Not to get attacked here, I am making a personal comment from experience.
I guess I really don't understand the rationale for this as "NO PERSONAL ATTACKS" is standard operating procedure here and I do enforce it. It is of course impossible to prevent a post in advance but any attack is dealt with quickly and effectively. Those who can't deal with the rules are banned to prevent a continuation of that.
I contacted Ole Bub after the radio show about habituation and told him briefly about my family and their experience with bigfeet on our land. His advice was to check out all the groups and individuals that I could, and get a better idea of who was who.
Going to all the other forums was really a eye opener, even talking to a lot of the people that are considered in the upper crust of the bigfoot community. I also read a lot. There is a trail of posts across all the forums that talk about how someone shot a bigfoot in Luisiana and bragged about it for years. This same person still goes hunting all the time, which if they were no-kill, wouldn't be killing other God's creatures. Just my honest opinion here.
I guess I don't really recognize that there is such a thing as a "bigfoot community" in the grander sense of the matter. There are a multitude of lesser communities in the sense that each forum site or organization as some chose to call themselves forms a community of sorts for those who associate with that forum site or organization. The same might be said of groups of individuals who ban together to "study or research" at a given property. But this is all a totally disorganized effort with no real national leadership and for sure no real upper crust to speak of.
There are some names of respected scientist such as Meldrum and others with whom I'm not aware that could I suppose be looked on as an "upper crust" but they are not really that devoted to the study/research of this creature called bigfoot as opposed to other fields of study. It is at best a side line interest to them I believe and so far as I know none of those types are actually associating themselves with any such site or organization.
When I told Ole Bub that my family didn't want this person to know our location, I was bitterly attacked by that person for it. That alone makes me suspect anything said by this person.
The only bad-mouthing that was done, came from Ole Bub and Telehnay's G'son about all these other groups and people, but the people they bad-mouthed would not bad-mouth them back. The group I finally chose to go with, has been professional all the way. Even when I asked about the past association with Ole Bub, they never did say anything bad about him.
I don't see the need or value in rehashing this. I'm not privy to all that went on but do agree that John handled this badly and I have spoken with him privately about the manner in which it was handled via PMs thru this site. Since I'm not privy to all the communications between you guys in this matter I can't say if it was all one sided or not. I have already dealt with the matter as it applied to this site and you are quite well aware of that as I copied you my comments to John on the matter.
While it might have left a distrust on your part of John and Bub I think the feeling is mutual as far as they are concerned. I think it best put in the past and that all move forward. Holding on to it serves no useful purpose.
If this was really all about the big folks, like Ole Bub says, they would stop attacking people, bad-mouthing and start finding a way to work with others. This forum hasn't grown in the month I've been around at all, folks like me come on here and all they see is rhetoric, instead of any real research being discussed, and they get disheartened and leave.
People come to look for research, information that they can use in their own research and experiences. I have seen so many posts here always going back to thinly-veiled attacks on people, in order to get by Bill's standing order to not do it.
A valid point as far as it goes. BUT I've seen no such posted here by you either.
As I've stated I have no great burning interest in the matter of bigfoot but do have a casual interest in hearing the adventures of others as it relates to such matters. I have no real personal interest in going out to do study or research into the possible existence of such a creature but would like to see hard evidence of the existence if in fact they do exist. I'm not really at this time a believer that they do exist but am open minded to the possibility and willing to accept any hard evidence and no for me that doesn't require a body to be produced. I don't even see that as an appropriate goal.
I do agree that what has been posted here is not what I had hoped when I set the site up. It is my intention to weed such from the site and to provide it for those individuals who actually have an interest in the bigfoot legend to discuss the subject without the acrimony and attacks that seem to follow it at EVERY site I'm aware of on the subject.
Let me make this clear one more time. This site is NOT for personal attacks. This site is NOT for name calling. This site is NOT for those who wish to kill an animal often referred to as Bigfoot. This site is NOT a venue for pissing contests between individuals who just can't seem to get along with each other. It is not specifically a stated objective of this site to be a completely family oriented site that would necessarily be suitable for all members of a Christian Family to view without being shocked at some language or things said here. I have other sites to serve that goal. Having said that I do not expect trash mouth talk or inappropriate references and absolutely am not going to tolerate personal attacks and name calling.
I stand prepared to ban any indivdual who refuses to honor those simple rules. I have already banned Doug Bilby for continued attacks after being warned to get off that track and on to the discussion. I say here to John and anyone else that might be party to that fued with Doug and his associates I do NOT again want to see their names or the fued brought up as a subject of discussion on this site again. Any and ALL posts or threads from this moment forward that do will be deleted immediately and anyone who cannot avoid continuing to bring up that matter will be banned as well.
There is no one individual or group of individuals who are so important to have at this site that I will tolerate a continuation of this fued or any future ones that might develop to be posted here. If it takes banning of folks to get this site on the proper track then so be it. The site either will be handled in a professional manner and with respect to the subject creature referred to as Bigfoot or it will not exist. If folks wish to use this venue they will do it within the guide lines established for sound study/research and discussion of the subjects for which we have topics or they will not be allowed at this site. That applies to one and ALL who come here.
Comparing this forum with other Bigfoot forums, there is so much lacking here that it will never become a place for researchers to come to.
What has happened in the past is in the past. I feel your comment is inappropriate and out of place. Putting it brutally honestly if you don't like it here then leave. You are entitled to your opinion and free to state it but if you don't like it here why bother to visit?
I have some suggestions that would make this site better.
1. Get rid of the Alpha Male moniker on Telehnay's title. That puts people off right there, and it really sounds like it's an ego trip or worse yet, childish.
ALL internet sites so far as I know have titles or applilations of the sort that go with the attainment of various levels of posting. I chose some that seemed to go with the subject matter discussed here and pulled them from various other bigfoot sites I didn't think them up on my own. The number of posts needed to move from level to level might be too low but the site was new and I really never expected the volume of posts here that some sites like our GBO site get so I chose fairly low numbers to get from level to level. I have no real problem in doing away with all such but the way forum softwares work they are a built in part and I think kinda sorta have to be there with some name associated with them. I am open to a new list of such titles if someone can come up with what they feel is a better selection than we currently use.
The Alpha Male "moniker" as you put it has no bearing on John or anyone's rank here other than as it relates to the number of posts made.
2. Stop with the no-kill rhetoric. This forum was a part of a hunting and gun forum before, so that alone kills that as being the backbone of this site. No one with any sense will believe that this is a no-kill site.
Quite honestly I guess I don't really give a "rat's ass" what you believe as it relates to this site. I have stated from day one of my involvement in this issue that I had no desire or intention to do harm to Bigfoot should such a creature ever be proven to exist. I have stated repeatedly from day one that the ONLY way I'd shoot one would be if it was attacking me with intent to kill me. From what has been relayed to me via the reading of the stories of folks who claim to have had encounters with a bigfoot they seem quite peaceful and not much inclined to harm humans.
This stance has been mine from the beginning and since I own this site I believe my stated personal position on the matter constitutes the "official position of the site" and what others who post here believe is their right and their opinion and does not alter the position of the site. Bigfoot Study.com is a wholly owned private entity owned and controlled by my family all of whom have no intentions or desire to see a bigfoot harmed should their existence ever be documented. That is THE BACKBONE of this site as you put it and the views of members to the contrary it is the way things are here. Again I say to you if you don't like it here then just don't come here. Your opinion of any given member or members aside you just plain don't know what you're talking about. Pardon my french but this site is whatever the hell I say it is. No more no less.
3. Stop attacking other people and groups because their research does not go along with your way of thinking. I've met some pro-kill folks who have set high standards of research, and their line of thinking may be correct for them.
I really doubt that. I'm aware of no "pro kill" group or individual who has or is taking any scientific approach to the study of the creature referred to as bigfoot. All such seem interested in is killing one to proof to the world "they" have done so. I see no value in such an approach.
Let me refer to a creature even more rare than bigfoot who has finally be documented and filmed in the wild thus proving the existence but without harming it. The snow leapard has been a myth almost as long as has bigfoot and most scientist didn't really believe it existed. Yet I've seen a well done documentary film of the life and times of them on TV. To kill such a rare breed seems inexcusable just to prove to the world it exists.
The folks to whom I think you are referring have no high standards and no standing in the scientific community. Name me one respected doctor of science suggesting the killing of bigfoot.
4. Delete 2/3 of the threads here, as most are thinly-veiled insults and attacks on people. The researchers in the community are not stupid, they know of the history behind some of the folks here and just reading some of the posts only confirms that.
That might happen. I'm not sure the percentage but do agree much of what has gone down here is inappropriate drivel. But please point me to a site where that is not the case. Again I say there is "no community" and there is to my current knowledge no "true research" being conducted on the creature called bigfoot. There is mostly just a bunch of heathens running around the woods with guns hoping to kill one to become rich or famous or both. The scientific community is not particularly involved in trying to prove the existence of bigfoot nor have many scientist even taken a serious look at the possibility.
I do agree the posts/threads with attacks needs to be weeded out but it's a labor intensive effort I just am not at this time in a position to under take. Since their really seems to be no serious science based group of folks doing research on the bigfoot there are no smart or stupid folks in that category to read and make decisions regarding this site. I say again if you don't like it don't visit it.
5. Invite researchers to come in. Not just no-kill, but pro-kill too. Let them come and talk research without having to listen to the same thing over and over. I've been told that there is research being done here, but I haven't found it yet.
Pretty much everyone who can follow the simple rules of the site are/have been in effect "invited" to participate. If you expect me to send out gold engraved invitations I say don't hold your breath waiting for it to happy.
I'm aware of no one doing anything that would fit the sceince community's standard of research as it relates to bigfoot. If there is such of course they are welcome here. Even folks who don't fit that description are welcome to come here to discuss the topics we have forums for. I don't care if you are pro or no kill you can visit and discuss the subjects here.
Who told you there is research being done here assuming here means this forum site? There is no formal or for that matter informal effort on the part of the owners of this site to do study or research of bigfoot. I merely offer this venue for those interested in the subjects it covers to visit and post their comments, observations, beliefs, ideas and any evidence they might wish to be read and believed or not by those who read the site.
I'd love to see someone actively involved in science based research post their findings here. However if anyone is actually doing such research it has escaped my notice. Should I become aware of such a group led by doctors of science based fields who are in fact actively involved in real research who wished a venue to discuss it I'd be happy to turn over the site to their control in the sense of making them the moderators to run the site. Ownership would remain as it is as would Admin control and the rules while they could be discussed aren't likely to change greatly. I challenge anyone to show me that such "science based research" is going on anywhere.
6. Stop trying to show how other researchers are such horrible people, just to try and show yourself to be better than them. This is supposed to be about bigfoot research, not CSI or Law and Order.
In my opinion you use the word research too loosely. The folks you are referring to without knowing precisely who they are most likely wouldn't know research if it jumped up and bit them in the butt. They are merely (for the most part) a bunch of folks with guns and night vision equipment running around the woods wanting to shoot a bigfoot. Sorry but that ain't research. What Dr. Jeff Meldrum does on a daily basis is research and from time to time when he hears of someone who might have a real bigfoot around he will involve himself to some extent in the research of it but so far to my knowledge even in those instances nothing of scientific interest has surfaced.
I'd love to have a person of his stature in the scientific communtity who wanted to come here and become involved. I'd be happy to turn over the moderation of the site to such a person to see it used in the manner in which I envisioned when I bought the domain and set up the site. Until such comes forward however we'll plod along the best we can with the folks we have who have shown an interest in the subject and do the best we can within the rules and guide lines I've set up.
If you've not noticed a definite shift in focus and direction since we moved this to the domain from the GBO Free Forums then you've just not paid attention. Some folks don't seem to like John and that's well and good. I don't really know him personally in that I've never met him. I've spoken with him via phone several times and via PMs and e-mails on many other occasions. He does have a fixation on one small group of individuals I've often expressed frustration over and asked him to at least not bring that up at this site. I can't change him or his views but I can control his or other's actions as it relates to this site.
We're not going to have any further discussion of their fued here and we're not going to allow personal attacks and name calling of anyone here. Everyone needs to clearly understand that.
I've said my peace, and I would like to see this place grow into what it should turn into. But for that to happen, people here need to change their ways and make it a place for people to want to come.
If it's truly about the big folks, then none of this petty fighting should be going on. We should all be working together to protect them, regardless of what you believe.
Joseph.
True enough. So let's do it one and all.
