Smokers Forum Closing Down

[earl]

It is a shame about SF, though personally I never really liked the place, it's a shame it's shutting down. ASP (alt.smokers.pipes the newsgroup) has become a cesspool which I left some years ago. I imagine, there are still some good folks posting there, I haven't read it in a long time. I still participate actively in ASP chat on undernet on IRC and it's still pretty active, having a strong core group of regulars and OP's.

The thing that makes BoB for me, is that it is largely un-moderated or censored, and there is a separate section for the more 'controversial' discussions and 'off-topic' discussions, and the wide variety of on-topic subjects. BoB seems to have room for everything I enjoy sharing with fellow Brothers of Briar.

I hope nothing changes that ...

ipe:

What was your beef with it kilted1? A bit too tame perhaps? :bom: earl

What was my beef with what exactly? I can't determine by 'it' which place you are referring too. SF seemed a little too um 'restrictive'? 'moderated'? to me. I think it's sad that it's going (if indeed it is) for the folks that enjoy it. Whatever their 'rules' are, they clearly don't meet everyone's needs, but for those that works for would be well served to find a way to keep it alive, or start a SF II or whatever to take it's place.

ASP the newsgroup, just seemed to me to degenerate into complete chaos to me, endless flame wars, and bickering over whether someone posted 'OT' in front of an 'off topic' thread and other such madness. After about 4 years participation (daily) on there, I had enough. I wish those folks that still participate there all happiness, some probably also participate here, it's just not where I prefer to spend time.

This place is pretty cool, not restricted to ONLY discussing pipes and tobacco, even having an area where disagreement is the 'norm'. :lol:

I was referring to SF, but agree that ASP is a ridiculous mess. earl

 

[shootist51]

[/quote] I was referring to SF, but agree that ASP is a ridiculous mess. earl[/quote]

The only problem I ever encountered on SF entailed a thread that appearently dealt with an older gent's encounter with a younger lady. I stated that I didn't realize what a "randy" group I had become involved with.

I was informed, very politely, that this post had been removed as it could, I could surely see, be considered very offensive by some members.

WTF!

Oh, well, I am glad to see that they will continue and I will continue to drop by periodically.
shootist51


P.S.
Is "randy" a dirty word in England?

 

[Hermit]

Update: http://www.smokersforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66698
It isn't going away after all...carry on.

 

[R Quagliata]

Update: http://www.smokersforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66698
It isn't going away after all...carry on.

I was booted for the SF Friday, I have no idea why and they didnt even have the stones to send me a email telling me why.

What does the link you said say as I can no longer look.

Ryan

 

[Buck]

Update: http://www.smokersforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66698
It isn't going away after all...carry on.

I was booted for the SF Friday, I have no idea why and they didnt even have the stones to send me a email telling me why.

What does the link you said say as I can no longer look.

Ryan

Same here. Kinda leave a rotten taste when the "accused" gets executed for
no cause. This due to " SF seemed a little too um 'restrictive'? 'moderated'? to me" which I believe is a gross understatement. Gross understament indeed. :roll:

 

[dopealope]

Well, after my little temper tantrum last night on SF, I am now officially no longer a member. It was my primary forum for the past two years, and I did enjoy the place.

I can't say I truly understand Ron's decision to just close the place down without letting someone else take it over, but it is his decision.

I after been pretty much inactive here since I registered in 2007, but I guess I need a new home ...

I missed the tantrum. What happened?

I wrote a flamer post, which was deleted almost immediately, about how I thought it was childish to just announce the closing the board and there was nothing anybody could do about it. Wrong or right, I was pissed off at the arbitrary nature of the whole decision.

 

[Hermit]

Update: http://www.smokersforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=66698
It isn't going away after all...carry on.

I was booted for the SF Friday, I have no idea why and they didnt even have the stones to send me a email telling me why.

What does the link you said say as I can no longer look.

Ryan

For the benefit of all those miscreants, scallywags, undesirables and foul mouth morons,
who have been banished from Smokers Forum, here is the announcement:

"Art approached me regarding taking over the Smokers Forums, there were a few things we had to iron out and I am pleased to say that SF is now under new management. My account will be removed from SF and I will have no further involvement with the running of SF. I have also given Art permission to keep the name and logo for as long as he runs SF.

Art has asked if I would take care of the server and software upgrades and will only set me a temporary account up when he requires any updates being installed, after the upgrades are complete the temporary account will be deleted, this is my wish and not a stipulation made by Art. I have said yes to this as it will at least give me the feeling of taking the "baby" out for a walk now and again.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the privacy of members information on SF, namely the chat room and PM's. For the record PM's are strictly private and can only be read by the sender and receiver unless the receiver had email notification set up and the notification bounces back to the SF email address which is [email protected] with regards to the chat room, yes the logs could be read, so conversations within the chat room could be read by an Administrator, but they only ever contained 24 hours worth of transcripts, it was only ever meant as a safeguard as we did have members complaining to moderators that another member had been insulting them in the chat room, and without a transcript there was not much that could be done, that is the reason a 24 hour transcript log was kept and read. Some members felt that their privacy was invaded because of this.

Art has decided that a new chat room is the first thing on the agenda, he has found a version that can be integrated within SF but does not allow logs to be kept as the conversations do not run through the SF server, wish I had thought of that so that will be my first assignment when Art gives me the nod.

Perhaps one day I may decide to become a member and just enjoy SF, but for now I need a very long break.

I wish you all well and hope one day to reacquaint myself with you all under different circumstances, it has been a pleasure and a honour to be able to serve this past 20 years.

A big hand must be directed at Art for taking over and keeping this community together.

So the only thing to do now, is say goodbye and happy smoking.

Ron

End Annoucement"

 

[woody]

Quote: For the benefit of all those miscreants, scallywags, undesirables and foul mouth morons,
who have been banished from Smokers Forum, here is the announcement: end quote.

I think I'm going to like BoB - thanks for the smile Hermit

 

[kilted1]

Thanks Hermit,

I was an undesirable long ago, for reasons that I wasn't even made aware of, just found out one day that I could no longer log in. No warning or explanation was ever offered, nothing. So I moved on, some years later, someone on ASP chat mentioned BoB and thought I might like it. That's how I got here. In the intervening years between SF and BoB I've heard many a story about people being treated as I was, bounced without notice or warning, and heard much about the heavy moderation and controls within that community.

I hope that they take a slightly 'new' direction, and that their community can rebuild or whatever. It sure didn't and wouldn't work for me, I'm very glad wisdom prevails here, and allows us a free exchange of thoughts and ideas, without worry of public chastisement or being banned.

 

[earl]

Little did I know. :shock: Guess I hadn't been sufficiently "miscreantive" to have encountered that. :lol: earl

 

[Buck]

Thanks Hermit,

I was an undesirable long ago, for reasons that I wasn't even made aware of, just found out one day that I could no longer log in. No warning or explanation was ever offered, nothing. So I moved on, some years later, someone on ASP chat mentioned BoB and thought I might like it. That's how I got here. In the intervening years between SF and BoB I've heard many a story about people being treated as I was, bounced without notice or warning, and heard much about the heavy moderation and controls within that community.

I hope that they take a slightly 'new' direction, and that their community can rebuild or whatever. It sure didn't and wouldn't work for me, I'm very glad wisdom prevails here, and allows us a free exchange of thoughts and ideas, without worry of public chastisement or being banned.

Yes, were are "brothers" in this event. I too am banned at SF for no documented reason.

This is what I get when I try to log into SF.....
"You have been banned for the following reason:
No reason was specified.

Date the ban will be lifted: Never


The heavy handed moderation has run off more members than SF will admit to. :roll:
Having to walk on eggshells on a public free forum is very much uncalled for
but that mindset very much describe SF tactics. :tongue:

Do I have a small ax to grind with them......yep! :mrgreen:

 

[Justpipes]

Thanks Hermit,

I was an undesirable long ago, for reasons that I wasn't even made aware of, just found out one day that I could no longer log in. No warning or explanation was ever offered, nothing. So I moved on, some years later, someone on ASP chat mentioned BoB and thought I might like it. That's how I got here. In the intervening years between SF and BoB I've heard many a story about people being treated as I was, bounced without notice or warning, and heard much about the heavy moderation and controls within that community.

I hope that they take a slightly 'new' direction, and that their community can rebuild or whatever. It sure didn't and wouldn't work for me, I'm very glad wisdom prevails here, and allows us a free exchange of thoughts and ideas, without worry of public chastisement or being banned.

Yes, were are "brothers" in this event. I too am banned at SF for no documented reason.

This is what I get when I try to log into SF.....
"You have been banned for the following reason:
No reason was specified.

Date the ban will be lifted: Never


The heavy handed moderation has run off more members than SF will admit to. :roll:
Having to walk on eggshells on a public free forum is very much uncalled for
but that mindset very much describe SF tactics. :tongue:

Do I have a small ax to grind with them......yep! :mrgreen:

...........never mind! Sorry, Old Crow almost got me in trouble again! :lol:

 

[Al in Canada]

Guess I am better behaved than I thought. Never had a problem on SF. When I think tightly moderated I think Pipe.Org . Now that is heavy handed moderating. Post a question, it will show up the next day (if approved), post an answer, and wait another day for it to appear :evil:
And I've seen members chastised for "welcoming" a new poster. This board is "only for the subject of pipes and tobacco". For shame, being "social" on our "factual" board

:lol!: :lol!: :lol!:
Given the huge history of postings and information it would have been a shame to lose all that if SF had closed down.

 

[ruraldean]

The English and British things have no relevance in the shape and form of SF. Whatever his faults may be I've never had trouble with ronb, just his American Moderators. Ed Anderson sent me a PM because I'd followed up on someone else's reference to latex being used to cover the end of a rifle barrel in the Army. Some and made condom-related jokes without actually mentioning condoms, and I said that covering the ends of rifles would at least stop arms proliferation. not particularly funny, but frankly my dear... you get the rest.

Ed told me I had "brought the thread into the gutter" and in a further post insisted I apologise to him. WTF.

Ronb stepped in a calmed it down, although Ed tells me that a note of my actions is recorded on my file.

The American Christian Right Puritanism lies behind a lot of the inexplicable moderation. I'm still a member, although if anyone from there reads this thread I probably won't be. and for the record, I have nothing against Americans at all, just the loonies.

 

[Muddler]

Incidentally Ryan, there's a thread started about your mysterious disapperance with no explanation. Don't know if it will last long though.
Rural, I also don't think it's an American/ English thing at all. Yes, SF is pretty puritanical. Some folks think of it as polite though. Whatever. Personally, I'm glad it's back.

 

[beaupipe]

The English and British things have no relevance in the shape and form of SF. Whatever his faults may be I've never had trouble with ronb, just his American Moderators. Ed Anderson sent me a PM because I'd followed up on someone else's reference to latex being used to cover the end of a rifle barrel in the Army. Some and made condom-related jokes without actually mentioning condoms, and I said that covering the ends of rifles would at least stop arms proliferation. not particularly funny, but frankly my dear... you get the rest.

Ed told me I had "brought the thread into the gutter" and in a further post insisted I apologise to him. WTF.

Ronb stepped in a calmed it down, although Ed tells me that a note of my actions is recorded on my file.

The American Christian Right Puritanism lies behind a lot of the inexplicable moderation. I'm still a member, although if anyone from there reads this thread I probably won't be. and for the record, I have nothing against Americans at all, just the loonies.

LOL. I made a similar post in that thread and got read the same riot act. I pretty much immediately reduced my visits to SF and stopped posting. Life is way too short to walk on eggshells at SF. And now there are so many other options where you don't have to pretend you're a god-fearing eunuch with a dunghill stuck in your jaw.

 

[Anonymous]

The English and British things have no relevance in the shape and form of SF. Whatever his faults may be I've never had trouble with ronb, just his American Moderators. Ed Anderson sent me a PM because I'd followed up on someone else's reference to latex being used to cover the end of a rifle barrel in the Army. Some and made condom-related jokes without actually mentioning condoms, and I said that covering the ends of rifles would at least stop arms proliferation. not particularly funny, but frankly my dear... you get the rest.

Ed told me I had "brought the thread into the gutter" and in a further post insisted I apologise to him. WTF.

Ronb stepped in a calmed it down, although Ed tells me that a note of my actions is recorded on my file.

The American Christian Right Puritanism lies behind a lot of the inexplicable moderation. I'm still a member, although if anyone from there reads this thread I probably won't be. and for the record, I have nothing against Americans at all, just the loonies.

Dont feel bad I got a warning for trying to be clean about the word I typed is types exactly as I typed it there the stars are mine not the censors

A***H****

 

[ruraldean]

Incidentally Ryan, there's a thread started about your mysterious disapperance with no explanation. Don't know if it will last long though.
Rural, I also don't think it's an American/ English thing at all. Yes, SF is pretty puritanical. Some folks think of it as polite though. Whatever. Personally, I'm glad it's back.

Oh I'm glad it continues, and good manners are the order of the day, but it was a complete bugger's muddle for 24 hours.

With regards to banned members, everyone seems to be denying a ban. Blackadder (221b Baker Street) feels he was banned, Ryan thinks he was banned, but no one including the mods over there accept they are.

 

[Mr_Jeff]

There were a few of us that got burned in that latex thread. It barely qualified as blue humor.

 

[Anonymous]

Quote: For the benefit of all those miscreants, scallywags, undesirables and foul mouth morons,
who have been banished from Smokers Forum, here is the announcement: end quote.

I think I'm going to like BoB - thanks for the smile Hermit

You forgot Outlaws that never were allowed in the first place. Guess I'm not as sentimental as everyone else. I here "they" did this, "they" didn't allow that. The only thing I can think of is: it is "THEIR" forum.

Makes me think of going to Burger King and ordering a Big Mac...