You know, I have started and stopped this about a half dozen times. I thought to myself, who cares? What's the point? It's not the same place I signed up for... But, each time I log on here and see the crap that is becoming of this community, there is a glimmer of hope from someone who really cares.
In the summer of 2011, I commented on someone's growing thread. Back then, there wasn't a separate area for logs, it was all mixed in with the growing threads. I remember exactly what I said, it was in regards to his massive TS Yellow, and I commented about how his pepper had the amazing color of a lemon. Within 20 minutes there was a message in my box (still new to the site and was excited about "pepper-mail") simply asking for my "addy". This term, weird at first, would become one of the most used words in my pepper vocabulary.
Less than a week later I received a box in the mail. With more anticipation and excitement than I have ever felt for a parcel, I tore the box open to see 4 golf ball sized peppers, beautifully yellow, just like the grower's pictures. Determined, that night I read all about how to prepare my stomach and got ready to do one of those "pepper reviews" that I have seen a few guys doing. Back then, when I searched pepper reviews, there were only a few reviewers that popped up, Mike (Beaglestorm), Neil at THSC, and few other onsies and twosies. With what seemed like hours of time logged on youtube, I was ready. Cut the pepper, pull the seeds, and toss it back. Within a minute, I realized that no amount of videos could have ever prepared me for what I was doing. Heat, check. Pain, check. Tears, sweat, and runny nose, check. I was hooked.
Within a month of joining this place, I knew it was different from the rest. The people....were....just different. They gave things away that I normally had to pay for. They asked about how things were going in my life and seemed generally concerned when things weren't doin too hot, EVEN when it had nothing to do with peppers. I can't tell you how many times my wife questioned if I wanted to marry this site...if it were just possible....
I have met the nicest people I have ever known here, people that message me when I haven't been on for a while, people who call when I am sick, and people who, when the world is going through craziness, can put it all aside for a common hobby. So when I am seeing this place getting flooded with self promotion, arguments, and just general gimme gimme attitude, it is more than frustrating. When I was a new member (probably under 50 posts), I posted a quote in the Completely Random thread. This quote was from the HBO show Eastbound and Down. It was more than vulgar. Within 10 minutes of posting, I had a member (who had been around for much longer), PM me and set me straight. I was just a punk kid and thought that I could say and do whatever I wanted on this site. He made it clear that this place was different; and kids, guests, and a ton of other people are popping in here and my words, although what I thought were funny, probably shouldn't have been posted.
That is what the THP was. That is what I signed up for. Now, it is turning into every other forum out there. It is no surprise, the vast majority of people do not have the ability to debate a topic without throwing crap at each other. The off topic threads are full of promotion. New members, like, under 10 posts, are flooding the marketplace with GIMMEE GIMMEE threads (Obviously never reading Scovies Etiquette thread). Members are taunting mods, and mods are doing nothing about it. Rules are getting broken, blatantly, and the threads stay open. If you start a post with "mods do what you like", that post doesn't belong here. What the hell happened to the place that was different? What happened to people actually coming together to talk about and help each other grow peppers and other stuff??
Don't get me wrong, there are still a core of GREAT people here, but I FEAR that days of those people joining and staying are limited. What happens when a guest navigates to a "hot" topic to see nothing but hate spewed at each other? I saw the term "flame" for the first time in almost 3000 posts this week. That in itself tells me the rest of the web as infected this place.
I could care less about peppers, I am here because of the people. I enjoy hot stuff, but the people are what got me hooked. Giving, caring, and sharing attitudes are just not what you expect from the web. When I have a big harvest, I send over some peppers to the people that got me where I am, and then find someone who is new and never asked for anything, just like that grower did with me. But those days of people not asking for everything are getting thin. It seems like the natural progression is either, join, ask for free peppers and seeds, or, join, ask for everyone to follow your youtube channel, or join, go into the hot talk threads and argue with everyone.
For all the growers out there that helped me along the way, thank you. For all the people out there that care about this community and give instead of take, thank you. For all people here that came for the love of everything hot, but stuck around for the community, thank you.
Hopefully this blows over, if not, you can find me in the growing threads.
Matt
In the summer of 2011, I commented on someone's growing thread. Back then, there wasn't a separate area for logs, it was all mixed in with the growing threads. I remember exactly what I said, it was in regards to his massive TS Yellow, and I commented about how his pepper had the amazing color of a lemon. Within 20 minutes there was a message in my box (still new to the site and was excited about "pepper-mail") simply asking for my "addy". This term, weird at first, would become one of the most used words in my pepper vocabulary.
Less than a week later I received a box in the mail. With more anticipation and excitement than I have ever felt for a parcel, I tore the box open to see 4 golf ball sized peppers, beautifully yellow, just like the grower's pictures. Determined, that night I read all about how to prepare my stomach and got ready to do one of those "pepper reviews" that I have seen a few guys doing. Back then, when I searched pepper reviews, there were only a few reviewers that popped up, Mike (Beaglestorm), Neil at THSC, and few other onsies and twosies. With what seemed like hours of time logged on youtube, I was ready. Cut the pepper, pull the seeds, and toss it back. Within a minute, I realized that no amount of videos could have ever prepared me for what I was doing. Heat, check. Pain, check. Tears, sweat, and runny nose, check. I was hooked.
Within a month of joining this place, I knew it was different from the rest. The people....were....just different. They gave things away that I normally had to pay for. They asked about how things were going in my life and seemed generally concerned when things weren't doin too hot, EVEN when it had nothing to do with peppers. I can't tell you how many times my wife questioned if I wanted to marry this site...if it were just possible....
I have met the nicest people I have ever known here, people that message me when I haven't been on for a while, people who call when I am sick, and people who, when the world is going through craziness, can put it all aside for a common hobby. So when I am seeing this place getting flooded with self promotion, arguments, and just general gimme gimme attitude, it is more than frustrating. When I was a new member (probably under 50 posts), I posted a quote in the Completely Random thread. This quote was from the HBO show Eastbound and Down. It was more than vulgar. Within 10 minutes of posting, I had a member (who had been around for much longer), PM me and set me straight. I was just a punk kid and thought that I could say and do whatever I wanted on this site. He made it clear that this place was different; and kids, guests, and a ton of other people are popping in here and my words, although what I thought were funny, probably shouldn't have been posted.
That is what the THP was. That is what I signed up for. Now, it is turning into every other forum out there. It is no surprise, the vast majority of people do not have the ability to debate a topic without throwing crap at each other. The off topic threads are full of promotion. New members, like, under 10 posts, are flooding the marketplace with GIMMEE GIMMEE threads (Obviously never reading Scovies Etiquette thread). Members are taunting mods, and mods are doing nothing about it. Rules are getting broken, blatantly, and the threads stay open. If you start a post with "mods do what you like", that post doesn't belong here. What the hell happened to the place that was different? What happened to people actually coming together to talk about and help each other grow peppers and other stuff??
Don't get me wrong, there are still a core of GREAT people here, but I FEAR that days of those people joining and staying are limited. What happens when a guest navigates to a "hot" topic to see nothing but hate spewed at each other? I saw the term "flame" for the first time in almost 3000 posts this week. That in itself tells me the rest of the web as infected this place.
I could care less about peppers, I am here because of the people. I enjoy hot stuff, but the people are what got me hooked. Giving, caring, and sharing attitudes are just not what you expect from the web. When I have a big harvest, I send over some peppers to the people that got me where I am, and then find someone who is new and never asked for anything, just like that grower did with me. But those days of people not asking for everything are getting thin. It seems like the natural progression is either, join, ask for free peppers and seeds, or, join, ask for everyone to follow your youtube channel, or join, go into the hot talk threads and argue with everyone.
For all the growers out there that helped me along the way, thank you. For all the people out there that care about this community and give instead of take, thank you. For all people here that came for the love of everything hot, but stuck around for the community, thank you.
Hopefully this blows over, if not, you can find me in the growing threads.
Matt
