I am a bit disappointed in some people here

[canney]

Well said Mark, Last night I was telling my wife about the folks who played the super bowl squares and then suddenly haven't logged on in days. SAD as SAD can be.
Now, Can I have some cigars? JOKE I am brimmed.

[Deuce Da Masta]

Originally Posted by baboruger

You know I agree with Shelby. This really annoyed my with the last two blind review panels and I talked with Stogie about this on the phone one night. If you say you will do something do it. I cannot believe that we still are waiting to see what we smoked in panel's 9 + 10 six months ago because so many did not review. It is crazy!

There have been times when things have come up and i have tried to take care of them with a PM. I know that there are delays in things, but with the reviews, come on, how hard is it to smoke some cigars and write up some words on them.

I'm not complaining, just adding to what was said. I think that 99.9% of the people here are great BOTL and do take things seriously, I think with everything there will always be a few who live to the beat of a different drummer. All in all this is a great place with great people, so lets not let the minority take away from the majority of members.

I think the changes Stogie is making are great, i just he did not have to worry about things like this and could enjoy the site without always working to improve (I know that's what you like to do).

Well, those are my thoughts.

If you ever need blind taste panel members, id be more then thrilled to participate!

[CHRIS7891011]

Originally Posted by canney

Can I have some cigars?

[GreySmoke]

[SIZE=3]I agree completely. I don’t know how anyone can do this. I am so the opposite, I am a pay it forward kind of guy. I just don’t understand any other way…[/SIZE]

[jitzy]

Well said Mark.

It's sad, Mark and I spoke over the phone last night about this and what bothers me most is the member in question is a very active member of the board and all of a sudden his last post was a week ago but he has been lurking around. The one thing I truly hope is everything with him is ok couse to go from one of the more active and respected members on here to MIA is weird to me. I will say like Mark no one will miss out on there cigars Mark and I both agree if we have to we'll send them ourselves.

[ashauler]

Mark, I understand your feelings, and as I think you would already know, I agree.

Welcoming all comers "with open arms" is an admirable concept. However, imho, the simple fact that threads stressing the reasons to bomb......the importance of keeping your commitments.....and other such common-sense, integrity based things are being posted with regularity says something.

[nativetexan_1]

Your frustration is understood. You'd think mature adults would take care of business. The only problem at this point is that beyond PM's, you're preaching to the choir. Sorry this experience has come about.

[Lighthouse]

It's an unfortunate situation that can become very frustrating and a viral thing if it's not controlled. I'm glad to see there are new controls being put in place to address this behavior. Perhaps they can be weeded out quicker if the participant knows a review/rating is in store.

[tobacmon]

Originally Posted by cybervee

There are plenty of excuses but rarely any reason for not following through with obligations you make in life -period.

It all comes back to how you were raised. My father taught me that your word is your bond, and it only takes an instant to lose respect but many, many years to get it back.

Unfortunately, not everyone had a father like mine to teach them how to be a man.

This pretty much says it all in my book--Sorry to hear guys--if you need anything Mark, Joe give me a holla!

[Shelby07]

Originally Posted by ashauler

Mark, I understand your feelings, and as I think you would already know, I agree.

Welcoming all comers "with open arms" is an admirable concept. However, imho, the simple fact that threads stressing the reasons to bomb......the importance of keeping your commitments.....and other such common-sense, integrity based things are being posted with regularity says something.

Jamie - Don't get me wrong... I'm certainly not putting the way this board operates down. Quite honestly, we've all been on other boards that treat newcomers like a piece of dirt after the first faux pas. One is just as bad (or good, depending on your point of view) as the other. No matter what those on different boards say (it sure does seem like they worry an awful lot about us,) they have had the same problems and have gotten just as frustrated; the difference is how the problems are handled. This place is evolving and over time it will figure out how to handle these issues in a way that is conducive to the way this board operates. The fact that this board has between 300-350 members logging in every day and is attracting people from the industry where "smarter" boards have been unable to do so has to count for something. Those are real metrics, not just bloviated opinions. You have spoken to me and you know me. I am tolerant to a point, but I am also kind of a no-nonsense person. People need to do what they commit to.

Don't get too wrapped up by criticisms being tossed around on other boards. They are not our problem, and we (contrary to what some apparently believe) are not theirs. I think we can still welcome people and treat them with respect, but the idea that they get the same amount of trust as someone else who has been here a while is something that needs to be clarified. Showing respect and giving trust are two different things. And, the more I have thought about this, the more I realize that these issues do need to be talked about, but not in a destructive and hateful manner.

I know a lot of people are concerned with what is being said on other boards, and it's the reason I kind of went off on a tangent here. The person who disappointed and surprised me the most is someone who has been around longer than I have and is a genuinely nice guy. I would have never had any reason to question him before this, so the whole "open arms" thing doesn't really apply in this case. On one hand I am very concerned about him because it is so out of character. On the other hand, he has logged in several times since this whole thing started to come down and has ignored attempts to be contacted by me and others. I can't understand for the life of me why he wouldn't just send me a one line PM or make a phone call to someone and let us know he's still there. That's the part that really upsets me.

[Architeuthis]

This is precisely why I no longer participate in PIF's or Passes... After having to learn a few lessons myself about what to expect, I'd prefer to do just put on a little contest here or there and give away some of my artwork occasionally. I won't be disappointed this way.

[Deuce Da Masta]

I won a contest on another forum that i never got, but thats been it. Sad to see. I know once in a while something comes up, but if they are logging onto the site and not replying to PM's somethings up! Just not right.....

[Stogie]

I see this as something we need to work through. Yes we welcome everyone and yes we give everyone a chance but I feel this new "Reputation System" will help since it will be right in front of us. I am not saying that this will solve all problems but it is a tool we can use.

As far as how the board is evolving I think most know where we were and I can answer any questions about where we are going. When the board was built it was for enjoyment and I have alot of fun. I think our focus should be on events and getting people out to them. Passes, PIFs, and contest are fun and if we can get a procedure down to make them work better we should be OK. Like I told Mark "Shelby07" last night, it is my first priority right now.

In the past few days some things have changed as far as my focusing on the board 24-7. Most know that I am glued to my Blackberry and for good reason.

Last week we had a person get scammed but the rules state to perform the trades in the Buy/Sell section. We can not control what people do outside of the rules. Yes it really sucks but people need to use good judgement.

People in other communities might see us as targets and I can see to some extent that may be true. I however have had more fun meeting fellow cigar smokers on a regular basis that will be friends for life. To me you can not put a price on that. Where else are you going to meet a Brother of the Leaf from Colorado and have him invite you to his house? Where else with you meet people that have the same sort of values that your parents taught you?

Before CigarLive.com I would have been sitting at home watching from the outside and never meeting anyone. Now it is a different story.

Have hope people we will get passed these bumps and find a way to help combat bad traders.

[Stogie]

Originally Posted by architeuthis

This is precisely why I no longer participate in PIF's or Passes... After having to learn a few lessons myself about what to expect, I'd prefer to do just put on a little contest here or there and give away some of my artwork occasionally. I won't be disappointed this way.

You back again Squid? I lost count!

[iloveclmore]

Originally Posted by cybervee

There are plenty of excuses but rarely any reason for not following through with obligations you make in life -period.

It all comes back to how you were raised. My father taught me that your word is your bond, and it only takes an instant to lose respect but many, many years to get it back.

Unfortunately, not everyone had a father like mine to teach them how to be a man.

Same here. If you do not honor a commitment, then you will rarely be trusted again. I am glad that my parents instilled in me the values of fairness and honoring commitment.