Red, White and Blue Rant

Artemis · 09-15-04, 05:59 AM

Blah-

After wasting most of nightshift scouring the internet for a US site that is even comprable in terms of coolness to this one, I have given up. There are plenty of US based and focused reptile sites, but they all suck, unless I missed something!

Thing is, in looking for stuff I am interested in, all the links to suppliers and breeders here are in Canada, and the thought of international shipping makes me cringe.

Someday when you admin folks get bored, ya gotta go international and add some US breeders/suppliers that get your vote. Love this site though, really is the best one out there.

Artemis

Vengeance · 09-15-04, 07:30 AM

Ralph Davis is a US breeder and his Banner has been on the site for as long as I've been here.

marisa · 09-15-04, 07:32 AM

I would hate for more US stuff to be here, although I do see your point. But. For us Canadians this is the ONLY site. For Americans, they have their pick of thousands for supplies, animals and chatting. While US based forums might not be as good as this one, Canadians NEED this to be a mainly Canadian based site, because it's really the only one we have.

The day it goes more US than Canada is the day most of us will have to look for yet another Canadian based forum. Not out of anger or anythng, just because we have too. Canadian market is 100% different than the US market.

Marisa

Samba · 09-15-04, 09:16 AM

I don't really understand why the segregation is important... if this site has both US and Canadian advertisers and posters (which I believe it currently does), then what's the big deal? US industries taking over room that could be occupied by Canadian industries?

There really isn't a quality US reptile-based site that I've seen... that's why I keep coming here... all the Canadian-US BS is really irrelevant to me, and frankly, makes me feel a little unwelcomed... but apparently separation is important to others...

Darren179 · 09-15-04, 09:36 AM

its not the fact that americans are unwelcomed. its that us as canadian have nowhere else to discuss whats going on here as far as expos and snakes and so on. The us has an expo every weekend ours but come only so many times a year. our snake industry is well behind the united states and our prices are way different. I think that alot of users feel if the site becomes dominatly american many will feel like they are being kicked out of there "home site" just my opinion though.

Vengeance · 09-15-04, 09:41 AM

Also look at something like Reptiles Magazine. The entire thing is Americian, full of Classifieds, upcoming shows, great articles. I'll bet the reptiles magazine has a forum. But it is 100% Americian, atleast for the last little while I've been reading it I haven't seen a Canadian add in it. So www.ssnakess.com is kinda like the Canadian version of Reptiles Magazine.

Samba · 09-15-04, 09:48 AM

Darren, I guess I can understand the 'invaded' feeling... but you are always going to have canadians on this site, and some americans. I have come to this site for exactly 2 years (this month, actually), and I feel it's far superior than other sites, mainly because, for the most part, most of you are intelligent and interested in discussion and debate.

I know that keeping this site 'mostly canadian' isn't trying to discourage americans from joining, but in some way it does make me personally feel a little unwelcomed. I don't understand why too many americans on this site will somehow affect your ability to communicate with other canadians on the site...

Vengeance · 09-15-04, 10:06 AM

It would effect it greatly I think. As a community it wouldn't effect communication, but for buying and selling it would. I know that 95% of the people selling things here are Canadian, so if I'm looking at banners, or see someone selling something most times I assume it's Canadian. If a larger American presence became more abbundant, I wouldn't know if something being sold was Canadian or Americian. Also because of the fact that the industry's are so diffrent, the volume of Americian breeders vastly out number the Canadian breeders. So then we get to a point like it is with most other sites, finding a Canadian add with something for sale becomes much more troublesome. The other big problem being that getting herps across the border is a pain so not only does it become harder to find the adds that relate to Canadians, but we have to sift through a ton of other add or sites that are completly usless to us. Now if you do a search on something like Yahoo or goggle for lets use Ball python as an example. You are going to get TONS of sites selling Ball pythons, and I'll bet most of them are Americian. So the Americian breeder has a much greater exposure, so this site gives some exposure to the Canadian breeders.

I fail to see how because this is a Canadian site could make you feel unwelcome? That's like saying that a Canadian on an Americian site should feel unwelcomed. If a site is Americian, then of course the content is Americian, the vendors selling are americian and the people posting are Americian. This is a Canadian site, so the same applies, it doesn't mean that Americians aren't welcome it just means this is a Canadian site.

daver676 · 09-15-04, 10:06 AM

Quote:

The day it goes more US than Canada is the day most of us will have to look for yet another Canadian based forum. Not out of anger or anythng, just because we have too. Canadian market is 100% different than the US market.

Not to mention we already live in enough of a shadow of the US as it is.......

BWSmith · 09-15-04, 10:11 AM

If you see very little Candian advertising in Reptile Mag, then maybe some of the Canadian Reptile Companies should start advertising in it. I have seen big ads for companies all over the world in it.

Vengeance · 09-15-04, 10:26 AM

If they should or shouldn't advertise in that magazine is neither here nor there. I think I can safely assume that a large portion of the user base reading reptile magazine is Americian. The Magazine is published out of the US, it is an Americian magazine and as such I don't go looking in an Americian magazine for Canadian content. If I'm looking for Canadian content, then I'll look for a Canadian magazine.

BWSmith · 09-15-04, 10:29 AM

A large base of the mag may be american, but it is distributed all over the world. i am sure that more than a few members here read it. If there is large Canadian reader base, then there is no reason not to advertise in it.

Vengeance · 09-15-04, 10:43 AM

Ok, so with that point back to the original post. This is a Canadian site, with a large Canadian base, and a vast majority of Canadian vendors. But there are Americian readers on this site, so then mabye just as Canadians should be paying to put more adds in Reptile Magazine, Americians should be paying into this site to get their information posted.

Invictus · 09-15-04, 10:53 AM

I completely envy the American herp market. I tell ya, I read the kingsnake classifieds, and I just turn GREEN with envy because of all of the cool stuff down there that can be shipped in a freakin' UPS van for $40! Not to mention the mostly unrestricted laws down there.

I understand your point though, Samba. If I went on a forum that was as cool as this one, and they said "We want to keep it mostly American", I'd feel a little like the fifth wheel myself. But, if it was not only the coolest one, but the ONLY message board that America had, I would totally understand its necessity too. I don't think we're trying to keep the board mostly Canadian as far as members go, but for advertising/selling, I think it's at least fairly important.

Shad0w · 09-15-04, 10:53 AM

Oh im with Marisa on this... The day this site goes more US than Canadian is the day ill start up my own Canadian forum