(10-16-2016, 03:55 PM)vtmax Wrote: Great post Tbone.
I was recently banned elsewhere for not knowingly violating a forum's rules. I posted a simple response from an artisan on his curing process. Apparently he was a banned vendor. I had no way of knowing he was ostracized.
Any kind of forum owned by a vendor, whether shaving or another hobby, is not a forum. As you said it's just advertising that business and nothing more. The worst part is how can anyone trust the reviews of that businesses products by their disciples?
I love that there is an active vendor and artisan community on DFS - I want them all here whether they're promoting their products or just discussing aspects of shaving and shaving related things. There is such a wealth of knowledge on DFS and a willingness to freely share it with the community. I know I wouldn't be happy on a pseudo-forum that was a front for pushing one guy's goods and/or service while keeping all others out. Why would anyone willingly sign on to the online equivalent of a Totalitarian Regime? Oops, time to report for my re-programming session