Posts by Nicholas Barnes74

mistyhound94 said:The charm of this forum? Yeah, it’s just great when you can’t log in for twenty minutes straight—or when you get a notification, click it, and then realize it doesn't even exist. Honestly, it’s about as smooth as riding an Amtrak train. 🙂

And I mean, if you aren't willing to chip in $10 ANNUALLY to actually upgrade the servers and give us better features, then well, I guess you deserve to deal with all these little glitches. Personally, I don't really enjoy it, but at least I try to offer constructive feedback. Anyway, a membership fee would probably solve the whole clone account issue too—people might actually think twice about how they act if they had skin in the game. 🙂

I don't really have any issues with the forum, it works fine for me...
I wouldn't give them a single cent, though. I'm not an addict, and honestly, I think those are the only people who would actually pay.

mistyhound94 said:I would've gotten back to you sooner, but the forum just wasn't letting me post. 👍
And nah, I'm not looking to start some new forum—I actually want to see this one move forward. Maybe you should be the one to start it then. 👍

If we're talking about taking things to the next level, maybe you should focus on better logistics.
Personally, I think the forum is fine—it’s been acting a little glitchy lately, I guess, but maybe that’s part of its charm? You know, having to fight through everything just to get things done... plus, my computer is pretty ancient anyway.
If there was ever a subscription fee, you wouldn't see me around anymore, and honestly, I don't think most people would stick around either.

mistyhound94 said:In an era where everyone is hyping up lightning-fast fiber optics, we’re stuck hanging out on a forum that feels more like dial-up from the last century than anything modern. Why? Well, keeping a decent server running requires actual cash, and since there aren't a ton of people here willing or able to bankroll this thing, things are getting rough. Over the last few weeks, trying to access the site between 8 and 9 PM has been a nightmare. Lately, there have been moments where it takes a full 20 SECONDS just to load a single page. And don't even get me started on the login issues—those have been a constant headache for way longer.

So, what’s the plan here? Probably just some poor technician getting poked with a pitchfork to try and patch up what’s left of this bottom-tier server that the owner has basically neglected alongside the forum for years.
Look, I get it—we’re all here for free, and I realize the ads are there so someone can actually make a buck. But honestly, this forum is like a tiny, broken mirror of our own country. Money is coming in from somewhere, but nothing is being reinvested to move us forward.

Anderlone, why not just invest in this place and take a step forward? Even the design hasn't changed in ages, which isn't even the main issue—the actual functionality is pretty much non-existent at this point. Should we be paying a small fee just to keep the servers breathing? There are almost 3,000 people online right now, yet only about 400 are logged in, clearly because of the exact reasons you keep ignoring without any real explanation. You seem to be living in this illusion that everything is fine as long as it's technically "running," because why bother changing anything if it isn't completely dead? The money will land in your pocket regardless; none of us have any say in the matter anyway, and you never seem to actually listen to suggestions regarding the forum or the server.
Think about it—if we had a yearly membership of maybe $3, it would multiply by those 3,000 people and give you enough to not just maintain the server, but maybe even compensate the crew who moderates this place for FREE. You’d still have plenty left over for coffee, smokes, or a sandwich. But I guess that sounds like too much work for you. Right now, you've got maybe two or three people patching everything together while a massive crowd of unhappy users WHO WANT TO participate, discuss topics, and reply to posts is just sitting there. Unless, of course, your only goal is to have us all go outside and soak up some sun, since you're such a saint.

I honestly don't know. It's hard to believe someone would systematically neglect a forum that actually has significant traffic and potential, especially when compared to all the WhatsApp groups and Discord servers that have eaten up most old-school forums. It makes no sense to me that someone wouldn't want to put even a little bit of money into making this function properly. We live in a world with endless hosting options and reasonable prices. It's kind of a shame...

Well, why don't you just start your own forum and charge a membership fee then?
Let whoever agrees come to you.
For the rest of us, this one is just fine. 👍

Jesse Price said:That’s just how it goes. You should maybe try this—it actually helped me out.

:

Where on earth did you get the idea that I need help?
I think you're just way too wrapped up in yourself...

Jesse Price said:What’s even the point of just taking a temporary break from smoking? You trying to punish yourself or something? You know that whatever you give up, you eventually return to God, right?

God doesn't need your carcinogenic little cigarettes. Either commit to quitting for good or just don't bother at all.

There's always someone ready to play preacher, isn't there?🙂

Wow, you really went there...
So now I’m the bad guy because I didn't catch where you were heading right away?🤣
The title was literally just "how are you guys feeling."
I just answered based on how I was feeling at that exact moment.
It honestly never even crossed my mind that someone would take it the wrong way.
If you're reading into things that deeply, I guess that says more about you than me.
I thought this was supposed to be a place for quick thoughts—just a vibe check, maybe—not some deep monologue about self-denial or whatever.
Then there's the fact that you're tracking how often I log on...😵
Or how you start a thread and just assume I already know what it's about 😵in your head.
And all this "protecting the minors" stuff—I mean, what would kids even be doing on this Forum anyway?
I thought this was an adult space?!
You say you're "protecting" them and then tell me I can't even mention "cigarettes"...🤣
Just do whatever you want with your version of spirituality moderation. It doesn't really matter to me, so I'll just try to steer clear of it.

On the thread about how everyone's feeling, I wrote that I "can't wait to light up again."
It's Christmas season, so I actually gave up smoking for a bit.
Then some guy hits me with this: Nicole Carter82 says: Check out this post
"Can't wait to light up again"

Hey Nicole Carter82,

If I’m reading you right and we’re talking about "greenery," please try to avoid posts like this. I’m really not trying to kill the vibe or judge anyone for what they do in private, but we are on a public Forum, you know? It feels a little awkward having everyone read stuff like that—plus, it doesn't really have much to do with spirituality moderation.

I hope you can understand where I'm coming from.

Also, just move the topic to waste.

Seriously, what is even going on with this Forum lately?
Can we please move people who post this kind of nonsense to a space where they actually belong?
Please.
Otherwise, there’s honestly no point to this Forum anymore.
Especially since, even though my post isn't even about what they think I'm implying, people talk about that other kind of smoking on here all the time and I've never once seen any waste being a sanction for it—I could probably find plenty of examples if I looked.
It's just weird and totally nonsensical...😵

driftingtinker said:Like I said before, if lonetrucker4 decides to bail, that whole subforum is pretty much dead in the water anyway.

I mean, I honestly think a lot of people probably skip over that section entirely just because he isn't around anymore.

rustydrifter10 said:Hey there.
First off, I am so sorry for the wait! I really didn't have enough time to sit down and properly review your appeal earlier—this isn't exactly the kind of thing I can just breeze through in a couple of minutes.

I’m writing this before I’ve had a chance to consult with the moderator, so there’s a possibility I might have misinterpreted a few things. With that in mind, please bear with me and forgive me in advance if I end up changing or rescinding any of my decisions.

Alright, let’s go through this point by point—not necessarily in order, and definitely not by importance:
1) Outdoor Kitchen, the topic you started, which was deleted and resulted in you getting a 5-point penalty for poor thread creation.
Starting a new thread is actually quite a big responsibility, and it’s super important that they’re done right. So many threads get opened poorly—they don't spark conversation, they lack enough info, it's unclear what they're about, and so on. That’s why we have these penalties. Now, your specific thread wasn't "top tier" quality and it certainly won't be making it into the Reddit Hall of Fame anytime soon—mostly because of the intro—but it's very clear what you're interested in. You commented on your idea, asked a question, it wasn't just a one-liner, and it was well-written and coherent. Because of that, I honestly think the penalty was overkill, so I've rescinded it. The points have already expired, but hopefully, this provides some closure.

If the quality of the intro was the only reason for deleting it, then it shouldn't have been taken down at all. I’ve restored it, though I assume you’ve probably already received answers by now, so I’m leaving it locked until we decide how we want to handle it moving forward.

For some reason, the penalty marker is still showing up on the post even though it shouldn't be there after being rescinded, but if you check your profile and click the marker, you can see that I did remove it. It might just be a temporary bug, so maybe the marker will disappear from the post itself after a little while.

2) This post—I’ve restored this along with several other posts beneath it, and I’ve also removed the penalty from this one. Honestly, I really don't see what was so wrong with the question. I totally get that sometimes questions get repeated way too often and people should really take a moment to search the archives first, but since people were answering, there was clearly value in it. Mind you, I don't know the first thing about cutting bricks, so maybe there's some trolling going on there, but we'll see. 🤷 At first glance, it doesn't look malicious to me; I don't see any prior warnings for this kind of thing, and it didn't cause any chaos in the thread, so I've concluded that the penalty was likely too harsh.

3) This warning seems unnecessary to me. That certain fertilizer, whatever it was that you were asking about last time, was mentioned in that thread back in 2019. Like I said before: sure, you should check the community guidelines, but there's no sense in going that far back. A lot has changed since 2019, especially in construction, and there are probably new tips or even new materials available now. Just for the sake of context for that discussion, I’ve also restored this deleted post of yours.

4) This post in the chat wasn't deleted, but I did remove your response to the moderator's explanation. Even though the chat isn't the place to debate moderation (that's what this guide is for, even if the admin doesn't always show up as often as she should).🕺 ), I actually restored your comment just so we’d have the full context for this explanation, though I might end up deleting this whole thread later on (I didn't bring back those few posts that were totally off-topic, but you can clearly see how things feel incomplete without them). The main reason I brought it back is because I really want to emphasize that, just like you, I feel like outdoor kitchens and bread ovens are distinct enough topics that they deserve their own separate threads. It’s possible neither one is quite massive enough to justify a standalone topic, but if that's the case, then we should probably just rename the current thread so everyone knows exactly what it covers and what kind of discussions to expect.

On Reddit, we try our best to avoid those giant "catch-all" threads because, honestly, they become such a mess to navigate after a while and it gets hard to find anything useful. That doesn't mean every single tiny detail needs its own dedicated topic, though. In my eyes, these could easily be two different conversations, but hey, maybe I'm looking at it wrong.

5) Regarding this post, I only restored it because there was a post right above it that stayed up. If that one wasn't deleted, then this one shouldn't have been either, especially since you're just correcting an inaccurate quote from another user. If the incorrect info stays, then logically the correct info should stay too! Now, the warning sticker stays because of the commentary directed at the moderation team. I can't really blame you for not sitting around waiting weeks for an answer right here. 🙂

6) As for this post, I brought it back because I'm having second thoughts about it. I read it as just a casual comment on the discussion above, and I honestly don't see any malice in it. Even if you were "feeding the troll"—which is why you got the warning—I don't see why the troll above you didn't get one too. Plus, you didn't even get flagged until three days later, and while we *can* issue warnings retroactively, I usually suggest saving that for much more serious offenses. The whole point of a warning is to shut down an argument. If the fighting hadn't stopped even three days later, I get why the moderator chose your post to flag, but otherwise, it felt a bit unnecessary.

7) I also restored this one along with the next 17 posts, including one from a moderator, which had all been wiped for being off-topic. From what I can see, you guys are communicating perfectly normally and politely. If that specific conversation didn't fit the theme, it could have just been moved to a more appropriate section instead of being nuked. 🤷

8) And one last thing: I haven't restored the post where you were warned for advertising. Look, maybe you weren't technically advertising—you didn't explicitly say "buy this tool from me"—but you could have just posted a photo by itself rather than including a direct link to the sales listing.

Bottom line: it's entirely possible I misread some things and shouldn't have stepped in. Sometimes something looks perfectly fine until you step back and look at the bigger picture and the context. But looking at everything you've posted in this sub over the last two months, I truly don't see any intention to break the rules or stir the pot. I don't see you dragging down the quality or the flow of any discussions. Because of that, I just don't see the justification for this many warnings and deletions. Sure, some posts deserved to be removed, maybe even a few I brought back (just for context so we can actually talk about them, since you might not remember them), but my impression is that the moderation has been a little too heavy-handed. I'd really recommend more flexibility—using tools like splitting threads, moving posts, or just giving friendly pointers instead.

Using Reddit should be an enjoyable experience. Users should feel like they can post casually without feeling like they have to read through hundreds of posts and entire threads just to ask a simple question that fits the sub perfectly. If they do make a mistake, the moderator should be able to fix it with a light touch—that's what the tools are for! Deletions, warnings, and bans are useful, but we need to be careful and use them sparingly. Besides, answers change over time; what was true yesterday might not be true today. Even if the old stuff stays, new answers and new people can spark fresh debates where everyone learns something new. Or, you know, just has a good time.

First off, I want to offer a sincere apology to the moderator if I totally misread the situation or if I failed to grasp the full context behind why certain decisions were made.

Props to them👍🙏
Even though I haven't really been following this thread closely, I think this is actually a pretty rare example of how modeling ought to be done.

I honestly don't see how you jumped to the conclusion that I said anything even remotely like that

Daniel Green98 said:The Gossip Mill

Chickens solving crimes

Is there any chance we could actually spin off this Matej Peris thing into its own dedicated thread?
The whole situation is just horrific, and I honestly feel terrible for the guy and his family, but this thread is getting totally buried under the same repetitive posts from basically the same group of users over and over again. It’s getting exhausting.
Every time someone tries to bring up a different example, it just gets lost in the noise because everyone keeps circling back to the same old talking points.

It worked perfectly on the Gossip forum when they gave Britney Spears her own separate thread—that was such a smart move.

Hey, Daniel Green98

Yeah, I think that's one of the most interesting topics on the whole site—well, if you look at the original posts.
This stuff about the guy from San Francisco kind of messed everything up, since the conversation just drifted off in a random direction.
So, yeah, I'm with you on this.

Check out these lovely posts over on the religion board... honestly, you can find anything on here...

I mean, it really just comes down to how you were raised

Casey Bennett said:That rule dates all the way back to 2006. As most people here are already aware, using clones is tacitly permitted as long as you aren't abusing them.
For instance: if you find yourself banned and decide to start posting via a clone, that is a massive "no-no."
Or if you're using multiple profiles within the same thread—absolutely not, unless it's an extreme exception where you've cleared it with a moderator first.
It gets even worse when you're not just using multiple profiles on one topic, but actually patting yourself on the back to artificially boost your own rating (LOL. Goodbye and send a postcard).
Using different profiles within the same subforum but on separate threads is tolerated, though it’s wise to notify the mods to avoid any misunderstandings.

Any situation where you've forgotten your password or lost access to your email and can't reset it is easily handled through the forum help desk. Furthermore, if a clone is created due to one of those situations—much like what happened with mellowbadger0—and you continue posting solely from that account, there is no issue at all.

There's this one guy over in the religion section who, every single time he gets banned, just jumps right back on a clone—it's constant.
And he always writes the exact same way, so we catch on pretty much instantly...

Honestly, I’d probably give them a shout-out too if I ran into them
Wait, can two people use the same handle?I don't really get why that's happening

Grace Wood5 said:Let's just agree to disagree on this one. 🙂
This isn't the only subreddit I lurk on, but it’s the only one where I've actually ended up in a heated back-and-forth with some of the mods. Honestly, I feel pretty bad about how things went down with a few of them—I still haven't made things right with a couple of those guys. 😳

To me, they don't really mean much—they're just like everyone else in the online world. You know, "internet personas are whatever people want them to be," so people can act however they want here, which makes me pretty skeptical about actual forum friendships.
Sure, there are some who do a solid job, though even that's debatable sometimes, but they at least put in the effort, respond, and try to explain their reasoning.
And then you've got the ones—both mods and regular users—who are just totally frustrated, but since the mods have the power, they can vent that frustration a bit harder.
I mean, I wonder sometimes... why would anyone even want to be a mod unless it was a high-paying job?
Anyway, I guess I'm rambling now... but whatever.

Grace Wood5 said:👍 Exactly. I don't care how many times you have to click the "ignore" button—it’s worth every single extra click. The sheer relief of not having to waste my life reading some loser's toxic rants or dealing with their desperate attempts to hijack the conversation is a massive win. It actually helps.

It took me over six months just to figure out how to post while you're sitting over there in the Cayman Islands, but now that I've got it down, everything else is easy. I’ve already worked my way halfway through this entire list of users, and let me tell you something: if you aren't using a fake name, you're going to end up paying for my silence with an all-expenses-paid summer vacation. 😁

The thing is, since he’s basically a moderator for one of the subforums, you can't even hit that ignore button... so there goes that.😵

lonebadger6 said:As far as where you actually live goes, it only took me about three minutes to dig up a few posts where you mentioned living on an island and a couple where you brought up Maui—one guy on Reddit even told you that you’d make a great priestess out on Maui...

Maybe it's stalking, or maybe it's just someone who actually pays attention to what you say when you're in a conversation or following the same threads you are... which is probably more likely...

So, just like everyone else has been saying, we tend to reveal way more about ourselves than we realize...

They didn't say Maui specifically; they were just guessing a spot and acting like they KNEW exactly where I lived.
Anyway, I'm not going to dwell on it. It’s just... a little creepy when a complete stranger says stuff like that to you.

Grace Wood5 said:Unfortunately, the only feature that actually gave us any peace of mind has been completely screwed over (pardon my French). When you use the ignore function, you don't see their posts, but they can still see everything you write and harass you however they damn well please. So, the ignore option isn't protecting the average user anymore; it’s basically just handing a win to the very trolls the feature was originally designed to stop.

Exactly... but there isn't really any other choice. Let them type, let them ask questions, let them stalk—whatever. At least I won't have to read it or deal with the headache.

Grace Wood5 said:Whatever. A decent chunk of people on this forum—including some former and current moderators—know my name, my address, and plenty of other stuff about me.
Besides, the idea of internet anonymity is a total joke. Even someone like me, who’s basically tech-illiterate, can dig up some info if I actually put my mind to it. If I can do it, imagine what those kids today can do, considering they were practically coding before they could even walk. 🙂

But we're talking about someone stalking an older person here.