What happened to BOI????

[srsb]

Helen (Helenthereef)---you hit the nail on the head exactly for me! I, too, figured the contributing member thing was for people who posted classifieds, were breeders and sellers, and not just "lurkers" like me.

Maybe the powers that be can emphasize this point for the other slow folks like me!

I will contribute now! (as soon as I figure out how). Maybe that is another thing that could be linked to for the not-so-computer-savvy.

I like Helen's idea of spelling it all out --why contributing is important, who should contribute, and how--- in one place for newbies and non-computer folks.

 

[porkchop48]

From what I understand this is a temporary turn off of the BOI to let everyone know that if something doesn't change the BOI will be gone.

I'm guessing that means if the funds aren't there the BOI won't be either.

I dont mind having to contribute at all. I read the BOI alot.

I mainly thought the contributing was for people who buy and sell. I dont sell anything here ( although I think I posted frogs once) and I dont post much in the "critter" forums.

Hardly any one post in the frog forum and when I comes to Chameleons they talk most about the biggins not the pygmies that I have so. So no realy action for me there either.

am I babbling?

 

[Shadera]

Same names lurker around day in and day out researching buyers for years but when it came down to it they figured they let someone else help keep the resource open.
When it was pointed out that it would help cut the bogus registrations by providing a sort of verification for posting on the BOI, Nope wasn’t good enough. Many would rather whine and complain about fake registrations then actually help curtail it. Instead most opposed suggested charging for the classifieds instead. When that was tried later, the same opposition.

What saddens me is that these same people probably sat back on their laurels while the rest of us did the dirty work burning up our printers, phone lines, and faxes when HR669 was on the table. The eh, let someone else do it attitude needs to stop.

If the BOI goes away, how many of us will it affect? I mean, just in the day it's been down, how many people out there are feeling the itch to search a person they'd like to do business with and just aren't comfortable that they can't?

Rich, is it that a certain amount dollarwise needs to be held back in the bank for any litigation that might pop up? I still think the member donated animals sale or auction would be a feasible idea although maybe a nightmare to orchestrate. I haven't produced anything yet, but if it means losing the BOI I'd come off something I bought for the cause. For all the people who don't think the forum is worth enough for THEM to give anything.

My blunt .02.

 

[Shadera]

I just contributed a couple days ago and now no BOI. I gotta say, if you take the BOI away for good, I would be rather disappointed and want my money back. Rich, I can understand the reason for your test.

Rich has said several times that contributors would be notified and would get every last day out of their subscriptions.

 

[porkchop48]

What saddens me is that these same people probably sat back on their laurels while the rest of us did the dirty work burning up our printers, phone lines, and faxes when HR669 was on the table. The eh, let someone else do it attitude needs to stop.

QUOTE]

Was this said because of why I said I have not contributed?

 

[Shadera]

What saddens me is that these same people probably sat back on their laurels while the rest of us did the dirty work burning up our printers, phone lines, and faxes when HR669 was on the table. The eh, let someone else do it attitude needs to stop.

QUOTE]

Was this said because of why I said I have not contributed?

Please reread what I actually quoted in my post, and you will see who it was aimed at. Not the people who thought the paying stuff was only for people who advertise. I have zero problem telling someone when I'm talking directly to them, and would've quoted you if I meant you.

Chill.

 

[porkchop48]

Please reread what I actually quoted in my post, and you will see who it was aimed at. Not the people who thought the paying stuff was only for people who advertise. I have zero problem telling someone when I'm talking directly to them, and would've quoted you if I meant you.

Chill.

I was not " un chilled"

I was just asking to verify. NO biggy.

 

[dragonlvr64]

For those that want to contribute there is a skinny green banner right above the items for the forum. Also read on a sig line you can click any contributing members coin.

** I too think there should be something posted as a sticky as to Rich being the owner, this is not a big company thing (even though it looks like it) and how contributing even if not buying or selling will keep this up and running. IF enough people contribute! Or at least we hope it can do that!!

 

[DAND]

For those that want to contribute there is a skinny green banner right above the items for the forum. Also read on a sig line you can click any contributing members coin.

I seem to recall seeing that a time or two myself.

 

[srsb]

I just contributed! If someone as computer-illiterate as me can do it, anyone can!

Now......where's my coin??? : )

 

[srsb]

Opps! My coin just appeared! Cool!

 

[ChrisnLisa]

I just contributed as well as my made my first post...finally!! I'll be sure to spread the word on chamforums.

Lisa Kelly

 

[lillyorchid]

I hope the BOI comes back. It's a very good resource to have! You don't know what you have till it's gone and I think this right here is a wake up call for a lot of us, myself included. Sadly I don't think this site will last to long with out the BOI. I'm sure someone else somewhere will try to create another kind of forum of a BOI. Rich I really hope that maybe you can hang on to this place and if you are burnt out of it, maybe you could sell it to another well known reptile lover who's willing to take on this place.

 

[Tiger Lilly]

My .02

I feel that taking the BOI away so that it can not even be viewed by non-paid members will be a nail in coffin here.

Unfortunately, IMO, the nail is already there; it's just slowly being hammered in because while registrations may be up, paid contributions are not. Everyone wants something for free, but when times are tough, no one wants to pony-up the dough to help keep something VALUABLE going. And most of us agree that the BOI is very valuable. You (in general, not specifically you) may not use it now, but how many that may need it in the future are going to wistfully think, "Why didn't I contribute? It was only $25..." ???

"MagickalMorphs;738874: What saddens me is that these same people probably sat back on their laurels while the rest of us did the dirty work burning up our printers, phone lines, and faxes when HR669 was on the table. The eh, let someone else do it attitude needs to stop."

Was this said because of why I said I have not contributed?

This is not about you--Look at the BIG PICTURE here. Check the home page, where it shows who's on-line at any given moment and I can almost guarantee that no matter how many times you check it, the ratio of registered members vs. contributors is always higher. Heck, sometimes the ratio of guests is higher than both of those!

I just contributed! If someone as computer-illiterate as me can do it, anyone can! Now......where's my coin??? : )

And don't cha feel good about it? Seriously.

I just contributed as well as my made my first post...finally!! I'll be sure to spread the word on chamforums.Lisa Kelly

Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!
As someone who values this site (as a whole), ~THANK YOU BOTH~!
Hopefully the old saying "every little bit helps" is true in this case.

 

[GregHuston]

My .02

I don't have any problem in having to pay a modest fee to post in the classifieds or in the BOI.

I do however feel that yanking the BOI (even as a "test") without notice is little more than a heavy handed tactic to drive up the number of contributing members. I recommend a more gentle approach.

I would suggest a big banner on the main pages and/or an e-mail to every registered user that you intend to make posting in the BOI and classifieds available to contributing members only effective Jan. 1, 2010. I think the BOI should be a free resource to read, but I don't think it would be too extreme to restrict posting to contributing members only. If you feel so strongly that you were wronged by someone that you want to must publicly complain about them, maybe you should pay for the right to post on the BOI. Maybe that would slow down abuse on that forum. Honestly, the BOI is the one unique thing this site has going for it, making just the reading of it available only to contributing members would hurt the site overall.

As long as posting on the classifieds remains considerably cheaper than the competition, I think that many people (me included) would become contributing members to use that service.

Greg

 

[WebSlave]

Well, I AM learning something from this test. When this happens for real, I need to shut down email capability from this site so I don't get flooded with emails. I'm curious to see how long it will take people to discover this FEEDBACK forum......

I have noticed an increase in registered members logging in, so I suspect some people were not bothering to log in when checking in here, and they figuring that access had been blocked to the BOI.

I don't know about you all, but I think I could get used to not having the BOI at all.........

BTW, someone asked me about how much I would like to be seeing coming into this site as padding $$ for legal defense. Honestly, I have been good about saving money, just in case, but with this retirement thing it puts a whole new spin on things. As one of my attorneys asked me not too long ago, "Rich, is it really worth $50K to you to prove that you are right? Will your being right earn that money back afterwards?" I thought that was an EXCELLENT point....

I'll be quite frank about it here. I am retiring from the reptile business. I am looking at this site as possibly being a modest return on my investment in time and effort (as well as not an insignificant amount of $$) to help bring in a little bit of money during my retirement. But I certainly don't NEED this site, either from an income standpoint, nor certainly for any collateral benefits to my own reptile business. Heck, if anything, I believe this site has HURT my SerpenCo business over the years. When I look at the stats and see 57,000 registered members, and only 300 paid contributors, well that is telling me that 56,700 registered members don't consider what this site provides as being worth donating towards to keep it afloat. Honestly, in my shoes, wouldn't YOU be thinking "why the hell should I be concerned about subjecting myself to the risk for THEM?"

I do intend to keep FaunaClassifieds running as long as it doesn't become a financial burden on me. The unknowable at this point is whether the BOI was such an important part of the reason for people coming here that it may not survive the BOI going away. But quite honestly, if the site cannot survive without the BOI and I cannot afford the financial risk of keeping the BOI, then there really is no choice in the matter. Sorry, but I have NO intention of potentially having to tell my wife that we both need to find jobs to make ends meet sometime down the road simply because a lawsuit caused by this site, even though I may have won it, cost so much that it drained our retirement savings below a sustainable level.

I've dropped enough hints about this in the past. Hinting is over with and I am laying this on the line. You all need to decide if you really want the BOI or not. It's REALLY out of my hands. I will be opening up the BOI in a couple of days, but no later than January 1, 2010 (which is when I plan to be officially retired), the doors on that forum will be shutting permanently if I see that the majority of the members here really don't give a crap either way.

If you all don't want or need the BOI, then that's fine. Because I certainly don't either.... I'm retiring, and the less headaches in my life afterwards, the better.

 

[Dennis Hultman]

I know Lucille. Your correct and for once I wasn't trying for accuracy in that post. I know it would be posted elsewhere and leaked out. I didn't state there would be zero liability. More of a general post that Rich has given enough and to heck with those that still don't care enough.

I feel that taking the BOI away so that it can not even be viewed by non-paid members will be a nail in coffin here.

I think you are missing the point. We are talking about the BOI being gone anyway. The main reason for all the members that have stayed and used Fauna for all these years. What you stated above has been stated at every single turn in all these years. Charging for memberships, charging for the classifieds, every single time any revenue attempt was made here.
This time we are literally talking about the death to Fauna as we know it. Were talking after that nail has already been driven in and the site becomes a classified website and discussion forum with no BOI related material tolerated at all. The previous vision of this site would already be dead.

I can understand the liability and cost issues, but if it is not open to the public then it might as well be disbanded, after all it is supposed to be a tool for the public to make informed decisions about who to deal with in the herping industry. Not just a private club that does not share secrets as to who is a dirt bag and who will back up a deal / promise they made.

So to me it seems like to function at all it really needs an all or nothing approach in my opinion.

Your post above is understood and has been the thought pattern of all the users that have objective to everything tried in the past. You are the "Many" or "Most", in my previous post. I can't get it for free you guys worry about it. Anyone that would rather see the information posted on the BOI lost and the site "disbanded" doesn't see the same value in this site as those of us that have supported the opportunities to try and keep it up all these years. The information here isn't that important you. My point to Rich was that if the user doesn't step up this time I don't think he should worry about being fair to them and you pointed out my reasoning well.

If the BOI goes away and you can't see it, why would it matter to you that others can? Why should the information that some are willing to pay for be lost forever because you think the site should be disbanded because you are not willing to pay for it? After all, if all this came to pass the site will no longer have the BOI. It would no longer revolve around any of the ideas that have driven many of the supporters.

 

[geckogrl6]

WTF? Why is this the 1st I'm hearing about this? I've been a contributing member for years, and access to the BOI is easily worth 20-30 bucks a year to me. If there is anything else I can do to help, please email or PM me. Seriously. I'm a big fan, and quite frankly, if the BOI leaves, I might too. Don't get me wrong- the people on this forum are generally great people imo, and thats why I read and post outside the BOI. But I pay really for the access to the BOI. It is why I'm not still on KS or some other forum, and I think what sets fauna apart.


Lisa Magil, J.D.

 

[rjarosek]

I just contributed as well as my made my first post...finally!! I'll be sure to spread the word on chamforums.

Lisa Kelly

I just contributed too. Thanks Chris and Lisa. Im gonna spread the word a bit.

 

[Dennis Hultman]

I think the BOI should be a free resource to read, but I don't think it would be too extreme to restrict posting to contributing members only. If you feel so strongly that you were wronged by someone that you want to must publicly complain about them, maybe you should pay for the right to post on the BOI. Maybe that would slow down abuse on that forum. Honestly, the BOI is the one unique thing this site has going for it, making just the reading of it available only to contributing members would hurt the site overall.

As long as posting on the classifieds remains considerably cheaper than the competition, I think that many people (me included) would become contributing members to use that service.

Greg

Greg, both have been tried before. The option was given for a lousy ten dollars to be a contributor to help build a war chest against frivolous lawsuits. Many users responded by leaving. At that time the economy was good but it still wasn't worth it for those that wanted Rich to share the liability for them to post their grievances. Apparently it still isn't now that it is optional to contribute. It was laid out just like you suggest in your post. Every ability given in your post was tried.

BOI is the one unique thing this site has going for it, making just the reading of it available only to contributing members would hurt the site overall.

Yes, it would. We already know that. It has been tried. Were talking about it being gone anyway.