I dunno, but the jury is still out on this one for me. Seriously. I mean, I know quite a few other hobby boards which have loads and loads of advertising banners and those boards are very respected for their content. CoffeeGeek comes to mind on this, but there are others as well. I also know a few home theater/audio boards which not only have loads of advertising banners, but also charge a fee to members to access special "members' only deal" sections of their boards. avsforum comes to mind, for one. Those boards are also rich with quality member content - and all of theoe boards are extremely busy with membership across the globe. Numbers that surpass any cigar board activity I have ever seen. Oh, and when I say these boards have advertising banners, I mean all over the place. Much more than the advertising strip at the top of CigarPass.
What I'm trying to say is, large conglomerate boards can and do work. Whether they can work for cigar boards remains to be seen. I have no idea what those other hobby boards I referenced above were like before they became giant behemoths of activity and commercialism. The sense of community inherent in each purchased cigar board would likely be lost. But members could benefit from targeted marketing. Kinda like how members of this board get in on fantastic deals from other members who are also retailers. I just scored on such a fantastic deal here myself. Maybe the large manufacturers, or anyone in the supply side, might be more compelled to offer amazing deals to a core audience of massive membership numbers.
I don't know, guys. I really don't. Without a doubt change is in the books for the purchased boards. I can only say that I like forums such as CoffeeGeek and avsforum and also respect the passion and knowledge of their considerably sized membership base. I look to them, and others like them, when I seek knowledge of their respective hobbies. Those boards - and their members - have yet to fail me in politely addressing my questions and dispensing great advice. But always search first.
And FWIW, and in my opinion, this thread is a public service if tastefully done and is sans any cross board bashing. This will affect the cigar board world in some fashion. We just don't know how yet. It's good to stay abreast of our hobby wherein it could affect us. If for no other reason than some of the exodus will start showing up on Cigar Pass en masse, it will have an effect.
Best to you, Rod, for keeping to your guns. This board is yours to sell, if you wish. Yet, they are often referred to as labors of love. I fail to see how the owners who sold did not envision the erosion of their communities for the sake of commercialism. Nobody floats out that kinda coin all at once without some plan to recoup.
Nice job!
