To All The BP.Net Oldtimers...

I am sure someone on here will just have to put in their 2 cents and flame on me but I just want to say to the Original BP. netters that I miss you guys and the old days on here.
I haven't been around much because this site while still the best place to come to get the very best advice on the care of your bp's and other reptiles has really taken a nose dive in so many respects.
Much of which comes not from the site but from the very strange group of folks that have taken up residence on here ( please don't post on here and ask if I am talking about you, if you have to ask then it must be you)
and just seem to always be looking for a fight or conflict or just have that " Iam superior/ nose up in the air" attitude .

I was just scanning thru the post under different threads and it's just argue and conflict and name calling one right after the other and it is a damn shame. What happen to those good old days a few years back???? When it was a joy and something I use to look forward to, coming on and hanging out w/ folks who even tho I had never meant most of you I looked on as a sort of a family.
Just wanted to let the oldtimers know I was still around and still recommend this site to folks I meet who are newbies or even old pros and I just hope the tide soon turns on here so it will be a more enjoyable place to come and hang out.
Maybe doing this on an open forum wasn't the best way to go about it but I felt this would get out to the folks who made this site what it is today and maybe open the eyes of some of the newer members.

Guess I just had to air out and express my feelings and I hope this doesn't offend most of you ( and you guys know who you are )

Peace/Out

Jody, I do totally understand where you're coming from. But I think what you're seeing is a combination of perspective, and of the inevitable changes you'll find in a growing site like this.


What I mean by "perspective" is that it is a common thing to look back on the "good ol' days" and just remember the sunny times, while forgetting that they also had their share of storms and irritants. Even as the site grows and changes, we still have long stretches of "peace" where everyone gets along and new people are freely and happily taught how to care for their snakes. But we do certainly have rough patches and it may seem as if they come more frequently and last longer than they used to...but I think that's always the case when you're in the midsts of the stormy season.

I do agree, though, that the overall personality of the site has shifted some from what it was when you and I were both new here. But the only way to keep that from happening is to not have an open, public forum, but to have a closed club where only certain people are ever allowed to join and express themselves. For anyone who longs for those "good ol' days," I would suggest that instead of withdrawing from the community, that they step up and be active and set an example of the kind of behavior they would like to see.

We can't dicate how every little post is written or what tangents a thread may shoot off in. We can't ban people just because they annoy us. All we can do is try to maintain high standards as a community...and community pressure will help keep everything from flying apart into chaos. So...instead of withdrawing....I would implore you, and any others who read this and agree....to be a PART of the community and to set the example that you would like to see others follow.

What would we have left, if all the very best of our people walked away from our changes???

Why cant you enjoy it like you used too? I come on here everyday and enjoyit even more!! I just try to ignore the bad stuff. I have bien on this forum for a year and it hasnt change very much in my eyes. I think i may know who that strange group of peeople are...;)

Hey Girl....This ole timer is still around. Dont post much, but still enjoying this site. I just take everything with a grain of salt. As long as Im happy, my snakes are happy.....I must be doing something right. Stay around girl....

Peace!!

Ironhead you rock !!!! ( and Judy you already know you do )

Communities like this are ever changing and evolving...its simply a fact of life. You can't help keep a community fun and enjoyable if you don't stick with it which is why changes take place...people come and then they go. Someday the newer folks here now might be saying your exact words, its just a cycle. That said I am one who comes and goes and sure there are changes in the atmosphere but good knowledge and ideas have never stoped being spread from what I can see.

lol; remember the ChiP status that people would get when they misbehaved too much? :)
I too think that all of this polarization is a bad thing. You can take only so much before it just makes everything taste bad. But sometimes things are just so distasteful that you can't help but comment on it; then someone disagrees, as people are bound to do; and it just gets ugly and off-putting.
I really hate it; in the future, I personally plan on basically trying to just help out, have fun commenting and discussing things, and give/get advice; this is all for the snakes, not a place to form teams, take sides, flame, and argue. On another forum i frequent, things suffered because people had trouble w/ religious differences and putting-down others' religions and spirituality; it is a waste of a great forum when that happens.

Things are just pretty heated right now about the whole MKR thing. Its basically a match between those who have been around the biz for a while versus a group of newer people to the hobby who are intimidated/frustrated with the high price of morphs and look at someone like MKR as heaven sent to make these high dollar animals accessible to them.

Unfortunately, those newer people don't have a sufficient frame of reference to "see the light" on how a seller like MKR can really ruin the taste of the hobby. All everyone argues about it money this money that, the price of morphs, etc etc and loses sight of these awesome animals for what they are. I don't support MKR, and I feel like if I post in a thread responding to something, that thread goes right to the top of the list on here and is viewed by more people, giving them more publicity- if you don't want to support MKR or any other arguement on here, DON'T post in it and the thread will die that much faster.

I think things will go back to normal after all the current tension passes. I've been here almost 3 years...this type of up and down is pretty normal, and the admins do a great job keeping it real around here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

lol; remember the ChiP status that people would get when they misbehaved too much? :)

---

LMAO! I forgot all about that! Thanks for the flashback, Gin

I don't post much, but I do visit daily. It's good to see there's still a few of us left from the Godfather days. Hey Papa Bear, let's get together and drink some beers at Wizill's tombstone, then we'll go dig up Hoomi!

I ran into Wizill randomly at some party in southwest va one night a year or so ago...very strange and random.

He does DJ stuff now, no more balls....;)

I remember a few older members that aren't here anymore; Marla, RPlank, a few others. It was RPlank's BCI avatar that inspired me to get my BCI, lol.
Nice to see you're still into BPs Steel :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jotay

I was just scanning thru the post under different threads and it's just argue and conflict and name calling one right after the other and it is a damn shame. What happen to those good old days a few years back????

---

..thats what happens when you just 'scan' through posts and don't understand all the background information that led to the conflict. When I first joined this site there were very few people that were looking to try breeding as a business....now they are all over. Since reptile related business is an facet of the hobby, the topics can be discussed...and when any business topics are discussed...there will be arguements...it is like politics....you just have to deal with it....it will come and go......and it is no worse than a f/t versus live arguement after all....so what is the deal?

It is great that someone who rarely contributes can downcast people on this site for a few series of posts that were 'scanned' through...glad you can at least contribute to all the negativity ;)

I'm a newcomer here but not to online communities. Occasional conflict occurs in any online community. Respectful dialogue whether you share others' view or not is to be striven for but sometimes debates get heated because people feel strongly about their views. Yep, there are some conflicts here at the moment but again, I think all communities go through this from time to time. To my mind, it doesn't affect the overriding tone here - one of a community of people committed to sharing their passion, knowledge. and experience to support one another and help other people and the animals in their care. I applaud the admins and mods here for the job they are doing to keep conflict and drama to a minimum and to maintain the tone and purpose of the site. I think this is a great site and while I'm still sitting back watching as I'm new and as yet have little to share I'm very happy to be a member of this community - lots of friendly folks here. Just :2cent: from a newcomer.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by elevatethis

I ran into Wizill randomly at some party in southwest va one night a year or so ago...very strange and random.

He does DJ stuff now, no more balls....;)

---

Wow Wizill huh? Remember John, man that was way way back.
I think I was like the 4th person to join once John found me...lol
Funny stuff.
Yeah I remember the old days, good stuff. I know a few of you guys are still around, and I love seeing that. I miss it too, but I guess everything changes. Most of the time it is a good change. I'll stick around and see what happens.
Rusty

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by daniel1983

..thats what happens when you just 'scan' through posts and don't understand all the background information that led to the conflict. When I first joined this site there were very few people that were looking to try breeding as a business....now they are all over. Since reptile related business is an facet of the hobby, the topics can be discussed...and when any business topics are discussed...there will be arguements...it is like politics....you just have to deal with it....it will come and go......and it is no worse than a f/t versus live arguement after all....so what is the deal?

It is great that someone who rarely contributes can downcast people on this site for a few series of posts that were 'scanned' through...glad you can at least contribute to all the negativity ;)

---

Ok first off maybe scanning was a bad choice of words. I am on here reading ENTIRE threads same as everyone else commenting on the topic. No different then the thread writers and posters.
Second, I have contributed a plenty on here since 2003, how about yourself?
And living on here for the last year/18 mos makes you more the BP. Netter? Oh that's right your Admin., then you should know.

Third you better believe I will downcast on who and whomever I think is dragging this site down w/ petty BS. Until which time I will go or be asked to go. Tho, I do do my downcasting via private messages which is where some of the petty arguements I have seen on here should go.

So let go of the holy 'tude

Like I said I knew someone would try to start a flame , be it ever so slight.

Ahhhhhh..............


As for it just being this whole MKR thing or so that is what is said to be causing the conflict, a few months ago it was a different reason for the same behavior. Something about newbies and their questions. So while trying to put this on the "breeding " aspect of the hobby it just simply doesn't hold water.
It's just the nature of some of the clicks on here.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by elevatethis

He does DJ stuff now, no more balls....;)

---

:)

Do please realize:

The population has swollen beyond recognition compared to the 500+ users we used to host. With that comes a huge variety of experiences, attitudes and topics open for discussion.

We work harder than most sites to keep things civil. It would be so easy to throw that effort into the wind and let things devolve by saying "everything goes" or making most things forbidden. Maintaining that balance makes for a lot of work. The folks here on staff put in incredible hours and effort to maintain that. It's easy to get burnt out by such. The fact that we have had as little turnover as we have among staff speaks to their dedication to the site as a whole. It pays nothing. No one profits monetarily. All efforts are done out of a sense of obligation to the community - not personal glory, not megalomania, not finances.

In trying to keep things this way for an every-growing community there will be detractors - folks who call us repressive, decry our "heavy-handed censorship" while others will complain we let people go too far. In the middle of all that chaos good useful information is still TO THIS DAY exchanged. FOlks still come here with questions - and they still leave with good answers.

It's a hurtful but true fact we can't please everyone - perhaps least of all ourselves - but we continue to do what we do in donating time and effort (this goes for contributing members as well!!) in our lasting belief in this community.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jotay

Ok first off maybe scanning was a bad choice of words. I am on here reading ENTIRE threads same as everyone else commenting on the topic. No different then the thread writers and posters.
Second, I have contributed a plenty on here since 2003, how about yourself?
And living on here for the last year/18 mos makes you more the BP. Netter? Oh that's right your Admin., then you should know.

Third you better believe I will downcast on who and whomever I think is dragging this site down w/ petty BS. Until which time I will go or be asked to go. Tho, I do do my downcasting via private messages which is where some of the petty arguements I have seen on here should go.

So let go of the holy 'tude

Like I said I knew someone would try to start a flame , be it ever so slight.

Ahhhhhh..............


As for it just being this whole MKR thing or so that is what is said to be causing the conflict, a few months ago it was a different reason for the same behavior. Something about newbies and their questions. So while trying to put this on the "breeding " aspect of the hobby it just simply doesn't hold water.
It's just the nature of some of the clicks on here.

---

....you contradict everything that you preach with your own written words. Re-read your own posts and what you are saying....then grow up and open your eyes. My post is no more of a flame than your initial one...so settle down ;)

I read EVERY post that comes across this site and have read EVERY post that is recorded in the site archive. I don't mess around when it comes to bp.net because these people ARE my friends...and to see someone start a thread basically stating "This site used to be cool, now it sucks because of the people on it" will NEVER go unreplied to as long as I am around.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jotay

What happen to those good old days a few years back???? When it was a joy and something I use to look forward to, coming on and hanging out w/ folks who even tho I had never meant most of you I looked on as a sort of a family.

---

That's exactly how I see the site as it is today ... different strokes I guess.

-adam

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

That's exactly how I see the site as it is today ... different strokes I guess.

-adam

---

Right on brother. Some people (read: the one that started this thread) don't have a clue what goes on here on a daily basis. Its not just bickering. There are people being helped to make the right decision with their animals. People giving away snakes to those that have lost animals or whose breeding didn't go as expected. Off topic humor that keeps people loose in this stressful thing we call life. Friendships made that would not have been if not for this site. So to sum up, some people need to get over themselves and contribute more if they think they can do better. :rockon:

Bp.net has my 100% support I love this place.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jglass38

Right on brother. Some people (read: the one that started this thread) don't have a clue what goes on here on a daily basis. Its not just bickering. There are people being helped to make the right decision with their animals. People giving away snakes to those that have lost animals or whose breeding didn't go as expected. Off topic humor that keeps people loose in this stressful thing we call life. Friendships made that would not have been if not for this site. So to sum up, some people need to get over themselves and contribute more if they think they can do better. :rockon:

---

Good post jamie!

I feel as if iI have know most of the common users on this forum like i know alot of my family. I may not be the brightest crayon in the box, but I know whos nice and who will help and who are friends from baddys , no gooders, and the outlaws.

There arnt many outlaws,no gooders, or baddys on this forum. There ar occasional people who come on and don't like our advise and tell us to get lost .

I have bien on this forum for a little over a year and i havnt seen much change. A few people have gone. But I remember all sorts of people from then that are here now. I personaly love seeing people comeing on this forum and becomeing a common user. Its what this forum is for , its not for just a certain amont of people. Its here to help all sorts of people to come and gain and give knowledge of reptiles.

Just had to vent.

Post whore... :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jglass38

Post whore... :D

---

Hey i was having problems...lol...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by stangs13

Hey i was having problems...lol...

---

Its ok flip flop..Good post!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jglass38

Its ok flip flop..Good post!

---

Thanks!;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ginevive

Nice to see you're still into BPs Steel :)

---

But of course! Picked up a nice normal '06 female two months or so ago...such a nice gal.

As far as the bickering and flaming, it's usually pretty rare and doesn't last long anyway.

Besides, I think we all know....

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/9/8/0/retard.jpg

There are so many good, worthwhile threads on here, it is useless to focus on a few rotten-apple threads. I know personally, if I reply in one of those threads, it is because I can't help but share my opinion on something that I feel strongly about.
But let's not let this BS divide us; the core group of members here know how things roll, and we will roll on thruogh the naysayers and their ilk.

A lot of us refer to BPNet as our online "family". Personally I don't know about you all, but I have a few nuts in my family tree (online and offline LOL). Heck I'm probably one of the nuts in the ole tree! Family is family, you have good days, you have days you want them to take a long walk off a short pier. You have newcomers that drive you nuts and old timers that know it all or assume they do. You have folks somewhere in the middle of that arc. It's all good and it's just part of any group of human beings interacting.

Somewhere in it all though, BPNet is still chugging along every day. Doing a hell of a great job supporting people's interest in herps, helping these lovely creatures live a superior life in captivity and helping a lot of us form personal and business relationships that will last a lifetime.

As Judy said, it's easy to look back on the "good old days" and with the distance of time, forget that issues occurred then. Sure they were likely less as the number of members was lower but even though I wasn't around then, I know enough about human nature to know they had to have occurred. You can't put 3 or more humans in any interaction and not have conflict at some point.

The only way I know of to help keep things on track around here is to simply participate regularily. Jump into threads and help direct them, enjoy the humour for what it is, ignore the attention whores, support and welcome newcomers and enjoy the benefit of the oldtimers who stick around here year after year and form the backbone of BPNet. Support the Admins and Mods that do an often thankless job trying to run herd on a very diverse, very large group of people that are often passionate in their viewpoints.

If you have time to whine and complain about something then you have the time to do something about it. ~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

mmm sass.
why not just appreciate the people here you like that are still left and ignore the ones you dislike? that may be a whole lot of people, but its not hard.
..
dont think i get this thread, its kind of crazy. instead of saying "lol remember the good ole days" its "lol god it sucks as compared to ___"
that sure makes some of the new people here reading this feel -wonderful- because i sure do feel that way.