njstone wrote:Some people just get a bit fed-up with the blatant selfishness sometimes. Bombing and the like is great. And I see nothing wrong with ISOs, even "passive" ones like "those sound good, would like to try them at some point." That's just honesty.
But some have abused it. I've had people PM me asking for free cigars that I posted about. Now I love to trade, and I love to bomb people with things that they are wanting to try. But when someone I don't know says send me free stuff, it rubs me the wrong way. That's more than just mooching, it's rude.
Yes! I totally agree. I have had that happen to me on more then one occassion. Looking back tonight on some of the older picture posts of 2004-2007, made me see the difference. Back in the day pictures were posted with no insults. But over time it quickly changed. And I remembered the emails I would receive from certain members asking me to run out and buy them the same cigars I had bought for my husband and float them until they could pay me back. Um sorry, no ain't happening.
Wes and I bought some cigars. People said they wanted them. We sent them out. People sent us payment... One took his sweet time. This wasn't like $10.00 either. Like $70.00. This member didn't think it was a big deal to pay us back in a timely manner and split from the board completely. Well, I tracked down his brother who got in touch with him. Within days of talking with his brother, I had a money order and some cigars back. It took MANY MONTHS to achieve this. When it took us a day to send the sticks he wanted to him. And then he had the balls to get mad at us for calling him out? Where is the logic in that?
All you have on these boards is your world. Once you shoot yourself in the foot, you never have a leg to stand on. Everyone has arguments from time to time. That is natural. I know I have gone rounds with some on here. Doesn't make either of us bad people and with luck, we iron our differences out or learn to live with it. Sometimes, that doesn't happen either. But what makes it different is actually knowing said people. If say 8trackdisco pisses me off, I know I can go to him and say, "Um hey Russ, you peed in my cheerios." And we work it out. But that comes from personally knowing each other for close to 10 years now. We have met and herfed together. We've gotten drunk together. We've seen each other through good and bad. I love his family as he respects mine. We have that brother sister bond going. I don't need to talk to the butt munch every day or once a month to know he would be there for me in a heartbeat if I really needed him. And he knows I'd be there for him.
So the bonds take time. They don't happen over night. As does the some of the FOGS of the boards taking some newbie's seriously. It's not meant to insult. It's we've been around the block.