CPF will eventually linger on as an example of how BBS were killed off by over modera

[LGT]

Who among us hasn't said or done something egregious to a family member, friend or total stranger?

I know I have. Denying it, I should be considered a fool at best, or more appropriately, a damn liar!

What's the point? We all make mistakes.

During my ten years of membership I've had occasional interaction with the Moderators and Administrators. Some of it was called for, some of it was not. At times it seemed I was being singled-out for much more attention than I thought fair or necessary. At other times the person/s responsible for the aforementioned attention went out of their way to explain their action and/or accommodate a request I'd made.

What's the point? Moderators and Administrators are human. They sometimes make mistakes. If you think that's happened it's best to PM your thoughts in a respectful manner. If the situation isn't resolved to your satisfaction, best to forgive, forget and move on. :grouphug:

~ Chance

Well said Chance.
I should have PM'd Greta to resolve any issues I had, instead of airing it out here.
And my apologies to the OP for disrupting an otherwise nice thread to read through.

 

[Monocrom]

... or someone just being a bit trollish. If they're going to make an accusation, they need to stand by it and provide proof to back it up. Otherwise it's nothing but trolling... and that *IS* a ban-able offense.

Still waiting for those names... :candle: ... not holding my breath... :ironic:

If there is an issue with a certain Admin., PMing you about it would be the right way to go. Not saying everyone with access to the Ban Button is 100% fair, 100% of the time. We're all human and make mistakes. But if there's a pattern of behavior that some feel is regularly below the standards that members should expect from a moderator or admin., once again; they should PM you about it.

 

[nbp]

Wait, Norm passed away?! I noticed he's been missing for awhile but didn't know why. Why wasn't there a thread for us to express our condolences? I mean, whether I agreed with him or not with regards to flashlights has no bearing on the fact that I feel sad for the family and friends that lost a loved one when he passed. Sorry to hear that. RIP Norm. :candle:

Ok, can you confirm that DM51 is not dead, please? That would be too much for one day. I miss him.

This has been a fascinating thread. To be honest, I think there is some genuine healing going on here. I like it. It feels good.

 

[gunga]

What? Norm has passed?!

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Well said Chance.

Thank you.

I should have PM'd Greta to resolve any issues I had, instead of airing it out here.

My post wasn't directed at anyone in particular. No more so than to myself.

And my apologies to the OP for disrupting an otherwise nice thread to read through.

I'm of the opinion your post has given rise to much good content.

~ Chance

 

[orbital]

+

Norm was genuinely one of the guys,, I have a very hard time believing someone here complained about him.
..at most, he'll tell you your image is hotlinked that's it

Norm is missed

 

[Greta]

.... Why wasn't there a thread for us to express our condolences? ..... RIP Norm. :candle:

It was his wishes that it not go public. He conveyed those wishes to a fellow CPF'er before his passing. The beans, so to speak, were spilled HERE and in subsequent posts though. And to be honest - I only mentioned it here because I didn't want someone to make a comment to which I would not have responded very well. I miss Norm every day - he was a very good friend to me and made me smile and laugh on a daily basis around here. I think there are very few here who really knew the kind of guy Norm was. He was a very gentle and kind soul...

Ok, can you confirm that DM51 is not dead, please? That would be too much for one day. I miss him.

I have no idea where DM51 is. He and I had a falling out over how a few things were being handled here and he left. And that really is all there is/was to it. :shrug:

 

[magellan]

Very sorry to hear of Norm's passing. I had the pleasure of visiting him at his house in Warragul, Gippsland, outside of Melbourne, early in March on our trip to New Zealand and Australia from the U.S. At the time he was still doing pretty well and we had a nice dinner together at a local restaurant, talking about Oz and flashlights and whatever. I was going to take the late train back to Melbourne after dinner, but he graciously offered to put me up at his house. Back at his house, we got on the CPF for a bit and he gave me the nickname "Honorary Aussie," which I greatly appreciated, as I have been a fan of Oz since I was a boy. Although I only knew him for a short time, I can say Norm was a great guy and truly the salt of the earth. He will be missed.

 

[nbp]

It was his wishes that it not go public. He conveyed those wishes to a fellow CPF'er before his passing. The beans, so to speak, were spilled HERE and in subsequent posts though. And to be honest - I only mentioned it here because I didn't want someone to make a comment to which I would not have responded very well. I miss Norm every day - he was a very good friend to me and made me smile and laugh on a daily basis around here. I think there are very few here who really knew the kind of guy Norm was. He was a very gentle and kind soul...


I have no idea where DM51 is. He and I had a falling out over how a few things were being handled here and he left. And that really is all there is/was to it. :shrug:

Thanks for posting the link - I don't follow the GTG threads for other areas, and did not see that. It's always a shame to lose a member of the community. Regardless of how we felt about someone's opinions on the boards, I think we all can agree it is sad to see them go. Sometimes we get tough behind our keyboards and let things ruffle our feathers a little too much; I know I have at times. But in reality, all the members are just people, like any of us. We all have our good traits and our idiosyncrasies, and we all have personal lives (beyond our hobby forum) that influence who we are and how we act. We never really can know what others are dealing with that may make them act the way they do. Maybe we can all practice cutting each other more slack at times and just "let it ride" as McGizmo says.

I'm sorry to hear about David. I know there were others who did not care for him, but I personally enjoyed corresponding with him from time to time and Kestrel and I often PM'd each other links to hilarious posts from him when he was on the warpath slaying trolls. I'm still not convinced he wasn't actually some advanced form of AI, and someone has simply powered him down... :huh: David, if you're out there, still lurking, we'd love to have you back. :buddies:

Also, thank you Greta for leaving this thread open. I think it speaks to what you mentioned before about CPF and also individual members, constantly changing, and usually for the better. Some time ago a thread mentioning moderation would have been locked down in 3...2...1. But you left it open, and I think some constructive discussion has resulted. If people can be respectful and decent, open conversation can be a very good thing, even if the opinions shared are not always what we might like to hear at first. I feel that the overall environment here has lightened up a little lately, and it has been pleasant. I firmly believe corporate culture comes top-down, so I think that that is a direct reflection of a more positive attitude coming from the admin/mod staff. I know you (Greta) have had a variety of challenges in your personal life over the years, as most all of us do. Perhaps at times that came through here on the boards, giving some who had limited experience with you the impression that you were not so friendly.... I don't know. And maybe now things have settled down a bit for you, and that is now coming through! I hope that that is the case, and life is a bit more peaceful for you. At any rate, regardless of the reasons, I have appreciated your generally gentle tone lately, and I hope that it continues to filter down to a gentle and friendly community as we know this is.

 

[Greta]

Thank you for your post Nick...

Yes, my life has been turned upside down in more ways than I can even begin to say just in the past 4 years. I really do have enough to write a book. The past 4 months though have been what has finally knocked me on my *** though. But that is life... I'm not special. Perhaps everything combined has led me closer to where McGizmo is... my theme songs now are "Shake it off" and "Let it Go"...

 

[etc]

I had no issues with Norm and certainly am sorry to hear about his passing on.

Thanks for the link.

 

[Monocrom]

At the risk of turning this into a tribute thread about Norm.... He was a great guy. Easily missed. It's a blur how I found out about Norm. I think a fellow CPFer PMed me the news. But I honestly can't recall. I do recall that Norm was fair minded and extremely well liked. Rest In Peace.

 

[Kestrel]

[...] Back at his house, we got on the CPF for a bit and he gave me the nickname "Honorary Aussie," which I greatly appreciated, as I have been a fan of Oz since I was a boy.

Aha, I've noticed that a few times by now when browsing the forum and wondered about it.
CPF doesn't distribute custom handles very often so that was a very nice gesture. RIP Norm.

 

[magellan]

Yes. And it was the perfect choice for me.

 

[Unicorn]

Moderation is needed. Lines need to be drawn and rules need to be made, followed, and enforced.
However, there are a couple times when it's done with a bit more a whip than is needed. It happens. Hell, I've made a complaint about it once. Not just that the rules were being strictly being enforced, my issue was that the mod, and another member were being a bit um... rude themselves in enforcing the rules. Since then either they've mellowed, or I've just accepted it as the norm and don't even notice it anymore.

Now, having said my little whine, this place isn't bad at all. Never has been. There are places that are essentially the playground of the owner... and that's cool as long as his buddies stick around. They tend to chase away so many members that the boards fail quickly.
Basically the opposite of the free for all type places that also fail quickly.

I've been here since almost the beginning... and it's a great place to just hang out.

 

[Robocop]

I must say that I am a member of many forums and CPF has always been the best. It has also been the longest running for me and to this day I learn something new about my hobby each time I visit here. I was always amazed at the sheer amount of information available here to us all and better yet it is free to obtain. Yes not one of us has to pay a single dime to enjoy this place and personally the amount of information, and friends made, here is priceless to me. I have hundreds of lights ranging from old classics to latest and greatest. Every single light I have was a result of reading about it here first then using one of our dealers to buy from. The sheer volume of toys given to me from CPF is worth much to me and I am sure all members can say the same. Yes all that is easily worth overlooking any minor issues through the years and still amazes me it has all been free to visit here any time I wish.

My family life has had some rough times within the last few years and CPF was always there for me to lose myself in when I needed to just relax. Yes CPF has had some issues along the way however that was long ago and today we all enjoy this place due to the efforts of many along the way. Moderators come in all shapes and sizes and we are subject to good days and bad. Most times I actually forget that I am a moderator as I will sign on and quickly get lost reading about the latest cool toy I want. Only after hours of reading do I remember that I am actually expected to help keep threads on track.

My point with all this rambling is to say that mods are actually flashaholics too. We still want to be one of the gang and participate in threads just like everyone else. I have my favorites that I will quickly defend however will do so in a professional way. There is nothing wrong with a good debate on our shared interests and nothing wrong with a disagreement however at times the issue takes a personal tone and will disrupt the group. We must see the big picture and the group as a whole is the most important issue.

So to sum it up look at what we all have available to us. We have the largest resource of flashlight related information at our disposal. Do any type of google search on lights and CPF will always be on that list. We have all this and some amazing dealers, long standing members, amazing modding services, custom makers, and yes again it is all free for us all to enjoy. Surely as a group with such shared passion we can understand the benefits of CPF and also appreciate the effort it takes to bring this to us.

So my advice is enjoy this place every day and understand mods are flashlight geeks too. We all have our own unique style and I am sure sometimes we may ruffle some feathers. That's ok sometimes things happen however again there is always a way to move forward and just be flashlight geeks together. So in case you have not figured it out yet my mod style is to write pages of stuff and try to sound smarter than I am....HA. Seriously I could go on and on however for now will say CPF still does it for me and we do have a wonderful playground for us all.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

A show of hands if you're surprised/disappointed that a thread about a dude with a flashlight stuck up his bum is being allowed to remain in the Café. :wave:

~ Chance

 

[cland72]

A show of hands if you're surprised/disappointed that a thread about a dude with a flashlight stuck up his bum is being allowed to remain in the Café. :wave:

~ Chance

To be fair, it was locked by Empath within 2.5 hours. I think it's being left there instead of deleted, similar to a rancher who hangs the carcass of a coyote on his fence post to deter other coyotes

 

[Kestrel]

Simply deleting a thread provides no info to members (and lets people complain about threads that vanish - that sort of correspondence is tedious to handle BTW).

Please note that the thread closure in question provides direction as to where that topic can be discussed - which is one of the ways that CPF Staff can provide assistance to members.
I'm always surprised by the folks who just don't seem to understand that aspect - it's always easier in the long run to get folks going in the right direction than it is to clean up messes after-the-fact.

 

[more_vampires]

I was always amazed at the sheer amount of information available here to us all and better yet it is free to obtain. Yes not one of us has to pay a single dime to enjoy this place and personally the amount of information, and friends made, here is priceless to me.

Yes, sir. I think this illustrates the strength of the "Open Source" mindset. If I post schematics of a circuit I cooked up and test results, then EVERYONE on CPF has access to that. It's the Open Source way. Closed source would be something like "you must pay $5/month to be able to search and this particular thread with the schematics costs $5 to subscribe and none of it is accessible through open web search." I think that CPF would have never taken off if they tried to monetize absolutely everything, this is what killed the Ubuntu linux distro (though it still staggers along, zombie-like.)

Simply deleting a thread provides no info to members (and lets people complain about threads that vanish - that sort of correspondence is tedious to handle BTW).

Please note that the thread closure in question provides direction as to where that topic can be discussed - which is one of the ways that CPF Staff can provide assistance to members.
I'm always surprised by the folks who just don't seem to understand that aspect - it's always easier in the long run to get folks going in the right direction than it is to clean up messes after-the-fact.

Excellent point. There were some threads in the market place that were pretty much zapped "removed by admin." I felt a bit of a chill, after all... what had the poster done incorrectly? What rule did he violate? Will the same thing happen to me? How can I avoid this?

Zapping everything doesn't educate the users as to the reason for the deletion.