01-04-2017, 09:51 AM
Guys, a member and I had a back and forth via PM the other day, and I won’t use his name since I didn’t ask permission, and out of respect. If he wishes to reply here, he will. The conversation was a pleasant one, but I know that this member was peeved, and he had every right to be. As I would, if I were in his shoes.
It was in reference to him redeeming the gear he earned on this site. And yes, he did earn every bit of it. Yet, I had to turn his request down. Which made me feel awful. The reason for the decline wasn’t a monetary one, as I still have stock of certain items, and those that I do not have can be easily ordered. The primary reason for not sending the requested item was…
As many of you know, I had to change the gear giveaway program due to anemic activity levels in the community. The member mentioned above simply didn’t meet the minimum posting threshold. While I’m a detectorist just like all of you, I also have to play the role of businessman when it comes to this site, as that’s what’s needed for a community to function. Just like any other business, I have to ensure the bills are paid, the lights stay on, we’re offering a great product, everything is working okay, etc. I also have to ensure that the business has “funds” coming in. For forums, “funds" mean activity. The more activity we have, the more I can justify expenditures. However, a business that’s struggling cannot consider spending a penny for anything more than the basic necessities. Simple math.
With all that in mind, I changed the gear giveaway program to make it fairer. For everyone. Myself and the forum included. Gear will still be earned in the same exact fashion as always, but the only difference is I now require a minimum amount of posts to be made, in order to redeem the goods members have earned. It is tough? Yes. No objection from me. But it was also tough for me to give away thousands and thousands of dollars worth of goods, when there was hardly any site activity. Yet, I swallowed that fact, and continued to do it for quite a while, as I’m a man of my word.
So, in the interest of doing the right thing, here’s what I’m willing to do…
I will partially restore the giveaway program to the way it was before, provided we can all come to a happy compromise that’s fair for all parties...the members and the forum. Do know though, that gear is meant to be earned. While I consider myself a charitable person, the main reasons for the gear giveaway are to increase site activity and involvement. Without that, the site cannot flourish. And if the site cannot flourish, I will need to re-apply the stricter poster minimums to redeem gear.
The ball is in your court. Let me know what’s fair & doable, and then I’ll make a call on what course I believe is best. But I don’t want to see any ridiculous suggestions like 50 posts per month or 75 posts per month to redeem gear. Ain’t gonna happen. We need more site activity, more member involvement and more vocality from people here. And that takes work. I ain’t just giving this stuff away. We tried that before, and people took advantage. I’m willing to be fairER, but the members here need to do their part, too.
Consider this an experiment in human dynamics. As I’m a fair guy, I’m willing to bend, because I appreciate our members, and I want what’s best for this community. But I also expect members to bend as well, and uphold their end of the deal. It’s an opportunity. And like all opportunities, you can do the best you can with it, or you can blow it. I’m confident you’ll knock it out of the park. But remember, this is my second shot at being fair. Just like in baseball, it’s 3 strikes you’re out.
One final thing…A longtime member here told me a few years ago that offering what I was to people was nuts. It was too much. It would create problems. Sadly, I didn’t heed his advice. But the truth is, I enjoy giving stuff away. I enjoy showing members I value their time. I enjoy giving back. And I don’t need to do it. I did it before and it was abused. So, realize that this is the ONLY community out there which offers this to members. And if you want it to continue, I need you all to be as active as possible. We’re on shaky ground, as I do NOT want this community to be about posting for dollars. This is a special hobby, and the ultimate reason for this place is to have a home we can call our own. I urge you to make the most of this shot, and to do what’s best for our home. If this fails (again), it will not be on my shoulders, only yours.
It was in reference to him redeeming the gear he earned on this site. And yes, he did earn every bit of it. Yet, I had to turn his request down. Which made me feel awful. The reason for the decline wasn’t a monetary one, as I still have stock of certain items, and those that I do not have can be easily ordered. The primary reason for not sending the requested item was…
As many of you know, I had to change the gear giveaway program due to anemic activity levels in the community. The member mentioned above simply didn’t meet the minimum posting threshold. While I’m a detectorist just like all of you, I also have to play the role of businessman when it comes to this site, as that’s what’s needed for a community to function. Just like any other business, I have to ensure the bills are paid, the lights stay on, we’re offering a great product, everything is working okay, etc. I also have to ensure that the business has “funds” coming in. For forums, “funds" mean activity. The more activity we have, the more I can justify expenditures. However, a business that’s struggling cannot consider spending a penny for anything more than the basic necessities. Simple math.
With all that in mind, I changed the gear giveaway program to make it fairer. For everyone. Myself and the forum included. Gear will still be earned in the same exact fashion as always, but the only difference is I now require a minimum amount of posts to be made, in order to redeem the goods members have earned. It is tough? Yes. No objection from me. But it was also tough for me to give away thousands and thousands of dollars worth of goods, when there was hardly any site activity. Yet, I swallowed that fact, and continued to do it for quite a while, as I’m a man of my word.
So, in the interest of doing the right thing, here’s what I’m willing to do…
I will partially restore the giveaway program to the way it was before, provided we can all come to a happy compromise that’s fair for all parties...the members and the forum. Do know though, that gear is meant to be earned. While I consider myself a charitable person, the main reasons for the gear giveaway are to increase site activity and involvement. Without that, the site cannot flourish. And if the site cannot flourish, I will need to re-apply the stricter poster minimums to redeem gear.
The ball is in your court. Let me know what’s fair & doable, and then I’ll make a call on what course I believe is best. But I don’t want to see any ridiculous suggestions like 50 posts per month or 75 posts per month to redeem gear. Ain’t gonna happen. We need more site activity, more member involvement and more vocality from people here. And that takes work. I ain’t just giving this stuff away. We tried that before, and people took advantage. I’m willing to be fairER, but the members here need to do their part, too.
Consider this an experiment in human dynamics. As I’m a fair guy, I’m willing to bend, because I appreciate our members, and I want what’s best for this community. But I also expect members to bend as well, and uphold their end of the deal. It’s an opportunity. And like all opportunities, you can do the best you can with it, or you can blow it. I’m confident you’ll knock it out of the park. But remember, this is my second shot at being fair. Just like in baseball, it’s 3 strikes you’re out.
One final thing…A longtime member here told me a few years ago that offering what I was to people was nuts. It was too much. It would create problems. Sadly, I didn’t heed his advice. But the truth is, I enjoy giving stuff away. I enjoy showing members I value their time. I enjoy giving back. And I don’t need to do it. I did it before and it was abused. So, realize that this is the ONLY community out there which offers this to members. And if you want it to continue, I need you all to be as active as possible. We’re on shaky ground, as I do NOT want this community to be about posting for dollars. This is a special hobby, and the ultimate reason for this place is to have a home we can call our own. I urge you to make the most of this shot, and to do what’s best for our home. If this fails (again), it will not be on my shoulders, only yours.
***If there are no replies to this thread, or even very few, there will be no need to change the gear giveaway program from its current status, as that let’s me know members are satisfied with the way it is now***