RaVeN wrote:

I agree people have to be helped and educated .. but look at it this way:

If you were a newbie that joined in the past month ...what would your opinion be of the "hobby" in SA? ...

...maybe get the site back on its feet before throwing more into the lion's den :laugh: :laugh:

I see what you mean. If I joined in the last month I wouldnt have been bothered to come back to the site again.

But what can one do to fix the situation?
Would hate it if this site goes under.

Thats what I mean...I can appreciate that the things are not as they were some time ago, but there has to be something we can do instead of watching it sink?

one cannot dictate attitude to another

An example ... even when told a species is illegal and offering a legal solution, a person still goes and sells the illegal T KNOWINGLY ... ... what is the point then of trying to educate?

its things like this that is sinking our hobby ... when a blatant disregard for the laws is shown, and all hobbyists are assumed to be the same as them. we can never expect to in the long run promulgate new laws re: our hobby if others in our midst knowingly and blatantly disrgards the current ones. and worst of all, its on the forum ...

:dry: heck people cannot even stick to forum rules ...

so in short ... its up to EACH person here to FOCUS on why we are here ... and to commit to do what is best for the hobby ...

my last 2c ...

Well I say let them come...

Doesn't matter if you have 20 years experience or 1 month you are in it to keep T's.
The internet is a wild place... if everyone agreed all the time then there would be no need for banning or infractions and fact of the matter is there will be ppl who disagree about stuff and those who like to troll.

Things will only get better on the site if we want them to. The mods are here now on a new site with a new leaf to turn.

I share RaVeN & Cerat's sentiment.

Yes I've been there myself.

I hear what the other members are saying, and tend to think it is doable...

IMO laws aren't necessarily there to provide restraint. They also form a protective perimeter.

That aside, we can't make a difference regarding legislation etc, if our own ranks do not follow protocol.

The hobby is still in it's infancy stages here in SA, we should consider where we want to steer it. Because it is ultimately up to us keepers to steer the hobby in a particular direction.

We should evaluate our own personal reasons for keeping Tarantulas.
We should consider the growth, we should consider the community. Tarantulas in general are creatures with a certain stigma around them, and info on them are not nearly as much as it should be. We as enthusiasts could make a huge difference to that. Provided we keep a clear mind about it.

When we disagree with a person on the forum, we should keep in mind that it is not just that person you address, but also the others reading this. Our comments could lure, or deter members from associating with the hobby.

As result of a flame war that got out of hand, and various other issues in the past, we lost some of the most prominent and knowledgeable persons in the hobby, to that we have ourselves to blame. Luring them back is going to be a immense task. What I believe everyone should keep in mind when replying to any thread, or member, is to keep emotion out of it! Stick to the facts. If you're unfamiliar with the facts, get the facts, listen objectively to what is said to you when someone replied to a thread, or a post of yours, respect the newbies, and respect the veterans.

TH

Well, seen as the other thread will be deleted at some stage, thought i would add my final thoughts on here.
If you are looking for knowledgable answers, this is definately not the best place. As a social site this place is ok, otherwise look overseas IMO.
Well, cheers everyone, met some great people here and will continue being friends with them. So yet another member gone. Chow.