Ad temporarily removed

[nat8808]

Totally agree with you Marco The guy was simply looking for a free place to advertise his unwanted gear, obviously a bit of a penny pincher, and when he was rumbled he didn't like it. If it was me I would have a minimum amount of posts, and i know from reading earlier on in the thread that some members like to read and not write too much, which is fine, but this isn't a copy of HiFi World either, it's a forum which survives only because people start threads and submit replies, you don't have to be Yoda or a great sage, just have an opinion or a burning question that you may need some answers for, as Marco says simples.

So as far as i'm concerned if the sole reason you have for joining the AoS is cheap advertising of yer gear, then JOG ON

I don't agree with your assesment - he reads the posts because he's interested in music and wants to learn about hifi to get more out of it.

As he says, he doesn't know so much about hifi and more interested in the music anyway (weirdo! ) so why would he feel he could post necessarily even if he wanted to?

He also says he's not the type to get all chummy and over the top enthusiastic with others about his personal taste in music and have self congratulatory discussions about each other's taste. Neither am I and so don't do that either and on forums it all reads quite badly anyway, often as if people are trying to out do or proove to each other something, in a tribal way. Not my scene either and so keep myself to myself when it comes to personal taste and passions.

So he's happy reading the forum! Doesn't have to say anything does he? Are lurkers banned?

Then he has a stand hanging around that he wants to clear and asking only a measly £20 - to someone here because we're all in to hifi - and people jump down his throat!

Fair enough it was more his reaction to the introduction part that caused a problem but I also sympathise with that too as I had to force myself to do it to get it out of the way - my intro was vague musically (because I pretty much like any genre as long as there's something intersting in it) and any mention of my system was just a snap shot cos it changes so much, so kind of pointless too. But I said hello at least as per the rules!

Maybe the thread's dragging on now though - was good in the middle somewhere - I liked Dennis's long post. Going over old ground now.

[Effem]

AoS is only what it is because of the way it is run - it is SFA to do with "tribalism" or the other drivel that has been written in this thread.

10, 20, 50, 100 posts, typing a short ditty, tap dancing with a Hippo, or paying a sum of money are all entrance fees of some sort or another which the forum owner has the right to ask.

All that is asked from someone who wants to sell an item in the classifieds is a short introduction like "I am Bert, I likes me stereo, Joan Armourplating and that Bruce Windscreen bloke is me favourite artistes". It doesn't even have to be real, it doesn't have to be a 1,000 words long, but it is the price being asked on AoS for a freebie advert. I have no doubt at all in my mind that there is a goodly percentage of our "members" that have done just that, we will never hear from them again and that it will continue on regardless unless the rules are changed.

Denis didn't feel the need to do any of that and he had a choice to make. What brought it all up to the surface is the amount of paranoia I saw about removing his identity and subsequently the accusations that there is some sort of tribal gang operating here where we have secret handshakes, rolled up trouser legs, have to expose a breast and playing the Bongo drums with our willy for some sort of "acceptance" into the club. They put signs up all around the National Grid which says "danger of death" but the numptys will still scale the fences with hacksaws and wire cutters, so little surprise when they fry, so the OP didn't read the signs here . . . . .

Grow up Denis.

[Marco]

Nat, you're starting to annoy me now. Your last post beggars belief and completely misses the point!

The fact is, Denis didn't read the rules of the site before he joined, and when he was asked to comply with them, instead of respectfully and politely doing that, he got all arsey and indignant about it, which set the tone for the following responses - ALL totally *his* fault, not ours.

You can't just wander in here and do what the hell you like!

He also joined the site for one selfish reason only: to sell his equipment support, and as Mike says, didn't like it when his sole intentions were 'rumbled', which is why he asked for his profile to be removed.

Why on earth should I pay the costs of running this site just for some selfish clown to advertise his gear free of charge? It makes no difference if it's a £20 shelf or a £20,000 system. Financial gain (however paltry) was the ONLY reason why Denis was here, so if you think that his actions were in any way justified, then you and I are on different planets!!

People must learn to GIVE, and not only take, from AoS.

So he's happy reading the forum! Doesn't have to say anything does he? Are lurkers banned?

No, but quite frankly, we don't encourage "lurkers". Why join a forum if you just want to "lurk"? You may as well not bother, as you can just as easily read the forum, and put no effort in, as a non-member.

If everyone just lurked, there would be NO forum! We want people to join AoS who then contribute as often as possible and become a regular part of our community, and if that means that there are fewer members overall, then so be it. Quality must always come before quantity.

I'd rather have 300 people who contribute regularly to the forum, in the manner that we outline in our ethos, than 3000 "lurkers" who do sweet FA to develop our community.

Now please accept that, Nat, and be done with it. You really do have a bad habit sometimes of not knowing when to say your piece in a debate and then bow out gracefully. I will allow a few more replies to this thread, if anyone feels that they've got something desperately important to say, and then it will be locked.

Marco.

[prestonchipfryer]

The man wanted to sell his stand for £20. Crikey, he must be hard up to bother with a poxy 20 quid. And, you know, Marco is RIGHT: it's so BLOODY RUDE to just butt in on a forum with something for sale and then oink like a stuck pig when it is politely pointed out that it's bad manners to just poke your snout in without an intro. Bugger off if you don't like it.

John

[StanleyB]

There are a lot of audio related forums out there, but when you use one of the search engines for more information on a particular type of gear, AoS frequently turns out to be the main or only source that has anything on it. I am sure that didn't happen by chance. It was the input from the members, and the mention in the introduction that they own a particular piece of kit, which turned AoS into a reference point. So the usefulness of that rule is more than just politeness. It's for many the last straw in their search for someone who has firsthand experience with a particular piece of kit.

Mind you, I wish that all dealer posting in the trade section would also be asked to have some sort of discount scheme for members. Other forums ask for hard cash before dealers can even mention their product in a thread. But I frequently see some dealers showing up on AoS just to plug a new product or offer on their own site. It's something that should also be looked at more closely I reckon.

[John]

Interesting point Stan perhaps one we should think about in the future
The site is not an advertising site its a site for people to talk about audio and music mostly. The private ads is an act of good will to the members so they have another place to sell goods. In this case it was being abused and rightly stopped

[Marco]

The site is not an advertising site its a site for people to talk about audio and music mostly. The private ads is an act of good will to the members so they have another place to sell goods. In this case it was being abused and rightly stopped

Indeed... And so hopefully this thread will serve its purpose as a warning as to what we expect from people who join our community.

In fact, I'm making it into a sticky, so it will remain as a permanent reference!

<Thread now closed>

Marco.