Spring cleaning - Cleaning up the forum

[infernalis]

As many of you may know, and some of you may not, this forum used to be owned and operated by someone else....

Recently my friend and colleague Jason (AKA Boots) purchased the forum and asked me to help out with things.

one step I feel rather strongly about is "erasing the ghosts" so I will be spending a lot of time re-editing the rules, removing junk posts, combining some relevant threads, deleting some user accounts (Not to worry, the accounts I am removing are per the requests of the original members, no one who is currently active will be deleted)

This will also include deleting any avatars containing the word "moderator" in them.

The only 2 moderators here are myself and Boots. There should be no confusion, all previous management is gone, no longer a part of the community.

One of the more positive changes will be double the pictures per post from 4 to 8.

This will allow you to include smiles with pictures, include more pictures without making multiple posts in the same thread, etc....

I am completely open to member input and ideas, please feel free to post your comments and ideas right here....

This is YOUR forum, and it is our sincere wish to make your stay with us here as pleasant and productive as possible.

[Aaron_S]

My forum eh? Where's my Mod status :D

[infernalis]

My forum eh? Where's my Mod status :D


Trust me, it's a lot of work and the paychecks are small. ;)

[Aaron_S]

Whoa I didn't realize there WERE paychecks...

[infernalis]

More like I.O.U. slips sent C.O.D......http://laserpointerforums.com/images/smilies/crackup.gif

[Aaron_S]

Well I'm still waiting for the anointment :P

[mykee]

Correct me if I'm wront, but has Jason not owned (or at least run) this site for a few years now?
I remember when this site had it's heyday (from 2000-2004) and the owner(s) at the time just ran it into the ground with a bunch of really bad choices. It was once a great site and has seen it's Great Depression years lately. I hope that ssnakess.com can once again become the great site that it once was, luring back many of the old members who are a wealth of information and some great personalities as well.

[siz]

Aaron...he said it's MINE! BACK OFF! :p
That's good Wayne, I'm sure the forum could use a bit of cleaning up. Yay for a higher picture limit!
This is one of my favourite forums. It's not as busy as I can tell and have heard it once was, but there are still some great members here, and even though I don't post as much as I used to, there is a feeling of community here. That doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement and development, of course. ;)

[infernalis]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but has Jason not owned (or at least run) this site for a few years now?
I remember when this site had it's heyday (from 2000-2004) and the owner(s) at the time just ran it into the ground with a bunch of really bad choices. It was once a great site and has seen it's Great Depression years lately. I hope that ssnakess.com can once again become the great site that it once was, luring back many of the old members who are a wealth of information and some great personalities as well.


Jason took ownership in 2007, I just asked him last night.

He is a very busy person and has not really had the time to dig in and clean it up.

I own a forum so Jason probably figured I would be too busy to help with this one, However when he did ask, I agreed.

I built my forum up with hand picked members, so it does not require a lot of time or attention, So I agreed to dedicate some time getting ssnakess.com cleaned up and brought back to life.

Hopefully we can rise this forum up and make it the shining star it could be with proper management and clear decisions.

[Will0W783]

Cool! I'm all for it, especially the higher picture limit. :)

[marvelfreak]

Out of the 8 site i am a member of this is by far my favorite. (And i am even a moderator on one.) It'll be nice being able to post more pics. Out of all the site i am on this is the only one that feels like i am hanging out freinds. Some other site you ask a question and your talk down to like a little kid.

[infernalis]

I know what you mean there, that was what motivated me to start my forum.... The mods on the one I was most active at had (have) a "god complex" and frequently butcher posts.

[shaunyboy]

sounds like a great plan infernalis.
marvelfreak i too am a member of a few forums,but this is my favorite and the first one i visit when i turn my computer on.

i wish you all the best in getting the forum back to its former glory.ive got a feeling it might surpass any previous attempts this time round mate.
cheers shaun

[mykee]

Wayne, I truly hope you do what you say you can do, becasue the few forums that I am a member of, I'm fairly dedicated to. However, it seems the reptile community in my geographic location is getting to be more like a soap opera than a group of like-minded people brought together by the love of their hobby.
All the in-fighting, name-calling, cliques, gossip and nattering is taxing.
This site is, once again, a breath of fresh air.

[marvelfreak]

Wayne, I truly hope you do what you say you can do, becasue the few forums that I am a member of, I'm fairly dedicated to. However, it seems the reptile community in my geographic location is getting to be more like a soap opera than a group of like-minded people brought together by the love of their hobby.
All the in-fighting, name-calling, cliques, gossip and nattering is taxing.
This site is, once again, a breath of fresh air.
Amen! Couldn't have said it better.

[infernalis]

We have been lucky so far, all the current members I am familiar with are great people, So there have not been any "flame wars" but I will say this, I check the site no less than six times a day, and if a flame war did break out, I would have the posts deleted so fast most people wouldn't even know it happened.

Sometime though I am guilty of trying to be too nice, In other words I don't like to throw my weight around, I have to change that a little.

Sometimes telling a person what they don't want to hear is going to be necessary for the best interest of the animal(s)....

Unlike other "hobbies" (I use that word very loosely, to me a hobby is collecting records, ball cards or comic books) if a person loses interest or does a crappy job, the reptiles are the ones who suffer, not the person who suddenly decides it's too much work to run after pet supplies.

[Lankyrob]

Best thing i have found so far about this forum is that everyone openly states their opinions but seems to accept that others are allowed to make their own decisions. Think this is why there seems to be no flaming on this forum compared to others. Certainly seems to be a 'mature' community compared to some.

Keep up the good work!!:):)