Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)
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
club members only section
- Daragh_Owens (Daragh Owens)
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so if say at the next itfs agm it was decided that we wanted a private section what would the implications be.dont get me wrong here this would have to be put forward and voted on.
Excellent idea number 2. The first one was a club members section.
Might be worth actually posting again.
Daragh
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- fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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at the end of the day it becomes nite
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- fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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at the end of the day it becomes nite
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- john gannon (John Gannon)
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is this directed at someone in particular or just for everybodyYou to big for posting on our threads now.
john
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- fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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craig
at the end of the day it becomes nite
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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so if say at the next itfs agm it was decided that we wanted a private section what would the implications be.dont get me wrong here this would have to be put forward and voted on.
It would show that there are a group of People that want to be separate to everyone else, to have special privileges, who think that because they have paid to be members of that Club that they are special.
How long has this great Forum been in existence without a special club section?, anyone would think we were bursting at the seams with new members. The reason there are few Admin and Mods is because the Site works perfectly well as it is .
Last question, given the , as you stated, low number of paid Memberships, what would the chances of the 50 or so, swaying the opinions of normal People who just want to chill on a decent Website?
Kev.
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- Jambomac (James McConville)
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If you want something like that why don't you get your own clubs to set up there own websites and leave this site for the greater good of everybody with no exclusivity.
If you want this site to fail badly really push this idea what do you have to hide from the rest of us are we below your calibre of people.
I really think some people might be well respected due to age but i think newer members will take offense to this suggestion i know i do and good luck to the 5 people who stay if this is put through

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
quote Bruce Lee
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- fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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at the end of the day it becomes nite
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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- john gannon (John Gannon)
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kev this is not an attempt at exclusivity and anybody who personally knows me knows that nothing could be further from the truth.any work i have done in the past with the itfs hasbeen in attempt to try and get everybody involved.we have a small but vibrant club who meet once a month and hve an excellent time and i would just like to try carry that on throught out the month.offending people or causing uproar was never my intention hereYep but not behind closed Doors.
I'm sorry John, I hope you don't think I am being in any way personal but I've witnessed exclusivity over many years, I'm no Spring Chicken, People ostracised due to Colour, Origin, Religion, Political views, Social Class Ad infinitum this is, in my opinion a veiled example of enforced exclusivity, because of need to pay to be included.
It's as bad as me saying, to access certain information, I need to have made 600 Posts otherwise, I am not deemed experienced enough to access same. Obviously this doesn't include the 10 Post rule for first timers because it prevents abuse of the site.
Kev.
john
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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I don't know you personally but I have to say, Hand on Heart, that ANYONE I have ever spoken to, where your name pops up has only ever had great and supportive things to say about you, stuff that the majority of us here will ever know about your behind the scenes activity re shows, how much time and effort you give, of your own accord, you are a Gentleman and a quiet reserved one at that so absolutely no malice intended in any of my replies, I just hate separation of people whatever the method or the intention may be.
All's good John.
Kev.
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- fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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No one on here is bigger then the forum
but i think at the moment a few think they are bigger and better then every one else on the forum
at the end of the day it becomes nite
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- john gannon (John Gannon)
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If you want something like that why don't you get your own clubs to set up there own websites and leave this site for the greater good of everybody with no exclusivity.
and what shall we call this website the irish tropical fish society forum no 2

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- john gannon (John Gannon)
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craig anybody can join the club its not exclusive in any way shape or form,its not as if you have to nominated or anything like that.there is discounts for people out of work,students etc.all the work that has gone on over the years has been about getting people involved in both club and forum activity@ john gannon this idea is excludeing people tho an exclusive club where friends can chit chat.
No one on here is bigger then the forum
but i think at the moment a few think they are bigger and better then every one else on the forum
john
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- fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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at the end of the day it becomes nite
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- Jambomac (James McConville)
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All you have to do is change the .com to .ie or .org i'm sure somebody can help you there.
Here you go
www.godaddy.com/domains/searchresults2.a...=16811&isc=cjc695tnw
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
quote Bruce Lee
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- SpiderMonkey (Mark O'Neill)
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Yous should call it people that dont want to be grouped with the general public.com
Bahahahahaha!
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- dyco619 (steve carmody)
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there are less and less members online and even less posting,
we should be coming up with ways of involving people more in the forum, not trying divide them.???
steve.
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- john gannon (John Gannon)
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could the dwindling numbers be due to maybe people already thinking there is an elitism already here
if you cant put something in the website suggestions without it being slaughtered maybe there is no real future for the forum
john
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- derek (Derek Doyle)
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i think the idea is stupid, totally agree with kev and draco's points made,
there are less and less members online and even less posting,
.
maybe they are concerned that their ideas and opinions may be dismissed as "stupid", on a public forum.
after what i have just read on this needlessly emotive thread, who now will be brave enough to express an idea or make a suggestion.

30 tanks specialise in african cichlids, angelfish and various catfish
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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I just don't see what's to be achieved by including a pay and you say section when other types of technology abound to facilitate the desires of paid members.
Maybe it's just me but it seems like a form of punishment for the freeloaders, we can read your discussions but because we paid, you can't read ours.
Kev.
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- dyco619 (steve carmody)
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i think the idea is stupid, totally agree with kev and draco's points made,
there are less and less members online and even less posting,
.
maybe they are concerned that their ideas and opinions may be dismissed as "stupid", on a public forum.
after what i have just read on this needlessly emotive thread, who now will be brave enough to express an idea or make a suggestion.
well derek i say it as i see it, i dont sugar coat my words for anyone!
im not knocking john personally or having a go at him for bringing up a suggestion im just giving my opinion on the idea itself,
nor do i take offence at anything said back to me.
steve.
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- Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
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It doesnt in any way give others the right to have a go off John Gannon either. Thats more of an issue I feel, we start a suggestion or an emotive topic and someone somewhere decides to start talking about drugs and crap.Thats half the issues on this site,straying topics and silly posts.
It is tad more annoying that everytime a half decent thread is opened up that it decends into a name calling exercise.
Going back to the topic, If members want to chat amongst themselves,there are numberous other sites such as msn,facebook etc, that can be used for them to post through,but I feel creating an us and them (and make no mistake that is exactly how it will be perceived), will only segregate people on here and drive them away.
Gavin
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- Jambomac (James McConville)
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i think the idea is stupid, totally agree with kev and draco's points made,
there are less and less members online and even less posting,
.
maybe they are concerned that their ideas and opinions may be dismissed as "stupid", on a public forum.
after what i have just read on this needlessly emotive thread, who now will be brave enough to express an idea or make a suggestion.
I don't think most of us are afraid of making suggestion's as we probably believe before we post it will be shot down regardless of this post.
We are all big boys and girls build a bridge and get over it, as nobody has attacked the poster only the post i think we should be entitled to our opinion.
As suggested by stretnik there are many ways to accomplish what you want to do, instant messaging would be one aswell
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
quote Bruce Lee
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- igmillichip (ian millichip)
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The points made against this suggestion are rather negative and seem to support a backward move in using the internet.
Instant messaging or PMs are not the way forward.
If I, say, or any other club member wanted to start a discussion then how could we do it? I could send a PM to myself....lot of use that would be.
There is lawful codification controlling the way that persons details can be distributed....I personally do not mind my details that I am a member of the ITFS being passed to anyone else, but I would not be happy to receive a list of who else is a club member (as that would be breaking the law of this country).
So...how would global PM threads be started?
I couldn't find any hint in the posts here on how to do that without it becoming in-box spam.
ian
Irish Tropical Fish Society (ITFS) Member.
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- stretnik (stretnik)
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Kev.
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- fishmad1234 (Craig Coyle)
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at the end of the day it becomes nite
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- Jambomac (James McConville)
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I did suggest starting your own website which would benefit you guy's who want your exclusivity.
I don't think we are the one's who are backwards, intelect is not measured in a PHD.
“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.”
quote Bruce Lee
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- DJK (David Kinsella)
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There was a post not so long ago by a Moderator saying he forgot about the forum after going outside for a smoke. The backup on his behalf was that he puts up a few shillings to support the forum and is (some how) allowed to get away with that sort of comment. In my opinion that's treating the forum with disdain.
If that Moderator thinks he's too good for the forum, just leave, and I'll pay twice what your presently paying.
PM for details.
Dave
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