This is the best board around if your searching for information:) and the people are very friendly which is a big bonus in this biz:)

and the color green doesn't hurt either..:))

STOP USING MY USERNAME!!!

Putting the username in any portion of the thread is a very bad thing. On other boards if I see my username it's because someone is trying to get in touch with me and usually for a good reason. That is not possible here because I see my name in threads and signatures every where so I simply ignore ALL posts with my username in it.

The only reason I responded to this post was that it appeared in the News Letter. There is no way I would have read the complete post title much less the post itself since it had my username in the title.

Unless the thread is about me, DO NOT USE MY USERNAME!!!

Putting my name in your signature?! I won't even comment, just stop doing it.

But SirMoby, they're not using yours, they're using mine |couch|

Likes:
I’d say easy navigation … cool sub-forum division
Fact that You can find help almost instantly
Fact that I lurk on daily bases because quite simply answers always come faster than me … I blame it on time zones :D

Dislikes:
Got to say LB has a point in his first post … people here do tend to flame to quickly and too harsh (it’s a lurkers point of view) although it can be interesting form time to time :D

Just got the newsletter:

My quess, fear of getting flamed. While sometimes the flamage is deserved it's not always easy to tell, especially if you don't read every post. Frequently it's just plain mean spirited. And bashing someone whose command of the English language is lacking seems a little odd to me in a global industry.

These aren't my "dislikes". The board works great for me. Search is a little clunky sometimes but that's not a biggie.

Oh wel I like this board and all the info,
I wish I had more time to read and talk on the boards...
I am just a part time webmaster who make some extra cash
because I need it...

So if I have more money and more time I will be more on this board
I promise ;-)

Likes -
I like the way sponsors get treated special here
I do appreciate the difference between the business area and the bullshit area... most times I like to think I am ONLY interested in the all business forum because you know.. us spazes are renowned for our business acumen heh heh But lots of times its nice to see a good joke or just talk about nothing of consequence.

I like that I can brag that I joined this forum four days before it officially launched... makes me feel like someone important even if facts speak otherwise and I have a low post count. ( I remember the great database crash! )

What I don't like (and why my post count is low)
Clique-ish - it is like a knot. There is a core group of people that dominate the board... I guess it happens at every board but it seems pretty difficult to break into that clique around here

The board breakdown, while useful, feels to spread out to me
why can't newbies post business questions in the main forum?
why can't TGP questions be asked and answered in the main forum?
why can't link list questions be asked and answered in the main forum?

my point is those are all business related but probably don't get as many page views and the main forum does. More posts in the main forum in my mind equals more page views which benefits everyone not the least of which is the thread starter. I might be able to add something to a link list question... you know.. as someone who works for a sponsor... but I don't even check those other forums. The main forum is where my eyes go every time with an occasional peek into the chit chat area. Condensing the board and only having a few highly specialized 'other forums' would be something i would like to see.

you can probably afford to give a little room to wiggle when it comes to mentioning programs or services. There is blatant spam and there are people trying to work within the guidelines to bring their program to the attention of your members. I respect that sponsors should be treated special but if i am paranoid about about every sentence I use in a post it is going to take me more time on the board with less results so I don't post... I do not honestly have the time to become friends with everyone and while I am chatting with them on ICQ mention that my site rocks and is under exposed.

By tying my hands or making me nervous about what I write it makes me not want to write. How do I get business done if I cant mention the program I work for by name? if i check my sig between long absences to make sure it still conforms with the rules (I have that page bookmarked no kidding and this is the only site I feel the need to do it with)

I love this board and I never pass up the chance to recommend it to as many people as I can... I think there is a wealth of knowledge here that is unparalleled. But I don't post as much as I could because of the reasons stated above...

thats it, hope that helps :)


spaz

I just sent an email to people that have signed up, posted a few times and then never posted again. This is a flame proof thread :) We really are doing things to make changes. And Sparky is hard at work on a couple of board projects that will help a lot of things.

I look at it this way - I don't post on any non-english speaking boards & I do not market my sites to any non-english speaking surfers. There are some (Fonz & Mateusz come to mind) that have a terrific grasp of the English language & I have no problem with them. But, like with my sites, I don't see how using broken English will make you any money. I'm sure there are boards out there in many different languages where non-english speaking webmasters can get help & if not, then there's a great business for someone other than Jim & I to capitalize on.

If you put the Link List forum in here with the general Business stuff, you've just doubled the total posts in this forum. If you put the other 2 in here as well, you've now got 2.5 times the number of posts in here.

The thinking behind it is to make things easier on those that don't want to read thru all the link list threads, that might be interested in just general stuff & TGP's. Everything on here is business except the chit chat area - that'd be a big fucking forum :D

If you think you can add to other threads, just browse thru the other forums (which you'd be doing anyway if they were in this forum)

I hope that makes sense :)


There has to be a line, because if there isn't one, then this board would be spammed to death. The line is that board sponsors can post their announcements here in the main forum & everyone else has to post them in the Products & Services area. Jim & I have occasionally moved posts from Prods & Serv to this forum because it's a close friend of ours or a big supporter of the board or we think the topic needs a little more attention, but otherwise, it's a line that I think we should leave in place.

This might be a bit harsh, but it's not the job of this board to assist anyone other than our sponsors as far as promoting their services. I'm not saying that you can't go & read the I'm Looking For forum, where we encourage people to basically spam when they reply to a thread, but unsolicited advice or announcements come off as spam.

As far as the sig files, nothing's really changed in the last few years - 80 characters with no images, 40 characters with 1 image (max size of 120x60) No bold, no colors, no large fonts - very plain & very simple as to not distract from the topics of the threads.

Too Many Forums?

One idea that does come to mind is to use the "new posts" link that at the top of every page here on the board - this will give you EVERYTHING that the board has to offer :)

Well it's true I havent posted here in a while. So I'm going to try & get back to it.

I like the helpful boardmembers and of course Administrators.|thumb

I dont like the nasty comments, and negativity.

I know it's not much, sorry.|huh

Lates,
D

I kind of have a different feeling towards the board but not really that different. I think it is a place for everyone to promote their programs or services. But, it has to be done in the right place. And, we do give plenty of places for that. If you are a non-sponsor, we will still list your press releases and/or news in the news section and in the newsletter. As a non-sponsor, you also have the Products and/or Services forum to use.

I agree that the main forum is a place for sponsors only. And, we have to protect that for people that pay us money to promote their program.

So, if you don't want to pay for advertising, you can always post in the Products and/or Services forum. If you want more exposure, I am always willing to offer different advertising packages to fit most budgets.

That about sums it up. I am concerned from time to time that mentioning who I work for or the things we offer even when replying to a thread where it is appropriate will come off as spam and be unceremoniously axed.
But my job is to draw attention to the program I represent, its business and I have been responsible for buying advertising here in the past so trust me when i say I respect that sponsors get special treatment. The chances are very high I will be buying ad space here in the future for this new company. But whats the ROI on it going to be when I feel stifled to communicate at any time other then when my banners are running? How effective is my communication for the month or three when my banner is running if no one has gotten the chance to know me (I'm a pretty good guy and a very straight shooter if i do say so myself... i have to, no one else here really knows me)

I am not asking or expecting anyone from this board to assist me in anything, unless I ask a question in a thread. I don't expect to see my program advertised in the sigs of mods around here unless I pay for it. But, I cant effectively do any business here, so what is the point of posting. I know GG&J needs me posting about as much as I need a yacht (I live in KY) but you asked.. so I'm telling you. Blatant spam for the sake of blatant spam is both irritating as well as ineffective... personally I say leave the spam and the comments that follow because it does more damage to the spammer then deleting it LOL ok I joke, but seriously I get intimidated to post here much more then at G*Y where I can pretty much tell someone to 'G*Y' or on *prano because things are...ummm.. different at *prano. Its the only board this non-board whore has managed to get 1000 posts at.... and I really want a buddy christ!

spaz

Thank you for the note to remind me I haven't visited in a very long time.
|waves|

There's only so many hours in a day, but I'll be more active - like the good board whore I am.

|flowers|

Oh hell yeah Jim, I've had my press released posted both in the main forum as a sponsor and in the announcements forum as a non-sponsor. I use them both depending on what the situation is with me at the time... and a little plug here for you... you're about the easiest person I have ever had dealings with in all my years in the biz and you make advertising here very painless.

I guess I am licking my wounds a bit here because my skin is thin (HELLO nickname = spaz)
and because sometimes I am just dying to jump in a thread and mention how much better my program is then one that may be being talked about LOL I am a true believer in anything I am involved with and think its always better for an affiliate to KNOW about what I am working on LOL

I really need to address that issue within myself :D


spaz

Likes:

- I really like the sub-forums idea as I can go directly where I need to go if I am looking for specific information/news. Link Lists, TGPs, Blogs or whatever else that might be.

- Spam free, as I hate drive by spammers or spammers in general and this board does an awesome job in dealing with that problem.

- Sig size control, I hate big banners and huge size text in the sig and I am glad we don't have to deal with that in here :)

- Good/experienced group of people

- UW's posts :D

- MML's avatar |mml|

This is the only board I visit daily, might not post much but read and learn and I thank GG&Jim for that.

No dislikes here but I do agree with the search issue as it returns some funky results from time to time |loony|

I like that the board is neatly divided into specific forums, which saves time searching for what you might want, but that might also leave some webmasters overwhelmed. I totally agree with the "New Post" idea. |thumb I actually find the username script amusing but also can understand how it might turn off others. I think the board has a much cleaner look than all other boards, if you know what I mean. I actually come here quite often to read threads but I don't post often for many reasons. Either I have nothing to add even though I found the thread interesting, or I dont want to get blasted by some guy who thinks he is board royalty just because he has a million posts(FYI - this has not happened on this particular board), or maybe I started to write what I thought was a well thought out post, only to preview it and realize I just wasted 10 minutes writing jiberish, or just maybe I forgot my user pass and dont feel like walking to the office to find the email it resides in(just lazy).
I do appreciate the fact that Greenguy went to the trouble to email us and ask for our input on his great board. Its quite clear that he cares about his board and I appreciate that. I will make a conscious effort to post here much more often.
This board rocks! |bow| @ Green Guy

|waves| Hi Madame great seeing you posting in my neck of the woods
How in the hell are you and Roy doing? Tell that kinky basterd I said hi.
Vivian will be thrilled when I tell her I gave you a shout out.
kisses|roses|

RE: why some new members don't post more:
I'll raise my hand as one of the new members who posted (once?) and didn't post again... for me, it has nothing to do with this board at all. I have had several absolutely fantastic experiences so far and I have basically stopped visiting anywhere else because of the general "vibe" here.

I do notice some gruff posts and I see what some people are saying about the treatment of newbies, but so far, what I've seen doesn't generally hold a dim candle to the stadium lighting that is the rudeness of other places I've been!! For me, the overwhelming sense of "goodness" here (that sounded weird) made me quickly comfortable and has helped me all but delete the bookmarks to other places.

Now, why am I not posting... well, I'm not a heavy poster anyway, mostly since I am far more in the mode of listening than talking in this industry. There is an immense amount of info here and I hate to be the guy posting questions that have already been answered. However, I really think I got the desire to post on adult webmaster forums beaten out of me by posting on other boards and ultimately getting obliterated by massive jerks. Not tiny jerks... these jerks were massive.

I might have considered myself to be whining, had I not settled down and come back to post again later only to be smacked down again... rinse, repeat. Now, admittedly, the most flaming done on adult boards seems to be against anyone they think is spamming or doing something inappropriately self-serving. The fact is, I think it's often quite difficult to prove you're honest when you have a new board account. It takes a while to get accepted in the community.

So... I think I'm just gun shy to some extent. It's gotten me to be even less eager to post than I already was... which means I went from lurker to Super Lurk Master.


I really like this place.
- I like all the subforums just as they are, since I can drill right down and get at exactly what I want right away.
- I think the wealth of information here is incredible.
- There are vastly more friendly folks than gruff buttheads... and even many people who don't just run around being nicey-nice are still very helpful, even if it's more of a "tough love" thing.


...sorry, that got a little long.

Thanks for inviting us to post, Jim. :)

what a great idea that was Jim - it's nice to see some interesting people coming out from the shadows, even just to know that they're here & reading regularly :)

Can you add the feature where you mouseover the thread and it gives you the first few sentences of the post?

(mental note to start after spazlabz's 2nd reply since I have to run to the dentist)

spazlabz - can you give me an example of a post where you didn't reply for fear of having the |spam| button come up? If not, just shoot me a message from the next time you see one :)

predictably i cannot, nor does the idea of whining to either you or Jim when I feel squeamish about posting or how to word a reply. Even with the invite from you, which i appreciate, I would feel it would be less then professional for me to take it to you two gentlemen.

what is more likely to happen is i either don't post out of the respect I have for this board or I post and if it gets moved/edited/deleted i need to just take it as a learning experience. Because bringing it to your attention then puts you in the unfavorable position of defending yours or your mods descision/actions.

For the record, my opinion of this board has always been and will always be extremely favorable. I think that for link list especially this is the place to be seen and for TGPs also but to a much lesser extent. I have a lot of respect for the people that own and run this board and would love to meet them all at a show if i ever make it to one (midwest webmaster gathering?? come ON! make it happen LOL)

It is my respect for these same people and concerns that I don't truly understand the line of where honest feedback and spam meet that prevents me from being much more active on this board. Having been involved with smaller companies in the past and not being able to afford 'branding' has prevented me from advertising here more.


spaz

Agreed 100%... I also ignore it 99.9% of the time since I see it so much.

For all you USERNAME haters

Have you searched to see how many times your names are actually in the thread titles?

Tommy might have a legit complaint, because his name is in 99 thread titles. Torn has 12 & SirMoby has 3 (all of which were birthday threads - lol)

We don't use it that much & when we do, it's for threads like this. 3 people have this in their sigs - Jim, Sparky & myself. It's been used a grand total of 11 times in the last year:
Hey Skippy: What Do You Like and/or Dislike About This Board?
Skippy, How long have you been working online?
Hey Skippy - what's this "rage" thing?
Hey Skippy! Pussy Cash's $100,000 H-Bomb Contest
Greenguy Stats Run - What Would You Like To See, Skippy?
Hey Skippy! The 9th Random Member Contest is underway!
Hey Skippy! 9th Random Logged In Member Contest....
Hey Skippy Test Our Auto Fansign Generator Please
Hey Skippy! The 8th Random Member Contest is underway!
Hey Skippy! 8th Random Logged In Member Contest....
Just a JAVES Reminder, Skippy

3 sponsor threads, 4 contests, once by Jim for Javes, once by me for my stats, the 1st thread this was in & this thread.

AND we are the only 3 that can use it - so I'll make sure that if any of the 3 of us wish to contact you via a thread on the board, we'll address you as TommyBookmark, T0rn & Sir-Moby :D

Come on - this isn't that big of an issue.

********

spazlabz - just do me one favor - the next time you see a thread that you are squeamish about posting to, run it past me & I'll do my best to see your side, explain our side & we'll go from there |shake|