• Responding to email notices you receive.
    **************************************************
    In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.

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

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


    Yeah, I know. They are a pain in the butt. But they pay the bills to keep my server running. Just a fact of life, I am afraid.

    Want to get rid of them? Simple. Just become a Contributor level member or above and they will be gone. -> Please click HERE."

    Is that too much for me to ask of you to keep this site running? Well, sorry about that. I too wish I could get everything for free. But alas.....

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


    Google Adsense ad revenue for December, 2025 was just $30 over the cost of the lease for the server running this site. So, in effect, the money providing the incentive for me to continue running this site is coming SOLELY from the paid memberships and sponsorships here. Which honestly ain't much....

Where am I going wrong with this site?

Rich, you definitely have a lot on your hands. The BOI has done a wonderful job informing people about future business dealings they may have, it has exposed scammers as well as great people to do business with. Being able to participate in the BOI, though not a participant in a certain transaction, makes a big difference. Without the third party questions many would have been able to get away with ripping someone off. On that same note, without the third party questions, some would have gotten away with false accusations. These question also help others to learn about proper customer service and better business. I have been questioned pretty tough myself, but I have learned from the insight of others.

Sure there are those who have come here to annoy and disrupt others, all the warning points and suspensions are not going to work. An idea is that you ban them for a certain amount of time, they cannot participate and view the threads they like.

The hell forum is interesting, that is one that should be kept around, removing it will result in the garbage spewing over into the other forums.

I am just learning about the other forums you have here, the Laughs Forum, this one, cryptzoology, paranormal, and etc. These are enjoyable and give the opportunity to share the stories and laughs that do not involve only business transactions.

You have a wonderful website and this is not an easy thing to control, the ideas and opinions here give you and us a lot to think about. I hope I was of some insight, if not than I can move on and get myself a Dr. Pepper to drink.
 
I hope this is not off topic as it pertains to this site. Is there a new change to the Rep system you have set up? I was off for a bit and when I came back I saw a change in my rep points.
 
Rich answered this in the other thread:
WebSlave said:
I made some changes in the reputation system concerning how the reputation power is calculated. The numbers were getting way too bloated to be meaningful, plus the way I previously had things set, a snowball effect was taking place that was getting out of hand. so I simply scaled things back. The change should have been proportional. In other words if three people had reputation powers of 100, 200, and 300, the weighting will be more like 10, 20, and 30.

Same for the total reputation points. The totals will be less, but the relative rating will be the same. The way things were headed, it was going to require 100 or better of those green squares for some members, and that was more then was realistic for the display area for each post.

I also made a change to try to reduce abuse that I have noted recently. Some people are acting as stalkers towards other members and bombarding them with negative points at every opportunity, even if the post itself is basically harmless. There may be warning points and suspension in store for those people, btw. So what I did was to limit anyone from giving more then two members ANY reputation points in a single day, and you must give points to 20 members before you are able to give ANY additional points to the same person. Hopefully this will help to limit the "tit for tat" reputation point trading that I have noted in some instances. Since you can only dole out two helpings of reputation points per day, I think people will be much more circumspect in how they allocate it's usage.

Sorry, but sometimes I just have to take stock of the way things are going and try to make accommodations for what is reasonable and prudent for this site.
Click to expand...

I think it was a good move. I was actually going to suggest it, but I didn't want anyone to take offense.

As far as where this site is headed, I see people commenting on how certain abuses are made. Ironically, it seems some of these complaints are coming from members who knowingly instigate such abuses and then sit back waiting for their target to respond, and then complain to Rich about it. I think we need to police ourselves a little more, and avoid leading others to the temptation to stray from the rules.
 
I am feeling kind of awkward posting here...Hopefully there will be noone Offended by me speaking my mind
But i feel that i must point out this

Maybe there should be warning points for Insulting others on this site
I mean what Good do the insults do?
Are they needed to catch bad guys?
I Think Insults are what led to my Misguided Trolling Behaivior
Everytime i got an insult whether it be from Reputation or Posts with my name in them...And even some other creative places, I felt the need to respond to them in like

I see how those insults have started Pissing Matches with me and OTHERS... And i cant think of a single reason to do it


I believe that this site would be Alot more pleasent without the insults
 
I can think of several things that would make this site more pleasant. Most of them involve removing trolls at the outset of their investiture here instead of waiting weeks or months to decide that they are indeed the WORTHLESS creatures some of us labeled them at the outset of their "coming out" of the closet, so to speak, of those who read only but don't participate.

There are other improvements that could be made but addressing this issue, the length of time one is allowed to feed before something is done, should be pretty close to the top of the list.
 
WebSlave said:
If anyone engages in any personal pissing duels or feuds in this thread or ANY thread within this particular forum, I will be pleased to escort you out of the door. So please bear that in mind. That doesn't mean you can't name names, but be extremely cautious in how you do so.
Click to expand...
A little reminder.
 
I speak of no one in particular here, though I can see how one might incorrectly guess, not ASSume, that I was given the recent abuse heaped upon this site but I am NOT addressing that particular individual in particular at this time.

I speak of all trolls, past, present and future. When it becomes obvious what they are something should be done at THAT time, not thousands and thousands of posts later.
 
A little clarification on my post. It was NOT directed at any one particular individual. It was meant as a general reminder to everyone.
 
Wilomn said:
I speak of all trolls, past, present and future. When it becomes obvious what they are something should be done at THAT time, not thousands and thousands of posts later.
Click to expand...
I could not agree more.

And leopards do not often change their spots. Certain people need to be banned outright. I refer to no one in particular (though I could name some names if asked to do so). The "Oh, my bad, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again" line is all well and good but they should take it elsewhere and behave better there.

Again, not to name any names or to speak of anyone in particular, but when someone is suspended for trolling and returns after paying a fine, why warn them again for trolling (especially when it starts again immediately)? If they do it again then they should be sent away again, the FIRST time.
 
DThomas said:
A little clarification on my post. It was NOT directed at any one particular individual. It was meant as a general reminder to everyone.
Click to expand...

Excellent well then, excellent well.
 
Jim O said:
I could not agree more.

And leopards do not often change their spots. Certain people need to be banned outright. I refer to no one in particular (though I could name some names if asked to do so). The "Oh, my bad, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again" line is all well and good but they should take it elsewhere and behave better there.

Again, not to name any names or to speak of anyone in particular, but when someone is suspended for trolling and returns after paying a fine, why warn them again for trolling (especially when it starts again immediately)? If they do it again then they should be sent away again, the FIRST time.
Click to expand...
But that would be abused by some that would bait the said troll into doing something to be suspended...Been there done that

That is why I believe that the insults should not be cast lightly

Just my Civil opinion
 
Jim O said:
I could not agree more.

And leopards do not often change their spots. Certain people need to be banned outright. I refer to no one in particular (though I could name some names if asked to do so). The "Oh, my bad, I'm sorry, I'll never do it again" line is all well and good but they should take it elsewhere and behave better there.

Again, not to name any names or to speak of anyone in particular, but when someone is suspended for trolling and returns after paying a fine, why warn them again for trolling (especially when it starts again immediately)? If they do it again then they should be sent away again, the FIRST time.
Click to expand...

Yup, right again JimO.
 
WebSlave said:
As of this moment, there are 23,426 registered members on this site. However, on any given day, NEVER has there been more then 1,300 members visiting.

The percentage of poster is immaterial. The number speaks for itself...1,300 in a day is a very good number.

I don't understand those numbers. What has prompted so many people to register here, yet something keeps the far greater majority of them from becoming active daily participants. What is chasing people away? Is there an obvious solution to this problem that I am overlooking because of some sort of tunnel vision?

I have joined countless forums, some of them rather large and popular ones, only to abandon them for Fauna and the one other forum I routinely post on. I am sure there are many others doing the same.

Right off the bat I can see that there seem to be a handful of people who take it upon themselves to be rather antagonistic towards other members at every opportunity. I have personally seen newbies post and then get jumped on right away by some of the people I am referring to. I am a big fan of freedom in all forms, but have I allowed this to go too far, and some people believe they have an open invitation to do as they please here, to the detriment of this site in general? In other words, have some members just gotten too big for their britches?

You have a public forum. Personalities are going to show. You cannot change human nature or behavior. Make a set of rules and stick to them. Don't worry about who is going to be offended, that isn't important. This is YOUR site, here you are the creator and it is up to you to decided what constitutes right and wrong. You get to play god and choose what is the killing stroke. Just remember not to play favorites...all of your children here should be spanked thoroughly when bad or thrown out of the house when they GET too big.

I've tried warning points as well as fines and suspensions, but they don't seem to be making much of an impression on some people. What if the major attraction of this site is just for such a reason for many people being here? Is "bad" participation better then no participation? Is the entertainment factor the major draw for them instead of any quality in the information presented?

YES, then entertainment factor is a major draw. Also, some people love the attention the punishment brings them.

This does bother me. I've been in mostly a hands-off mode lately as my busy season took up most of my time, but have been reading some of what is going on. And to be honest, I don't like what I see. Too many people have shown me with their contributions that they want this site to survive, so I feel I have no other choice but to figure out what the "trash" is around here that is stinking up the joint and toss it out the door.

So what is needed for me to do in order to clean house? If anyone engages in any personal pissing duels or feuds in this thread or ANY thread within this particular forum, I will be pleased to escort you out of the door. So please bear that in mind. That doesn't mean you can't name names, but be extremely cautious in how you do so.
Click to expand...


Just make rules and stick to them, no exceptions.
 
Dennis1 said:
But that would be abused by some that would bait the said troll into doing something to be suspended...Been there done that

That is why I believe that the insults should not be cast lightly

Just my Civil opinion
Click to expand...


Dennis, baiting only works if the person getting baited lacks one thing.

SELF CONTROL

We all lack it at times but some people never showed they had it in the first place.
 
Rebel Dragons said:
Dennis, baiting only works if the person getting baited lacks one thing.

SELF CONTROL

We all lack it at times but some people never showed they had it in the first place.
Click to expand...

You are totally correct on that, Mike
But the same can be said of Trolling

Im not here to start an argument...I am here posting to resolve issues that others may have with my part in what some have perceived to be trolling
as well as giving my opinion to this thread
Out of respect for this thread i wont respond to any Baits and or insults

In saying this I think that any Level Headed person can see the harm the INSULTS Bring here
When we post to threads we have a choice whether to be nice to them or To try and put them on the defensive for who knows what reason

I guess another reason i am here is to make sure i can post with out the harassment?...if not then i hope that the mod doesnt remove the hell forum
because if im going to be harassed i will have to stay to just posting There!
Out of respect for others who dont want to see the B.S.

And I admit that i have made some Trolling posts outside of Hell in retaliation for Jim and Wes' Insults And have been fined Accordingly
I would not have trolled them if i was not insulted REPEATEDLY
I would not have abused the Reputaion system if My reputation wasnt being abused
I am not saying its right to TROLL or abuse the REP. SYSTEM that is wrong and i paid the fine for it
What i am saying is that Insulting others Repeatedly and following them around to other threads is most definetly Wrong also no matter the reason
And should be addressed
and that is the reasoning behind my Opinions on this thread

Now some may deserve Bad Rep and i may even be one of them
But when some are allowed to follow them to OTHER threads and make a scene OFF TOPIC is wrong
And all they are saying is Hey I dont like this guy and neither should you
Which in my opinion is.... that is a CONTROLL ISSUE

And all that would be ok if it stayed in HELL because it is expected there
 
A "mom" statement comes to mid after reading your post Dennis.

If your being bullied and picked on. Be the bigger person and ignore them. Don't respond to them and they will go away.

A simple issue of self control.

It's apparent that many people here have issues with self control. Some people are predators, some are prey, some are both predator and prey. And then you have some that do nothing more than pull down their britches and show their ass.

What category does your self control make you fall into???? I myself have fallen into all of them. But thankfully after the fall I got back up out of the quagmire. Some people fall and never get back up. :nopity:
 
Rebel Dragons said:
A "mom" statement comes to mid after reading your post Dennis.

If your being bullied and picked on. Be the bigger person and ignore them. Don't respond to them and they will go away.

A simple issue of self control.

It's apparent that many people here have issues with self control. Some people are predators, some are prey, some are both predator and prey. And then you have some that do nothing more than pull down their britches and show their ass.

What category does your self control make you fall into???? I myself have fallen into all of them. But thankfully after the fall I got back up out of the quagmire. Some people fall and never get back up. :nopity:
Click to expand...

LOL...I like the way you think
You are right again...Man I'm getting tired of saying that to you...J/K
I dont think i could see myself in the prey Category
Alot of the reason is i thought they wanted to pick a fight with me...Well that and i felt that they were getting out of hand with some others who did not warrent it...And used the harassment of me as an EXCUSE to turn the table on them so to speak
Which probably wasnt right
 
Dennis1 said:
LOL...I like the way you think
You are right again...Man I'm getting tired of saying that to you...J/K
I dont think i could see myself in the prey Category
Alot of the reason is i thought they wanted to pick a fight with me...Well that and i felt that they were getting out of hand with some others who did not warrent it...And used the harassment of me as an EXCUSE to turn the table on them so to speak
Which probably wasnt right
Click to expand...

I'm confused.

What is this thread about?

What is the above post about?

Ahhhhh, that's right, what's wrong with the site and what to do about it.

It's becoming clearer and clearer.
 
Dennis1 said:
LOL...I like the way you think
You are right again...Man I'm getting tired of saying that to you...J/K
I dont think i could see myself in the prey Category
Alot of the reason is i thought they wanted to pick a fight with me...Well that and i felt that they were getting out of hand with some others who did not warrent it...And used the harassment of me as an EXCUSE to turn the table on them so to speak
Which probably wasnt right
Click to expand...
Obviously you missed Rich's warning about this. This thread is not about you and you will not hijack it.
 
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