When I first arrived at CigarPass, I was befriended by a senior member who made it clear to me that it was OK to ask him about any aspect of cigars or customs of the community. One of the first things on which I sought his guidance was the issue of cigar exchange protocol. This subject seems particularly relevant now in light of the recent issues with a member who seems to have abused the trust of this community by violating ethical standards.
And so, I offer up this handy guide. Let me be clear that this is not something I constructed. Rather, I extracted this from his PM and before I posted this, I previewed this post for him and he concurred that it captured his thoughts on the matter. Also, understand that this should not be construed as "the Word" on the subject. I think that it does capture the customs of this board but as with all human discourse on matters of values, it should be subject to scrutiny with the intent of affirming its goodness or amending that which is no longer relevant.
However, I will claim responsibility for making this conception of the ethics of cigar exchange explicit so that those who are new to our community can gain a clearer understanding of one of the central pillars of life here. Perhaps it's due to my background in education, but I do not believe that all learning can or should occur through unspoken, non-interactive observation. That we are clear so that we may be precise about what we wish newcomers to comprehend seems to be both logical and efficient especially in light of such a rapidly growing membership. In a word, "read more and type less" is a course of action that becomes progressively less feasible and less reasonable as the sheer volume of conversations in this forum increases.
So, here it is. I hope that all will free to share their thoughts and ideas on this. This is in fact my intent in posting.
Comments:
The selling of gifted cigars is the only unequivocally forbidden action.
The trading or gifting away of gifted cigars is generally considered inoffensive, except perhaps in special cases where a) the cigar is particularly rare, expensive or otherwise significant or b) there is an expectation that the cigar will be smoked and the experience shared.
Wilkey
And so, I offer up this handy guide. Let me be clear that this is not something I constructed. Rather, I extracted this from his PM and before I posted this, I previewed this post for him and he concurred that it captured his thoughts on the matter. Also, understand that this should not be construed as "the Word" on the subject. I think that it does capture the customs of this board but as with all human discourse on matters of values, it should be subject to scrutiny with the intent of affirming its goodness or amending that which is no longer relevant.
However, I will claim responsibility for making this conception of the ethics of cigar exchange explicit so that those who are new to our community can gain a clearer understanding of one of the central pillars of life here. Perhaps it's due to my background in education, but I do not believe that all learning can or should occur through unspoken, non-interactive observation. That we are clear so that we may be precise about what we wish newcomers to comprehend seems to be both logical and efficient especially in light of such a rapidly growing membership. In a word, "read more and type less" is a course of action that becomes progressively less feasible and less reasonable as the sheer volume of conversations in this forum increases.
So, here it is. I hope that all will free to share their thoughts and ideas on this. This is in fact my intent in posting.
Comments:
The selling of gifted cigars is the only unequivocally forbidden action.
The trading or gifting away of gifted cigars is generally considered inoffensive, except perhaps in special cases where a) the cigar is particularly rare, expensive or otherwise significant or b) there is an expectation that the cigar will be smoked and the experience shared.
Wilkey