ashauler...

**ReV** · 09-19-2007, 08:11 PM

talk to me buddy, tell me about yourself, i feel like i hardly know you but i've been on this board for a few months now...

**ReV** · 09-19-2007, 09:46 PM

hmm... hasn't been on for 12 hours eh? ... I'll wait...

**HersheyWalker** · 09-20-2007, 08:04 PM

Didn't you know this board is dead?

"Member Moderated Board" ='s kicking out all the interesting people who speak from their heart. So what's left is a small group of self indulgent non-alpha's who gather around the few "established" members who've stuck around because they have imposed their will and made this place what it is.

I suggest investing elsewhere.

**chefchris** · 09-20-2007, 08:19 PM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

I suggest investing elsewhere.

I'd suggest taking your own advice.

**drew_goring** · 09-20-2007, 09:34 PM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

Didn't you know this board is dead?

"Member Moderated Board" ='s kicking out all the interesting people who speak from their heart. So what's left is a small group of self indulgent non-alpha's who gather around the few "established" members who've stuck around because they have imposed their will and made this place what it is.

I suggest investing elsewhere.

Well, you seem to be posting here quite a bit lately...

**ReV** · 09-20-2007, 10:56 PM

where did that come from? i was just trying to stack the odds in my favore for ashauler's contest... and fyi, i'm a member of multiple boards and this one is my favorite by far.

**nhcigarfan** · 09-20-2007, 11:16 PM

wtf

**chefchris** · 09-20-2007, 11:18 PM

Originally Posted by nhcigarfan

wtf

this is far less intimidating with that avatar of yours following it.

**WOXOF** · 09-20-2007, 11:32 PM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

Didn't you know this board is dead?

"Member Moderated Board" ='s kicking out all the interesting people who speak from their heart. So what's left is a small group of self indulgent non-alpha's who gather around the few "established" members who've stuck around because they have imposed their will and made this place what it is.

I suggest investing elsewhere.

At 201 posts as of today, I think hersheysquirts has the most posts ever for a troll.

**Maduro Man** · 09-21-2007, 05:00 AM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

Didn't you know this board is dead?

"Member Moderated Board" ='s kicking out all the interesting people who speak from their heart. So what's left is a small group of self indulgent non-alpha's who gather around the few "established" members who've stuck around because they have imposed their will and made this place what it is.

I suggest investing elsewhere.

Oh ho... I'm a New B and even I know that this is a very un cool thing to say. If I may say so... What ever happened to showing a little respect to all of those who have made this sight what it is...

**cigar no baka** · 09-21-2007, 04:07 PM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

Didn't you know this board is dead?

"Member Moderated Board" ='s kicking out all the interesting people who speak from their heart. So what's left is a small group of self indulgent non-alpha's who gather around the few "established" members who've stuck around because they have imposed their will and made this place what it is.

I suggest investing elsewhere.

Funny, it seems to me that this board is growing more than every nowadays. More and more new people join, more new posts to read, so I don't know how you define dead. Unless you mean its free of the controversy, drama and agenda-grinding - if that is what you're here for, go elsewhere as we are here to talk about cigars and not our personal agendas.

**ashauler** · 09-21-2007, 04:45 PM

Ummm.....Sorry Rev, didn't see your post until now....have been jacked up with work.

hersheysquirts

** I wish my sig was more intimidating too

**cls515** · 09-21-2007, 05:35 PM

Hey Ashauler, how was your trip, I think it was to a lake? Smoke any good cigars?

**HersheyWalker** · 09-21-2007, 08:03 PM

Eh, I speak from my heart without the CS filter on and I receive backlash. Message boards serve the purpose of allowing many individuals to share their perspective with those who may not have grown up under the same conditions, demographic, livelyhood, hobbies, and interests. When I give my honest perspective here, I am attacked by the few remaining regular members. It is what it is I suppose. I would much rather have a diverse open dialogue on why the number of posts on this board have dropped so drastically over the past year. Or why no one throws out posts other than, "I smoked this cigar and it was great", or "Anyone know about cuban smokes?".

A true message board is one that is open to all points of view, and accepts them for what they are, with understanding. Understanding who said what, why they did, and what it means. 80% of all posts will fall under the category of misunderstood troll. These are typically the treasures of a message board. They are the ones that spark intense debate on the who whats and whys. Occasionally there are lol moments and things change, perspectives change, all are recognized, and the whole is better for it. 5% of posts are troll posts, where a posters intentions are to hurt and attack another member, maybe because someone is envious of their naive perspective or has a whole lot of hurt to give. Lastly we have the 15% of posts which are without purpose. Posts that simply shine another's shoes, attempts to increase another's self esteem, and build commrodery. Commrodery in virtual space? Is there such a thing? On typical message boards, these posts are usually ignored and waded through with a tinge of annoyance and spite. Comrodery is built by invoking a deep guttural laugh from another stranger miles away via a comment, self esteem is built by another's honest opinion laid down and tempered by the fact that a certain poster has built up the reputation of pure unadulterated honesty.

I feel this forum allows none of these things. Cigarsmokers, due to intense and aggressive member moderation is now only left with the latter type of posts. Am I a troll? Am I a user who is only looking to attack members of a community with the purpose of getting a rise out of another human being, getting them angry? No, I don't think that's my purpose. I am not intentionally trying to piss someone off. I post on message boards like I talk in real life. I speak my mind. If the listener isn't mature enough to hear what is being said, beyond the words, taking into account who is saying what and why, is it my fault? Everyone here seems to walk on egg shells, dancing around issues with an air of stressed politeness. It makes for boring conversation. Remember those two British squirrels on the WB cartoons? "After you. Oh no, after you. Oh no after you of course."How can anything meaningful be said if the cardinal rule is not to offend anyone? I strongly suggest you all rethink your philosophy running your e-life before the only people viewing these boards are a few mods and a bunch of bots.

Again, I am just speaking my mind. I only ask for respect in return. Maybe we can start a dialogue and you can make me understand your position on why you feel this is the only way to run a community. And why you feel this is a "special" place, with the connotation that it is special for a good reason. Why you all feel that toes being stepped on is deservant of a permanent ban. Or maybe this thread can end with a few sarcastic comments followed with a permanent burial. Whatevers, I only come back to see if there are new posts in the "Or thread" and the "Owned Game". I have read a couple of posts in the past that had the same tone as my own, one from Coventrycat(Sid, I believe... I didn't have the patience to gain a complete understanding of the situation, but in the end it seemed he was looking for understanding.), Cumchugger(a vile, yet misunderstood human being), a handful of other regular posters, and finally myself (a person with only the purest intentions). Those past attempts at true dialogue were dealt with via a split and a boot, perhaps this one will as well. Perhaps not.

**Shelby07** · 09-21-2007, 09:06 PM

...so, are you saying that your agenda (or desire, pick your term) is to improve this board by bringing back insults, name calling and confrontation?

I've seen your past postings and I personally feel you are here to stir things up, and not in a way that most members on this board desire any more. It has turned into a more polite board because of what the members here post, not because of any over moderation, and I think that most of the folks here really don't miss the "good old days." The last round of name calling and insults by some of the folks who "made this board what it *is today*" made it painfully clear how argumentative and disrespectful dialog can make a board someplace that might be fun or a few, but highly uncomfortable for most.

The board is not what it used to be. The old guard has either been asked to leave or has left on their own for the most part and the new folks coming here are more respectful of each other. People here are starting to realize that the folks on the other side of the keyboard are human beings with feelings and emotions, and they treat each other with the same respect that they would give (and expect) if they met someone at the local B&M. I have seen no "moderators" who have forced that direction, only new (and existing) members who have guided it that way.

There are still lots of other communities out there that can satisfy any desire you may have for confrontational conversation that borders on the vulger. You have been around long enough to know which ones they are. Guys like CNB, Chefchris, Drew_Goring and me, as well as others who jumped ship and came back seem to be satisfied with the new direction this board is taking, It will take some time to build again, but it is growing.

I, and others, will give you all the respect you give to us. If that's good for you, then welcome. If not, then perhaps this is no longer the board for you.

PS - I'd love to hear where you got the stats that you quoted. I don't think I've ever seen types of posts broken up into percentages like that.

**slcraiders** · 09-21-2007, 09:09 PM

You make a couple of logical points on forums, the right to an opinion, respect and so on... ..you are completely missing the point though.

First of all, there was no need to threadjack with your little angry rant. Hell, you could have started your own thread about how dead this place is, self imposed establish members and newbie crones.

Don't come in here shitting on the board in general. If you have issues with individuals, take care of it in PM or something. If this place is slower than usual, it is because it is coming out of a period of turmoil stemming from personal attacks etc. I do not understand why you are displaying the same behavior.

**Shagaroo** · 09-21-2007, 10:49 PM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

I have read a couple of posts in the past that had the same tone as my own, one from Coventrycat(Sid, I believe... I didn't have the patience to gain a complete understanding of the situation, but in the end it seemed he was looking for understanding.), Cumchugger(a vile, yet misunderstood human being), a handful of other regular posters, and finally myself (a person with only the purest intentions). Those past attempts at true dialogue were dealt with via a split and a boot, perhaps this one will as well. Perhaps not.

I was only mildly queezy until I hit this little gem. I think I had an anurism when I read it.

So, you stuck around CSmokers because you liked the constant blood baths and now you've got your panties all up in a bunch because they don't happen anymore and so you are going to try and start one now? Gotcha! For the record, spanky, you won't be causing a board split. You aren't as special as you obviously think you are.

And Shelby nailed it. We aren't walking on eggshells. We are simply able to communicate without beating each other with sticks. We also haven't had a troublemaker stop in for a while either. Well... not until yesterday.

Feel free to mosey on over to Cigar Snobs. They like killing and eating each over there.

**drew_goring** · 09-21-2007, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

blah blah blah...look at me.

Well, Shelby, SLC, and Shaggy pretty much said what's worth saying.

**WOXOF** · 09-21-2007, 11:34 PM

Originally Posted by HersheyWalker

Eh, I speak from my heart without the CS filter on and I receive backlash. Message boards serve the purpose of allowing many individuals to share their perspective with those who may not have grown up under the same conditions, demographic, livelyhood, hobbies, and interests. When I give my honest perspective here, I am attacked by the few remaining regular members. It is what it is I suppose. I would much rather have a diverse open dialogue on why the number of posts on this board have dropped so drastically over the past year. Or why no one throws out posts other than, "I smoked this cigar and it was great", or "Anyone know about cuban smokes?".

A true message board is one that is open to all points of view, and accepts them for what they are, with understanding. Understanding who said what, why they did, and what it means. 80% of all posts will fall under the category of misunderstood troll. These are typically the treasures of a message board. They are the ones that spark intense debate on the who whats and whys. Occasionally there are lol moments and things change, perspectives change, all are recognized, and the whole is better for it. 5% of posts are troll posts, where a posters intentions are to hurt and attack another member, maybe because someone is envious of their naive perspective or has a whole lot of hurt to give. Lastly we have the 15% of posts which are without purpose. Posts that simply shine another's shoes, attempts to increase another's self esteem, and build commrodery. Commrodery in virtual space? Is there such a thing? On typical message boards, these posts are usually ignored and waded through with a tinge of annoyance and spite. Comrodery is built by invoking a deep guttural laugh from another stranger miles away via a comment, self esteem is built by another's honest opinion laid down and tempered by the fact that a certain poster has built up the reputation of pure unadulterated honesty.

I feel this forum allows none of these things. Cigarsmokers, due to intense and aggressive member moderation is now only left with the latter type of posts. Am I a troll? Am I a user who is only looking to attack members of a community with the purpose of getting a rise out of another human being, getting them angry? No, I don't think that's my purpose. I am not intentionally trying to piss someone off. I post on message boards like I talk in real life. I speak my mind. If the listener isn't mature enough to hear what is being said, beyond the words, taking into account who is saying what and why, is it my fault? Everyone here seems to walk on egg shells, dancing around issues with an air of stressed politeness. It makes for boring conversation. Remember those two British squirrels on the WB cartoons? "After you. Oh no, after you. Oh no after you of course."How can anything meaningful be said if the cardinal rule is not to offend anyone? I strongly suggest you all rethink your philosophy running your e-life before the only people viewing these boards are a few mods and a bunch of bots.

Again, I am just speaking my mind. I only ask for respect in return. Maybe we can start a dialogue and you can make me understand your position on why you feel this is the only way to run a community. And why you feel this is a "special" place, with the connotation that it is special for a good reason. Why you all feel that toes being stepped on is deservant of a permanent ban. Or maybe this thread can end with a few sarcastic comments followed with a permanent burial. Whatevers, I only come back to see if there are new posts in the "Or thread" and the "Owned Game". I have read a couple of posts in the past that had the same tone as my own, one from Coventrycat(Sid, I believe... I didn't have the patience to gain a complete understanding of the situation, but in the end it seemed he was looking for understanding.), Cumchugger(a vile, yet misunderstood human being), a handful of other regular posters, and finally myself (a person with only the purest intentions). Those past attempts at true dialogue were dealt with via a split and a boot, perhaps this one will as well. Perhaps not.

Still a troll in my book and this post only reinforces that theory. If you spent half as much time trying to actually interact with members here as you did coming up with this bullshit response, than maybe you would be viewed as legit.

I personally like how "dead" or slow this board is. I don't have time, nor do I care to read through 300 posts a day of the "verbal handjobs" and post whoring you see on some sites just to get to the 10 or 20 informative posts.

I think probably what originally attracted you to this board in the first place was all of the flaming and controversy. Now that all of that is gone and a new more mature CS has emerged, you've become bored with it and view it as dead. That's fine, you're entitled to your opinion of the board and we're entitled to our opinion of you.

**Maduro Man** · 09-21-2007, 11:55 PM

Originally Posted by WOXOF

Still a troll in my book and this post only reinforces that theory. If you spent half as much time trying to actually interact with members here as you did coming up with this bullshit response, than maybe you would be viewed as legit.

I personally like how "dead" or slow this board is. I don't have time, nor do I care to read through 300 posts a day of the "verbal handjobs" and post whoring you see on some sites just to get to the 10 or 20 informative posts.

I think probably what originally attracted you to this board in the first place was all of the flaming and controversy. Now that all of that is gone and a new more mature CS has emerged, you've become bored with it and view it as dead. That's fine, you're entitled to your opinion of the board and we're entitled to our opinion of you.

Well put... As a New B if I may say so... In the short time I have been here I have learned so much that has helped me. "Other " sights are just into seeing how many New Bs they can eat. I stepped on my dick when I came in here and was checked on it. The important thing was, I was also welcomed back.

We all have cigar's as our love and hobbie... We should look at each other as a family that is into the same thing and not make the topic of the day a slamfest. Check your Ego at the door and share what you have.

(Now stepping down from my soap box)