Shocked By Forum Rules

[TwoTankAmin]

I have been a member here since Dec. 2004. I was reading the new posts today when I clicked through to this post http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...0418&hl=torpedo and was shocked to see this note on a post edited by a mod:

Mod Edit: Please don't link to other sites when there is a wealth of information on the subject on this one. Also, linking to other sites is considered to be a breach of the rules unless expressly permitted by a mod.

In all my years of visiting fish related sites I have never run across such a conceited, self serving and ignorant attitude expressed on any of them. Do the powers who run this site believe they are the nly site on the net with good info. Do they think that the answer to any and every question about fish is already contained here? Have they perhaps stolen every photo and article every written on fish topics and posted them here?

Exactly why do you feel the need to prevent users from getting good info from other places? Why should users here have to get permission before posting a link to elsewhere

I have posted links to other sites from here and have not had my links removed. A good example is in regards to zebra plecos (which I breed). There is very little decent info on them on this site so I direct people to a site dedicated to this one fish.

When I am trying to help somebody with a question here, I am not prepared to do a search and then read all the posts here on a topic and then link to the ones that are accurate when I already know that info exists on another site I can point to.

What I also wonder about is applying this policy in reverse. I also post at other fish sites and sometimes the answer needed at one of them can be found on this site. If I applied the same principles the rule here demands, then I would certainly not send anybody here for info from another site?

Seems to me some folks administering this site have some big egos. If I am wrong, please correct this impression.

 

[OohFeeshy]

It generally only applies to competing sites (ie, those with forums). General reference sites are fine.

 

[smurfyy_2k3]

ive linked to plenty of sites without it being removed unless it has a forum i dont see why its a problem

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The zebra pleco site I linked to has a forum- so that can't be it??

Keep trying to come up with an acceptable explanation for this form of censorship though guys.

 

[Annastasia]

There is no problem with linking to sites, just to other forums. Since I don't know what that link was before it was edited, I can't say why it was edited out. Perhaps he linked a profile on another forum, I don't know. A moderator wouldn't edit it out for the egotistical, powerloving fun of it though, so there was a reason.

I'd like to think I'm not a conceited, self serving, ignorant, egotistical power that runs this site, but maybe you should tell me.

Edit: Sometimes specialist sites are allowed, if we don't have a ton of info here. Probably the case with your Zebra Pleco post.

 

[CFC]

Yes the official rule is that you may not directly link to other "general" fish forums which are in direct competition with this one without permission from the admin/mod team, however linking to specialist sites such as zebra pleco.com, planet catfish, waterwolves, the puffer forum, etc is allowed if there is information there which is of importance to the question or the question cannot be answered here. Linking to other fish related sites without forums or where the forum is barely used (such as Fishbase) is also allowed as we would rather see information in its original form than have plagiarised work posted here.
The rule was put in place to prevent people from joining from smaller forums with the sole reason of poaching members to fill their boards.

For example:

Q) My guppy is sick can someone help

A) If you post your question at Anothersmallerforum.com the people there can help you.

I hope this clears things up.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The main forum index page here shows:

Our members have made a total of 1239981 posts
We have 18711 registered members

I do not believe there is another fish related forum on the net with more posts and only ******* ******* boasts more members with just over 50,000. Why are you worried about what other small fish forums are up to since it is clear this site is a pretty well known nexus for fish info? It seems to me that anybody who would leave here for some new small forum is really not much of an asset to this site anyway.

I can understand removing posts with bad language, posts that provide links to porn sites etc., posts that are personal attacks on other members etc etc., however removing a link to small new fish forum still makes little sense to me. But that is just my opinion.


Mod's Note:

Please don't try to get around our rules by spelling out the name of another forum. Breaking the rules is breaking the rules. Period!

 

[CFC]

If you ran a business would you be happy if a customer turned around to another customer in front of you and told them that they can buy the same product at the same price at a new business that had just started up in the same town?

While the forum is a non proffit organisation it still relies on its google hits and fees from sponcers to pay for the huge ammount of server space it occupies. Losing one member to a new forum doesnt seem like much but slow drips have a habbit of becoming floods so its best to stop them before that can happen.

 

[black angel]

I think you will find that most forums dont allow links to other forums.

 

[Neal]

CFC, you say that but TFF isn't trying to sell anything. I can sort of understand where your coming from, but I still think it's a bit of a stupid rule, i've used links to TFF on many other forums, just so you know. TFF is suppose to be about helping people and for the regulars to talk, it's not suppose to be a competitive buisness. I think the rule is a bit silly, as it's stopping other members from finding out some information that may not be able to be provided here, such as i'd like to find more planted forums, even though this one is very helpful. It would still be nice to go and visit others, but if I did, it wouldn't stop me coming here and posting in the planted forum, infact i'd share my information that I got elsewhere, thus helping and educating/informing other people.
This is just my opinion, and therefore what I think and nobody else has provoked me into saying any of this.

Neal

 

[furryrabbit]

im with the mods on this one

 

[pica_nuttalli]

honestly, this topic has been brought up and responded to by William a countless number of times. it boils down to this:
TFF has had bad experience with people spamming advertisements to other/rival sites in the past. To counter this poor behavior, all competitive links are against the rules.

In practice, only a few sites are actively censored. Links to these sites are not permitted because they would actively drain TFF traffic without providing significant "unique" information. Most specialist sites are permitted because they offer more information than can be obtained via active TFF members. There are a few notable exceptions to the permission of specialist sites, but generally this is because TFF already has a large contingent of resident "experts". There are some sites which are automatically censored; I suspect that these sites are banned due to spamming problems in the past.

 

[Griz]

Seems like a sensible rule to me; espcecially if it is administered in a fair and reasonable manner, which IME it always has been. This is standard paractice on most forums and our Mods seem to give quite a bit of leeway when enforcing it around here.

Posting links to other forums who's information may or may not be accurate opens up a can of worms. Google is there to use for anyone doing research on a topic and as we all hopefully know, there's a lot of bad information out there. What I like about TFF is that there is a huge number of members. When I ask a question it is nice to get information from people who have actually kept the fish I'm asking about or who have actually experienced the same situation. Pointing me in the direction of a good reference site can often be helpful but pointing someone to another forum of unknown credibility is sometimes worse than useless.

Keep things the way they are.

 

[vancouver]

Both sides have a valid argument.. but no amount of discussing it will convince either side that they are wrong... This topic is just going to get worse.

 

[Alexis]

This is a bit off topic, but you breed Zebra Plecos?!!! My fiance wants one of those!!! But we read that they're very rare/expensive and are carnivorous, so he gave up... I think. LOL.

Anyway, on the topic at hand, I don't think I really have an opinion. I guess I can understand not linking to other forums (maybe), but I do agree with you on the site thing. Everyone should be free to share different sources of info.