I Need MEN

[glazed]

I need men, Men, MEN ... to advise, to answer, to share and to teach ... please ... http:///www.mc-against-the-grain.info

OR

http://www.texasholistic.info

I feel compelled to explain that this site is mostly concentrated on holistic health and natural living ... alternative building modalities ... talk of End-Time prophesies that would lead up to SHTF scenarios is welcome ... there is not a lot of political talk as we don't have a lot of strong male voices yet, but that would be welcome, too.

I also feel compelled to explain that this site is not intended to replace HT ... as NOTHING can replace HT ... this site was built two years ago and focused exclusively on holistic health, and only recently started to expand to other topics.

However, in the event that this site "crashes" again ... at least there is another place to congregate until HT is back on its feet.

A win-win for all interested and involved.

Thank you for taking a look around ... I need help over there ... tooo many women, and no male voices to balance them.

Forerunner is all by himself, and I feel blessed to have him. I DON'T want to lose him for lack of interaction and participation.

Don't let the newness and/or the vastness of the place freak you out ... just take a look around and register, and jump into a conversation or, even better, START ONE

I hope it is okay that I've asked for help. Please delete this, and forgive me, if it is not okay. I mean no disrespect at all.

Thank you!

[Randy Rooster]

I read your very lengthy " users agreement"

Sounds a bit " womanly " in its terms. may be why men dont want to participate. You seem to beg for participation then threaten those that may participate. And a whole forum concering " abuse" of a woman? Sounds like you are hoping for a number of bucks to lay into, and I pity those males who might sign up as it looks like they are destined for the whipping post in short order ....... still there are those sorts who enjoy that kind of thing.......

Ive actually seen as many abused husbands as I have wives. Maybe you need to start an abused mens forum over there, to interest the male equation.

JMHO.


YMMV.

.........

Against the Grain, along with THN, provides this outstanding service to you contingent upon the following Terms of Service (TOS).

Let’s keep this as simple as possible, shall we? (ha!)

We will provide members with the opportunity to discuss and learn about alternative "against the grain" mindsets in a wide variety of areas.

You, the member, are responsible for obtaining your own internet connection and provider.

We are fully aware of your IP addresses, and we are fully capable of tracking you ... even as an unregistered guest in hiding ... so know we are watching you, and be mature.

If such an offensive situation arises, please contact admin/moderators to direct our attention to the matter.

Spam, flooding, advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, and solicitations are also forbidden on this forum.

Note that it is impossible for the staff or the owners of this forum to confirm the validity of each and every post.

Report a post to a moderator if you see something before we do.

Please remember that we do not actively monitor the posted messages, and as such, are not responsible for the content contained within.

We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information presented.

The posted messages express the views of the author, and not necessarily the views of this forum, its staff, its subsidiaries, or this forum's owner.

Anyone who feels that a posted message is objectionable is encouraged to notify an administrator or moderator of this forum immediately.

The staff and the owner of this forum reserve the right to remove objectionable content, within a reasonable time frame, if they determine that removal is necessary.

This is a manual process, however, please realize that they may not be able to remove or edit particular messages immediately.

This policy applies to member profile information as well.

You remain solely responsible for the content of your posted messages.

Furthermore, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless the owners of this forum, any related websites to this forum, its staff, and its subsidiaries.

The owners of this forum also reserve the right to reveal your identity (or any other related information collected on this service) in the event of a formal complaint or legal action arising from any situation caused by your use of this forum.

You have the ability, as you register, to choose your username. We advise that you keep the name appropriate.

With this user account you are about to register, you agree to never give your password out to another person except an administrator, for your protection and for validity reasons.

You also agree to NEVER use another person's account for any reason.

We also HIGHLY recommend you use a complex and unique password for your account, to prevent account theft.

After you register and login to this forum, you will be able to fill out a detailed profile.

It is your responsibility to present clean and accurate information.

Any information the forum owner or staff determines to be inaccurate or vulgar in nature will be removed, with or without prior notice.

Appropriate sanctions may be applicable.

Please note that with each post, your IP address is recorded, in the event that you need to be banned from this forum or your ISP contacted.

This will only happen in the event of a major violation of this agreement.

Also note that the software places a cookie, a text file containing bits of information (such as your username and password), in your browser's cache.

This is ONLY used to keep you logged in/out.

The software does not collect or send any other form of information to your computer.

Please don’t do anything to jeopardize our site … no viruses or codes or files or programs designed to interrupt or destroy.

That’s just plain’o mean, mean, mean.

You agree to use our discussion forum only for lawful purposes.

Please don’t intentionally violate any applicable local, state, national or international law.

Furthermore …

You, still the member, acknowledge that Against the Grain and its designees will have the right (in their sole discretion) to move, remove or refuse any content that is available within this site.

Against the Grain, and its designees, will have the right to remove any content that violates this TOS.

You should evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any content (including reliance on the accuracy and/or or usefulness of such information.)

You acknowledge that Against the Grain may access, preserve, and disclose your account information and content if required to do so by law or in a good faith belief that such access preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary.

You may not attempt to override or go around any of the usage rules embedded into this site.

You agree not to reproduce or exploit any portion of Against the Grain.

Any unauthorized reproduction, publication, further distribution or public exhibition of the discussions provided on this site is strictly prohibited.

Any conduct that we believe, at our sole discretion, restricts any other user from using or enjoying Against the Grain will not be permitted.

You, yes, you … acknowledge that any violation of our policies may result in termination of your access to Against the Grain without prior notice.

Information on Against the Grain is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended to surpass the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional.

You should speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or adopting any alternative treatment for a health problem.

Just be prepared for conventional doctors to discourage, not understand, and/or possibly even laugh when you approach them about something unconventional.

Been there, done that.

Never delay seeking professional advice because of something you have read on Against the Grain.

The information found here and shared here is for the purpose of expanding our knowledge and options.

This site does NOT provide unquestionable medical advice … we are here to share our experiences and opinions only.

Use common sense, folks ... if some idiot recommends taking a tablespoon of Liquid Plumber to cure your ingrown toenail ... and you actually DO IT ... well, uh, not sure what else to say.

Use common sense.

Prove ALL things, and hold fast to that which is GOOD.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless this site and its staff, our sponsors, and affiliates from and against all claims, actions, demands, judgments, losses, and liabilities (including, without limitation, costs, expenses and attorneys' fees) by you or any third-party resulting or arising, directly or indirectly, out of content you submit, post to or transmit through Against the Grain, your use of Against the Grain, your connection to Against the Grain, your violation of this TOS, and/or your violation of any rights of another person.

This TOS constitutes the entire agreement between you, Against the Grain, and The Texas Holistic Network.

Our temporary failure (or oversight) to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this TOS will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

If any portion of this TOS is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties' intentions as reflected in these provisions, and the other provisions of this TOS remain in effect.

Against the Grain, and THN, may revise and update this TOS without notice.

If you have questions or suggestions, please contact one of the administrating and/or moderating staff.

Whew.

There you go.

Simple as pie.

Now for your thumbprint ...

...............

much more at THE AGREEMENT

[glazed]

Thank you for your response Randy Rooster.

What does YMMV mean?

The abuse section is not just for women. Many of the articles there (if not all) state that the abuse tactics work both ways ... women are just as abusive in their manipulations and schemes.

I realize the abuse section may "seem" to be one-sided, and without a male's voice to balance the conversation it will continue to "seem" one-sided if the only voices of input are female.

Also, you do not see the private section of that area, and we do have one man who has shared his personal story with abuse (at the hand, mind and mouth) of his wife .... although I think, now, his ex-wife.

As far as the "lengthy agreement" being put under your microscope ... a standard "Terms of Service" protocol was followed, and was then fleshed out with additional tongue-in-cheek commentary.

I suppose the attempt at sarcasm, satire, and wit either completely bombed and fell flat, and/or it went completely over your head.

Despite the somewhat negative opinion of your quick assessment of the place, you are still very welcome to come in and visit us ... we NEED strong, male no-nonsense perspectives.

Thank you, again.


Edited to add: The public "Abuse" section has now been absorbed and moved into holistic health forum (as a topic) ... but, the private "Abuse" section still stands alone as its own entity (although the general public cannot see it.)

[AR Cattails]

Originally Posted by Mama Crow

What does YMMV mean?

YMMV = Your Mileage May Vary

[Wisconsin Ann]

Just a thought here...but there is a reason legal documents are dry as the Sahara and without any humor. Written words are not capable of winking, smiling, or raising their eyebrows. There's no room for interpretation in a legal agreement...it has to be crystal clear. If it's open to interpretation, you can't enforce the rules. I'd lose the sarcasm and attempts at humor. Save them for the "Welcome to our great site!" speech.

If the legal agreement puts even one person off..that's one person you've lost the ability to reach out to.

[stanb999]

My only impression is the tabloid nature of a bunch of the topics. Most men aren't too interested in that sort of stuff. For instance I have no idea who Caylee is. I don't watch the tabloid news and Don't expect to start. Then if thats not enough. There is a whole other section below it for the same, then a whole section on the "stars". It seems to me the site is focused on very different types of topics that some could say are very "woman" like. For instance how many dudes pick up a copy of "STAR"?

I'll agree with you the the TOS isn't anymore or less than one would expect.


By the way what is wrong with a forum for women who like these sorts of topics? Different strokes for different folks. If you seek to get the largest audience sometimes a site looses it's identity.

[Jim-mi]

Gotta ask what is the "STAR" . . . . ???
. ."Tabloid News" . . . ???

[whiterock]

Originally Posted by Jim-mi

Gotta ask what is the "STAR" . . . . ???
. ."Tabloid News" . . . ???

Those trashy little newspaper mags at the grocery ck out.

[glazed]

Thank you for your input. I need and welcome constructive criticism.

I didn't know if YMMV was intended to mean "Your Mileage May Vary" or "You Make Me Vomit" or what ... which is why I asked.

I'll change the "agreement" back into a dry, ho-hum document full of legalese that new registers will rarely read. I am surprised it was read it all ... and also surprised to learn that it may have the opposite effect on people, and turn them off. Wow.

The site had been totally abandoned for a year. When Nanny died at the end of September, I remembered it was there and found comfort (and distraction) by trying to resuscitate it.

Three weeks ago we were slammed with a group of about 30 women who were banned from a "Justice for Caylee" forum ... due to "freedom of speech" issues ... and they have found respite there.

I am thankful for the activity; even though it is a far cry from our original mission: holistic health and natural living.

I agree with you on the "celebrity" thing ... that is a very recent addition at the request of a new member ... I hesitated, and felt it would take even more away from our mission and your opinion confirmed that, Stan ... not sure what to do about it. I knew I didn't want a whole lot of celebrity trash in the current events and general chit-chat areas ... so I thought the solution would be to give it its own little section down at the bottom.

Dang, it is hard to keep everyone happy ... and make your place inviting enough to include everybody ...

Like I said, I am thankful for the activity and voices ... we were dead quiet after spending a year on building it, and burning out, and grieving the loss of loved ones ... so, yes, I am thankful.

Of course the place is going to feel "womanly" without strong male influences.

But there are sooooooo many women that even I am going bonkers ... we really need male voices to balance us out ... and to also give more substance to the place, and help guide it back towards its original intent.

And, like I said, I never intended to try to replace HT ... nothing can replace HT ... we're not even set-up to compete with HT ... this place is holistic health, natural living, and voluntary simplicity.

Or ... that was what it was supposed to be ... what I dreamed it would be two years ago.

[Wisconsin Ann]

Well, Mama Crow...a forum will be what it wants to be, ya know? The people that flock there tell their friends about it. The things that they want to talk about, is what they'll talk about. OR they'll go elsewhere.

A place like HT...it started out very Homesteading questions only. Then as more and more people asked for various forums, it branched out into what it is today. You'll notice that there are not a lot of liberal left wingers that post here. The forum owner and the majority of the people are conservatives. It also has a Christian flavor to it. Both of those things are fine. It's a privately owned forum. No one has to read it, there are no "dues" to pay. You don't have to be all things to all people.

I'm sure that your forum will find it's voice. Don't be afraid of quashing threads that pop up that get all giggly/girly or male bashing if you don't want them there. Set out the rules, and make sure you follow them even handedly (that's the most difficult part..the even handed bit) Start up a couple of male oriented threads...ask for input from the ladies' spouses/partners/brothers/friends.

Asking here is a good step. it's the ADVERTISE thing

[Randy Rooster]

Didnt mean to be mean spirited at all.


good luck with your web forum!