Understand as I write this, I am NOT opening this up for a massive debate on which board is better. This is presented for informational purposes only.
I received this email from UC earlier today. It probably came to me because I once created an account at their ".net" address shortly before they abandoned it. I present it unedited and unexpurgated.
The following is an e-mail sent to you by an administrator of "United
Cardists - The forum for Cardistry, Magic, and Custom Decks. Sponsored by
Bmpokerworld.com". If this message is spam, contains abusive or other
comments you find offensive please contact the webmaster of the board at
the following address:
board@unitedcardists.com
Include this full e-mail (particularly the headers).
Message sent to you follows:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hi,
I just wanted to go over some changes that will be taking place on our
forum. Our forum is no different than any other forum on the web, it is a
community of people who share a common interest. In this case, it's playing
cards. It should be a place where you go to discuss everything and anything
about playing cards. It should not be a place where would be deck creators
and retailers come here just to promote their new deck or their store,
without adding any meaningful content. Unfortunately, with the rise of
Kickstarter, that is what our forum has become. The vast majority of
content is from new members who go to every forum just to promote their
deck or store without becoming part of the community. That is not why this
forum was created.
Therefore, new deck creators and retailers, as well as existing ones, run
the risk of not being able to post here if the only content they add is
about their new deck creation or a new deck they have in their store. In
addition, anyone who only shows up and makes a couple of post just before
they have a new deck, which they are creating or selling and disappears
again, runs the risk of losing their posting privileges as well. If a new
deck is worthwhile, one of our participating members will be more than
happy to inform our community. If you don't have anything to add but what
you are trying to sell, then you really don't belong here to begin with and
you should find another way to advertise your deck.
I hope everyone understands my feelings on this subject and as always, you
can email me anytime with any questions or concerns you may have.
Thanks!
Mike
--
Thanks, The ManagementOK, now that that's over with...
I want the small-but-growing card design community to know that you are welcomed at the Discourse. I personally love it when people come here to discuss their decks and answer our questions. (Yes, even you, Sprouts1115...) If I was a baseball fan on a baseball forum, would Derek Jeter or Barry Bonds or Name-Your-Favorite-Player just pop in, say hi and answer fans' questions? Not likely. I think of it as one of the more awesome things about the playing card community - that places like this exist, where creators and their customers can interact in a meaningful way.
While it's nice to hear directly from you about new releases and such, I would also encourage you to also explore the board and see what it has to offer. A number of designers have become active members of this community over time; perhaps they're on to something and you should see what you're missing!
To the retailers, well... We don't have all that many non-designing retailers around here that AREN'T part of the community, do we?
Most of you are just like the rest of us - fans of playing cards, magic and cardistry! Join us, chat about your products or whatever else comes to mind, be active members. Advertising a specific product or sale is fine if it's placed in the correct board, the STISO, and only once you've met the requirements for posting there - and it would be appreciated if you kept it to a single topic, like your "other online store". We especially appreciate the discounts you occasionally send our way!