I'm sure I speak for many others when I say (again) how thankful I am for the sage advice, the detailed reviews, and the teachings (both basic and advanced) that I have gleaned from this awesome resource. You folks have been an invaluable "owner's manual" for this novice pipe smoker.
My only experience with online forums has been with an Army Ranger forum, where I served as Admin for well over a decade. It literally took close to 10 years to get the members to realize that flaming every single person who posted an intro only kept our site from growing (and made our community look like ass hats). It took a LOT of banning, verbal judo, and broken friendships to get the site to its current state of being a helpful resource for soon-to-be Rangers, their spouses and parents, active duty Rangers, and retired Rangers. It was a big enough headache that I have not been on that forum (or any others) in over 5 years.
I would imagine that the Mods and Admins here have gone through similar trail blazing. My hat is off to each of you. This site is one of the best I've seen, and the demeanor here, in the short time I've been here, has been impeccable.
To each of you who has spent the time to respond to my seemingly endless and silly questions, I offer my gratitude. This whole pipe experience is filling a void in my life, and the relaxation I'm finding in it is good medicine. Muchas gracias, mi amigos! 8) Keep on puffing!
My only experience with online forums has been with an Army Ranger forum, where I served as Admin for well over a decade. It literally took close to 10 years to get the members to realize that flaming every single person who posted an intro only kept our site from growing (and made our community look like ass hats). It took a LOT of banning, verbal judo, and broken friendships to get the site to its current state of being a helpful resource for soon-to-be Rangers, their spouses and parents, active duty Rangers, and retired Rangers. It was a big enough headache that I have not been on that forum (or any others) in over 5 years.
I would imagine that the Mods and Admins here have gone through similar trail blazing. My hat is off to each of you. This site is one of the best I've seen, and the demeanor here, in the short time I've been here, has been impeccable.
To each of you who has spent the time to respond to my seemingly endless and silly questions, I offer my gratitude. This whole pipe experience is filling a void in my life, and the relaxation I'm finding in it is good medicine. Muchas gracias, mi amigos! 8) Keep on puffing!
