Vince
New member
I think that even handing over your credit card info will turn away a lot of people from useing the board, it may work for ebay, but this isnt any thing even close to ebay.
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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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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....
How do we increase the integrity of the BOI?
- Thread starter WebSlave
- Start date
dwedeking
Member
I think charging a fee will remove the newbie visitors that your trying to attract with all the discussion forums that you recently expanded. While for someone in the "business" it's not too much to ask for a payment of let's say $10. But is it worth it for the little guy that is just looking to pick up a draogn and a snake? So the little guy will get screwed again instead of the BOI helping them as I was under the impression to the intent that started it.
How many new subscriber emails are you getting per day now? Now figure running checks (credit cards, id's etc) for all those? Talk about a pain for yourself when you don't really need more work.
How many new subscriber emails are you getting per day now? Now figure running checks (credit cards, id's etc) for all those? Talk about a pain for yourself when you don't really need more work.
Sasheena
Imperfect
While Rich deserves the financial help that charging a nominal fee for his site, I believe that will in the end leave many people out of the loop. As a high school teacher, MARRIED to a high school teacher, at the moment I'm counting on the MICE I raise to help to pay for the food hubby and I eat from payday to payday. I enjoy this site, though I don't have that much to contribute as I don't buy or sell much online, but if it cost money, I would probably drop off the radar screen.
I think that the Board of Inquiry can be entertaining... it's always interesting to watch people make fools of themselves... but it is NOT a JOKE. It serves its purpose. Those who are new often don't quite "get it" to begin with. Some of these people might think it is a joke at the beginning. But only the people "burned" by exposure of their wrong-doings would like to call it a joke. Because if it is a joke, then there is no reason for anyone to take the warning seriously.
I have found that the recent "$10 fine" system has made a strong difference to the board. Some people have gone away forever, and the BOI has become a better place without them. Some people have learned important lessons, paid the fee, and become contributing members of the board. I have seen only improvement since I first came here.
I do believe that a couple of points raised have strong validity... the Beating a Dead Horse syndrome. I think that some of those most strongly afflicted with this syndrome have been more heavily warned recently, and hopefully when it becomes commonplace for this to not be tolerated, this whole syndrome will go away.
Calling names and outright rude behaviour are the toughest, but again, these are things that are currently being dealt with.
Heck, the more I say, the more I realize there was one very good option on this poll...... leave it as it is. It does the job, the jokers think it's a joke, serious people take it seriously, and the idiots weave their own ropes, tie the knots, and then hang themselves with their own words.
I think that the Board of Inquiry can be entertaining... it's always interesting to watch people make fools of themselves... but it is NOT a JOKE. It serves its purpose. Those who are new often don't quite "get it" to begin with. Some of these people might think it is a joke at the beginning. But only the people "burned" by exposure of their wrong-doings would like to call it a joke. Because if it is a joke, then there is no reason for anyone to take the warning seriously.
I have found that the recent "$10 fine" system has made a strong difference to the board. Some people have gone away forever, and the BOI has become a better place without them. Some people have learned important lessons, paid the fee, and become contributing members of the board. I have seen only improvement since I first came here.
I do believe that a couple of points raised have strong validity... the Beating a Dead Horse syndrome. I think that some of those most strongly afflicted with this syndrome have been more heavily warned recently, and hopefully when it becomes commonplace for this to not be tolerated, this whole syndrome will go away.
Calling names and outright rude behaviour are the toughest, but again, these are things that are currently being dealt with.
Heck, the more I say, the more I realize there was one very good option on this poll...... leave it as it is. It does the job, the jokers think it's a joke, serious people take it seriously, and the idiots weave their own ropes, tie the knots, and then hang themselves with their own words.
TJEvans
New member
gripes
My main problem with the proposed fee system is that not every deserves to have to pay a fee. I mean, the people that are constantly antagonizing in the threads should pay for the opportunity to type 50 posts in one thread.
But if I purchased a snake for $400, and got stiffed, I'd be pretty hesitant to post how I got scammed if I had to pay even more to tell my story. Even if the fee is minimal, I just lost $400....
Likewise, if I were on the receiving end of criticism, or insults, I would probably be less inclined to pay the fee to come here and defend myself. Considering that the one sided arguments tend to die quicker anyway.
I usually "lurk" as well, and read the posts that are more entertaining, or may pertain to me. The other side of my argument is the casual buyer. If you make 100s of orders a year, I could understand that you might want to pay a fee to be able to give your opinions on the good and bad deals. However, if you might buy once or twice a year, would you pay the fee to research, inquire, or give opinions on people you have dealt with or are considering dealing with? It just doesn't seem pratical. While Rich would take in more money, how long would it last while people that don't use the BOI on a regular basis wouldn't pay.
As for the people complaing that it's a joke, I believe that they are being too general. There are certainly some threads that are simply too soap operaish to be taken seriously. The joke is actually the people that are regular posters on those threads turning it into an episode of Guiding Light. You can usually weed these people out after noticing that they've posted about 20-30 times in one thread.......sometimes it's just unnecessary, and people should think about the image that they are portraying this board to be.
Anyway.....these are problems that aren't easily fixed.....the regular population of this board should realize that their actions and posts are reflecting on the BOI as a whole and start to police themselves.......
My main problem with the proposed fee system is that not every deserves to have to pay a fee. I mean, the people that are constantly antagonizing in the threads should pay for the opportunity to type 50 posts in one thread.
But if I purchased a snake for $400, and got stiffed, I'd be pretty hesitant to post how I got scammed if I had to pay even more to tell my story. Even if the fee is minimal, I just lost $400....
Likewise, if I were on the receiving end of criticism, or insults, I would probably be less inclined to pay the fee to come here and defend myself. Considering that the one sided arguments tend to die quicker anyway.
I usually "lurk" as well, and read the posts that are more entertaining, or may pertain to me. The other side of my argument is the casual buyer. If you make 100s of orders a year, I could understand that you might want to pay a fee to be able to give your opinions on the good and bad deals. However, if you might buy once or twice a year, would you pay the fee to research, inquire, or give opinions on people you have dealt with or are considering dealing with? It just doesn't seem pratical. While Rich would take in more money, how long would it last while people that don't use the BOI on a regular basis wouldn't pay.
As for the people complaing that it's a joke, I believe that they are being too general. There are certainly some threads that are simply too soap operaish to be taken seriously. The joke is actually the people that are regular posters on those threads turning it into an episode of Guiding Light. You can usually weed these people out after noticing that they've posted about 20-30 times in one thread.......sometimes it's just unnecessary, and people should think about the image that they are portraying this board to be.
Anyway.....these are problems that aren't easily fixed.....the regular population of this board should realize that their actions and posts are reflecting on the BOI as a whole and start to police themselves.......
John Albrecht
New member
I think the board works pretty well "as is". However, I think it could be improved a little bit by increased moderation. When a reply on a thread is nothing but a troll then it should be deleted. If a post is full of attacks against someone and that someone isn't even the subject of the thread it should be deleted. I also think that most of the people that would call the BOI a joke are people that have managed to get tagged with a reputation for unethical business practices. Calling the BOI a joke is probably their only defence.
beakgeek
I'm a Tangerine Baldy
I think the BOI works fine the way it is. After checking here about a purchase I was going to make I had a good feeling about buying my animal.
The "Trolls" are exposed or show themselves very quickly here which I think is great.
Keep up the good work.
Terry
The "Trolls" are exposed or show themselves very quickly here which I think is great.
Keep up the good work.
Terry
Darin Chappell
Senior Hillbilly Member
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Sasheena touched on a subject that we have before discussed here, regarding the ability of newbies to get the nuance of the BOI. I don't mean to lump everyone into one big pile of generalities, but the fact is that it takes some time to realize why one guy is being singled out for the thumping he so richly deserves, especially, if you have not been around to see all of the silly things she has done in the past (for which no restitution has been made).
Rush Limbaugh, in his bombastic way, tells his listeners that it takes six weeks of solid listening to his show, in order to begin to get the satire, sarcasm, and silliness so that the meat of his message can be seen. Well, he's full of himself, to be certain, but he's also correct on that issue. There is a CONTEXT to his show, and those who hear him say that he is doing his show "with half his brain tied behind his back just to make it fair" do not understand the context when they first begin to listen to him.
Well, there is a context here as well, and many people simply fail to realize that. It isn't their fault, mind you, but it hinders their ability to understand the who, what, where, and why of the BOI at first, and they sometimes form opinions before they have all of the facts. Can we get over/around that hurdle? Probably so, on a one-on-one basis, but we "old-timers" forget to do that regularly enough.
I hate to add to the number of forums or work load that is placed upon the webslave and his moderators, but maybe a "What's Up With the BOI!" forum, kept up at the top of the BOI or in a different section of Fauna all together would be a place wherein those people who have reservations about the BOI as it now is, could have their concerns addressed. Not really a "How do I...or...Here Are the Problems I am Having" forum, but a forum that deals with the nature of the BOI, and why people respond as they do. Kind of a commentary forum on the BOI itself.
Maybe that's a stupid idea, but it seems to me that a lot of the deadhorse type of issues arise from people not wanting the good or bad of an issue to be swept under the carpet just because a new thread has been started. Of course, if people would merely follow the rules and not start new threads about people already cited on the BOI, we wouldn't have that problem...
Oh well!
Rush Limbaugh, in his bombastic way, tells his listeners that it takes six weeks of solid listening to his show, in order to begin to get the satire, sarcasm, and silliness so that the meat of his message can be seen. Well, he's full of himself, to be certain, but he's also correct on that issue. There is a CONTEXT to his show, and those who hear him say that he is doing his show "with half his brain tied behind his back just to make it fair" do not understand the context when they first begin to listen to him.
Well, there is a context here as well, and many people simply fail to realize that. It isn't their fault, mind you, but it hinders their ability to understand the who, what, where, and why of the BOI at first, and they sometimes form opinions before they have all of the facts. Can we get over/around that hurdle? Probably so, on a one-on-one basis, but we "old-timers" forget to do that regularly enough.
I hate to add to the number of forums or work load that is placed upon the webslave and his moderators, but maybe a "What's Up With the BOI!" forum, kept up at the top of the BOI or in a different section of Fauna all together would be a place wherein those people who have reservations about the BOI as it now is, could have their concerns addressed. Not really a "How do I...or...Here Are the Problems I am Having" forum, but a forum that deals with the nature of the BOI, and why people respond as they do. Kind of a commentary forum on the BOI itself.
Maybe that's a stupid idea, but it seems to me that a lot of the deadhorse type of issues arise from people not wanting the good or bad of an issue to be swept under the carpet just because a new thread has been started. Of course, if people would merely follow the rules and not start new threads about people already cited on the BOI, we wouldn't have that problem...
Oh well!
Dennis Gulla
New member
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- Mar 4, 2002
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- 244
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I would also pretty much agree with Darin and Terese.
I think the site is fine just the way it is. As already mentioned a couple of times, the only ones that say this site is a joke are the individuals who are the jokes themselves! Look who posts that comment....as Ken said, consider the source!
There has never been another site like this. It is an invaluable asset to the herp community. Period! On several ocassions, we all have witnessed individuals being exposed for who they are, just by the way they post. These individuals may not even have any complaints against them as bad guys, but just the way the individuals handle themselves in a public forum gives all of us a view as to whether or not we would consider doing business with them.
The membership has continued to rise consistently. I believe this site is just going to continue to grow and become a mainstay in the industry. No one will want to go through with a transaction before they check the BOI!!
I think the site is fine just the way it is. As already mentioned a couple of times, the only ones that say this site is a joke are the individuals who are the jokes themselves! Look who posts that comment....as Ken said, consider the source!
There has never been another site like this. It is an invaluable asset to the herp community. Period! On several ocassions, we all have witnessed individuals being exposed for who they are, just by the way they post. These individuals may not even have any complaints against them as bad guys, but just the way the individuals handle themselves in a public forum gives all of us a view as to whether or not we would consider doing business with them.
The membership has continued to rise consistently. I believe this site is just going to continue to grow and become a mainstay in the industry. No one will want to go through with a transaction before they check the BOI!!
SnakeIntheGrass
New member
The BOI has all the integrity in the world.
Its the people who make fools of themselves on the BOI who have no integrity. I think the BOI is great alot of people who have been around in the business for a little while have enough contacts that they can ask around about a person and get a feel for how they do business. Then there are the people who don't have a large support network who need the BOI for every transaction. Either way I like the way the BOI works people should be able to lurk on here and perform name searches. If they want to post and have full member privileges they should have some way to verify. Like a verified paypal account they should have to paypal you like a quarter and you can see if paypal has verified all of their information. As far as blocking free web based emails I personally do not like that plan because I have had my same hotmail account since I was like 14 and I have moved to a different state and back again and I have never lost my email. In conclusion I think maybe there should be different levels of BOI membership and then the serious users could avoid the crap and the non serious users should be able to look and learn only.
Its the people who make fools of themselves on the BOI who have no integrity. I think the BOI is great alot of people who have been around in the business for a little while have enough contacts that they can ask around about a person and get a feel for how they do business. Then there are the people who don't have a large support network who need the BOI for every transaction. Either way I like the way the BOI works people should be able to lurk on here and perform name searches. If they want to post and have full member privileges they should have some way to verify. Like a verified paypal account they should have to paypal you like a quarter and you can see if paypal has verified all of their information. As far as blocking free web based emails I personally do not like that plan because I have had my same hotmail account since I was like 14 and I have moved to a different state and back again and I have never lost my email. In conclusion I think maybe there should be different levels of BOI membership and then the serious users could avoid the crap and the non serious users should be able to look and learn only.
Mustangrde1
Sistrurus Motel "Welcome"
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- That information is no ones business
I think Ken said it best {Look at the source}.
Rich in all honesty this site is far from a joke. Both my wife and I use it frequently under our own different screen names. But I have to stop and think and ask you no offense at all intended. Censorship and deletion of post and banning is more like someone else we know with a website. You are far better then him and this site is far better then that one. Leave this site as is, The trolls of the net very quickly show their true side under any name they use and the rest of the world sees them for whom and what they are.
Yes, I agree some times it gets to be a soap opera on here but in the heat of the flames it shows the persons true character and I know of two people that showed there colors and saved my wife and I from buying from them thank god.
Let the trolls come its amazing how fast they are found out for what they are. Rich Do not worry about what they say negative. Instead look at the positive they are saying it because they are the joke and were found out and now they are mad because their scam was caught. Leave the BOI as is.
Scott Bice
Rich in all honesty this site is far from a joke. Both my wife and I use it frequently under our own different screen names. But I have to stop and think and ask you no offense at all intended. Censorship and deletion of post and banning is more like someone else we know with a website. You are far better then him and this site is far better then that one. Leave this site as is, The trolls of the net very quickly show their true side under any name they use and the rest of the world sees them for whom and what they are.
Yes, I agree some times it gets to be a soap opera on here but in the heat of the flames it shows the persons true character and I know of two people that showed there colors and saved my wife and I from buying from them thank god.
Let the trolls come its amazing how fast they are found out for what they are. Rich Do not worry about what they say negative. Instead look at the positive they are saying it because they are the joke and were found out and now they are mad because their scam was caught. Leave the BOI as is.
Scott Bice
Rich
This is the exact post I was intending to start before but it was moved. I voted for the not allowing for certain email addresses to use the site. But after some reading I have changed my opinion. My business was blasted on this site. I defended it against this "beating a dead horse syndrome" people would not stop until the thread itslef was closed. That in itself is a solution to threads going on that have gone on to long. I think it is good as is with maybe a little more control by the moderator.
The site is not a joke and has saved me in a deal recently and would have worked for me a year ago. I am sure.
I feel certain people are given a little more room to say what they want because of their reputation. The point system should be very well defined and all should be issued points regardless of who they are. I filed a complaint and have yet to see action on it because I belive it was a person of good standing on the board and I was a "newbie".
But even with that...the board is still effective and I will continue to use it.
This is the exact post I was intending to start before but it was moved. I voted for the not allowing for certain email addresses to use the site. But after some reading I have changed my opinion. My business was blasted on this site. I defended it against this "beating a dead horse syndrome" people would not stop until the thread itslef was closed. That in itself is a solution to threads going on that have gone on to long. I think it is good as is with maybe a little more control by the moderator.
The site is not a joke and has saved me in a deal recently and would have worked for me a year ago. I am sure.
I feel certain people are given a little more room to say what they want because of their reputation. The point system should be very well defined and all should be issued points regardless of who they are. I filed a complaint and have yet to see action on it because I belive it was a person of good standing on the board and I was a "newbie".
But even with that...the board is still effective and I will continue to use it.
toadellen
New member
I appreciate this site
Since finding this site I have learned many things, been saved from loosing money, and entertained. I don't only access the BOI, but many of the options and that has been most helpful to me.
There are people that I would like to throttle because of their childishness, but I usually just skip reading their posts. I'm sure you would like to do more than that!!
I can only imagine the time that is spent keeping this going!! I thank you for providing what has become a resource for an amateur.
Rhoda Allen
Since finding this site I have learned many things, been saved from loosing money, and entertained. I don't only access the BOI, but many of the options and that has been most helpful to me.
There are people that I would like to throttle because of their childishness, but I usually just skip reading their posts. I'm sure you would like to do more than that!!
I can only imagine the time that is spent keeping this going!! I thank you for providing what has become a resource for an amateur.
Rhoda Allen
Vince
New member
dumje said:
I agree the warning and point system should be used for everyone. i feel people who are in favor with webslave get away with a lot more then the average user. every person on this site should be equal from the kid buying his first leopard gecko to the bussiness man selling 20,000 ball python morphs.
Wilomn
New member
There is one thing about beating a dead horse that some of you may have overlooked. Sometimes it just ain't dead yet. Sometimes you need to poke it in the eye one more time to get the last bit of life to flee. We just saw that yesterday.
Rich, this site is one of the best things out there to research reptile folks in general and unless you've got a new monkey in your pocket you want to put in charge of reading each and every new post one here you may not have time to do a thorough job yourself. Consistancy is a key. If one guy or girl gets points for saying something then everyone else who is guilty of saying the same thing should suffer the same fate. SHOULD being the key word. It doesn't happen that way and unless that monkey is well trained it never will. I think a grain or two of salt is in order. As one of the highest point holders here I know of what I speak.
If you had 24/7 to be here monitoring all posts then you might have the utopian site I think you dream of. But as it is now it's still pretty damn good.
Unless you have manpower for sweeping reforms I don't think you should change things. A little more consistency perhaps but, that's about it.
I know some of the posts, mine included, can be trite or trivial or something you just gloss over but, in the long run you are doing us all a service and with the good comes the bad or if not really bad the not that great. That's life.
I think that if you had some sort of honesty gauge, something like get caught lying here 5 or 7 or 10 times and you're gone would be a good thing. Having folks you know will lie to one and all here is not a positive thing. Sometimes honesty is not pleasant to read or hear but it's real. That you can count on and like it or not people know it's the truth. Those who have scant knowledge of the truth and how to use it make us all look bad everytime they get caught lying. I'm really not talking just about any one particular individual here, there are a great many of them that have been outed here and are now gone. There are one or two that have changed their ways. There are some still here and time will tell what they do.
If you were to change one thing I would like to see you remove the ability of known liars and scammers from having an account. That would improve the site a bit.
The charging thing has been pretty well covered and I agree that it probably wouldn't work out for the best if you were to charge for access to the BOI. However, if you charged something small for access to the for sale/wanted ads that may work out quite well for you. Something nominal like 15.00 or 20.00 a year is low enough to be affordable and high enough to make a little money for you.
I think I've covered everything here.
Wes Pollock
Rich, this site is one of the best things out there to research reptile folks in general and unless you've got a new monkey in your pocket you want to put in charge of reading each and every new post one here you may not have time to do a thorough job yourself. Consistancy is a key. If one guy or girl gets points for saying something then everyone else who is guilty of saying the same thing should suffer the same fate. SHOULD being the key word. It doesn't happen that way and unless that monkey is well trained it never will. I think a grain or two of salt is in order. As one of the highest point holders here I know of what I speak.
If you had 24/7 to be here monitoring all posts then you might have the utopian site I think you dream of. But as it is now it's still pretty damn good.
Unless you have manpower for sweeping reforms I don't think you should change things. A little more consistency perhaps but, that's about it.
I know some of the posts, mine included, can be trite or trivial or something you just gloss over but, in the long run you are doing us all a service and with the good comes the bad or if not really bad the not that great. That's life.
I think that if you had some sort of honesty gauge, something like get caught lying here 5 or 7 or 10 times and you're gone would be a good thing. Having folks you know will lie to one and all here is not a positive thing. Sometimes honesty is not pleasant to read or hear but it's real. That you can count on and like it or not people know it's the truth. Those who have scant knowledge of the truth and how to use it make us all look bad everytime they get caught lying. I'm really not talking just about any one particular individual here, there are a great many of them that have been outed here and are now gone. There are one or two that have changed their ways. There are some still here and time will tell what they do.
If you were to change one thing I would like to see you remove the ability of known liars and scammers from having an account. That would improve the site a bit.
The charging thing has been pretty well covered and I agree that it probably wouldn't work out for the best if you were to charge for access to the BOI. However, if you charged something small for access to the for sale/wanted ads that may work out quite well for you. Something nominal like 15.00 or 20.00 a year is low enough to be affordable and high enough to make a little money for you.
I think I've covered everything here.
Wes Pollock
Vince
New member
if you start chargeing this site will turn into Kingsnake.com part 2. i dont think that is what you or anyone wants. this site has the potental to be miles above what kingsnake.com is. in my opinion it already is
Ken Harbart
New member
Interseting assertion about the integrity of Rich (along with myself and Jay), but it's off base. Myself, Rich, and Jay could care less who authored a certain post. We've dished out warning points to people we consider to be close friends, and cut people that we have a disdain for some slack. The name on the left-hand side of the screen is meaningless, as we're not in this to make friends or win any popularity contests.Vince said:
There are other considerations that come into effect, such as the totality of circumstances under which certain posts are made, or the simple fact that we don't read each and every post/reply.
Moderating here isn't as simple as either black and white. While you are entitled to your opinion that there is some sort of impropriety here, I can assure you that it is a misguided opinion.
Sasheena
Imperfect
Thank you for saying that Ken, because I do indeed believe that the moderation here is not based on the number of posts a person has made (as if THAT mattered), nor is it based on the name or anything. I tend to think it is insulting to say that the moderators here are doing anything in the point system that has any favoritism whatsoever.
Wes points out that until/unless there is someone reading every post and online 24/7 there WILL be some posts that slip through the cracks. I think that is part of having been here a while. Once you are here a while, you start to realize how this place works, including the warning point system. Often it's not obvious to the casual or brief visitor that someone is being allowed all the rope necessary to hang themselves with, or that the mods here actually DO have a life. If I see a really BAD post that I know would be acted upon by the Mods, I report it if I have the time. If I don't I don't, but I still have the faith that when the moderators see what has happened, they will fix it. I don't think 24 hours have ever gone by where I haven't seen an action taken on obvious infractions.
One of the biggest problems I see here are people who complain because THEY got hit with the warning point and someone else didn't. This reminds me of my students.... sometimes I will make a mistake and mark someone down only to find that my answer key is wrong, and they were right. I give them the benefit of the doubt. This reminds me of a number of times when people have said to me, or to other people, that they have to put their full name or their post will be deleted... all the while in the post in question the name is displayed prominently already. It's a human error thing, it happens. If anyone got a warning point for not putting their full name, and the full name WAS THERE IN THE BODY OF THE MESSAGE, then I'm sure that the warning point would be rescinded. However, like with my students, there's always the other side of the coin. I don't know how many times I've had two students come to me and showed me a problem where one got marked wrong, (correctly) and one was marked right (incorrectly). They want me to give them a free point. My response is always "I'll take the point off the test where I gave the extra on accident". It only takes one of those before the students realize that to point out those who didn't get a bad mark doesn't mean their OWN bad mark goes away.
Same thing for the BOI. When someone gets dinged for failure to post their full name, GOOD. It's deserved. Don't use the excuse of someone else not getting that warning as any sort of reason to whine. You get what you deserve. Read the rules, you get to go a long time without a warning point. When I'm angry, or upset, or just plain in a flippant mood, I usually make myself type my message three times over. If I'm that hot-headed, I need to say it three times, and if I still want to say it at the end of the third attempt, then I finally hit "submit reply". I've probably written four times as many messages as my "number of posts" because of all those posts I've deleted after seeing they weren't necessary, or constructive.
I think everyone needs to see to their own behaviour when it comes to warning points, instead of worrying about others' points. Webslave is ultimately fair, and ultimately the ones who deserve it get booted from the system.
Wes points out that until/unless there is someone reading every post and online 24/7 there WILL be some posts that slip through the cracks. I think that is part of having been here a while. Once you are here a while, you start to realize how this place works, including the warning point system. Often it's not obvious to the casual or brief visitor that someone is being allowed all the rope necessary to hang themselves with, or that the mods here actually DO have a life. If I see a really BAD post that I know would be acted upon by the Mods, I report it if I have the time. If I don't I don't, but I still have the faith that when the moderators see what has happened, they will fix it. I don't think 24 hours have ever gone by where I haven't seen an action taken on obvious infractions.
One of the biggest problems I see here are people who complain because THEY got hit with the warning point and someone else didn't. This reminds me of my students.... sometimes I will make a mistake and mark someone down only to find that my answer key is wrong, and they were right. I give them the benefit of the doubt. This reminds me of a number of times when people have said to me, or to other people, that they have to put their full name or their post will be deleted... all the while in the post in question the name is displayed prominently already. It's a human error thing, it happens. If anyone got a warning point for not putting their full name, and the full name WAS THERE IN THE BODY OF THE MESSAGE, then I'm sure that the warning point would be rescinded. However, like with my students, there's always the other side of the coin. I don't know how many times I've had two students come to me and showed me a problem where one got marked wrong, (correctly) and one was marked right (incorrectly). They want me to give them a free point. My response is always "I'll take the point off the test where I gave the extra on accident". It only takes one of those before the students realize that to point out those who didn't get a bad mark doesn't mean their OWN bad mark goes away.
Same thing for the BOI. When someone gets dinged for failure to post their full name, GOOD. It's deserved. Don't use the excuse of someone else not getting that warning as any sort of reason to whine. You get what you deserve. Read the rules, you get to go a long time without a warning point. When I'm angry, or upset, or just plain in a flippant mood, I usually make myself type my message three times over. If I'm that hot-headed, I need to say it three times, and if I still want to say it at the end of the third attempt, then I finally hit "submit reply". I've probably written four times as many messages as my "number of posts" because of all those posts I've deleted after seeing they weren't necessary, or constructive.
I think everyone needs to see to their own behaviour when it comes to warning points, instead of worrying about others' points. Webslave is ultimately fair, and ultimately the ones who deserve it get booted from the system.
TJEvans
New member
Wes,
How exactly to you have a "lie detector" on a site like this. In most threads where people have "lied," there is either proof positve and they can not back out of it, or it's perhaps he said, she said situation. In a deal between 2 people, if one says one thing and the other says a totally different thing, how is one supposed to know which person is the lier? In most threads, the main offenders of the guilt placing, will side with the originator of the thread. I don't know how many times I've seen the phrase "she said that you told her this, explain yourself." That accused can defend themselves until they are blue in the face and will never appease the "court."
And heaven help you if your a third party that has an opposing point of view....all of a sudden your the one trying to defend your self from being an "alter ego, friend coming in the accused's defense, etc." THAT is what I think people refer to as being "the joke."
The boi, used (about 3-4 years ago) to be a site where every thread was a good guy or bad guy thread. They were cut and dried. The bad guy posts usually had some sort of evidence, be it e-mails, invoices, pictures, etc., and rarely went into a 15 page tirade. These new posts, someone comes on and says how they were treated, etc., and all of a sudden people that aren't even involved with the situation flock to the thread, without even knowing the other side of the story.....I would wager that 9 times out of 10, everyone that's read the thread will be quick to judge the accused even before they speak.
I don't know. I do know that the BOI is NOT a joke, at times the people that frequent the BOI are.
How exactly to you have a "lie detector" on a site like this. In most threads where people have "lied," there is either proof positve and they can not back out of it, or it's perhaps he said, she said situation. In a deal between 2 people, if one says one thing and the other says a totally different thing, how is one supposed to know which person is the lier? In most threads, the main offenders of the guilt placing, will side with the originator of the thread. I don't know how many times I've seen the phrase "she said that you told her this, explain yourself." That accused can defend themselves until they are blue in the face and will never appease the "court."
And heaven help you if your a third party that has an opposing point of view....all of a sudden your the one trying to defend your self from being an "alter ego, friend coming in the accused's defense, etc." THAT is what I think people refer to as being "the joke."
The boi, used (about 3-4 years ago) to be a site where every thread was a good guy or bad guy thread. They were cut and dried. The bad guy posts usually had some sort of evidence, be it e-mails, invoices, pictures, etc., and rarely went into a 15 page tirade. These new posts, someone comes on and says how they were treated, etc., and all of a sudden people that aren't even involved with the situation flock to the thread, without even knowing the other side of the story.....I would wager that 9 times out of 10, everyone that's read the thread will be quick to judge the accused even before they speak.
I don't know. I do know that the BOI is NOT a joke, at times the people that frequent the BOI are.
Wilomn
New member
Todd, you just have to read the posts some people make to know who the liars are.
The benefit of the doubt should be given unless there is no doubt. If I tell you I am selling a male albino 5 foot boa and it turns out to be female and 3 feet well....... it's possible that a mistake was made but probably not. And if you know that I sold some animals as "eating like pigs" and the pictures taken of them the very next day, the day that they died by the way, and they were so skinny and emaciated that there was NO DOUBT that they had not eaten in many many days well...... it's not very likely I was being truthful and if you knew that I had a habit of making these little mistakes what would you think?
Then there are the guys that just come out guns a blazin saying they've got proof of this and proof of that and it either never materializes or turns out to not be proof at all...... again a lie.
I know it's a hard row to hoe but it's one of the things here that really bugs me personally. It's not a cure-all and with the influx of new people it will always be an issue, how DO we know who is truthful and who is not when there are two opposite stories being presented? But why tolerate the ones we KNOW will lie over and over and over? If you don't lance that boil it will fester and spread the infection. Right?
We all have little things we like and little things we don't like. Some of us voice them and some of us don't. But it is a priveledge when you come right down to it. As a priveledge it needs to be maintained, earned, and deserved. There is a weeding process and I think Rich is trying to refine this weeding as well as refine the site itself.
I do often times find the BOI highly amusing but I don't think of it as a joke.
Wes Pollock
The benefit of the doubt should be given unless there is no doubt. If I tell you I am selling a male albino 5 foot boa and it turns out to be female and 3 feet well....... it's possible that a mistake was made but probably not. And if you know that I sold some animals as "eating like pigs" and the pictures taken of them the very next day, the day that they died by the way, and they were so skinny and emaciated that there was NO DOUBT that they had not eaten in many many days well...... it's not very likely I was being truthful and if you knew that I had a habit of making these little mistakes what would you think?
Then there are the guys that just come out guns a blazin saying they've got proof of this and proof of that and it either never materializes or turns out to not be proof at all...... again a lie.
I know it's a hard row to hoe but it's one of the things here that really bugs me personally. It's not a cure-all and with the influx of new people it will always be an issue, how DO we know who is truthful and who is not when there are two opposite stories being presented? But why tolerate the ones we KNOW will lie over and over and over? If you don't lance that boil it will fester and spread the infection. Right?
We all have little things we like and little things we don't like. Some of us voice them and some of us don't. But it is a priveledge when you come right down to it. As a priveledge it needs to be maintained, earned, and deserved. There is a weeding process and I think Rich is trying to refine this weeding as well as refine the site itself.
I do often times find the BOI highly amusing but I don't think of it as a joke.
Wes Pollock
Vince
New member
yep , that is defently true, if you see a good guy post about someone you know is a liar or scammer i think its in no way beating a dead horse to post in there what that same person has done to you.