mrtys post

[Taz Lancaster]

Cheez and MFin rice Ive got news for ya, if you fish w/ me your gonna pay,thats all Martys post consisted of ,giving some of us the opportunity to see the otherside of the gulfstream for probably a once in a lifetime trip, he wasnt trying to fill all those dates available this season,no just a fun trip is the way I took it Hell Tommy Tuna ,was talking about buddying up w/ him and putting a crew together I bet they would have paid for fuel and expenses. What do ya think? I usually dont get involved and am very capable of showing myself to the door I caught fish before I came here and will continue to do so. I'm with Jimmy on this

[Right Angle-r]

I may not be a subscribed member but have been on this board as well as wwa befor and this stuff happens every winter.But this has got to be the worst I've seen.As far as I see it what good is a comm. sub if you cant put up a post with openings on a boat.I'm done with this board.There's just too many know it all's with no fricking experience at what they are talking about.To the non bashing tidalb-tch member.You have caused this board more harm then you realize.Alot of the members are moving to another site because of this type of non-bashing.Marty has provided this board with so much valuable info over the years he will be missed.Countless people have taken the info and used it to CATCH MORE FISH.The way I see it you are using this board for your own personal vendetta against Marti.I'm sick of it.I'm leaving this site to never return.

see ya

[Captain Jay Kavanagh]

I guess I missed this whole Fiasco. I have been in the boatyard and not been paying attention.

I will say that I am currently considering my "commercial subscriber" status.

I very occasionally do post about available spots in make ups or when the fishing is really good and have a unusual weekend opening, within a regular fishing report as a service to the trailer boaters that use this board. Every time, they have been edited to remove those lines about trips.

I just read my commercial subscription agreement and it is not very clear on this subject.

I buy several links to my website every year and this is the most expensive one I purchase. Tidalfish.com as a referer is .62% of my hits.

I feel that I should be entitled to post information about trip availability as a commercial subscriber.

I don't really think I generate alot of bookings directly from the Tidalfish site, but I beleive it is valuable to me through word of mouth and generating a positive reputation for my business.

Let me also add that I know of some pretty shakey business occurring here. I know for certain that some users (I will not name names) have put together charter trips on this board, for boats they have an interest in, under the guise of needing HO's. Atleast I am upfront about trying to make money!

Lastly, let me add that I too have been a free and open resource for users on this board, anytime someone has asked me about where to fish or how to fish, I gladly and freely provided the info.

just my $.02.

[rockfisher1055]

Can anyone enlighten me to what "TIDALFISH" is really suppose to be all about?????

I thought it was " ALL FISHING, ALL THE TIME" , in this case I think that maybe instead of redesigning the board why don't we consider allowing "commerical subscribers" the right to post whatever they want???? It is a means of "FISHING" and I thought "fishing" is what this board is about!! And to those that don't like it then like I said before they don't have to read it. I believe it should be that simple!!!!!!!


OPINIONS?????????????????

[hillbilly Jr]

Brandon,
I think I understand what you are trying to do. But if the member in question is paying the extra fee to post as Commercial(sp?) member and is limited to only using the signature bar for advertising then there is no real advantage is there? The class. section for them is a start but how many people really check them?

Why couldn't you and Tom add a Icon for commercail trips or start a Forum for them to allow us quick access to them and make the addtional fees worth it? This is not meant to be negitive towards the Board as I have learned a lot from it and enjoy it, but more to keep the information here and the guys that fish for a living sharing there knowledge here.

[BuckTales02]

I really really don't understand how people don't understand the concept here. The stipulations are CLEARLY explained in the subscriber/advertiser agreements. If you don't like the rules, don't buy the ****ing subscription, commercial or otherwise. Time to go read the ches. bay board where atleast people still talk about FISHING.

[Brandon]

It's clear to me after reading all the posts that we are not clear enough with what a commerical subscription offers, people do not want to accept it or its a bad concept. I am open to any one or combination of these things being correct.

We may not be clear enough, so I'll fix that by adding information

Hopefully a classified section for open trip dates will help. Someone asked how many people read them, from the traffic numbers and emails from people who sell their goods through them, a ton of people read and use them. I will admit that we can do a better job promoting them. I am working on that through a redesign of the site that will have a sidebar that better lays out all the features we have. Will not happen overnight, but its coming.

Someone asked what is the board all about, it is about fishing, but not about one big ad. If you have not been around message boards for a long time then you do not know what I am talking about when I say if ads pop up all over the place no one returns because while it about fishing, its about selling everything fishing under the sun then people who just want to talk fishing do not come back. I have seen it happen many many times. I would perfer it not happen to this board.

Fishing reports from captains do have value for members through hearing what is going on and for captains by helping generate business. We just have to find a system that works and keeps the boards in balance.

[GAW]

Brandon I understand conceptually ( I admitt not from a practical matter) that there are good points and bad likely possibilities no matter what you do, You can't selectively discriminate without having a real mess on your hands. If you use selective judgement, you are bound to get grief, if you use a bureaucratic one size fits all standard you catch other grief. Just a thought: Have a board on commercial notices/ ads. Allow a little lee way on messages from the regular boards informing of commercial ad-- perhaps-- allowing a post like see my post on the commercial board for a special XYZ. not just in the sig, but a real post and let it go from there on the comm. site. If the post on the fishing board is too aggregious, simply move it to the ad board and tell the comm. writer to tone it down a little on the regular board. You and your Commercial members will then figure out what the market will bear and what is worth while for a "commercial" subscription. Of course it will be abused from time to time and you will have to police it. But hey, that's part of the price for doing this uh? Or not.
This board has the best reputation and is the best source of honest info on the net thanks to all including the valued commercial guys that are willing to help out and frankly go out on a limb of their own at times. There has to be a happy medium between a board clogged with commercial spam and useless the nonesence seen on lesser boards. In all cander: I'm glad I'm not in your shoes.

[rocksandblues]

i have no dog in this fight so maybe my perspective is different...

i have never fished offshore. i am a wanna-be. i have a boat that can do it, but between kids and my work i only have time to fish close. in my case that is the lower potomac and sections of the bay. one day for sure i will get out there. in the meantime i really enjoy everyones posts and lessons. i am taking notes.

the commercial subscribers, i think, are invaluable to this forum. if i see a post for a new lure made i may or may not look at it. since at this point i am not buying offshore lures. but it does not bother me that someone posts them. the ones i have seen are way beyond what i could imagine.

i don't click on every post. the same thing about free dates or fishing trips. since i can not get away i usually do not click on those posts but again they do not bother me.

i would imagine that 80% of the good info comes from 10% of the posters, most of whom are commercial. i would be very cautious to stiffle informative posts/posters.

in the meantime i will be dreaming of bluewater while i am drifting for croakers with 3 kids and 2 dogs.

[Mike H]

Hi guys,
Since I don’t know any of the main players on this board, I think that my opinion is pretty unbiased. After watching these feuds unravel over the last few months, I have a few opinions:

1. If any Internet message board is going to succeed long-term, a somewhat heavy-handed moderator is necessary. When a topic degenerates into name-calling, reputation bashing, etc, it must be locked up ASAP. While this leaves open the possibility of a productive debate being shut down prematurely, I think that it is always better to error on the side of caution.
2. I think the information provided by the commercial subscribers is invaluable. However, some of these very same knowledgeable, open, and friendly individuals have, in my opinion, placed too many blatant adds on the board. Here is a suggestion: If a commercial subscriber wants to advertise an open date or a product for sale have them do so in the context of a tip or report. For instance, post a somewhat detailed report and then at the end mention you have some upcoming dates. Another example would be to reply to someone’s question, and in the context of the reply, state that you are now booking charters.
3. An open boat forum where commercial subscribers can advertise their products and charters at will is good for everybody.
Just so that everyone knows where I’m coming from, I don’t have a lot of friends on this board, don’t fish very often with members of this board, and spend only a fraction of the time on the water that many Tidalfisher’s do. However as a college senior who lives four hours away from a small boat, I enjoy reading this board on a daily basis since I don’t get to fish very often. However, in six weeks I will graduate from college and I will move to Newark, DE to pursue an advanced degree in Analytical -chemistry. Since the arrival of a bigger boat (mid-April) will coincide with a move that will bring me closer to saltwater, I hope to fish more in the coming months and years. If this board remains intact, I promise to post reports this summer. I will also continue to contribute in the FEW areas I consider myself knowledgeable in.

Thanks for listening
Mike Huston

PS-Over the last year, I have sent out a lot of b-mails in an effort to find answers to very specific questions. In every single instance, the person I b-mailed answered back quickly and provided a very detailed answer to my questions. The fact that none of these people knew me from Adam just goes to show what a great bunch of people frequent this board. Let’s not let this fighting allow us to lose sight of what a great resource this board truly is. A special thanks to TommyTuna, Anthony’s Ark, Aquatrax, Jimmy K, and bregan. You guy’s are first class!