FunnyDuddies

OH is like that because they need to put in limitations to make the advertisers happy. it proves my point really. and it is also one of the reasons i am sad to see advertisements here. I don't like how it is with all of the ads and limitations. but if that is the direction alex is going with this site, i am mearly putting forth what will make it a success.

As stated before, it is up to Alex as to how he wants to proceed. He make take great issue with this, he may not care. Its all his decision. I am sure he will read, like alexandra said, everything posted here and make up his own mind. We can only express our opinions to help him know the mind of his members. unfortunately it is impossible to know the minds of everyone, but at least he knows the opinions of a few loud mouths like us.

I have stated that, as a business person, i am relying on my business and advertising knowledge to know that this site would be more endearing to new advertisers if these changes were made. One exception does not break a rule. As for people that are turned off by this site. For respect reasons i will not mention the name of the site, but the other band board I am a mod on is FULL of people that do not care for the way the rants and raves section has totally changed lbt. I do not have an exact number, but it is 100's of people who were either once members of here and have left, or who never bothered to sign up. I am not making assumptions on this. I hear about it CONSTANTLY. Its one of the reasons i came back here. To check out what they were all complaining about.

that still does not negate the fact that they are not the main topic for a lap band discussion board. again, I am not stating that the forums be taken away. I am just stating that they should not infiltrate the rest of the main discussion of the site.

And just say "screw you" to the people who are new, have not yet signed up, or do not understand the way to disregard one or two sections of the site? that would be a lot of people. are you sure that is how you want to come across to a group of people seeking out support?

Coming from a habitual failure, i completely agree with you. failing is a good thing. not sure what your point is though. If it is over my trust of people who have shown repeatedly that they are not worthwhile being in my life, this has nothing to do with failing. it has to do with what their core personality is. and there is nothing that says I must accept everyone. If the rants and raves section is such a prominent part of the website, is alex going to be opening up the advertising to abortion clinics, gun salesmen and porn sites? Those issues are talked about greatly in the rant and raves section. Wouldn't their advertisements be relevant throughout the site if the rant and raves section is such a huge and dominant part of the website?

but no one is forcing you to read them. and our govertment was based on those commandments. so it has relevance being there, whether it is old or new. So why is it you do not want it displayed due to its irrelevance to you, but now that that your threads are being threatened you feel all others should suck it up and deal? Wouldn't it be best to display what is inline with the relevant topic, and leave the rest to something people just have to seek out a bit more to participate in?

because some do not see it, does not mean all will not see it. the same goes for those who understand how to block threads and sections. just because some understand how to do it does not mean all understand. when a board starts pulling in advertisers it is best to appeal to all, and that all would be displaying prominently the main topic of this board, and making the off topic areas an "extra" that you need to go to on your own. I am actually trying to push for a way for Ale to be more successful here. LOL not pulling for my own agenda. I use the rnr section since coming back, and used the off topic lounge a lot when i was here before. its not like i am against these areas. And personally i do not like having advertisers here. but this is not my board, and alex is trying to make it pay for itself, plus possibly be profitable. while it is not something i care for, i am suggesting a way to help him be more successful, as well as be more welcoming to new people who join the board.

I will answer this question for ya. Our rules are based on the beliefs of the men that founded our country, and those beliefs were based on their christian faith. So yes, many of the laws in this country are based on the christian foundation of living your own life, and caring for those who cannot care for themselves. Taking someone's life is against the law in this country, and that is based on a religious value. many who are not religious feel that lives should not be taken, but the law itself is based on a christian belief, because those who wrote the laws of this land were christian. Its why they came here, to practice freedom of religion. If we are to follow this law, and we are erring on the side of life, then we should make abortion illegal. It is basing a law on another law that already exists. Murder is illegal. To err on the side of life means we must assume that anything with a heart beat, whether it needs to rely on someone else or not, is a life that should be protected. therefore to abort and snuff out that life would be murder.

I personally think that all off topic sections should be removed from the new posts and top 5. that is my personal opinion, because they have nothing to do with the main focus of this site, and what the advertisers are advertising here for.

Alexandra, if you were a newbie, looking for information on the lapband, you look at the "Top 5", no matter where it is on the site, and see post titles in relation to abortion and other political discussion, would you draw from this that the most talked about discussions on this lap band forum are not the lap band? I certainly would. and i would question the support that this board would offer. Lets be honest. With all of the changes, and the difficulties we have all faced with the changes with the new layout and stuff, the last the site needs is yet one more reason to push someone away.

We cannot know the minds of everyone coming here. So the way to solve that is to break it down. what is the main discussion topic of this site? Lap band support and information. What are people searching for when they come here? Lap band support and discussion. So what can we conclude is the main focus of the people who come to this site? Lap band support and discussion. What should be in the top 5 and new posts to draw the majority in? Lap band support and discussion. the other stuff would not be removed, but why not keep the focus on the one topic that we are all here for? the other stuff is extra. and therefore should not be mixed in with the main topic.

if you ever look at the bar that tells who is here, you will see that a minority are registered guests. people come here to get information, only a small portion of them interact. to restrict it all would leave thousands out there unable to read information that they are seeking. now that this site is a business the membership total is very important to alex. making it easy and fun to use should be the main focus of the site to draw in more advertising dollars. it should not be the protection of the opinions of a few that do not want to have to click in another page in order to read the rant and raves section and the off topic section.

Venting is good, but what actions are you taking over these issues? you seem to own a lot of anger over things you are completely in control of releasing. I would love to see all people happy, and people have tought times. But when people give you options on how to deal with it they are not patronizing you, they are trying to help. and it is no help for someone to just say "so sorry you are going through that", but it is helpful when people try to come up with ways for you to deal with that anger, or another way of looking at things so that it does not affect you as much.

I think that when someone comes to this site, and has yet to sign up, they have no choice in setting things up. If they have not even signed up, and see all of this, they leave and never look back. When you come to this site you are not given a terms of service before being able to read the board. a guest can look at it all, and has no option to make the changes you are speaking of. so that negates your option to have them remove it from their new post and top 5 view.

sorry. evening=even. i hate not being able to edit.

Lisah, good point! but the rub lies in the fact that when someone comes here, their first impression is the lasting impression. Eventually they will stumble into the rant and raves section, and hopefully (if they find it offensive) they have already fallen in love with the rest of the board and decide to stay out of it. when it is the first thing that a newbie sees and it leaves a sour taste in their mouth, they will go on without evening signing up.

So your telling Alex "When new people come here you need to make them do a bunch of stuff to set up their account so a few people can be happy" that is not good business sense. The needs of a few do not outweigh the needs of many.

Very true, and i would love it, if Alex has a moment, to post his opinion on this and what his decision will be. LBT was the first place i came to find out about the lapband, and i have been a member for a very long time. I left because of the issues that came up during the big feud, but i still have friends on here that i keep in regular contact with. When I first joined the rant and raves section was not here, and the off topic section had mainly fluff posts. I do not think these sections should be removed, but if I came here my first time, and saw the titles of the threads that were being responded to often (albeit by the same small group of people) were mainly from the off topic areas, i would have gone searching for a more on-topic board. and i know many that this has happened to. To leave these threads in the forefront because they are responded to more often by a small group of people gives the new visitors to the site the wrong impression.

this is not an issue for ME. I am speaking on behalf of the newbs that have been turned away from this site before even finding out about the way to change the settings, and the advertisers who are not going to spend their money with the site because of how the top 5 and new post section is set up. Again, and this cannot be stressed enough, this is a lap band site. while off topic sections are important to any board, they should remain in the background. a majority of people come here for lap band talk. not off topic talk. if someone comes here and sees that the posts that are more important to people and being discussed more are off topic issues, they will not feel that they are going to get much support here.

inline: Huh? Do you have some information about advertisers' opinions? And as far as the opinions from this thread go, that's exactly what prompted the change that was made. I do not know the mind of the individual advertiser. But i do know business, and as advertising goes, the financial supporters of this site are advertsing here because of the lap band discussion, not because of hot topic debates over abortion and boy-love. Alex would have a better pull of advertisers if things were focused mainly on lapband talk, and the off topic debates and discussions were not so prominently displayed. Bolding mine. It's also completely possible that there are just as many people who are drawn to the site by the fact of this lively debate section. Don't you think? There are lots of banding support sites, after all; perhaps the existence and personality of the R&R section is precisely one of the things that makes LBT special. Just sayin'. I am sure that people are drawn to this site because they can express their opinions openly, and get involved in hot topics. but why does that mean that it has to be displayed with everything else? Again, this is not a discussion over the value of having an rants and raves section, but more over the exposure of it, and the pull of the site to those who do not wish to see such discussions. in business, and society, we find that it is better to attract bees with honey. if this site is to start drawing income, which it is being setup to do, wouldn't it be best to draw in as many people as possible, in order to raise the membership count, rather than protect the wants of a few that end up offending many? It just doesn't seem like good business sense to me.

this is a Lap Ban discussion and support forum. Most topics in the off topic section and the rants and raves section are jsut that....off topic, therefore out of the ordinary.

no one is debating whether or not you should be allowed to debate here. This is more a discussion as to whether we should all subject others to seeing our debates while they are looking for "on topic" discussion on the lap band.

Carlene, it might be sad, but if I have witnessed that someone is esp venomous in one thread, should i trust them completely, and the support they give in another? Call me silly, but i love all, trust few. My grandmother taught me that, and it is true for me to this day. If I have seen nothing but good from people they have given me no reason to distrust them. but when i see venom from someone, even once, that completely removes them from my "circle of trust" (thank you focker). Its just the way I live my life, and it has helped me more than you can imagine.

So your whole stance is one of laziness. you have decided that you enjoy posting in a forum that is off topic and out of the ordinary on this site. yet, because it is an area YOU wish to post and read in, you want everyone else to have to deal with it so your life is easier? I was under the impression that when you wanted to do something that was out of the ordinary, you needed to take extra steps to do so, not force everyone else to deal with your likings so that life can be easier for you. that is really what this boils down to. Those who want to keep it in the top 5 and new posts just don't want to have to take the extra step to participate in something that is completely out of the ordinary on this site. that seems extremely selfish to me, personally. and i participate in these forums as well. I would not find it offensive in the least to see it removed from these areas. I am completely fine with taking the time to go into a different screen to look at the posts in these forums. For me, it is a matter of not wanting to inconvinience those who are coming here expressly for lap band help, not hot button political and religious topics.