It's happend

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by AD720

I was basically told that: 1, they were not changing anything regarding the site supporter situation, 2, CS was a very profitable site (same as Puff) and that the site supporter donations at CS were not really supporting the site, just gravy and Paul was making a lot of money and 3, that $20 every six months "is not going to make or break him/the site".

Having been "behind the scenes" for a long time at CS, I would debate this statement of Jon's. Paul may have made a profit from the final sale, but for years he put his own money, as well as his own sweat and blood, into CS to keep it the community he and Rob originally envisioned. Anyone who thinks that their donations when Paul owned the site were going into Paul's pockets is mistaken in my opinion.

Originally Posted by AAlmeter

Son of a...! I donated $3k to Tom...he told me that invisible ink would last a lifetime!

The check bounced, Adam, so I made the ink "neon".

[Da Klugs]

Funny how we kept quiet till the day of transition. Hope is the second to last thing to go I guess. Wait with Viagra etc now I guess it's the last.

I'm as guilty as anyone dissing the changes and projecting my view of the new owners intent here and on the old place. Got it mostly out of the system but who knows. I think we all learned from the experience. Some of the worst things that ever happened to me turned out in the long run to be the best things. This situation is one of them.

Honestly, wishing the new Puff venture all the best is probably good karma, it costs nothing, and also does good for all of us in the long run as their promoting ways help folks find and enjoy the world of cigar boards.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

Funny how we kept quiet till the day of transition. Hope is the second to last thing to go I guess. Wait with Viagra etc now I guess it's the last.

I'm as guilty as anyone dissing the changes and projecting my view of the new owners intent here and on the old place. Got it mostly out of the system but who knows. I think we all learned from the experience. Some of the worst things that ever happened to me turned out in the long run to be the best things. This situation is one of them.

Honestly, wishing the new Puff venture all the best is probably good karma, it costs nothing, and also does good for all of us in the long run as their promoting ways help folks find and enjoy the world of cigar boards.

And you say I am the nice guy, Dave.

[montecristo#2]

I am glad to see this thread has gone from people wanting to get banned to some really good comments and heartfelt thoughts.

When this site went live, I got an email from Tom and a voicemail from Gerry - both of which made my day. To think these guys would take the time to drop me a note, that is what CS created for me. A bunch of friends I have actually flown places to meet (Hey Tom, when are you finally going to make it out to California to smoke some cigars?).

When the mod team left I saw a bunch of guys who all joined around the same time as me try to keep the ship afloat and I jumped on board to try to help. If it wasn't for Blake Lockhart (I still remember the Dave's old username), I wouldn't have 300 plus 5 finger bags still ready to be used. I have traded cigars with most of these guys and I will honestly say, being a team member with them has been an honor. I can now see how the team of 11 became such a strong group, when you have to look over every post and make decisions as a team, it drive the bond beyond cigars.

As for puff.com, I work on the internet. I work in online advertising and I understand what Jon is trying to do. Almost everything on the internet is commercial (except for maybe wikipedia and this place). Every member here is lucky that the team of 11 has both the time and money to run this place without the need to ask for help or to flash ads to pay the bills. It is amazing how these guys are willing to spend both the time and money to keep this place running (I can imagine hosting a site this size is not cheap). With that said, I would assume there is a limit to what they can do. I doubt the team of 11 can produce cigar videos for example. Well with this group, they can probably do anything.

I made a post earlier in this thread about Cigar Aficionado and the cost to advertise with them. Unfortunately, if you look around, the other CA is really the only place a cigar manufacturer can advertise these days (Cigar and Smoke are horrible magazines and the ECCJ, while great is more of a European audience). So they can charge whatever they want and continue to produce a magazine that has less than 5 articles about cigars. Print advertising is dying as more people move online. In addition, it is very hard to track results in the print world, so advertisers really have no way to know if the money they spend is actually increasing sales for them. If someone wants to profit from that transition, who am I to say it is wrong. We all want to make more money and as a person who works online, I am interested to see if Jon can do it. If he can provide a better platform for cigar manufacturers to advertise and increase their business, while making money, it doesn't seem that bad to me (but again I work in a very similar business).

The idea of a central place to go and read about cigars, watch videos, read interviews, is inherently interesting to me. If that means I have to see ads for wine and liquor, so be it.

Just in case anyone is wondering, no one asked me to write this. These are my thoughts and my thoughts alone.

[icehog3]

Originally Posted by montecristo#2

that is what CS created for me. A bunch of friends I have actually flown places to meet (Hey Tom, when are you finally going to make it out to California to smoke some cigars?).

Thank you too, Aaron for the kind words....I look forward to the day (hopefully soon) when we can drop the "Cyber" from our "Cyber-Herf" together.

[montecristo#2]

Originally Posted by icehog3

Thank you too, Aaron for the kind words....I look forward to the day (hopefully soon) when we can drop the "Cyber" from our "Cyber-Herf" together.

That reminds me, I need to send you guys a PM about the next cyber herf! No reason we can't all smoke some good cigars right!


[edit] For some reason I cannot seem to edit my last post, even though it was less than 30 minutes ago. I want to add one more thing, I don't know Jon's master plan and have not talked to him about it. I just happen to work in online advertising and have seen websites try to do something similar.

[Da Klugs]

Originally Posted by montecristo#2

That reminds me, I need to send you guys a PM about the next cyber herf! No reason we can't all smoke some good cigars right!


[edit] For some reason I cannot seem to edit my last post, even though it was less than 30 minutes ago. I want to add one more thing, I don't know Jon's master plan and have not talked to him about it (I am just a mod, nothing more). I just happen to work in online advertising and have seen websites try to do something similar.

I think ours is less time. One of the few perks we got as mods there was exemption from the search time delays (you must wait 30 second thingie). Didn't remember it existed at all until afterwards and then.. arrgh.

I liked your post and agree. Puff will take the place of Cigarlive in my frame of reference (has that feel already). A different more commercial place that has it's value and vibe particularly for folks early in the journey. The videos are cool but lookng at Lopez is starting to make my head hurt almost as bad as reading stuff from KevinG.

[montecristo#2]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

. . .my head hurt almost as bad as reading stuff from KevinG.

Amen to that.

[livwire68]

I was a member at CS for a couple years, I cant say I am sad to see it go. The reason being is that the heart of it is here at CA. Home is where the heart is! Everything we had there we have here, I just happen to log on in a forum with a different name, almost as if the other place never existed. Change comes to us in many different ways, some good some bad. We are fortunate that this change brought us a whole lota good. Its a small world when you choose to make it one, where family and friends are concerned.

[jitzy]

Originally Posted by Da Klugs

I think ours is less time. One of the few perks we got as mods there was exemption from the search time delays (you must wait 30 second thingie). Didn't remember it existed at all until afterwards and then.. arrgh.

I liked your post and agree. Puff will take the place of Cigarlive in my frame of reference (has that feel already). A different more commercial place that has it's value and vibe particularly for folks early in the journey. The videos are cool but lookng at Lopez is starting to make my head hurt almost as bad as reading stuff from KevinG.

the funny thing is Daniel and Jon I feel from reading a lot of there posts more wanted to have more of the CS feel but the reason its starting to get the "Live" feel is cause John has Daniel running both boards so they are both gonna take on Daniels vision for the boards. Having Moded for Daniel on GARlive I wall say you learn a lot about someone when you work with them instead of just talking to them and those are the reasons I felt I had to leave cause there were things that ethicaly I did not like such as password scrambling.

On a separate note and this is not trying to pick a fight with any of the guys over at puff but I find it funny how guys think that by staying there they will "save" what they had I'm sorry but the name of the board does not make the board the members do and the true heart and soul of both CS and CL are here and at outcasts now, so there is no saving there is creating a new forum not the old.

I truly don't wish puff or any of the core members there any ill will nor do I hope they fail but I also don't think they are gonna do any good for the cigar community like Jon and Daniel are trying to claim but it really is just a money maker for Jon and a way for Daniel to do what he said he wanted to do and the reason he started live in the first place and that is make video's and eventually short documentry style movies.

I truly want to thank the TRUE botl that started the offshoot boards to keep a place for us to all come and just talk.

[DBall]

Originally Posted by montecristo#2

Every member here is lucky that the team of 11 has both the time and money to run this place without the need to ask for help or to flash ads to pay the bills. It is amazing how these guys are willing to spend both the time and money to keep this place running (I can imagine hosting a site this size is not cheap).

One of the truest sentiments mentioned. I, for one, am grateful (and, like many others, would definitely become a site supporter here given the option).