Petition to Forum Moderators regarding "Deal Spotting"

[Kiah]

Cougar,
You could be a little more diplomatic. I made a mistake and I apologize for unwittingly breaking a rule.
The way in which you handled it including my infraction is lame IMO. You could have given me a warning that read a little like this;
Billym,
You may not know it but you just "deal Spotted" and it is not allowed. Please do not post threads about knife deals in the future.
Thanks Cougar

Instead you treat me like some sort of underling by over posting in a short and condescending tone without addressing me personally or the courtesy of a signature . I think you could do a better job a being civil.

Cougar seemed to handle it pretty nicely to me. I've seen worse. As far as being more personal. The mods have a lot of posts to rummage through everyday. They don't have time to get personal with every poster that breaks the rules.

Then I get an "infraction" what is that crap? I break one rule one time. I think I have been a civil and contributing member since I joined. Why treat me so heavy handed.

You were treated the same as anyone else would have been.

I have nothing to sell so why would I support BFs financially? Every other forum I participate is free so why the money making scheme anyway?

Most other forums are either so small they don't need support, or they have ads on every page.

All I can say is the way you treated me makes you come off as a jerk. At least that is how I feel about the whole situation.

Anyway I enjoy BFs and will do my best to not break any more rules. I hope this rant doesn't get me banned or something. That would say a lot about this "forum".

Again, you were treated the same way I or anyone else would have been for the same post. It's nothing personal. If the mods didn't spend thier free time deleting these kinds of posts, the forum would collapse into a free for all, with no one being able to find relevant posts.

 

[Ken C.]

Ken,
Like I said it was a mistake and I have no intention of deal spotting again. This was my only time so using the excuse of and I quote "When members post deals on a regular basis it gets to be a pain in the ass." This was my only post like this. So why use this excuse when corresponding with me about this.

How many folks do you thing read ALL of the forum rules when they signed up? How many folks read all the rules all the time?
What I got was called an infraction not a warning. Do you guys need a dictionary? The two words are not synonyms.
You don't have the luxury of being civil; too sad. You took the job of moderating. That is like a cop saying I deal with too many criminals or a teacher saying they are sick of kids.
One again I will obey the rules but I think civility on the part of the mods should be expected here at BF. Maybe you need a changing of the guard if you guys are so tired. Oh and I do appreciate their work as mods on most other occasions.
Bill

James
This is not intended as sassing any mods. It is a free expression of ideas. Like I said if I got banned for one mistake and then taking exception with how it is dealt with then that would say a lot about this forum. A forum by definition is a free exchange of ideas. Again from Webster's dictionary.
Bill

Your chip is yellow. That is a warning. There are no points associated with it. If it was red and had points with it then it would be an infraction. One person posting deals is enough but imagine several people over several forums doing it. It gets to be "a pain in the ass" having to clean up the mess from people who do not READ THE RULES!!!! It should be the first thing you do before posting. Ignorance of these rules is no excuse. I don't care if it's your first time or fifth time. I do not make the distinction. My job is to keep the forum clear of spam and deal spotting and keep it running smoothly.

 

[Th232]

This is not intended as sassing any mods. It is a free expression of ideas. Like I said if I got banned for one mistake and then taking exception with how it is dealt with then that would say a lot about this forum. A forum by definition is a free exchange of ideas. Again from Webster's dictionary.
Bill

The rest has been covered, but flipping through my copy of Webster's, I note it doesn't say anything about internet forums. There's a difference between the two, internet forums are not public areas like a council park, they are websites owned by a certain individual (Spark, in this case). As such, this website is considered Spark's property. None of us have any right to be here, it is only through Spark's decision that we are allowed to post here or even see its content. Therefore, Spark sets the rules, as long as they are not in contravention to national/international law (or whatever laws apply, it's the internet, so I'm not sure). It's just like Spark's house, you're on his property, you abide by his rules.

 

[ufox9al]

Gentlemen,
Fist of all, I would like to thank many of you for the warm welcome I received as a relative newcomer with a few posts. I am so glad that on these forums people's experience and intelligence is measured by an objective measure, being the number of posts, and not some subjective crap like quality of information in them.

Secondly, I am impressed at how easily some members have interpreted my highly abstract post into "grunt... why no spam? ...scratch, scratch" and answered with an appropriate "spam=bad", or a slightly longer version of the same message, while increasing their post count and, therefore, earning respect and appreciation of their peers. It is heartwarming to see that the stupid theory stating that "no one has gotten smarter by hearing themselves speak" is placed in the garbage where it belongs.

I am also thankful to moderator who moved the post from Multitools section (its intended location) to a more appropriate "Support" forum, so that the thread does not get littered by the posts from people who actually know what prompted my question. I appreciate another moderator's post strongly dressing down the few members who were peceived to be slightly too hard on the "new guy".

Conratulations, if you are still reading, I am now at an actual point of this post.

Unfortunately, my question was not answered, so I will rephrase and try again. I would like an answer from Moderators only, please.

If I were to create a thread in Multitool section with the explicit request for members to notify me, and whoever chooses to monitor that thread, about deals on the multitools I am interested in buying, will the responses to that thread be censored?

Thanks.
Alexei

 

[JD Mandrell]

A forum by definition is a free exchange of ideas. Again from Webster's dictionary.
Bill

A PUBLIC forum yes, but BF is not a public forum.

It is a PRIVATE forum, administered under the directions of it's owner.

 

[STR]

Petitioning the Moderators is a not appropriate.

For one: All the Moderators here, including myself do what the owner wants us to do so its not up to us and we are the wrong people to ask.

Two: there were some folks here, including many moderators that were unhappy with one particular issue that was long term but he was banned. Now, I think everyone for the most part is just right as rain here on this forum.

Three: if there are any unhappy folks left here its probably only limited to those trying to spot the sales as you say. Nice try but sorry. No can do.

STR

 

[Cougar Allen]

I am also thankful to moderator who moved the post from Multitools section (its intended location) to a more appropriate "Support" forum, so that the thread does not get littered by the posts from people who actually know what prompted my question.

If anyone finds it more difficult to click on the link in the Multitools forum than it would have been to click on the thread before it was moved, yes, we will have to do without that person's input.

Unfortunately, my question was not answered, so I will rephrase and try again. I would like an answer from Moderators only, please.

If I were to create a thread in Multitool section with the explicit request for members to notify me, and whoever chooses to monitor that thread, about deals on the multitools I am interested in buying, will the responses to that thread be censored?

We have a whole forum in the Exchange for posting about deals and dealers, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly! That is the place to talk about deals and dealers, not the discussion forums.

 

[knarfeng]

I find it amusing that the huge majority of complaints about not being able to advertise come from non-paying posters.

Too cheap to fork out any money, but not too brassy to demand special privileges. Oh and they expect to be handled with kid gloves, too.

 

[Keith Montgomery]

What is discussed on Bladeforums has to fit within the rules as set by the owner. This thread will bring your concern to his attention, but I'm certain that the rules are going to stay as they are.

I've been on this forum for seven years plus and have not cared one bit that deal spotting is not allowed. There is so much more going on here that is important in educating and entertaining, that I find it hard to understand someone not being willing to support this forum for such a petty reason.

 

[DaveH]

I was gonna write a bug buncha stuff, then knarfeng said it all in two sentences.

Look. ufox, bilym swallow your pride, man up, and admit you never bothered to read the rules. Get over yourselves.

 

[JatMat]

I find it amusing that the huge majority of complaints about not being able to advertise come from non-paying posters.

Too cheap to fork out any money, but not too brassy to demand special privileges. Oh and they expect to be handled with kid gloves, too.

Can we have an Sticky for this one!
James

 

[Esav Benyamin]

I remember from half a century ago and more that when the new kid on the block wanted to be accepted quickly, he would pick a fight with someone to establish how tough he was.

It was childish then, and it's childish now. The gentlemanly procedure is to walk in, look around, smile, ask questions, read the notices on the wall, and within a remarkably short time, people will treat you as if you've been here all along.

By the way, occasional squeaking wheels to the contrary, most of our new guys are really, really welcome, and blend into our discussions pretty easily.

 

[Cougar Allen]

You could have given me a warning that read a little like this;
Billym,
You may not know it but you just "deal Spotted" and it is not allowed. Please do not post threads about knife deals in the future.
Thanks Cougar

The actual message Billym received is the brief message that I also overwrote his post with (link) followed by some boilerplate the vBulletin people wrote explaining about warnings and infractions. I don't append my signature to it because I didn't write the boilerplate.

I have nothing to sell so why would I support BFs financially? Every other forum I participate is free so why the money making scheme anyway?

TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch)

In fact somebody pays for every forum you participate in. Small forums cost very little to run and can be paid for out of the founder's pocket; large forums are far too expensive for that (unless the founder is a millionaire) so it's necessary to find some supplemental source of funding, banner ads, popups, whatever. Bladeforums is partly paid for by the members; the rest is paid by Spark.

In any case you are welcome to participate without contributing financially.

All I can say is the way you treated me makes you come off as a jerk. At least that is how I feel about the whole situation.

You should see the way we treat the real spammers -- I got one this morning while I was in the middle of dealing with this discussion. Have a look at the Plank Log.

Anyway I enjoy BFs and will do my best to not break any more rules. I hope this rant doesn't get me banned or something. That would say a lot about this "forum".

By the way your definition of SPAM is not accurate. To be Spam it must be unsolicited and sent from an outside server. All I did was make a post. Even though it was against the rules it is NOT Spam.
I quote Webster; Spam=unsolicited usually commercial e-mail sent to a large number of addresses. That is what spam is.

Like most words in the English language, spam has more than one meaning. There are numerous online dictionaries.... In this context the meaning is advertising that is posted where it is against the rules. Spam Song

 

[Keith Montgomery]

I would also like to point out that the policy of not allowing "advertizing in the discussion forums" is meaningless. Would a post discussing whether "a certain knife selling at a cetrain site for $X is a good deal or not?" be considered a "dicussion" or "advertising"?

It is easy for a member to ask if a price they found on a knife is a good deal without mentioning which dealer had the price. That information is of no significance to the discussion. What does it matter which dealer is selling the knife if all you are interested in is if the price is a good deal?

 

[Spark]

The policies here on BladeForums.com are in place for good reasons.

Make no mistakes, paying memberships are what keeps this site open. We don't allow advertising for dealers who are not paying members. "Deal spotting" has been banned simply because a number of dealers were unscrupulous enough to try to advertise on this site without buying memberships, even after being given multiple chances. They'd either offer items obliquely, or register fake profiles just to "spot" "deals" or other actions. Hence, no deal spotting in forums and no selling outside the exchange.

 

[richard j]

:thumbup: spark, its your website so if they dont like it they can go elsewhere. this website belongs to you and is your own private club. just like any private club like the eagles, vfw, american legion, there are rules you have to abide by in order to belong. if a person cant abide by the rules and post things (price spotting) they know they shouldnt, how trustworthy can this person be to do business with or even the person who's product they are pushing?

 

[Kiah]

Gentlemen,
Fist of all, I would like to thank many of you for the warm welcome I received as a relative newcomer with a few posts. I am so glad that on these forums people's experience and intelligence is measured by an objective measure, being the number of posts, and not some subjective crap like quality of information in them.

You're welcome?

Secondly, I am impressed at how easily some members have interpreted my highly abstract post into "grunt... why no spam? ...scratch, scratch" and answered with an appropriate "spam=bad", or a slightly longer version of the same message, while increasing their post count and, therefore, earning respect and appreciation of their peers. It is heartwarming to see that the stupid theory stating that "no one has gotten smarter by hearing themselves speak" is placed in the garbage where it belongs.

This policy was in effect long before your arrival. Posting that you don't like it is not going to make Spark reconsider the policy.

I am also thankful to moderator who moved the post from Multitools section (its intended location) to a more appropriate "Support" forum, so that the thread does not get littered by the posts from people who actually know what prompted my question. I appreciate another moderator's post strongly dressing down the few members who were peceived to be slightly too hard on the "new guy".

The post doesn't seem to be about multi-tools. That is why it was moved from the multi-tool section. As far as dressing down other members, I don't see anyone being that hard on you. Try walking into any organization in real life, after being a member for a few months, and telling them that thier rules are stupid and should be changed according to your preferences.

Conratulations, if you are still reading, I am now at an actual point of this post.

Unfortunately, my question was not answered, so I will rephrase and try again. I would like an answer from Moderators only, please.

Are you trying to censor the rest of us from speaking?

If I were to create a thread in Multitool section with the explicit request for members to notify me, and whoever chooses to monitor that thread, about deals on the multitools I am interested in buying, will the responses to that thread be censored?

Thanks.
Alexei

If you want to find the best price on a multi-tool, then I advise you use Google. If you want deals from members, then post in the "wanted to buy" area of the exchange.

 

[ufox9al]

We have a whole forum in the Exchange for posting about deals and dealers, The Good, The Bad, The Ugly! That is the place to talk about deals and dealers, not the discussion forums.

Amaizing! I asked a simple question (twice), and in so many posts, this is the closest I got to an answer. It must be something with the way I am expressing myself, English not being my first language.

Please let me try again for the last time (I promise!).

I was NEVER yellow or red carded on BF. I watched other members being carded for mentioning Victorinox deals at an online retailer. I failed to find any paying dealers on KF selling taht Victorinox product, sorry.

I would LIKE to be informed about the deals on Victorinox, Wenger, Leatherman, and SOG products, and I DO believe I am not alone. If I were being told that I must be a paying member to request this privilege, I would eriously consider that option. Somehow, however, I am being lumped together with some fly-by-night free advertizing seekers.

My question on a feasibility of an "If you found a deal on multitools, please let Alexei know" remains open. It is up to the moderators to explicitly answer or lock the thead, which I would guess is a "no".

Thanks again for everyone's time.
Alexei

 

[Revolvergeek]

The policies here on BladeForums.com are in place for good reasons.

Make no mistakes, paying memberships are what keeps this site open. We don't allow advertising for dealers who are not paying members. "Deal spotting" has been banned simply because a number of dealers were unscrupulous enough to try to advertise on this site without buying memberships, even after being given multiple chances. They'd either offer items obliquely, or register fake profiles just to "spot" "deals" or other actions. Hence, no deal spotting in forums and no selling outside the exchange.

Sounds perfectly reasonable to me. I was curious about the reason myself.

 

[Shaman]

Interesting thread.

Is the Egyptian dagger for $6k Deal Spotting?
Can you can put an item and price together but not link to the sale or mention the dealer?

Asking seriously.