Spam is driving me away

[Chrissy]

Another option:

Start your own forum (perhaps call it ‘Fountain Pen Nerds’ to spite FPN and FPG), and endure the many who will happily tell you all the ways that you are doing it wrong.

OK. I would do that if I knew how to. I'm not sure how the combination of Esosoft and vBulletin actually works e.g. which goes first? Who designs it in the first instance? Esosoft or vBulletin or something else? The total cost would also need to be known before starting. Then once all that has happened no-one may join. Then money has been spent for nothing.

The mystery is why does it seem like Eric pays the fees but now takes no interest at all in the place? Is something wrong with him? Has he lost access? Can he not work out how to do it? Is this place now so fully pervaded with spambots that they have completely taken over and can't be stopped like some massive AI?

[dneal]

A small caveat first, for clarity: I was using the general "you", but see how it could easily be read as the personal "you".

I've been a member of another forum for 20 years. The site was in decline (in maintenance, not participation), in parallel with owner's health. Several members pooled their funds and purchased it. More members donated to cover costs until a viable advertisement system could be employed. Then they discovered how much effort was involved in running and maintaining it.

As Farmboy points out, there is maintenance being done here; so I can't agree that Eric takes no interest. Somebody is doing something.

My proposed "option" places the onus on the person with the complaint. Your questions on how to start a forum remind me that it isn't easy (even with 'point and click', free hosting sites like ProBoards or Flarum). Someone who is not willing to invest the time, money or effort has little room for complaint about one who did (and does, even if some disagree with the manner in which he does it).

[Sailor Kenshin]

Another option:

Start your own forum (perhaps call it ‘Fountain Pen Nerds’ to spite FPN and FPG), and endure the many who will happily tell you all the ways that you are doing it wrong.

OK. I would do that if I knew how to. I'm not sure how the combination of Esosoft and vBulletin actually works e.g. which goes first? Who designs it in the first instance? Esosoft or vBulletin or something else? The total cost would also need to be known before starting. Then once all that has happened no-one may join. Then money has been spent for nothing.

The mystery is why does it seem like Eric pays the fees but now takes no interest at all in the place? Is something wrong with him? Has he lost access? Can he not work out how to do it? Is this place now so fully pervaded with spambots that they have completely taken over and can't be stopped like some massive AI?

WE have a forum in case refuge is desired or needed. It is basic, and crude, but we don't allow bots.

[Chrissy]

A small caveat first, for clarity: I was using the general "you", but see how it could easily be read as the personal "you".

I've been a member of another forum for 20 years. The site was in decline (in maintenance, not participation), in parallel with owner's health. Several members pooled their funds and purchased it. More members donated to cover costs until a viable advertisement system could be employed. Then they discovered how much effort was involved in running and maintaining it.

As Farmboy points out, there is maintenance being done here; so I can't agree that Eric takes no interest. Somebody is doing something.

My proposed "option" places the onus on the person with the complaint. Your questions on how to start a forum remind me that it isn't easy (even with 'point and click', free hosting sites like ProBoards or Flarum). Someone who is not willing to invest the time, money or effort has little room for complaint about one who did (and does, even if some disagree with the manner in which he does it).

I actually don't care what happens to FPGeeks. Either Eric will come along and clean it up (and as it currently is, that will take a heck of a long time) or he won't. If I came along one day and it wasn't here then I would just think "Oh well never mind. It's almost better to have no forum at all than to let spambots run it." It doesn't affect me one way or the other. I would just go to Reddit.

I'm afraid I don't agree that maintenance is being done. Unless you mean the maintenance is that he has paid the fees to Esosoft for another year. If maintenance was being done then it would be possible to see it. We can't see it. Have a look at the main spambot accounts and you will see how their posts increase daily.

Old threads are meant to be lost at the end of 10 years. That may or may not save on some bandwidth fees, I don't know the reason for their loss. Many 10 year threads are now being resurrected by the spambots therefore the required bandwidth on the whole site might or might not increase. Eric would need to be completely mad to risk spending extra fees on a forum he now doesn't care about.

When we needed a couple of members deleted some time ago it was done. It took a little time but it was done, and we immediately saw when it was done. None of these spambot accounts have been deleted and they show no signs of slowing down or stopping. None of their accounts have been deleted. None of their posts have been deleted. It's easy enough to look and see and watch their post counts increasing. For me it really makes no sense that he is here doing maintenance but is taking no notice at all of these spambots and is happy to have all of the threads resurrected and potentially risk paying higher annual fees as a result.

[Farmboy]

A small caveat first, for clarity: I was using the general "you", but see how it could easily be read as the personal "you".

I've been a member of another forum for 20 years. The site was in decline (in maintenance, not participation), in parallel with owner's health. Several members pooled their funds and purchased it. More members donated to cover costs until a viable advertisement system could be employed. Then they discovered how much effort was involved in running and maintaining it.

As Farmboy points out, there is maintenance being done here; so I can't agree that Eric takes no interest. Somebody is doing something.

My proposed "option" places the onus on the person with the complaint. Your questions on how to start a forum remind me that it isn't easy (even with 'point and click', free hosting sites like ProBoards or Flarum). Someone who is not willing to invest the time, money or effort has little room for complaint about one who did (and does, even if some disagree with the manner in which he does it).

I actually don't care what happens to FPGeeks. Either Eric will come along and clean it up (and as it currently is, that will take a heck of a long time) or he won't. If I came along one day and it wasn't here then I would just think "Oh well never mind. It's almost better to have no forum at all than to let spambots run it." It doesn't affect me one way or the other. I would just go to Reddit.

I'm afraid I don't agree that maintenance is being done. Unless you mean the maintenance is that he has paid the fees to Esosoft for another year. If maintenance was being done then it would be possible to see it. We can't see it. Have a look at the main spambot accounts and you will see how their posts increase daily.

Old threads are meant to be lost at the end of 10 years. That may or may not save on some bandwidth fees, I don't know the reason for their loss. Many 10 year threads are now being resurrected by the spambots therefore the required bandwidth on the whole site might or might not increase. Eric would need to be completely mad to risk spending extra fees on a forum he now doesn't care about.

When we needed a couple of members deleted some time ago it was done. It took a little time but it was done, and we immediately saw when it was done. None of these spambot accounts have been deleted and they show no signs of slowing down or stopping. None of their accounts have been deleted. None of their posts have been deleted. It's easy enough to look and see and watch their post counts increasing. For me it really makes no sense that he is here doing maintenance but is taking no notice at all of these spambots and is happy to have all of the threads resurrected and potentially risk paying higher annual fees as a result.

This forum is what it is. Clearly it displeases so you could just delete your account and go as it means so little.

[Jon Szanto]

This forum is what it is. Clearly it displeases so you could just delete your account and go as it means so little.

The problem with this stance is that it completely overlooks what membership means in a social forum. When a person has spent years here, adding content, forgeing bonds with other members in an online friendship, it becomes far less of a casual choice. Concersely, when you have little connection to the community, a small footprint of contributions, and (possibly) a vibrant community outside of the virtual that you can access... yeah, sure, you can just say "walk away".

Eric has benefitted for years from all of the contributed content that. While there have been times of too much noise in the signal, there is still a worthwhile body of pen posts on FPG, and while he protects his brand, he does little to aid the members who have provided a reason for anyone to come here. That's a failure on both a functional and a personal level.

Two concluding points:

1. I believe that the forum is a lost cause, and can't see making any more efforts as long as the owner is so cavalierly absent. This bothers me because it is the last connection of interest I have to the online pen community, so I'm severing an important conduit.
2. For any who don't know, FarmBoy and I are friends and acquaintances in Real Life and we can - and do - have these types of discussions sans rancor.

[Farmboy]

Point 2 could be expanded…

We probably first encountered at FPN and digital banter after a little Teflon application went off boards then into live mode at shows.

Neither of us would need a board to give each other the rattle we need!

I’m gonna put a post it note on my show gear to make sure we cause problems in SF…

[Jon Szanto]

I’m gonna put a post it note on my show gear to make sure we cause problems in SF…

We've even had training drills...

[Farmboy]

We looked so nice back then.

[dneal]

Chris - I get that it’s frustrating. The only thing we can control is our attitude and response.

A malicious little turd can annoy you, or you can laugh at him and his petty shenanigans. You can remain indifferent. You can also find the bright side - like the KBeezie collection thread.

It’s absolutely no bother for me to scroll past a little rectangle of nothing, or ignore threads that obviously are created or bumped by spam account. I saw a thread title that was KBeezie’s collection. “Herry” was listed as the last commenter. I knew that there was spam. Looking at Karl’s pics and remembering his restoration journey made me smile. Knowing that the spammer's attempt was in vain, made me smile a little more.

You’re often a target, particularly your ink reviews. Again, I could get upset about spam; but I don’t because I just look at the benefit. Getting to see an old review of yours often reminds me to get a sample or bottle.

[Chrissy]

@dneal I am and always have been enjoying the resurrected threads like you and many other members. Whatever the spammer does makes no difference apart from it being an annoyance: a bit like a fly buzzing around. I was merely expressing my own opinion that I think FPGeeks is an almost dead forum and that I don't think any maintenance is being done. If you and Farmboy think maintenance is being done then great. Please let me know what maintenance you see because I don't see it.

The fact that Farmboy suggests I should just delete my account and go shows a misunderstanding. It's not possible as the spammer has already pointed out when he requested it and it didn't happen. Could that be because no maintenance is being done? Anyway, thanks Farmboy.

I didn't start this thread. The actual spam isn't driving me away. It's really the complete lack of admin about it that is making me behave differently towards this place and care little about what happens to it. A forum without maintenance is not survivable long term. But I still look in every day to see if it's still here. It's days as it is are surely numbered.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Anyone I recognize as 'real' from this place will be welcome to the Refugee Forum, which I started way back when FPN was down.

[carlos.q]

Anyone I recognize as 'real' from this place will be welcome to the Refugee Forum, which I started way back when FPN was down.

What is the “Refugee Forum”?

[Sailor Kenshin]

Anyone I recognize as 'real' from this place will be welcome to the Refugee Forum, which I started way back when FPN was down.

What is the “Refugee Forum”?

We have a domain and a forum that was started when FPN was down..a couple of people joined, from here and there, but then FPN came back. 'Refugees' forum is still there. No bots allowed.

[Farmboy]

I’ll sum it up like this; the way this forum is run is no secret, it costs nothing to be here, there are no ads, the software works. Key is we all know there is no there is no moderation, if that is an issue for someone, then leaving is the best option, complaining about it every week, week after week isn’t going to change it.

I’m just glad the management keeps the playground open despite the complaints on how it is run.