Constructive suggestions

[Silver]

Hi all

If you have any constructive criticisms and suggestions for this forum - please air your views here.
Please don't get aggressive or attack anyone personally. Or be abusive.

Just plain mature dialogue that can add value.

If you feel so inclined, this is where you can air your views on how you would like to see things to be run on the forum.

Try explain yourself fully, don't just write one phrase or make a joke.

Let's see what we come up with

 

[Viper_SA]

My suggestion would be for all the aggrieved parties to take a day or two to cool off, and then only start a dialogue. I have no idea what happened, since I'm still pretty much a noob here and hardly know anyone personally, but continuing likes this is bad for vaping, no matter which side of the fence anyone is on.

 

[Humbolt]

continuing likes this is bad for gaping, no matter which side of the fence anyone is on.

I agree, I would like to gape in peace
Seriously, though, I think this should be a sticky.

 

[Silver]

I agree, I would like to gape in peace
Seriously, though, I think this should be a sticky.

Done

 

[Silver]

Not to make light of a serious topic. But gaping is an extreme fetish. Not nearly as pain free as vaping

Sorry @Jakey

Please bear with me - I am going to delete your post - not because it's bad or anything like that

But lets just keep this perfectly sincere and without jokes etc

I know that half the problem is that members think we are being too strict - but just on this thread, please allow me to keep it clean.

 

[Silver]

By the way

In case you are wondering why I am posting this - it is because I and the team of Admins and Mods genuinely care about this forum.

I know I have personally been guilty in the past of harrassing members to post all the correct info in their Classifieds ads and put in their locations and their avatars - and if that offends you - well then I am sorry - but I genuinely think it adds value. Just on this point for example (which is a fairly trivial thing) - if you feel things should be otherwise, then here is your space to air your views and to explain why you say what you say.

 

[huffnpuff]

Remove Donations.

"Keep ECIGSSA Alive"

"Help keep ECIGSSA alive with a simple donation would be highly appreciated."

How is the above still applicable? I think it's time to remove this

ECIGSSA may have started as a humble community forum, but it has grown a lot and through the vendor marketplace it's become self-sufficient for a while now. Realistically, can the someone still say in good faith whether the donations are still needed to specifically keep the ECIGSSA alive?

 

[Yusuf Cape Vaper]

Members want a voice, and a few of us feel that our voice has been silenced on certain matters recently.

I know how ecigssa used to be, and because of that I wouldn't want to leave. This forum was a home. A little over a year ago, I was chilling with @Zodiac and vaping an evod; even though I had already been vaping for 2years at that time. I then started paying more attention to the forum, created a new account because I forgot my first accounts password, and I seriously benefited from the forum. I learnt to build proper coils, fancy coils, battery safety, and a whole lot of other vaping related issues. But the manner that it was conveyed in was conducive to learning. As of late, it's felt more authoritative, and there have been- out of admins control- an increase in wannabe know it alls who have disrespected the knowledge of those who know more. Unfortunately.

Leaving all issues aside, I would like the forum to return to its glory as it was a year ago; a community of learning and a place to have fun.

I vote for a poll where members can vote whether they want all the politics, trolling (on my behalf too, which I apologize for), and offending remarks to be removed. My reason: I hope that a noobie can come here and learn the way I learnt. That the community can grow and live in harmony the way we used to.

I apologize for my statements that offended, criminalized, and disrespected members and admins of this forum. It was uttered in moments of reckless emotion, and immaturity on my behalf.

Ecigssa, let's move forward.
To all the friends I've made on this forum, thank you for all the help and advices you've given me. Thank you ecigssa for creating such a platform for us to stand on.

Now, members, raise your voices.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Silver]

Members want a voice, and a few of us feel that our voice has been silenced on certain matters recently.

I know how ecigssa used to be, and because of that I wouldn't want to leave. This forum was a home. A little over a year ago, I was chilling with @Zodiac and vaping an evod; even though I had already been vaping for 2years at that time. I then started paying more attention to the forum, created a new account because I forgot my first accounts password, and I seriously benefited from the forum. I learnt to build proper coils, fancy coils, battery safety, and a whole lot of other vaping related issues. But the manner that it was conveyed in was conducive to learning. As of late, it's felt more authoritative, and there have been- out of admins control- an increase in wannabe know it alls who have disrespected the knowledge of those who know more. Unfortunately.

Leaving all issues aside, I would like the forum to return to its glory as it was a year ago; a community of learning and a place to have fun.

I vote for a poll where members can vote whether they want all the politics, trolling (on my behalf too, which I apologize for), and offending remarks to be removed. My reason: I hope that a noobie can come here and learn the way I learnt. That the community can grow and live in harmony the way we used to.

I apologize for my statements that offended, criminalized, and disrespected members and admins of this forum. It was uttered in moments of reckless emotion, and immaturity on my behalf.

Ecigssa, let's move forward.
To all the friends I've made on this forum, thank you for all the help and advices you've given me. Thank you ecigssa for creating such a platform for us to stand on.

Now, members, raise your voices.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks for sharing your views @Yusuf Cape Vaper - I am hearing you

 

[stevie g]

I think there must be a banned user section where the offences of the user are explained and the ban time is stated.

I think we seriously need to start banning a few members as in any public space there are other that don't know how to behave and become undesirable to have around..

this is not directed to anybody I think the mods will be best placed for these decisions. Also as owner/admin/mod of the forum, and if I had people calling me out personally I would ban them for life.

 

[BigB]

I very much doubt that one forum will be the winner and the other the loser. Both have lost already.

For every post that says Viva Forum number 1 there will be a counter remark in favour of Forum number 2. Every nasty remark about Forum number 1 will be met with a nasty remark about Forum number 2.

Am I the only one who sees this?

It's simple. Any aggressive comment, either way, should be met with censure.

I think banning is extreme. It is counter productive. It should be a last resort against someone who has no hope of ever contributing positively to the community. The guy's will say the most extreme things while in the middle of an argument. I would say it is similar to a brawl in the pub. Someone says something, someone else takes offense, and now you have pandemonium with all and sundry taking sides, swearing, punching, and so forth. Two hours later, most of the guys are sitting there drinking together with a few protagonists having fled the scene.

Deleting ugly posts will get even the most angry person to actually say what is really bugging him. If the problem is an individual, then a public post is NOT called for, a private message is how you approach an individual.

As for grouping the moderators into one big group. That is hardly fair. They live far and wide. Come from different walks of life. Have different skill sets when moderating too. They are human as well. If you swat them, they will not only duck, they will defend themselves too. They though have the task of trying to calm everyone down.

That is NOT easy here.....

Do I know what I am saying? Maybe.... I was head moderator/manager of a 21 000 member forum in the USA. I am owner of a 3000 member forum in South Africa. I have belonged to many other forums too (very big ones). Events like this always happen. It is not unique. Everyone needs to be respectful to each other. People are people, they will behave differently, the will have different likes, interests, styles, and so forth. Some can simply never tolerate others. Most however can tolerate everyone without a problem.

 

[Andre]

Ok, here goes off the cuff, and in broad inelegant lines:

1. Ecigssa and Vapehaven become one forum, the name can be discussed (e.g. Ecigssa, your Vapehaven). We are too small to be divided. I can only imagine the extra burden for a vendor to maintain 2 places. And members trying to be at 2 places are not better off in the process imo.
2. This forum is not to be owned or run in any way by a vendor, if at all possible.
3. The forum is initially to be run by a team consisting of members of the management teams of both forums. This team shall determine how admins/mods will be elected/chosen in future.
4. The forum shall be not for profit.
5. Cost of running the forum shall be by way of fees by supporting vendors.
6. The rules of the forum shall be set in consultation with members and vendors. Courtesy and respect for one another, whether in a closed forum or in the open forum shall be rules number one to ten.
7. Major changes to the rules or the way the forum is run or the features of the forum or spending beyond the running of the forum shall not be changed/done unless consulted with both members and vendors.
8. The rules of the forum shall be applied.
9. Decisions of admins/mods shall be final and not discussed or debated in the open forum. Maybe an appeal process could be done via PM. Banning, whether permanently or for a period, shall only be effected if a quorum of admins/mods agree.
10. Admins and mods shall be paid if at all possible.
11. Finances shall be run transparently, with reporting to members and vendors and with a measure of audit if possible.
12. ?
13. ?
14. ?
15. ?

 

[Imthiaz Khan]

I don't agree that members should be banned without warning. I think that the issue should rather be discussed and sorted out. Give the member a chance to explain, rectify the issue or apologize. This is a community and if you go about just banning members of the community, can it then still be called a community?
Also, if you ban a member what's stopping them from creating a new account and rejoining?

 

[Silver]

Thanks for the post @BigB , much appreciated.

 

[Silver]

Thank you for the post @Andre - wow, now that is a very thought provoking suggestion

 

[Yiannaki]

Members want a voice, and a few of us feel that our voice has been silenced on certain matters recently.

I know how ecigssa used to be, and because of that I wouldn't want to leave. This forum was a home. A little over a year ago, I was chilling with @Zodiac and vaping an evod; even though I had already been vaping for 2years at that time. I then started paying more attention to the forum, created a new account because I forgot my first accounts password, and I seriously benefited from the forum. I learnt to build proper coils, fancy coils, battery safety, and a whole lot of other vaping related issues. But the manner that it was conveyed in was conducive to learning. As of late, it's felt more authoritative, and there have been- out of admins control- an increase in wannabe know it alls who have disrespected the knowledge of those who know more. Unfortunately.

Leaving all issues aside, I would like the forum to return to its glory as it was a year ago; a community of learning and a place to have fun.

I vote for a poll where members can vote whether they want all the politics, trolling (on my behalf too, which I apologize for), and offending remarks to be removed. My reason: I hope that a noobie can come here and learn the way I learnt. That the community can grow and live in harmony the way we used to.

I apologize for my statements that offended, criminalized, and disrespected members and admins of this forum. It was uttered in moments of reckless emotion, and immaturity on my behalf.

Ecigssa, let's move forward.
To all the friends I've made on this forum, thank you for all the help and advices you've given me. Thank you ecigssa for creating such a platform for us to stand on.

Now, members, raise your voices.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Great post man.

Well written and great spirit

Nice one!

 

[Gazzacpt]

@Andre and I agree on the point that you can't referee and play in the same game. Its been something that has bugged me since we found out who the owners of this forum are. I said before, we were misled from the start.

Forum finances is also a point that bugs me especially when there is a donate button. I have never donated because I never knew if the money gets used for the forum upkeep. Vendor subs and advertising revenue should more than cover hosting.

I once asked if there could be a kitty created for T shirts, caps and the like to be given away at vape meets, no mention of a kitty and these got made but where sold from the forum owners store. Another forum I am a member of have giveaways at most meets I attended.

There was a time that any bad review of the owners store would be deleted which soured me even more.

If we a serious about a forum for the community then listen to the community.

On another note. If I disclose my identity in a PM or you have met me in person it does not mean that you can now identify me in open public forum unless I agree to it. I've seen some posts where people are called out name and surname. We have nics use them. PM's are PM's, Private, and should not be quoted and pasted in open forum unless agreed by both parties. (forum owner is guilty of both on numerous occasions mostly when berating customers or showing up a vendor that disagreed with their view) That is basic forum etiquette.

Lets have that discussion about logo's in smoke free counter banners again. The rule was not being enforced. A vendor showed initiative and created one. This place nearly blew up. The forum owner created on that stopped working long ago and never bothered fixing it and people got tired of asking. As soon as a local one showed up and people got excited and showed local support the rule got enforced with immediate effect. Reminds me of that saying, closing the barn door after the horse has bolted. I still don't get the uproar it was a registered vendor with paid for ad banners as well. I might have understood better if it was not a supporting vendor. But then again international vendor logo's got displayed without an uproar.

 

[kev mac]

Members want a voice, and a few of us feel that our voice has been silenced on certain matters recently.

I know how ecigssa used to be, and because of that I wouldn't want to leave. This forum was a home. A little over a year ago, I was chilling with @Zodiac and vaping an evod; even though I had already been vaping for 2years at that time. I then started paying more attention to the forum, created a new account because I forgot my first accounts password, and I seriously benefited from the forum. I learnt to build proper coils, fancy coils, battery safety, and a whole lot of other vaping related issues. But the manner that it was conveyed in was conducive to learning. As of late, it's felt more authoritative, and there have been- out of admins control- an increase in wannabe know it alls who have disrespected the knowledge of those who know more. Unfortunately.

Leaving all issues aside, I would like the forum to return to its glory as it was a year ago; a community of learning and a place to have fun.

I vote for a poll where members can vote whether they want all the politics, trolling (on my behalf too, which I apologize for), and offending remarks to be removed. My reason: I hope that a noobie can come here and learn the way I learnt. That the community can grow and live in harmony the way we used to.

I apologize for my statements that offended, criminalized, and disrespected members and admins of this forum. It was uttered in moments of reckless emotion, and immaturity on my behalf.

Ecigssa, let's move forward.
To all the friends I've made on this forum, thank you for all the help and advices you've given me. Thank you ecigssa for creating such a platform for us to stand on.

Now, members, raise your voices.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

One of the main reasons I gravitated to this forum over many others(believe me I checked out the lions share) was the level of respect towards the members and the willingness to help noobs feel comfortable.The sense of community truly makes this forum special and we should try our utmost to preserve it at all costs.

 

[kev mac]

I don't agree that members should be banned without warning. I think that the issue should rather be discussed and sorted out. Give the member a chance to explain, rectify the issue or apologize. This is a community and if you go about just banning members of the community, can it then still be called a community?
Also, if you ban a member what's stopping them from creating a new account and rejoining?

I believe the admin.mods have the right to monitor and if necessary ban for infractions however the banned party should be given a fair chance to plead his case

 

[hands]

We have something good here that we can continue to build on. A wonderful group of people a platform and so much info collected and shared by the wonderful people of the forum. This is where i started to learn and i can only hope that this will continue to be a place where people can come and learn. Constructive criticism and suggestions is a fantastic place for all to voice there concerns and come to an agreement. I am a normal forum user and am here to hang out with friends for a bit,catch up on some vaping news and get on with my day. This forum has ticked all those boxes and some, with its South African feel and great community. Sure we wont always agree or even bump heads now and then but as all strong families we will get over it and stand stronger for it. There is no us vs them only vapers with a common interest and a willingness to help others. So please use this opportunity and voice your concerns and be part of the solution so we can continue on and talk vape blow clouds and learn from each other.

 

[JakesSA]

I've been polling customers for a long time now about the forum and, for the better part, the current goings on seems to evoke no more or less a reaction than what I got before this started. Bit of gossip before the actual vaping discussions start.

Based on this I suggest that the general vaping public who seek out this forum have no real interest in its politics, management or day to day running but come here to further educate themselves, help educate others and as a general support mechanism on the vaping journey, something this forum has always excelled at.

I would suggest that threads that deal with grievances with this forum, interpersonal conflicts etc. be dealt with in a separate section which does not trend anywhere on the home page. Those who are interested in such things can follow it there and discuss the merits of it with other like minded folks so that it gets the attention it deserves and ONLY the attention it deserves.

 

[n0ugh7_zw]

Tbh. I'm on the fence with a lot of this stuff @Andre had some excellent points.

The vaping community is kinda small, this is true, I think there needs to be some measure of peaceful coexistence between the forums. And I think there needs to be some leway in terms of mentioning the other forum on this one and all that. So that vapers don't end up getting alienated.

I can see the benefits to amalgamation. Don't get me wrong.

But I don't think that's the way to go. There we always be some people who prefer Pepsi to coke, or macdonalds to burger king.

I think if the forums did amalgamate. Another other forum would turn up. A precedence has kinda been set.

That all said, there are intelligent good intentioned people on both sides of the fence, I'm sure something peaceful that is not to the detriment of either forum is attainable.

Sent from my SM-N910F using Tapatalk

 

[Christos]

Forums gonna form.
Suppliers gonna supply.

I think both forums got it wrong.

Forums should be open and community based.

Vendors with no B and M store should heavily invest in their store front I.e. their website.

The forum should be an open place to discuss vendors and prices etc.

The paid vendor section is appealing because it funds the forum but the forum should be unbiased to any comments regardless of paid vendors or not.

Tl;Dr

The forum is a place where the community discusses prices and stock and vendors. Funding the forum from vendor advertising is a bad forum model.

 

[kimbo]

I've been polling customers for a long time now about the forum and, for the better part, the current goings on seems to evoke no more or less a reaction than what I got before this started. Bit of gossip before the actual vaping discussions start.

Based on this I suggest that the general vaping public who seek out this forum have no real interest in its politics, management or day to day running but come here to further educate themselves, help educate others and as a general support mechanism on the vaping journey, something this forum has always excelled at.

I would suggest that threads that deal with grievances with this forum, interpersonal conflicts etc. be dealt with in a separate section which does not trend anywhere on the home page. Those who are interested in such things can follow it there and discuss the merits of it with other like minded folks so that it gets the attention it deserves and ONLY the attention it deserves.

I like this idea

Like a space outside the general forum with minimal moderation and you can take a swing at what/who is bugging you.
If you do that in the general forum then the mods can give you a warning to take it "outside" or be banned

 

[Raslin]

I would like to say that @Andre idea is an excellent one. However, because of various management issues this forum has lost a very respectable vendor in the firm of SkyBlue.

I would like to see every effort being made to rectify that situation and an apology to that vendor.

Also it is clear to me that people are passionate about a forum which they own and built. And they have a right to be. However the nature of this type of endeavour is that if successful it outgrows you as I believe is the case. One cannot censor people to protect your baby. The baby is now an adult it will survive on its own if you let it.

So guys banner sigs from Skyblue or vape club only serve to build the community. Vape Haven starting up is a good thing as well. Don't knee jerk at every percived threat. Rather ask what can I do better.

My 2cw apologies for spelling and grammar.