Just Checked That Other Website...

I hadn't viewed the other astro website for quite awhile, not even on a cloudy evening, so I thought I might take a peek. You know, it's pretty much how and why I left it...
Let me see,  "I sent my mirror out for refiguring to so and so and it's been two years now, what should I do?" Or, I sent my mirror to the same guy and I never got it back so I bought a new one" Or, "my coulter mirror has a chip in it, what can I do?" And, "What's a coulter?"...
Then, it's tell me what's wrong with my mirror time with just about every screwy-looking diffraction pattern you've ever seen, most of which can be explained by the seeing...

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

I hadn't viewed the other astro website for quite awhile, not even on a cloudy evening, so I thought I might take a peek. You know, it's pretty much how and why I left it...
Let me see,  "I sent my mirror out for refiguring to so and so and it's been two years now, what should I do?" Or, I sent my mirror to the same guy and I never got it back so I bought a new one" Or, "my coulter mirror has a chip in it, what can I do?" And, "What's a coulter?"...
Then, it's tell me what's wrong with my mirror time with just about every screwy-looking diffraction pattern you've ever seen, most of which can be explained by the seeing...

Hi Rod:

Yes, it is a huge pain to wade through the silliness posted by self-anointed equipment gurus and general know-it-all types on the other US site.  The herd mentality is hilarious as well.   Still, at least there is some equipment/astronomy discussion over there.  My forums here (refractors and deep sky CCD imaging) are all but dead.  One or two posts a month.  

Jim

Originally Posted by James Brown

Hi Rod:

Yes, it is a huge pain to wade through the silliness posted by self-anointed equipment gurus and general know-it-all types on the other US site.  The herd mentality is hilarious as well.   Still, at least there is some equipment/astronomy discussion over there.  My forums here (refractors and deep sky CCD imaging) are all but dead.  One or two posts a month.  

Jim

There are some good conversations. I don't understand why some mods (and some posters) are so eager to lock threads. Some good discussions are interrupted by posters giving the lock symbol with others adding, (...lock it...) Sometimes it is nothing more than a couple of refractor fans unhappy that reflector fans are claiming better views. Of course, the opposite can happen. Some seem sensitive that their equipment is lower priced. One discussion was several pages long and the more knowledgable people were making interesting posts. It was locked and a mod said the original poster was unhappy with the responses!  

It's a shame we don't have active forums in the AM. I've heard everything from it's 15.00 bucks a year, coming from people who own expensive equipment and have the means to do it, to "the vendors have to pay too much". While there's some useful discussion on that other site, there's too much nonsense for my tastes...

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

It's a shame we don't have active forums in the AM. I've heard everything from it's 15.00 bucks a year, coming from people who own expensive equipment and have the means to do it, to "the vendors have to pay too much". While there's some useful discussion on that other site, there's too much nonsense for my tastes...

I think people are less likely to have a free wheeling discussion when they are required to use their name. Astromart should allow people in the forums and not require their names. In a year the forums will have a lot of discussion. I don't think a few dollars is the reason. Anybody that contributes more noise than content could be warned and then dismissed! Nothing personal, just not the content the site is looking for.

I agree. I go in spurts but as much as I like astronomy I'm sick of talking about it ad nauseam. Nice if you have a specific question, but lately the only forum I really watch there is Off Topic and that's not as much as I used to. Besides, in Michigan it's always cloudy anyway so I have other hobbies to take up the slack. There is a similar site dealing with musical equipment and guitars called TGP (The Gear Page) that I hang out at, but it's mostly in one forum concerning a specific boutique effect pedal company located here in Michigan. The site has the same problems as CN and the mods are quick to quash anything that wanders into certain subjects including politics. Unfortunately, the only forum on AM that has any traffic at all is the Richard Davis Political Forum and most of that traffic is by Richard.

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

No wonder your wife goes out looking for strange all the time.  LOL  

And that is why you are the biggest ass wipe on AM. Did you ever notice that you post 95% of the posts in the politics forum. No wonder no one likes to post there anymore. Stick that LOL right up you rear end, Dick.

Well, Dickie, you just got a new nickname too. Dick fits you so well.

Originally Posted by Richard Davis

I agree.  The vendor's fee is a pittance compared to what you get.  Holy smokes, worldwide exposure for the price of chump change. 

Even as a regular user (not a vendor) I've been able to make sales of used equipment to Italy, Australia, Canada, etc...  Where else could you have the audience that one enjoys here, for $15 lousy bucks??  

Most people probably spend close to $15 eating a fast food lunch during one of their work weeks. If that is the reason, it is a sorry one indeed. 

How true. I was up at Mt Pinos observing a while ago and this guy sets up next to me and starts complaining to another amateur about the 15 bucks for the AM so he'll only go to the other site. This guy had a Porsche SUV, a couple of AP refractors, imaging cameras and computers, nothing low rent and he's bitching about $15 dollars.
I think Mel's likely correct as well about people lacking the testerone to use their own names but they're not going to have a problem if they do. I think the AM made a mistake in dropping the moderators for the forums but I'm sure there's pros and cons with that, too.

Originally Posted by Rod Kaufman

How true. I was up at Mt Pinos observing a while ago and this guy sets up next to me and starts complaining to another amateur about the 15 bucks for the AM so he'll only go to the other site. This guy had a Porsche SUV, a couple of AP refractors, imaging cameras and computers, nothing low rent and he's bitching about $15 dollars.
I think Mel's likely correct as well about people lacking the testerone to use their own names but they're not going to have a problem if they do. I think the AM made a mistake in dropping the moderators for the forums but I'm sure there's pros and cons with that, too.

I mentioned the moderator thing 3 or 4 months ago to Herb.....and his perspective was basically if you cant take the heat get out of the kitchen