SNOWEST FORUMS: Member Comments on "Letter to All Members"

[JuicedRMKryder]

mps and others, you didn't pay a thing.

harris publishing did. they are the only ones that have paid anything at all to keep this site running. well except the one or two people that donated.

why do you guys want charity? Is this the american way? give me give me. I don't care that it costs money to host a website, I want it for free!

It is sad.

many of us support this site by buying magazines and subscriptions to magazines that are published by Harris Publishing.

 

[christopher]

This has been much debate if the decision was foolhardly or brave.
Many ships and lives were lost. Many feel that a blockade would have accomplished the same without the losses.

Sometimes it just boils down to, "fools rush in".

All the highest ranks in the Navy -- rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral of the Navy -- were created for just one man, the inimitable David Glasgow Farragut, hero of the Battle of Mobile Bay and other sea encounters.

He took the last Confederate stronghold on the Gulf of Mexico in the celebrated Battle of Mobile Bay. The heavily guarded bay entrance was filled with mines, then known as torpedoes. Farragut's cry of "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" is now the stuff of legend, but it was also good tactics. All but one of the fleet's 18 ships passed safely through the channel

Qui audet adipiscitur!!
sedit qui timuit ne non succederet
tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito

 

[christopher]

This has been much debate if the decision was foolhardly or brave.
Many ships and lives were lost. Many feel that a blockade would have accomplished the same without the losses.

Sometimes it just boils down to, "fools rush in".

All the highest ranks in the Navy -- rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral of the Navy -- were created for just one man, the inimitable David Glasgow Farragut, hero of the Battle of Mobile Bay and other sea encounters.

He took the last Confederate stronghold on the Gulf of Mexico in the celebrated Battle of Mobile Bay. The heavily guarded bay entrance was filled with mines, then known as torpedoes. Farragut's cry of "Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!" is now the stuff of legend, but it was also good tactics. All but one of the fleet's 18 ships passed safely through the channel

Qui audet adipiscitur!!
sedit qui timuit ne non succederet
tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito

 

[tudizzle]

The money is no big deal.....I wish HP could make 30ft enclosed trailers full of it for having such a great site.

I just fear that in its zeal to capitalize on the sites profit potential they have chosen a route that has been proven time and time again to be a failing one. Not only one that has failed repeatedly to produce the profits, but a path that has lead to the total demise of the site.

I do not want this to happen to Snowest, so I speak out in opposition to that course of action.



PS....any person that is promoting a business, service or product on Snowest should not be a mod.

 

[blob]

I think it's fair to say everyone in this thread is concerned for the well being of SnoWest and most have some deeply held passions for this place.

Sorry if my hundreds of replies in this thread come across as unprofessional or lacking in informational content. I will continue to try harder to do a better job.

As someone opposed to the changes I am seeing here, I think that Christopher is truly trying to listen to everyone here. His response to a post that I made earlier came across to me as condescending. In re reading his post I see that he was actually agreeing with me. I misinterpreted his post. Christopher took the time to respond to a PM I sent him about the post, and I am convinced that he is really trying to do a good job responding to all the posts here.

In the end we may just have to agree to disagree. Harris Publishing owns the site and can do as they please with it. We as users can choose to stay or leave. I will give it some time. I hope it works well for all involved.

 

[tudizzle]

and on a side note..................these keep popping up!@%#@!!!

 

[christopher]

Christopher,

Are you SURE you've read every post? Or are you playing hot potato with this question?

Your not so much asking me a question that I can answer as you are making a statement.

 

[christopher]

Once the people in group A) stop having temper tantrums, and realize what's going on is B). I think things will hum along nicely

We certainly think so.

 

[christopher]

I notice you generally take what you want out of people's comments (things that are positive toward your view) and address only those.

I try to address that which I can have some impact on. There is little or no point in me engaging in an argument with anyone here. What good will it do.

Those who have expressed a willingness to help us move forward receive my thanks.

Those who have questions that I can address with a beneficial answer, get replies.

Those that want to make a point or just perpetuate the battle, are allowed to.

Those that demand answers to which I have none, are left alone.

 

[christopher]

What about the fact that forum's don't charge? AND, everyone I do business with says they're losing money? How long has this site been losing money?

I have been told by multiple people that the forums have never turned a profit in and of themselves.

And, if this site is going to be the biggest/baddest site, what about the revenue generated from all the businesses wanting to advertise here?

I have NO idea at all. That is handled by the advertising department. They own the top and the side of the forum. I am only responsible for the middle.

What about how smooth things were going 6 months ago vs. now?

While no one believes me, and I totally understand why, there was 0.0% chance of it lasting. By summer's end we were at 100% operating capacity, and were regularly exceeding that. When I came onboard, I simply hastened the inevitable by pressing the servers harder-faster. The traffic load would have done it all by itself had I never been here. The servers HAD to be replaced.

How many of the members have asked for these new bells and whistles?

None. The owners decided what they wanted to do with their forums, and told me to make it happen. They asked me to post a list of what was going to be done before I began making changes and I did. For the most part, very few were interested and few read it.

Will the price still be $10 per year 3 years from now, or will it be $20 per year?

Given the model they have created I see no reason at all why the price would go up for the next several years. Thought I suppose we could see massive inflation in the USA as a result of huge debt spending, and if that happens, then the value of the dollar will drop, and the costs of everything could shoot up.

 

[christopher]

And again I will say that it is possible to show plenty of special interest sites, both larger and smaller, that are profitable. As well as not profitable.
Snowest is one of the biggest and best of the sled forums. The big four routinely read this forum and react to feedback from here.

And they also steadfastly REFUSE to participate here, as do many of our advertisers because of a long history of uncivil behavior on the part of our members.

 

[christopher]

well then someone has got your lingo and speach (in writing) pathology down to an absolute science.

you should be flattered, You now have your first 100% certifiable stalker

In all seriousness, this is NOT A GOOD THING.

Please pass along the word over there, that they don't want to go down that path.

 

[christopher]

They do say impersonation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Not in this case.

 

[christopher]

Do I see a Christopher and SHA stalker video in the making

Lets hope not!

 

[christopher]

But as you said. In the end it doesn't really matter because they've ultimately decided this is what they want to do. We just have to bend over and take it.

Thats simply NOT TRUE.

In the end, you get to make a CHOICE.
To decide if what we are offering is worth the 3 cents a day we are asking.

If it is, STAY and participate.

It it's not, choose from any number of other sites.

Our goal is to make it worth your 3 cents, and to try and offer you more than SnoWest has ever had before.

 

[christopher]

This is where I think SnoWest could get new Premium members,

Offer a stripped down, dial-up friendly, no bells and whistles version of the forums for computer idiot's "sorry, the internet challenged"

I know of two people that read the forum's only after the kids turn the computer on and log on for them.

Let me talk with brian about this.
I don't know if it would be POSSIBLE to offer two different user interfaces at the same time.

But who knows, MAYBE it could be done with a synchronized database on 2 different instances of of the forums??

 

[christopher]

Over 1,162 posts, and 24,425 views and nothing changes. Chris spends more time on the forum defending his position than solving the problem.
But as has been said, he's prob'ly just carrying out orders for Mr. "Big."
Chuck Harris is who snowest.com registers to.

The 'administrative minds' have been made up, no amount of 'tea parties' is going to change anything here.

TTFN

While the general course has been set, do be so fast to write off all of your comments and suggestions that have been made in this monster thread.

Several of them are being worked on as we speak.

 

[christopher]

The peeps with the knowledge came here because it was fun and entertaining. It's not anymore.
It hasn't been for a year or so.
I don't know when it really started to change, but it did and that's too bad.

Well, a lot of us have made up our minds also.
When it go pay, we go away.

I wish snowest all the luck they can use.
I will go where the fun has moved.
This will be my last post.
Goodbye.

Should you change your mind, for whatever reason, you will always be welcome here.

And while I can not make things like they were a year ago, we may yet be able to interject some more fun into the forums in the weeks/months to come. Hang around for at least another month if you can before you sign off for good.

 

[christopher]

Ok since you have given this poll no validity at all, why don't you post your own poll. What kind of evidence do you need? Wait...I forgot you were hired to do a job...so you are completely biased...if this site doesn't make it as a successful paid site...you have failed....who would have thunk!

I never said the poll has no validity, I said that all polls are biased both by the creator and by the responders.

All of us KNOW the tenor of the members. No one expected you to be happy about this. While everyone goes on and on about it not being about the money, we all knew full well it would be all about the money, and many members would be very unhappy at the thought of directly supporting their recreational forum. I don't need a poll to tell me we have some seriously unhappy members right now.

The only poll that will really matter is the one when we convert over to being paid membership. On that poll everyone will cast a vote with their hard earned dollars. The will be where the track meets the snow, or the rubber meets the road.

It will instantly separate those who talk the talk from those that walk the walk. And at that moment, we will know, in absolute definitive terms, what the entire membership thinks.

My job now, is to get us from here to there with as little trauma as possible, knowing full well, that this first week is going to be UGLY. But at the same time, to take as many of the suggestions and comments from the users that can be successfully integrated into that master plan for the site, and to do so for them.

 

[christopher]

PS....any person that is promoting a business, service or product on Snowest should not be a mod.

We are looking at that issue right now.