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I am, sadly, leaving this forum...

15K views 133 replies 46 participants last post by  hillbillytn 
#1 ·
Based upon Austins reply to my very pertinent question I feel he/and the company he works for no longer support my homesteading forum views. I will not be back.

This is so very sad, we have such a nice forum and apparently Austin is the only one who does the work so I have decided he can have HIS forum. I wish those of you who choose to stay the very best. Kathleen AKA sisterpine
 
#3 ·
Would you care to explain your actions? I was very clear, polite and concise in my response. I didn't insult you, I didn't offend you, the matter you asked about is private, and therefore needs to remain that way. I will not spread gossip on anyone for any reason.

I am not the only one that does the work., We have a team that does, and they all suggested the action taken. I am not taking things in my own hands.

I feel you are overacting to a very simple issue that will eventually be resolved.
 
#15 ·
Would you care to explain your actions? I was very clear, polite and concise in my response. I didn't insult you, I didn't offend you, the matter you asked about is private, and therefore needs to remain that way. I will not spread gossip on anyone for any reason.

I am not the only one that does the work., We have a team that does, and they all suggested the action taken. I am not taking things in my own hands.

I feel you are overacting to a very simple issue that will eventually be resolved.
Not really my fight but your response about being commanded to do something quickly in another thread was kind of rude since the thread title just asked that you please let them know. Nobody was trying to order you to do anything. If that thread is what this thread is about, you weren't really polite in that part of your post. Not my business, but if it is connected you might want to reread what was asked and how you responded.
 
#27 ·
When Chuck and Melissa were in charge, it was a discussion around the pot bellied stove.

Now that it is a business, the forum isn’t the same.

Time marches on.
You are right Alice In TX/MO, the forum isn't like it used to be. " A business" when did that happen ? That's ok I hardly visit the site any longer.
 
#6 ·
I also mod another forum, and thought I don't know the specifics here I can only say that when possible, we PM individuals related to off topic/personal and sometimes forum issues. Maybe a broad and vague response to help interested parties try to understand and remind them that the members do matter here.
 
#14 ·
I fully under stand sister pine leaveing. I my self recently left a varmint hunting forum I had belonged to for 14 years and thousands of post.

I live in Michigan and I get all the Detroit TV stations that you can get with air antenna, Yet some Jerk posted a fake picture about the Detroit Muslums were going to kill all the white christan people of Detroit.
I was shocked to see so many members to that forum were pure plain out and out bigots.
I didn't bother telling rhem I was leaving just left and haven't been back nor shell I ever go back.

I am not a bigot and I do not want to be around bigots.

:D Al
 
#17 ·
I fully under stand sister pine leaveing. I my self recently left a varmint hinting forum I had belonged to for 14 years and thousands of post.

I live in Michigan and I get all the Detroit TV stations that you can get with air antenna, Yet some Jerk posted a fake picture about the Detroit Muslums were going to kill all the white christan people of Detroit.
I was shocked to see so many members to that forum were pure plain out and out bigots.
I didn't bother telling rhem I was leaving just left and haven't been back nor shell I ever go back.

I am not a bigot and I do not want to be around bigots.

:D Al
I did that at a different forum recently as well, but it was for a totally different reason. I simply posted an interesting and unexpected demographic map I found from a highly respectable think tank, stated I wasn't sure what to make of it and wanted others opinions and the thread was instantly mod locked citing that it wasn't the basis for respectful conversation. Still scratching my head over that one.
 
#19 ·
We'd be just as happy as members to see the thread returned but at this time and we don't just delete threads with that much interest without a very valid reason.

There have been some concerns for a while over the thread in question and it actually contravenes one of Chuck's very firm rules so it's a bit unfair to suggest that Austin or CMG has lost sight of HT values or it was better when Chuck owned the site. Austin and the mod team have presented the very same solution that Chuck did when these situations arose and we've followed Chuck's protocol to the letter.

The solution is fairly simple and if the OP would like to work with us, we'll be happy to do our part as well.
 
#35 ·
it actually contravenes one of Chuck's very firm rules
Well if people KNEW which rule, then the likelihood of a repeat offence by anyone would be minimized while addressing the obvious vacuum let that causes folks
to speculate, theorize and conjecture over. Sometimes not saying anything is far worse than saying something...

Hope all is resolved amicably and with the best interests of the majority being taken into account... These are not the good old days of BBS', FrontDoor Mail and now we are living in an instant react, counter-react and jump to conclusions world... I so miss they good old days in so many ways....
 
#20 ·
Ok, seeya later then. You were a well respected member of this site but if you feel you must leave then no explanation is necessary.

I am almost wondering if this is like all those "I am deleting my account" posts I used to see in Facebook (before I deleted my own account for real), where the poster is looking for sympathy or attention and will be back to posting within a few weeks. A monolouge as to why you choose not to post here anymore is just attention seeking drama if you really are leaving.
 
#21 ·
HT has always operated as a business since it was put together 15 years ago. The only difference is in it's infancy it was as an independent small town general store with a "vendor's services cork board on the counter" in the form of banner ads to support overhead costs a bit.

As it grew, the original owner and systems admin maximized it's marketability enough that it drew the interest of larger social media businesses and today it is as a franchise of a larger interest.

However even as a franchise type internet presence, the current admin team still strives to keep the original atmosphere while addressing the franchise type facet requirements of the forum.

Austin is just as much hands on admin as we had in 2002 and in some ways more in tune to the community than previous admins because instead of simply hovering and zapping, he consults with the mods all of whom are volunteers before he takes actions.

The only true difference now from the past to we participants is that with the new software that works better with the current site corporate owners overall cyber workings , when a thread is reviewed and the mod review reaches deletion or move as the viable option, the software has no way for a deleted/ moved thread and reason option which results in "disappearing threads" to members.

Austin has discussed this with the mods and we are asking the system admin if there is an available setting to allow us to leave a thread deletion note, but all of our time is limited and we all come to the site at different times of the day so our discussions often take extended time in addition to us all learning the new site platform and what features have changed or were lost.

The aspects that have not been lost is our continuing practice of moderation is that we keep moderation actions confidential between the moderators and those moderated.

The free to user country store pot belly stove / rocking on the porch atmosphere is still here and Austin strives to keep that atmosphere here even though on the corporate ownership side things have grown over the last decade and we have to work within their platform options also.
 
#24 ·
Sisterpine, I am sorry to see you go and I hope you change your mind and come back/stay! I (and many others) have enjoyed your posts.

Also, thank you for letting us know that you are leaving because it would be awful for us to think that you were gone because something terrible happened to you.

Best wishes to you, dear.


.
 
#25 · (Edited)
1) We've been around a long time, and many of us have come to know, like, and in some cases, love one another.

2) We have a HUGE knowledge base of homesteady-type things. (Check out the search feature.)

3) Compared to the average forum out there (there is no such thing as perfect), this one is pretty much well-run. A hattip to all you volunteers and those who work so hard behind the scenes. I am amazed at how cool and level-headed some of you are. In your shoes, I probably would have gone ALL Cajun on some of the more (ahem...) difficult members that I have seen over the years, lol.

4) For the most part it is a clean forum that respects old-fashioned family values.

5) There is no place like home.


.
 
#26 ·
dmm1976,
You are right in that there are tens of thousands of message boards out there. Over the years I have seen many message boards of different interests show many of the basic participant personalities seen here.

Some folks just stop visiting boards they lose interest in.

Some folks announce that they are leaving a board they lose interest in.

then there are folks who would normally just leave a board but after once just leaving a board, found some on the board they left were scared they stopped posting because they died and someone who knew them had the law do a welfare check on them so after that if they chose to leave the board for a breather again, they made a post saying so and asking nobody send the law to come check on them.

I am from the old school of the internet and if someone quietly leaves a board I participate on I just figure they lost interest in it, found real life more to their preference, the internet too time consuming, someplace else online they like better or they passed away and if they passed away , I hope they did so peacefully or to their preference.

If someone leaves with a flourish type final post, I simply note it to myself and read the posts by the remaining members and new members that arrive.
 
#28 ·
I haven't seen a TV, radio, telephone, computer, or device yet that didn't have an "off" button. No need to pull the plug or clip the wires or smash a screen. Just walk away for awhile. Later, you can come back and push the "on" button again.

Take a break, take a rest, take a breath. Life's too short as it is without getting upset by a forum.......

(The lady who flipped me off the other day is somewhere, back there in Cleveland......) (And I'm back here in Michigan)

geo
 
#36 ·
I don't like sharing things like this, but I'm going to give you the gist of it since so many of you are demanding answers and my lack of response is making me, and by extension Carbon and the mods look like bad guys.

We're a social media outlet. Any other social media outlet you have to pay to advertise. As long as you're contributing here you're allowed to post.

I very nicely and politely asked that if he was going to use us as a social media outlet that he include us on his sponsor's page. He said he would have to discuss it with his team, but that should not present an issue.

Sometime later he came back to me saying he would not be reciprocating links, a rule that existed since the times of Chuck, that his other sponsors had concerns.He also told me that he generated more traffic for HT, than we generated for him. As I have access to the traffic numbers I know that's not true. I asked to see a screenshot of his analytics which he has installed (I read his code) to prove the point he was making. He did not elaborate on what the issue with the other sponsors was. He also complained that a member was harassing him and he threatened to leave. He never once reported it (until I requested it) or contacted me over it although we had already been in direct contact. We took action on the offending report.

I then, with mod consent, took down his thread till his issues with his sponsors were resolved. His tone changed dramatically. He reiterated that HT does nothing for his promotion (Google ForestoFarm in an anonymous browser and see what comes up. After a few sites unrelated to his project and his youtube videos it's us). He also reiterated that he was doing more for us than we were going for him. I have asked for proof of that which I have yet to receive.

Now a bit of a primer on how internet advertising works. He has Google Adsense (I read the code) on his site which is the program necessary to run Google ads, so as he may not be doing it yet, running ads is clearly his intention. Also, I have watched 90% of his videos (I'm a fan) and they are chocked full of product endorsements which is the most recent tactic for online advertising to hit the market. To add to that he has, in the past, used referral links to promote products here on site. Basically what this is is a code tacked onto the end of a URL that when someone clicks it it tracks where they are coming from if they bought anything, and if they did the person posting the link gets a cut of the sale. I removed the referral code.

He does not make money off of Youtube, I forget the exact number, but I believe you have to have 10,000 users to generate revenue.

Although this all seems innocent enough, and I do support his mission to educate and inform people on homesteading, I can't in good conscience, allow HT to be exploited in a number of means.

Once his issues with his sponsors are worked out, and we are added as per the rule that has existed since well before I and many of you have been here, his thread will be returned. In the meantime, I encourage you to watch his videos. They are well done, they are informative, and as I've said I am a fan. He crossed the line is all. It's not a line that cannot be uncrossed, and I have not done anything that cannot be undone.

I hope you understand the reasoning and action taken. I will not get into specifics because as always I believe those are private, but I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have,
 
#37 ·
Isn't it amazing that so many of us managed to carve our homesteads out of the woods without all of the nauseating self promotion that this poster did? And didn't violate HTs rules while doing it.

Maybe they will luck out and get a reality TV show to showcase their efforts.

Meanwhile, most true homesteader types quietly go on doing their thing and building their homesteads without needing the praise and attention that these folks seem to need. Because: self-sufficiency!

I hadn't really thought much about them till I received (as I imagine many others did) a pretty whiny message from them. Good grief.
 
#38 ·
I thank all who talked about F2F's you tube channel, just subscribed.

Yes, I understand HT's need for reciprocation, it is the way things are most times done. But I enjoyed his posts and will continue with the youtube channel.
 
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#56 ·
I thank all who talked about F2F's you tube channel, just subscribed.

Yes, I understand HT's need for reciprocation, it is the way things are most times done. But I enjoyed his posts and will continue with the youtube channel.
It's the way Chuck did it since the beginning of time. If I do something different from Chuck I'm in the wrong. If I do something Chuck would have done I'm still in the wrong. This isn't about rules, or executions of rules, or things that predate the initial formation or buy. This is a personal dislike being expressed. If you're not going to be happy there's nothing I can do about that. That's on you.

I don't understand all the jargon that goes into sponsored sites and tracking those that click on sites. Clearly, we don't want to promote commercial enterprises coopting our homesteading site.
I wondered about that site listed above and the detailed explanation was well thought out.
Makes me wonder about the Moderator that promotes his sugar mountain blog. I guess as long as he lists Homesteadingtoday on his web site, it is within the rules.
Moderators as volunteers of the site, who work to ensure the quality of the community are allowed to advertise as long as it meets our standards. That's been a rule since the GroupBuilder days and is a rule run I run on all of the sites I admin to thank them for their service.

Simple really.
Just go watch his videos on You Tube.
You don't have to leave because you can't watch them here.
because you can watch them there.
There he makes money every time watches his videos.
Probably doesn't make money here.
Probably says his videos is on You tube on here wasn't wise.
Conflict of interest.
You don't understand how internet advertising works at all. Allow me to enlighten you.

First, they make no money off their videos, here or, on youtube. You have to have 10,000 views before you get a cut.

Whether the videos are viewed here, or on youtube, it is considered a view so it adds to the total. As long as it's a youtube video, and you watch most of it, it counts. So to break that down even further, it doesn't matter where you watch his videos, as long as you're watching them it counts to his total, and he's not making any money at all through videos due to lack of audience.

Now, I have spoken with him, and the issue with the other sponsors have been resolved, so they will be reciprocating links, and once complete their thread will be restored.
 
#40 ·
Austin,
Thanks for explaining more of the details.
I had a guess there was sponsor/internet ads/and a tug-o-war over 3rd party money going on behind the scenes, but didn't want to speculate without direct knowledge.
Another forum owner I know had a similar problem with Google when he got big enough to get noticed.
It wasn't intentional, but not everyone knows that when they post something about a product they used, it can get scanned and picked up by internet 'bots' and reported back to various companies who may or may not exercise their copyright rules.
IOW, the forum owner can inadvertently be on the hook for royalty/ad payments to those companies just because someone publicly posted "I used Product X" in their threads.
It doesn't happen in every circumstance, but it does happen.
When it does, a decision has to be made about what to do to comply before the lawyers start calling.:eek:

The easiest and fastest way is to take the thread down and either meticulously clean it up, or just delete it.
Telling the other members this isn't trashing anyone, IMO and provides good info to help you out in the long run.
Of course, this particular situation involved a little more than an accidental slip, and makes your position even more understandable.
Hopefully everyone else will feel the same way.

It ain't as easy as it looks, keep up the good work.
 
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