A very very interesting comment here. I guess this is how it is. You should close it.

Just curious. Why was Adam's quote deleted from my post?? I thought it was really interesting, but I never thought it was bad enough to be deleted. Ah, I see. The other posts were deleted too. Would you guys like me to delete my post? I don't mind at all. Wait, you would have done that if you wanted already.

I am just telling what I see.

Sorry.

[Adam]

All the rude comments have been removed as I don't think they were helping anyone. This thread has been reported by several users as well.

Gruoso has decided to leave us peacefully, so this matter should be closed now!

[seacapt]

When I first joined the forum and didn't know my way around , I got answers to my questions although some were rather condescending. I was certainly not a fanboy so my posts were not allways well received. This was just a place to get information on a great camera and crappy lens that I had spent (to me) a lot of money on.
One day I was playing in one of the games in the mini challenges forum and some dude called Igilligan actually struck up a conversation with me. In the time I've been on this site I've allways found Gus to be friendly , informative and entertaining. I have to wonder how many others became regulars on this site in part due to Gus.
It is often said that an individual leaving has no real effect on a group as a whole , I'm not so sure that statement is true this time!

[m8o]

Wha??? The "Your Pet a Day" thread won't be the same w/o your periodic additions...

[jsherman999]

.


As long as that hot chick Britney Elvis stays around, I don't care.


PS: Gus, we need to see The Menace and crew from time to time, they've become 'forum kids'. Maybe just stop by in PYP for occasional updates?



.

[mikeSF]

I am bummed to see Gus depart; after sharing with him online and recently in person, I have come to know what a truly genuine and knowledgable guy he is, and I hope this forum will strive to earn him back one of these days.

so long, igilligan...

[Ratmagiclady]

I don't see why you guys don't take kindly to the fact that 1. I started a new site 2. Cody volunteered to help and 3. Cody ended up helping.

However, I do understand how the recent contest drama could have gotten to you, which is fair enough. Luckily, the contest will be over tomorrow, and all will be forgotten because it hasn't really had any negative impact outside of its very existence.

A little late on this one, but I thought I'd have a peek on this thread, suspecting it might get kind of degenerated:

I think though, it's maybe worth mentioning that quite often when a company runs a contest, they of course can more or less make the rules: usually, to avoid any backfires, they go *well out of their way to avoid any --appearance of impropriety-- by excluding any employees or relatives of any employees of anyone working for any connected company or organization.*

Net-politics can kind of amplify that situation because so much really happens behind the scenes.

(I don't think it's necessarily fair to administrators, but the perception exists, and sometimes these sorts of nepotisms do happen. )

I'm not going to try and make a judgment on Cody's 'net worth' to this forum in the past, but I have noted that most of the most 'unreasonable' things he's said in the social areas here were in response to, well, what I see as baiting and bullying that sometimes happens.

In terms of the photography, sometimes I've wondered if he's mostly just here to slag on Pentax while saying he doesn't have a camera, myself, of course. Gus, on the other hand, has been a great presence on the boards in the photography department, though, I've sometimes definitely felt he thinks that gives him authority to join in on the bullying: in certain ways, he was trying to influence the outcome of the contest, himself, in a similar way, by threatening to leave if Cody won something.



My attitude toward the contest in the first place was really, "Well, this is pretty arbitrary, maybe it'll be a nice whimsy if it encourages more posting." It's like, "Eh, this is giving away stuff with a pretense, folks, it's not a judgment on human worth, here."

Doesn't seem to me, like it's an occasion for feuds.

But, on the other hand, there really are good reasons why contests of this sort are usually kept as far as possible from anything that might even appear to be 'favoritism.' Even for the winner, winning a 'thing' isn't much of a 'win' if the prize becomes some kind of badge that says 'Cheater.' (whether that assessment is fair or not.)

Certainly spoils the fun *everyone* might get out of seeing someone get a prize.

If it's legally-permissible, I might suggest a random element in the future: perhaps make every post like a raffle ticket and have a drawing. (I think this'd also encourage more low-volume posters to participate: it does seem a few folks just ran away with the post count early on, anyway, 'quality posts' or not. )

This'd keep interest up. And maybe even could be a fun little event of itself. Maybe just nominate someone to pick post numbers out of a hat or other randomness generator, (Scaring up some ten-sided dice from like Dungeons and Dragons comes to mind: I think some universities also have number-generators that are as random as a computer can make them.) That way, posting more still gives more gives more chances to win, but everyone's still in it.

I'm sure there's plenty of people here we'd all trust to read off some numbers.

Anyway, just some thoughts.

[twokatmew]

When the contest was first announced, I thought it was a fun idea and signed up. Then it seemed to turn into a spamfest, so I have actually spent a whole lot less time on the forum as a result.

It's too bad Gus felt the need to leave us, but at the same time, I don't believe it's ever a good idea to issue ultimatums. E.g., if a friend says to me, "dump this other friend or I won't be your friend anymore," the decision is instantly made for me. The one who issued the ultimatum is history.

Reading through this thread makes me glad I missed out on the Cody debacle. It also makes me glad I'm not Cody.

I hope something good comes out of this, because I'd found this forum to be one of the nicer and friendlier online communities. Now I see it has just as much drama as the rest of them.

Really, I'll be glad when the contest is over!

[netuser]

.......
It is often said that an individual leaving has no real effect on a group as a whole , I'm not so sure that statement is true this time!

Same feeling

[Adam]

The contest is over as of Sunday

All the rude comments have been removed as I don't think they were helping anyone. This thread has been reported by several users as well.

Gruoso has decided to leave us peacefully, so this matter should be closed now!

Adam help me to understand. I just got an email from Gruoso, he said that he had asked that he and all of his posting history also be removed from the forum. Which is exactly what I am requesting happen to my content on the forum.

But I just noticed that Gruoso's posting history here is still very much intact, only his name has been removed from his posts and replaced with "Not Registered Guest."

Is that something that is a temporary situation, and you just have not had time to remove his history? Or is this your plan for my request also?

I am asking that you please remove my entire posting history - all content and photos removed from this forum... not just my name pulled off of them. If you are not going to do that for me (and for Gruoso)...

Then I publicly rescind my request to be removed from the forum and I will deal with my exit in a different way.

Thank you for your quick reply.

[Adam]

It is not our policy to remove forum post content from the site, and especially not when someone treats me like a complete *******. I will, however, gladly delete any PM, photo, attachment, comment, etc. as you'd like. Let me know how to proceed.

[Rense]

Gus, it's a late reaction, but my heart is bleeding seeing you leaving us. If this is how it has to be, it has to be. But I will miss you. So long!

Thank you for taking the time.

To those who wish me well and said some very kind things... the feelings are indeed mutual.

To those who don't understand it or who don't agree with my actions. I get that too.
These 'Goodbye' threads no matter how sincere or how silly, bring out many points of view.


But it is more than just Cody and the Contest. In my limited veiw the forum has just fundamentally changed. Adam does not agree with that view. I could go on about paid advertising, the drive to increase hit counts, bla bla...

Recently Adam had said in the 'this contest seems to be a spamfest' thread.... (which I think should be required reading)

"2 days ago we had three and a half thousand posts, which was almost double the previous posting record (which wasn't set through any particular event)."

When I asked him if he thought a 3000+ posts a day Pentax Forums was good thing, and something he would like to see ... he said; "Of course, that would be awesome! Something like that is every forum leader's dream, and would be quite a feat"

A Pentax Forum with 3000+ posts a day is not someplace I want to spend my time.... If the forum leader wants to go somewhere you don't want to go, why go along for the ride.

It is not my dream... It is as simple as that.

Much love and good shooting to all...

[Adam]

Very well. If that's how you feel, then by all means, please carry on

I, on the other hand, am quite convinced that forum members here like when their photos are commented on, when their questions are resolved, and then their discussions flourish. The bigger the site gets, the more helpful it is- it's as simple as that. Are you jealous of this? Would you rather have some half-wit moron run the site and just let it fill his pockets? I don't think so. Once of the things that sets this community apart from others is my direct involvement with people's threads and concerns, listening to suggestions, and actually responding to site e-mails. Apparently that's considered being nosy nowadays. Thus, obviously, your logic must be flawed.

Take care. This is my last post in this thread, and my last dealing with this matter. It's wasting my time, saddening others, and probably making me look bad when in reality you've just been pushing my buttons.