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Major Announcement - Cigar Community as a whole

SyrLinus said:
I'm glad that you decided not to sell this. I'm a moderator at a site that has been bought out a few years ago by a large company. They were the pioneers in this idea of buying sites and putting them under one roof. It's a great idea but what seems to be missed is that the internet isn't a mall (this is what the concept feels like) and there is a lot to be said for community. Yes, there is a business components (it's not 1994 although I do miss the Internet of those days) but it is a true sense of community that keeps great sites going.

A good online forum business will earn revenue.

A great one will earn a reputation as a community and keep it. The revenue will come on its own.

Thank you again, Rod, for keep this forum great.
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Why do you think it's a good idea? I'm curious, not trying to stir anything up. It was mentioned that this guy wanted to "take the cigar forums to the next level." What exactly is the next level? What is it that were missing out on? Or is the next level just a convenient funnel for our cigar dollars into one man's pocket. Is the next level CigarMart? I'm just thinking aloud here... What are you thinking?
 
Nice job salad man, don't know if I would have resisted the temptation to sell out. :laugh:
 
Thank you Rod for building CP to what it is today. I am a member of a few forums, and CP is the ONLY one where I feel "at home." Thanks again Rod, and thank you to everyone that has made me feel welcome on this board. There is truly no place like Cigar Pass, and for that, I'm grateful.
 
tsmckenney said:
SyrLinus said:
I'm glad that you decided not to sell this. I'm a moderator at a site that has been bought out a few years ago by a large company. They were the pioneers in this idea of buying sites and putting them under one roof. It's a great idea but what seems to be missed is that the internet isn't a mall (this is what the concept feels like) and there is a lot to be said for community. Yes, there is a business components (it's not 1994 although I do miss the Internet of those days) but it is a true sense of community that keeps great sites going.

A good online forum business will earn revenue.

A great one will earn a reputation as a community and keep it. The revenue will come on its own.

Thank you again, Rod, for keep this forum great.
Click to expand...

Why do you think it's a good idea? I'm curious, not trying to stir anything up. It was mentioned that this guy wanted to "take the cigar forums to the next level." What exactly is the next level? What is it that were missing out on? Or is the next level just a convenient funnel for our cigar dollars into one man's pocket. Is the next level CigarMart? I'm just thinking aloud here... What are you thinking?
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If you can get ALL the cigar boards under one roof, so to speak, you can get more revenue from your advertising because you can sell the fact that you have x amount of returning visitors every day.

Well, that's one aspect. There's a lot you can do with a loyal community. For one thing, members would start getting news letters, perhaps every day, opportunities are endless. We are all on line buyers, yes? If we buy cigars on line then we are pretty much conditioned and probably buy other things on line, I do, do you?

Brian
 
Great job Rod!

I came here after floating around other forums for a bit, this place is by far better educated and more hospitable than some of the others that I tried on that list..

I think some of these people that launched sites in the hopes of starting a community for not only themselves, but others too will ultimately be unhappy with their decision and the direction that their creation will go when a full business model is put behind it.. On the other hand, some of these sites I'm sure had no problem selling out because to me they had already sold out long ago to manufacturers and advertising... I understand advertising to offset the high bandwidth cost of keeping a busy forum afloat, but the degree some of these sites took it to were just ridiculous, I don’t understand how people at these forums couldn't see the writing on the wall.. I'm glad that this site is still a safe haven for level headed, knowledgeable and enthusiastic cigar smokers.. I would guess CP will see a heavy spike in new members soon..
 
The word I see over an over in these posts is "community". It's something that Rod gets. It's important, and something that shouldn't be overlooked.

It's one of if not the most important thing that differentiates this forum and these folks from other sites. Something we should all be proud of.

Thanks again, Rod - B.B.S.
 
Thanks for your integrity and not giving into the lust of money
 
Wow, I have been away all weekend and just saw this thread...

Thank you Rod for keeping this a private forum.
It sound like it was a large sum of money that was offered and I know it must have been hard to turn down.

What's make CigarPass so special is the sense of community and camaraderie that exists here.
CP is a very special place and I hope that all members understand and appreciate this.
 
Wow, Rod, what an interesting situation. Thanks for sticking with us, and not selling. I never thought someone would buy these forums, but i guess that was ingnorance on my part.
 
Infinity said:
If you can get ALL the cigar boards under one roof, so to speak, you can get more revenue from your advertising because you can sell the fact that you have x amount of returning visitors every day.

Well, that's one aspect. There's a lot you can do with a loyal community. For one thing, members would start getting news letters, perhaps every day, opportunities are endless. We are all on line buyers, yes? If we buy cigars on line then we are pretty much conditioned and probably buy other things on line, I do, do you?

Brian
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I see what you mean. With a larger community we would be getting ads for anything and everything that falls into our target market; such as guns, trucks, men's magazines, tools, whatever etc.

Good point.
 
thanks for having integrity, rod.

I wonder if we are going to see a lot of new users pop up from other forums.
 
Hey Rod, you're an okay fuggin' guy. Thanks for everything you provide for us.
 
Bravo to you for doing this.. I bet you get a large influx of members now...
 
Devil Doc said:
Thank you Rod for caring more about our community than money. That says a lot about you. I've held you in high regard, but my opinion for you has multiplied 10 fold.

Doc.
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BlindedByScience said:
The word I see over an over in these posts is "community". It's something that Rod gets. It's important, and something that shouldn't be overlooked.

It's one of if not the most important thing that differentiates this forum and these folks from other sites. Something we should all be proud of.

Thanks again, Rod - B.B.S.
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X2 on the above quotes.

Early on in my ignorance, I joined several other boards, but it quickly became apparent that THIS BOARD was the place to be precisely because of the community developed by Rod and the members supported by the FOGS.

THANK YOU Rod for not selling out to some internet marauder out to make a quick buck. - LouieD
 
I'm quite certain that actions and beliefs such as this are why I never bothered with another board.
 
tsmckenney said:
Why do you think it's a good idea? I'm curious, not trying to stir anything up. It was mentioned that this guy wanted to "take the cigar forums to the next level." What exactly is the next level? What is it that were missing out on? Or is the next level just a convenient funnel for our cigar dollars into one man's pocket. Is the next level CigarMart? I'm just thinking aloud here... What are you thinking?
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My apologies for not replying earlier as I was on the train to Baltimore and apparently my Blackberry doesn't like the Invision software (that or I need to find another browser). Anyways, what I was referring to as a "great idea" was from the point of view of purely a business sense. Infinity did touch on it with the "cigar mart" kind of concept. This is one aspect: the idea that one can find everything under one roof.

But more importantly is what businesses are about: making money. And for forums, traffic is what often makes you the most money. By consolidating the multiple forums, the new owner has instanenously gained thousands of new eyes (for sake of an example, let's assume that each is about 5,000 users with maybe 500 who are daily regulars -- that means 25,000 users with about 2,500 who are regulars). That's a lot of clicks and those clicks mean more $$. So, yes, great idea.

BUT, and this is a big one, this assumes that forums are just about making money. They aren't. The membership of various forums, particularly the daily users, develop a kind of familail kinship and often bristle at the thought of their "family" being nothing more than a money maker. The forums that I've seen this happen has resulted in an exodus of membership.

And you know, if new members join -- all the better. They can learn what it means to be part of a forum that is truly friendly, open and respectful. And most importantly, what it means to be part of a community.

Hopefully this clarifies and again, apologies for the delay in responding.
 
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