I agree with you about the new policy potentially creating a quiet tension within/among users. I don't seem to care as much anymore, but when I saw that stupid "bronze" pop up the first time, I was pretty irritated. Well, and when I reconsider it I get irritated all over again.
Lots of people in lots of threads are saying they could care less, that it's just a vaping forum and it's just a silly banner and why not be above it all--but I felt "rated", as Daintainee put it, and more to the point, it felt manipulative and condescending--kind of like high school social rules suddenly institutionalized as part of a place I have been coming to feel at home in.
You're exactly right, caddisfly, that this is VJ's property. Just like ECF belongs to...whomever it belongs to. We could--and would--be censored here just like there if it fit in with the owner's view of what generated useful content. I've been wondering about a user-run forum for quite a while... Probably just a utopian dream, though.
As to finding a way to create happy users and gives them incentive to post, you're right: there are surely many ways. I like VU and am mostly happy here, am glad to have the resource, etc. But the corporate nature of the enterprise comes glaringly through at moments like these.
Sigh. lol. Maybe it just offends my delicate fucking sensibilities. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
thing is.. no one is being "censored" here. other than one "taboo" topic on w33d.. its pretty much any and everything going..
new label names actually help out the new people, if you take a look around, it gives a basic guide as to how much people put into this site.
Do you see
@VaporJoes or any other staff member pushing an agenda?
i dont.
what i do see is some people do not like it.. so what is a new person to know who to talk with, if they don't know themselves?
if you are really believing this.. perhaps it is time for the group of you guys to make your own site.. own it.. run it, and put it out no labels..
make the changes you so disagree about.. for that is what I see..
if given the chance tho, if you guys stayed.. would you gladly help out, or continue to sit and moan on change?
for without change, how does one grow and learn?
this should be an excellent place for friends both new and old to get together and learn.. share grown and exchange recipes.. that is what this section is for.. will just leave this here, food for thought..
and a ps on older new people.. a forum is designed as a means of communication.. over a period of time that the forum is allowed to hang "online".. those that do know what they are doing.. no.. labels really do not apply.. but common sense on posting should tell that already.. yeah conflicting.. but is it really that big of a deal?