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Hi,
John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.
I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.
With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.
I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.
If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.
I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.
I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.
Thank you
Darragh Sherwin
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25 Mar 2011 23:30 #1
by mickdeja (Mick Whelan)
Just noticed that there are 347 people online watchin this site. Is this real? If so that is unbeleivable. If u are reading this join up and be heard. Love the forum.
Mick...
Follow me up to Carlow
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25 Mar 2011 23:37 #2
by JohnH (John)
Yes Mick,
It's rather peculiar...all the visitors started to appear prior to the 'hack' of the Forum a while back - although this might be just a coincidence.
Welcome along visitors, why not apply to join, as Mick suggests?
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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paul (paul)
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25 Mar 2011 23:42 #3
by paul (paul)
I agree
i am a new member to the forum although i have been using for a while
i am sure everyone has a specific questions they want answered or a question they would like to answer
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26 Mar 2011 14:41 - 26 Mar 2011 14:54 #4
by derek (Derek Doyle)
this forum has a lot of non signed in viewers compared to most sites. if you observe the amount of views to replys it is staggering especially if the word "free" is in the heading lol. other sites seem to have a more loyal and supportive membership, where even the most simplistic posts are kept current and active. my favourite posters on this site are people like ...., ...., ...., ...., and others who are supportive and complimentary towards other posters as well as sharing their knowledge and posting interesting topics. it is the perennial sellers and bargain hunters that wear me down.
there was a post a while ago with some guy offering a free angel, and within 5 mins somebody with their first ever post jumped in to snaffle it and the deal was done immediately, yet that post continued to get hits for days and was by far the most viewed post with 80 or so hits per day lol.
i and am sure many others often view this and other forums without signing in and only do so to check pms or when prompted to reply to a posting.
what staggers me is the list of signed in members who sit there night after night and never post, reply or post support or appreciation.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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27 Mar 2011 11:31 - 27 Mar 2011 11:32 #5
by JohnH (John)
Very sound reasoning Derek.
We really do need far more topics started, not just 'For Sale'...
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
Last edit: 27 Mar 2011 11:32 by
JohnH (John). Reason: spelling mistake
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paul (paul)
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27 Mar 2011 12:02 #6
by paul (paul)
We really do need far more topics started, not just 'For Sale'...
John
This is very true, but the problem is there are few people that add the most ridiculous comments at times or none constructive comments this can bee seen if you look at some of the posts in the last month which in my opinion kills of threads and no body wants to comment on the topic any further.
New threads unless they are a repeat of threads that have happened in the last 12 months should be left run there coarse without people saying stuff like (this has been discussed hundreds of times) add a constructive comment or don’t comment at all, If you commented the last time comment again not everybody might have read the thread last time it was discussed.
These are my own views.
Might also be worth considering deleating some very old threads so topics can be discussed again and not just provided with a link.
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27 Mar 2011 16:19 #7
by Xaribdis (Lorcan O' Brien)
Couldn't agree with Paul more. As a new member, there are a huge amount of discussions that I have never seen before, thought about, or even knew were matters for debate. There is so much great collective information on here that these debates can be lively and fascinating.
.... until someone posts 'this has been discussed to death'. That invariably kills the debate in its tracks, making it less likely that newer mambers in particular will post their opinions, as you get the feeling that anything you might have to say is old news or redundant. If someone doesn't want to partake in a discussion, that's fine, but they shouldn't discourage conversation that can only benefit the less experienced on here. And then as Derek pointed out these people will not start a new topic that they would like to discuss. Can be a bit frustrating as a new member.
Anywho...
L
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27 Mar 2011 16:59 #8
by JohnH (John)
I do understand and sympathise with both sides here - for newcomers who haven't found previous threads it's a real shame to feel unable to open new threads along the lines of those which went before, and that - for longer-established members, it often seems like a case of deja vu.
However, it wouldn't be too difficult to 'search' back through the database and see if something had 'gone before' then add to that.
The member concerned here took the trouble to locate the previous thread and added a link to it...now the option is there to re-establish it with renewed thoughts without repeating what had gone before.
This would be an excellent way to revitalise a thread which had 'run out of steam'.
I do think, though, that what had fairly recently happened where a new member trawled back to find old, now defunct posts in order to criticise and even be abusive to original posters was definitely not on and will not be tolerated in future.
So, please, search back and add to topics which can be added to - there's an awful lot in the 'vaults' to look through.
And, by no means feel discouraged to make your thoughts known...after all, isn't that what a Forum exists for?
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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paul (paul)
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27 Mar 2011 17:35 #9
by paul (paul)
Sorry i was not criticising somebody for providing a link to old thread the fact that they took the time to find it very comendable however for the person that post a new topic and the first reply they get is sending them somewhere else it is a little discouraging.
JohnH i value your opinion and have read a lot of information that you have given so please dont think i am criticising you
You said in one post that there is a need for new topics to generate responses and interest and in another to search back through old topics to find information but if one was to search back through old topics i would guess there is very little that has not been covered at some point again reducing down the number of new topics started and i would guess there would be very little for established members to comment on
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27 Mar 2011 18:16 #10
by JohnH (John)
Perhaps I worded it a bit clumsily - what I was meaning was to find relevant older threads, read them then add ongoing comments.
This would them bring 'all that had gone before' back to the forefront.
Believe me, I did not regard your observations to be in any way critical, I'm not like that (perhaps I should have re-worded that!)
John
Location:
N. Tipp
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.
ITFS member.
It's a long way to Tipperary.
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27 Mar 2011 20:00 #11
by Jim (Jim Lawlor)
what staggers me is the list of signed in members who sit there night after night and never post, reply or post support or appreciation.
I'm probably somewhat guilty of this. I only get to log in occasionally, so when I do, I could respond to 10 items. What hold me back though, is the thought that the entire top half othe most recent page could all be topics with a last post by Jim!
Also - I think people might login and leave the page up, go browse something else without logging out - so it looks like they're sitting there, but they're really long gone . . .
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paul (paul)
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27 Mar 2011 20:55 #12
by paul (paul)
I think there is a very hard balance to find hear keeping Older members interested and continuing to make posts and newer members being given the opportunity to start topics without a negative remark (already been discussed or simply saying there is no wrong answer without giving a reason)
upon reflection i think i was a bit hasty commenting on people providing links to other threads for this i apologise
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27 Mar 2011 22:28 - 27 Mar 2011 22:41 #13
by derek (Derek Doyle)
what staggers me is the list of signed in members who sit there night after night and never post, reply or post support or appreciation.
I'm probably somewhat guilty of this. I only get to log in occasionally, so when I do, I could respond to 10 items. What hold me back though, is the thought that the entire top half othe most recent page could all be topics with a last post by Jim!
i agree jim, this quite often happens with me, but so what. i like to support posters when a query goes unanswered and often resurrect older interesting posts to illicit further comment or debate.
Also - I think people might login and leave the page up, go browse something else without logging out - so it looks like they're sitting there, but they're really long gone .
i accept this is often the case but my comment is still valid. . .
@paul and xarabis. keep posting on topics that interest you and also check out links and old posts and ressurect them if you wish to have a point questioned or elabourated on.
the topic of mutated and dyed fish really has been thrashed on this and other forums and sometimes posters have gone overboard on criticising and naming shops and ended up leaving the forums in a huff. that is why there is an understandable sensitivity about this subject.
30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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