified post, which is against the forum rules (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/in-regards-to-my-help-thread.152746/). Two days later, you posted another classified add in the discussion forums, which of course is still against the rules (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/pics-of-the-two-in-need-of-a-new-home.152799/). Two more days later, you posted yet another classified add in the discussion forums, which as you know, was still against the rules (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/pics-of-the-male-and-female-ambilobes.152845/).

On Saturday (Sept. 10) you then posted a new thread (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/need-more-posts.152919/) in which you simply stated "Hey guys just wanted to start this thread so I can get more posts in. Not sure any other way besides going into threads I dont need to be in." If you had read the site rules like you were supposed to, you would know that "Advertising, spamming, flooding and trolling are not allowed." After spending the last week repeatedly breaking the site rules, you were told to knock it off by the same moderator that had been trying to help you. At that point you got mouthy about it and created yet another thread with the title "So apparently the moderators don't like me..." with the text "Hey guys, I am starting this thread because a moderator locked me out of my own thread. Very nice forum we have here. Going to work on getting my post numbers up as directed by the moderator." Of course you know what the rules state about purposely inflammatory behavior: "Chameleon Forums will not tolerate rudeness, personal attacks, derogatory insults, bigotry, defamatory comments or purposeless inflammatory behavior. Our decision is final in these matters."

At this point, the admin and owner of the forum replied that "We are open to feedback and constructive criticism. However, one thing we can't tolerate is members trying to circumvent site rules. Membership progression is now determined by trophy points." You were then given a 30 day temporary ban.

So, the moral of the story is you repeatedly broke the site rules you agreed to when joining the forum and the moderators went out of their way to help you in spite of this. Then you got mouthy when you were told to knock it off, creating more threads in violation of the rules. At that point you were given a time out because you couldn't handle the responsibly of posting like an adult. Now you've gotten your feelings hurt, so you've decided to make a BOI thread whining because you think you're owed something. The reality is, you're acting like a child when everyone went out of their way to try to accommodate you.

Chris
A Chameleonforums.com moderator who would have given you infractions and banned you long ago if that "very rude moderator, Decadancin" hadn't already bent over backwards to help the ungrateful, entitled child you are.

 

[fasterznu]

I have a situation that needs to be taken care of and was told to use the forums. No where does it say this forum is ONLY for discussion, so you're basically saying I don't belong there either. I disagree, it is a place where people go to learn, discuss, sell, trade and many others. Yes I was there to sell but that doesn't mean I am not supposed to be there. Also I was not there to sell for a profit I am actually taking a loss, they could have taken that into consideration. I also made it to 30 posts before they started deleting my threads and eventually banning me.

Lucille, you hit the nail on the head! Chameleon Forums is primarily a discussion group to advance the captive husbandry of chameleons. OP stated in the discussion section he is forced to abort his plans to breed and sell chameleons for whatever reasons and needed to recoup his investment. He had nothing to contribute and wasn't there to learn, just to sell the 2 pair of chams. As you and Craig pointed out there are more than enough sites in existence to accommodate him, Chameleon Forums just isn't one of them.

 

[fasterznu]

Too bad I wasn't spamming. I was being constructive til a moderator that you think so highly of told me off in my own thread. If you would check that thread you would see another member agreeing with me that he was rude for saying what he did. I'm not trying to cause a problem but solve one and at the same time voice my opinion on how they handled the matter. I don't need nor care for your negative comments so you can keep them to yourself.

Posting on any online forum is a privilege, not a right, contingent on obeying the rules of that site. When you registered on ChameleonForums, you agreed to their Terms Of Service and Rules as a condition of creating your account (you have to explicitly check a box agreeing to them). While the BOI has a different set of rules than ChameleonForums, on both you can lose your ability to post if you fail to abide by their rules, whether or not you like or agree with them, and whether or not you read and comprehended them when you signed up.

The marketplace rules on ChameleonForums explicitly state that "Only active members and site sponsors may post classified ads." The same page explicitly lists information on the number of classified posts and new classified adds that can be created each month by members of different level (http://www.chameleonforums.com/help/market/#classified_rules). An explanation for this policy is also provided: "New Members are restricted from posting classified ads. This rule helps curb abuse and commercial spam."

On September 6th, you posted a thread in the site assistance forum about not being able to post in the classifieds section (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/cant-post-to-chameleons-for-sale.152649/). These rules were explained to you and you confirmed in your post that you understood them. Despite having just had the rules explained to you by a moderator and you acknowledging them, the next day you posted a classified add in one of the discussion forums (against the site rules). Rather than deleted that add, that same "very rude moderator, Decadancin" who explained the rules to you the day before moved it to the classifieds section (its still there, in fact: http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/in-need-of-help-need-new-homes.152677/). As per the classified rules, however, "Replies to threads in this section have been blocked. Questions should be sent privately to the seller by private message or email." So, when your add was moved to the classified section, replies to that thread were blocked because of how the classified section is run. Now, the moderator had every right to delete your post, give you a warning or infraction, and move on, however he did you a favor and moved it into the proper section for you, in spite of the fact that you were not supposed to be able to post there and you knew it!

You then started another thread complaining about not being able to reply to your classified add (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/thread-locked.152697/). Again that same "very rude moderator, Decadancin" explained to you what happened and you posted acknowledging it and thanking him.

On September 10th, you posted a new thread in the discussion sections as an update to your classified post, which is against the forum rules (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/in-regards-to-my-help-thread.152746/). Two days later, you posted another classified add in the discussion forums, which of course is still against the rules (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/pics-of-the-two-in-need-of-a-new-home.152799/). Two more days later, you posted yet another classified add in the discussion forums, which as you know, was still against the rules (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/pics-of-the-male-and-female-ambilobes.152845/).

On Saturday (Sept. 10) you then posted a new thread (http://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/need-more-posts.152919/) in which you simply stated "Hey guys just wanted to start this thread so I can get more posts in. Not sure any other way besides going into threads I dont need to be in." If you had read the site rules like you were supposed to, you would know that "Advertising, spamming, flooding and trolling are not allowed." After spending the last week repeatedly breaking the site rules, you were told to knock it off by the same moderator that had been trying to help you. At that point you got mouthy about it and created yet another thread with the title "So apparently the moderators don't like me..." with the text "Hey guys, I am starting this thread because a moderator locked me out of my own thread. Very nice forum we have here. Going to work on getting my post numbers up as directed by the moderator." Of course you know what the rules state about purposely inflammatory behavior: "Chameleon Forums will not tolerate rudeness, personal attacks, derogatory insults, bigotry, defamatory comments or purposeless inflammatory behavior. Our decision is final in these matters."

At this point, the admin and owner of the forum replied that "We are open to feedback and constructive criticism. However, one thing we can't tolerate is members trying to circumvent site rules. Membership progression is now determined by trophy points." You were then given a 30 day temporary ban.

So, the moral of the story is you repeatedly broke the site rules you agreed to when joining the forum and the moderators went out of their way to help you in spite of this. Then you got mouthy when you were told to knock it off, creating more threads in violation of the rules. At that point you were given a time out because you couldn't handle the responsibly of posting like an adult. Now you've gotten your feelings hurt, so you've decided to make a BOI thread whining because you think you're owed something. The reality is, you're acting like a child when everyone went out of their way to try to accommodate you.

Chris
A Chameleonforums.com moderator who would have given you infractions and banned you long ago if that "very rude moderator, Decadancin" hadn't already bent over backwards to help the ungrateful, entitled child you are.

 

[Craig Wyatt]

I think you should take this as a lesson learned. Every site has there own set of rules and wether you like them or not you need to try your best to abide by the rules. Chameleon forums has always been my go to site for advice. I've been breeding panthers for quite a while now but I don't care how much you know you never know everything. It does have a classifieds section but it's only a tiny portion of what the site is used for. Chameleon forums for me is more of an information site. If you figure it and stick around I think you would really like it.
But if your just looking to move something there are many other sites that are much more fitting. Such as fauna and a bunch more.
Learn the rules and be patient and everything will work itself out for you I think.

 

[Lucille]

Fauna is well moderated, and Chameleon Forums is too. They are just two different kinds of sites. I'm hoping this thread will benefit both sites- those who wish to sell will find good opportunities to do so here. Those who want a primary focus on discussion will see that Chameleon Forum goes out of its way to provide that.
As far as the OP, I wish him well wherever he goes after selling his critters. I hope he has learned something from his experiences, not only about chams,but about people and how to treat them right.

 

[Lucille]

Montana, my post was meant to nudge you into thanking ChameleonForum for being the way they are, and extending an olive branch to them and to apologize for your behavior. I believe you did not put sufficient thought into the efforts they are making.
It would benefit you in many ways to do so, both to show that even though you may not be keeping chams any more, you realize the efforts made by many in the cham hobby.
As well your name is quite unusual, I think it would be good to finish your experience here with courtesy.

 

[EdwardK]

I have a situation that needs to be taken care of and was told to use the forums. No where does it say this forum is ONLY for discussion, so you're basically saying I don't belong there either. I disagree, it is a place where people go to learn, discuss, sell, trade and many others. Yes I was there to sell but that doesn't mean I am not supposed to be there. Also I was not there to sell for a profit I am actually taking a loss, they could have taken that into consideration. I also made it to 30 posts before they started deleting my threads and eventually banning me.

Did you consider sending a pm to the moderators asking if they would waive the posting requirement before all of the drama and violations? I've been on more than a few sites and even moderated one for awhile and requests before someone starts spamming threads with one or two word posts to "reach" a threshold were generally reviewed and honored. The reason many forums don't have a hard number of posts is because of exactly what you did to try and reach the requisite number of posts. One site I frequent even has a requirement of being a member for an unspecified period of time in addition to the number of posts before they can submit a classified ad as people were posting one or two word comments to every active thread and then some to try and make the threshold but even on that site pms requesting exceptions for similar reasons were often honored.

some comments

Ed

 

[bobcochran]

Just to be clear: Chameleon Forums doesn't allow ANYONE to reply to classified adds in the classified section. You have to email or pm the seller. Op was allowed to post even without fulfilling the required membership criteria in the classifieds.

 

[tlmoon]

OP, you were trying to sell chams as a newbie on a forum that doesn't allow that. They did nothing wrong. Instead of simply realizing your mistake and finding another venue for selling your animals, you decided they should bend their rules to suit you. When they stuck by their rules, you decided to bash them on another forum. All of this makes you look bad, not them.

You will find most people have been in the position of making a mistake themselves, and if you accept that you are in the wrong, man up and make it right, you will earn some respect. Otherwise, you look very unreasonable and no one is going to want to deal with you.

 

[Lucille]

OP, you were trying to sell chams as a newbie on a forum that doesn't allow that. They did nothing wrong. Instead of simply realizing your mistake and finding another venue for selling your animals, you decided they should bend their rules to suit you. When they stuck by their rules, you decided to bash them on another forum. All of this makes you look bad, not them.

You will find most people have been in the position of making a mistake themselves, and if you accept that you are in the wrong, man up and make it right, you will earn some respect. Otherwise, you look very unreasonable and no one is going to want to deal with you.

Exactly. The OP is not a child (remember my point about the unusual name? An internet search shows only 1 person with this name). As an adult, he needs to make this right, particularly when a search for Montana Haddad may bring up this thread.
Future acquaintances or even employers may read this thread, and they have a choice of seeing someone who realized that they did not treat the people at ChameleonForums right and apologized, or a person who had a tantrum at that forum, came over here to talk about it, and found that any expected sympathy for his behavior failed to materialize, and chose not to man up.
It is your choice, Montana.

 

[Chris Anderson]

Thanks, Lucille and others. Its a shame that Mr. Haddad (having returned to Fauna numerous times since these posts have been made) is unwilling to look at the situation in a mature and logical manner. If he would, I'm sure he would realize that there is no excuse for the disrespect and abuse he showed to people volunteering their time to help him and maintain an orderly group under the terms he had agreed to, and that running off and starting a thread in an attempt to discredit those individuals by misrepresenting the facts to paint himself in a better light actually only makes himself look bad. His inability or unwillingness to do so leads me to believe his behavior must be indicative of some deeper rooted character flaw. As was indicated previously, there can't be many Montana Haddad's in the country, particularly located in Orlando, Florida, and Google is amazing at locating things that can be used in the future by employers, etc. It seems like a shame to me that this is the image he wants to leave behind, but that is his choice.

Thanks again for the support, everyone. I'm glad I was able to help clarify the situation so everyone could see what actually took place.

Chris

 

[Mistyck]

Chameleonforums has a rule where a member must make a certain number of posts before being allowed to post in the classified section. They do not state how many number of posts are needed and when asked they say there is no specific number. Other members chimed in saying it took them 30-50 posts. In my opinion that is a little ridiculous considering to hit that number would take an average person at least 3-4 weeks if not more. Keep in mind I am in a current situation where time is a big factor...

Your problem is what? If it's a rule, then follow it. Also, it's to make sure that bots/scammers can't come in and make short comments (like you said you did) in order to bypass the rule to try to make "for sale" posts to get at people.

It's not that forum's problem that you're in a bind where time is a factor. It's your problem that you didn't read and follow the rules. If you're in that much of a hurry to get rid of your animals then list them locally or find another avenue where you can be relieved of them sooner.

I guess once the moderators started to see members agree with me the best choice of action was to eliminate me by banning me from the site. This action by them clearly shows they care nothing about the animals well being and one of the main reasons I am starting this thread to spread awareness of how bad that forum and it's moderators are.

How can you even say this (which I have made bold)? To me it shows the exact opposite. You're just ticked off that you were basically told that you weren't welcome because you couldn't follow rules.

Sorry for the long vent but it had to be said, I hope this thread sheds some light on what kind of people are running that forum.

What had to be said? That you're acting like a child, or that you're deciding that your agenda is more important than the way they are choosing to run their website (which is their right.) If you feel you're wronged, then fine. But to me, you're just acting like a brat.

 

[fasterznu]

Please delete thread, thanks.

 

[Lucille]

Please delete thread, thanks.

These threads are never deleted. And for good reason. Reading this thread gives valid information about the manner in which those participating approach issues. Those reading can make informed choices as to whether to deal with any of the parties.

 

[Chris Anderson]

Please delete thread, thanks.

Thats not how the BOI works. This thread is permanent and its content can not be deleted or edited. That means your attempt to twist and misrepresent the facts in an attempt to smear the forum and people that were trying to help you is here for good, as is your full name and the full account of your behavior for everyone to find and see. You chose to behave in the childish manner you did and then to post a version here that painted yourself in a better light, hoping that the complete story wouldn't follow you. Its convenient that when the reality of the situation was posted, you want the content removed (still refusing to acknowledge what you did wrong or apologize for it), but that isn't how this works. You might want to start reading the terms you agree to prior to joining these groups and posting nonsense on them without thinking about the repercussions.

Chris