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SleevePlz
Posts: 6,249 ✭✭✭✭
Last year, I began smoking cigars. Shortly thereafter, I discovered the plethora of cigar forums populating the internet. I'm not a person that typically joins forums and if I did, I would be lucky to post once or twice. I even ran my own blog for a few months (not cigar related) and that couldn't even keep my attention. As I checked out all the different cigar forums, I noticed that I didn't care for the tone of most of them. They seemed to be rather elitist, cliquish, or just not very inviting in general. Then I found this forum while looking up reviews on some cigars. The demeanor here seemed different. Everyone here seemed like very real, normal guys. People got along. Lots of joking. I actually thought I might fit in here. So I created an account. I started off pretty slow. I think it took me about 2 months to hit 100 posts. Then I really hit my stride and felt at home. I finally felt like a fellow BORK earlier this summer. Many people are BOTL, but to be a BORK was something even more special. To be a part of this wonderful community was really special.
I'm not so sure I feel the same way today as I did earlier this summer. Lately, the fun-loving, everyone-gets-along community has been the exact opposite. It has been really sad to see the behaviors exhibited by so many of this great community. I honestly expect better from many of you. If this was the forum I saw months ago, I'm sure I never would have given this place a second thought. I hope we can get back to where we once were. I feel a little stupid being the one to post something like this with such a short time here, but it needs to be said.
LLA - Lancero Lovers of America
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feels like something changed on the forum.
I don't know..............I have been here 16 months or so, but not nearly as much as I used to, as I spend much of my "cigar" online time on several other sites now, where as a year ago it was spent primarily here. And, I now do most of my buying on other sites (sorry ccom).
I still lurk and check in enough to have a general pulse of the Forum, but definitely not the "trade" or "bomb" activities, so I can't comment on that.
That being said, imvho, this forum is still, by far! the most civil, friendly, non-cliqueish, true "botl" friendly Forum out there from what I have seen/experienced, and I frequent 8 other well known forums regularly.
Has it "gone downhill" with respect to behavior and communication?.......possibly.........but it's still the best forum out there.
just my two cents............
I think the forums have changed as well, but that's because times and economies and people change. I think they've changed by there aren't the 100's and 100's of threads on "How to season a humi" or "What does BOTL mean?" or "DON'T USE THE GREEN HUMIDIFIER" threads. I've seen a fellow canadian poster get railroaded out of these forums and it was ugly, I never got involved and never judged, I just let the forum do it's own thing.
So it may get crazy around here, but it's crazy for every BOTL out here! The economy sucks, jobs suck, it's an election year and all these things weigh heavy on the mind, so even if they come to these forums and try to relax and calm down on here, those emotions have very big undertones and sway people's words and actions.
ALSO, don't EVER not question these forums, we govern ourselves, so we NEED people to question things around here, but that being said, give it some time, it will come back, maybe not in the same way, but it will come back and become a bigger or smaller part of your life, but it will move on.
I wish I could go back to the days when I started and Maddy, Kuzi, Urbino and SO MANY more guys were still regulars, but their lives have changed and they can't be the same person.
Thank you for your post, but as a veteran I say stick with it, it'll do ya good.