Goodbye HiFi Wigwam

[AlanB]

A very sad day. Almost a meeting place for many hifi enthusiasts.
Thanks to James and the Mods who made it so informative and entertaining.

[Effem]

We all wander around the web, it just take a step to put your foot in sh1t. If you have to join then you take the consequences of stepping in it, it was your choice.

Personally I joined Wigwam about four years ago, without realising the place it was. Made one post about ebay and got attacked immediately by the in crowd dog pack. Next was a post from James demanding £50 for the privilege of being insulted, so both were told where they could stick it.

Thank you Richard for reminding me about another point.

Let's not forget either that James was also signing up members at £5.00 a pop, plus as Richard says £50 from the dealers/traders, plus extra for their banner adverts, money from Google too, so I cannot accept it was a huge drain on his financial resources, so the cries of poverty don't wash with me. Marco does the same job and far better too I might add with NO money rolling in from the members and dealers.

And for Marco's benefit, I am not "slagging off the Wigwam" but it does stick in my throat somewhat that the apparent demise of the forum should prompt the sudden influx of it's members to shed tears here when heretofore they never set foot n the place. Fine, it has collapsed, I really don't want to read about it.

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

Thank you Richard for reminding me about another point.

Let's not forget either that James was also signing up members at £5.00 a pop, plus as Richard says £50 from the dealers/traders, plus extra for their banner adverts, money from Google too, so I cannot accept it was a huge drain on his financial resources, so the cries of poverty don't wash with me. Marco does the same job and far better too I might add with NO money rolling in from the members and dealers.

It has seemed to me for a while now that one is doing it for the love of the hobby and the other is doing it for the hatred of the industry.

Oh! and BTW does this latest event mean he is going to refund that to the people who paid it recently. The £50 was an annual charge.

[ursus262]

... but rather offer our collective thoughts as to how we (AoS) can help with what is obviously a very difficult situation for some.

AoS can help by setting a standard based upon a culture of mutual respect, courtesy and good humour. Basically, AoS seems to embody these values, so let's keep on doing it.

[Jac Hawk]

AoS can help by setting a standard based upon a culture of mutual respect, courtesy and good humour. Basically, AoS seems to embody these values, so let's keep on doing it.

well said David

[Tim]

AoS can help by setting a standard based upon a culture of mutual respect, courtesy and good humour. Basically, AoS seems to embody these values, so let's keep on doing it.

AoS has been doing that for as long as I've been here and a long-time before that too.

[Marco]

AoS can help by setting a standard based upon a culture of mutual respect, courtesy and good humour. Basically, AoS seems to embody these values, so let's keep on doing it.

Absolutely, David - and rest assured, those values we hold dearly will never be abandoned.

However, if James has pulled the plug full-time (which I suspect not - I'm sure he'll reconsider and use this opportunity to have a rethink in terms of the direction the forum was going in), there will be a lot of frustrated and unhappy (good) people who might need our help in keeping a chain of communication open, such as with classified ads, etc, which others have already alluded to.

At the moment, that's what I'm concerned with the most

So if there are (temporary) ex-Wigwammers out there, who would like AoS to facilitate the above (should they not already be using pfm), then they are most welcome to join

Marco.

[technobear]

And for Marco's benefit, I am not "slagging off the Wigwam" but...

Oh yes you are! You're a very naughty boy. I am detecting the smell of grapes and not of the sweet variety

...it does stick in my throat somewhat that the apparent demise of the forum should prompt the sudden influx of it's members to shed tears here when heretofore they never set foot n the place.

Most of them have gone to Pink Fish. Let's hope all the measurement trolls headed that way and all those with ears head this way

[alfie2902]

A history lesson might be appropriate here Alfie.

Hifiwigwam was born pure and simply from the problems hi-fi choice had and a few of us decided we would break away and create our own forum to get away from those problems. Nobody nominated James to set up that forum, but we went with the flow based upon his character he demonstrated. I was going to set it up myself but held back because I had trade interests I thought it would not be appropriate. The ethos was it was purely a forum where we could discuss our hobby without flaming, we could discuss contentious issues like cables without the 1000+ vitriolic posts that regularly occurred on HFC.

For the first year it was exactly that and yes some politically incorrect threads were started and James was on top of them in an instant. He upset my missus over her crystal healing beliefs and I can still remember word for word the sincere apology he wrote to her. I took him to task about the "C" word being increasingly used on the forum which my missus found so offensive and he took steps to stop it - that was all we asked, just that ONE word, which he did for a while.

I drove clean across the country to attend a bakeoff he was hosting and he was the epitome of charm and nicety, a really nice guy to meet. I had met him previously to that at a bakeoff in Bristol and the damn fool scratched the living daylights out of my PS Audio power amp by placing a DAC on it with spikes underneath, then at his bakeoff he managed to fry someone's Linn Classik by shorting the speaker wires together, but no matter, James was a likeable chap and it was easy to forgive his mistakes.

Year three and James was a changed man. Suddenly he had "seen the light" about cables and tweaks, so that became his entire Mantra from then on. He became the biggest anti-foo protagonist and while I didn't particularly mind that, it was the offensiveness in which that Mantra was delivered with, that I had serious issues with. No longer the ordinary hi-fi enthusiast that I knew at the beginning, willing to share his experiences with others, he was on an ego trip being the "forum owner" and had become a total bully from that position.

From then until now it has been downhill all the way for me and his bigotry has got worse and worse - as anyone who read his recent rant about public sector workers will testify.

In summary then, if the wigwam was originally conceived to be a spit and sawdust four ale bar, with disgusting language being used, overt racism and misogyny, condoned bullying and abuse, then as you say I would have steered well clear from the outset, or not allowed it to be created in the first place had I known that the "owner" would turn it into a bear pit of the worst kind, his personal playground for his inflated ego.

Well I said I was out of this one, but all the effort deserves a reply!

Thanks for the history lesson Frank, but any personal problems you've got with James are not my business & It's harsh as he has no right to reply!

Forums grow & change & that can't be to everyones liking, even some of the founder members aren't going to like everything. Peoples beliefs may change & they are entitled to there opinion, as you are to yours!

I agree it can get a bit much when the pack mentality kicks in & everybody is entitled to their opinion & they argue that, with some they argue their point a little strongly! If the forum is not what you like or want, you leave & find somewhere more to your liking & beliefs. Which is what you've done, but your experience is not mine & I was still enjoying some of what the Wam had to offer, the humour & off the wall style I enjoy! I have had far more pleasure than displeasure there even as a ADM9 owner

[Cosey Man]

Absolutely, David - and rest assured, those values we hold dearly will never be abandoned.

However, if James has pulled the plug full-time (which I suspect not), there will be a lot of frustrated and unhappy (good) people who might need our help in keeping a chain of communication open, such as with classified ads, etc, which others have already alluded to.

At the moment, that's what I'm concerned with the most

So if there are (temporary) ex-Wigwammers out there, who would like AoS to facilitate the above, then they are most welcome to join

Marco.

an excellent post there Marco as i am new, i was a newer member on the wam, & their are plenty of good people that i seen their ,that would fit in well with this forum, not all were foul mouthed .