When I first discovered the B.O.I. on Faunaclassifieds early this year (via listening to Reptile Radio, of all things!), I thought it was the greatest things in the world, for all the obvious reasons most of you I'm sure already know.

But it seems like more and more frequently, I've run into people who really don't care for, or downright hate the BOI. And this is not just low-life scumbags who have been outted and have obvious biased reasons for disliking the place.

So lately I've been trying to step back and see the larger picture whenever I visit the BOI....and I'll be honest, it's starting to leave a bitter taste in my mouth.

Yeah, I used to believe it does more harm than good, but now I'm not so sure. People always bring up the "wolf pack" etc etc, and I kinda see what they're talking about: specifically, some members just jumping on a particular person's back every single time they log in.

Now, I concur that some people deserve this treatment, but that doesn't necessarily mean it should take place.

Does anyone else know what I'm talking about?

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As I was typing all this, I now realize what a hot topic this thread may evolve into, so if a moderator sees fit to move this to the Saloon, I perfectly understand.

I understand what you are talking about, however it can be a powerful tool. Several years ago when I got scamed pretty badly, it was useful in getting me in contact with others that had been scammed by the same person. We all contacted the same authorities, and to my knowledge, the person is no longer in business, or is going under a new name. Think of it as a tool and nothing more.

I see the BOI as a tool. It can be a valuable one but it is also a place where keyboard warriors go to get in other peoples business. If the thread is anything other than a good guy thread (and even those sometimes) it quickly turns into a pissing match and in the course of a couple hours is like 15 or 20 pages long. I do still look at it or do a search from time to time if I want to look up a person or business that I may consider buying from. However more and more I dont even need it, as I am really narrowing down who I will even consider buying from.

I've said this before but Ill go for it again. Love that clickety clack of the keyboard.

I think the BOI has its place. And as Jenas said it can be a useful tool. Ive found some very good dealers from the BOI. And Ive also found some folks I would buy a pencil from.

But...I wont automatically write someone off if they have ONE bad transaction. Also, I wont automatically consider someone on the level if they have ONE good transaction. A good guy can have an off day and a lowlife every once in a while will do something right, even by accident. :D

But if I see a pile of bad posts about someone and some REAL information comes to the table then yeah I will probably avoid them. And by the same token if a person has dozens of positive posts I will most likely consider them worthy to do business.

Here's an example. I was looking for some racks. I had gotten cages from AP before and inquired about some racks. They were way busy. So I looked to the BOI and found Reptile Basics. They have a thread with dozens, maybe hundreds Im not sure, of glowing reviews. So I went ahead and bought some stuff from Rich. Then some more stuff. And even more stuff. Everything went golden.

Now, as far as the personal attacks, the playground name-calling and all the other nonsense I just ignore it. I have no patience for any of it. I just want the facts. If some is owed money and the other party did not pay and here's proof thats all I need to know. I dont need to know about his family life, his private life, who is dating and whether or not he has a tattoo. He owed someone money, he did not pay. Period. Thats all I need.

I do agree its a good resource. But like any free resource it is sometimes abused. I think ebay is a good resource. Do some folks abuse it? Absolutely.

I agree it can be a useful tool, but I just think its overall effectiveness to the hobby is gradually wearing thin...which is largely due to the abuse Varanus referred to.

With the whole good/bad guy thing, I have found that you can't tell just by reading the thread title. Someone could post a good guy thread, but it later turned out to that it was bogus and the dealer in question was in fact, a douche. And on the flipside, someone could start a bad guy thread when it is later revealed that the accuser was the scum and not the accused.

Of course, a viewer drawing a conclusion by only reading the title (and not reading the entire topic) is not entirely the fault of the BOI, but it still could potentially (and falsely) affect the reputation of an undeserving party, whether it be positive or negative.

Another issue is the rather lax moderation of the BOI. Aside from creating a fraudulent account, one can pretty much say whatever they please, which is so easy to do behind a computer screen. I'm with Varanus; I don't need to see all the insults and dirt-digging of mostly irrelevant info.

There are two recent situations that kinda brought this to a head for me.
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The first was the matter with the woman who was fraudulently referring to herself as a reptile rescue allegedly just to get free animals. Over the course, it was revealed how "unstable" this individual was, as she ended up saying many inappropriate things. However, the relentless and dogged behavior of some of the other participating members may have been goaded her into saying some of those deplorable things. I mean, if pushed hard enough, I daresay no one is immune to letting their emotions get the better of them and say things they don't really mean. And this was not the first time I witnessed that scenario: other members pushing someone to the point of lashing out.

Now I agree, everyone ultimately can decide what to type and whether they should click the 'submit reply' button. I'm not saying that letting circumstances dictate what you do; only observing that it happens a lot.

And furthermore, someone took it further by posting a photo of the accused, and then made derogatory comments about their personal appearance.

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The second may prove to be a little more controversial.

Let me say first that I am in no way an advocate of Dan Scolaro. He has proven himself to be a scumbag many times over.

But I'll state the man has been around for a while, and can agree that he has had at least as many good transactions as he has bad ones. But it seems whenever someone posts a good guy thread about Dan, it is automatically the consensus that it is bogus and can't possibly be anything other than one of Dan's buddies. I'll admit sometimes this may be true, but I really don't think thats always the case.

My point is it should be fair. Its hard in these situations where in this hobby, you're often guilty til proven innocent. But if someone has had a genuine good transaction with Dan Scolaro, they should be allowed to post such without fear of their own name being dragged through the mud as well.

In all I think the "wolf pack mentality" is the BOIs biggest downfall -- it's become more of a popularity contest over there then anything else.

Quite frankly I never understood why they would call themselves the wolf pack -- the wolf pack mentality is one where there is a clear leader and complete subservience from those within the pack. I for one am a free thinker not a follower.

The BOI could be a good tool -- but those that abuse it make it loose the credibility it could have. Hopefully the BLBC Industry Watchdogs can remain free of those forum games.

In all I think the "wolf pack mentality" is the BOIs biggest downfall -- it's become more of a popularity contest over there then anything else.

Quite frankly I never understood why they would call themselves the wolf pack -- the wolf pack mentality is one where there is a clear leader and complete subservience from those within the pack. I for one am a free thinker not a follower.

The BOI could be a good tool -- but those that abuse it make it loose the credibility it could have. Hopefully the BLBC Industry Watchdogs can remain free of those forum games.

The BOI is a good tool if you use it right.... do a search on someone/business etc. YOU may have to read through 20 pages of crap to get what you need because some people have way too much time on their hands, but you can get what you need. It's the ONLY reason I have to go to that site - period!

Watchdog is a little different, it's meant to showcase adverts that are questionable or straight up scams etc. It's not meant to be a BOI. If you have a good/bad rap for someone, post it in the Market/Business section.

I've said this before but Ill go for it again. Love that clickety clack of the keyboard.

I think the BOI has its place. And as Jenas said it can be a useful tool. Ive found some very good dealers from the BOI. And Ive also found some folks I would buy a pencil from.

But...I wont automatically write someone off if they have ONE bad transaction. Also, I wont automatically consider someone on the level if they have ONE good transaction. A good guy can have an off day and a lowlife every once in a while will do something right, even by accident. :D

But if I see a pile of bad posts about someone and some REAL information comes to the table then yeah I will probably avoid them. And by the same token if a person has dozens of positive posts I will most likely consider them worthy to do business.

Here's an example. I was looking for some racks. I had gotten cages from AP before and inquired about some racks. They were way busy. So I looked to the BOI and found Reptile Basics. They have a thread with dozens, maybe hundreds Im not sure, of glowing reviews. So I went ahead and bought some stuff from Rich. Then some more stuff. And even more stuff. Everything went golden.

Now, as far as the personal attacks, the playground name-calling and all the other nonsense I just ignore it. I have no patience for any of it. I just want the facts. If some is owed money and the other party did not pay and here's proof thats all I need to know. I dont need to know about his family life, his private life, who is dating and whether or not he has a tattoo. He owed someone money, he did not pay. Period. Thats all I need.

I do agree its a good resource. But like any free resource it is sometimes abused. I think ebay is a good resource. Do some folks abuse it? Absolutely.

What V said above I feel the same way..I can do without the Jerry springer type stuff but I really don't pay much attention to it to start with.....:)

What V said above I feel the same way..I can do without the Jerry springer type stuff but I really don't pay much attention to it to start with.....:)

That sums it up nicely. You ignore the Jerry Springer stuff and you're all set.

If you ignore ANY of it, Then you could just as well fall for the scam by one of these DB'S.. Try not to ignore it but see through the bs. A douche is a douche.. I love the BOI.. It's fun watching the "scammers" squirm and back track on Everything they say..

That sums it up nicely. You ignore the Jerry Springer stuff and you're all set.

Yeah that's what I ment..I realized that may have sounded like I ment ignore the whole BOI..I didn't see it till after my edit time had run out before I could change it..but you got the point V :yessir:

If you ignore ANY of it, Then you could just as well fall for the scam by one of these DB'S.. Try not to ignore it but see through the bs. A douche is a douche.. I love the BOI.. It's fun watching the "scammers" squirm and back track on Everything they say..

It is fun watching them squirm I'll give you that Jas (lol) Don't get me wrong I think the BOI is very useful...Ignore or see through same thing for me as to handling the BS.

The Wolf Pack..... OUR wolf pack, is a group of LONG standing members ( and a couple new ones that seem to be just as levelheaded for the most part) and was started when a bad guy starting calling out witch hunts and "like a pack of wolves"

It was made into a joke.... but in another sense.... It stands for how, MOST of us... try to do things. There aint no leader over there... and i can GUARANTEE that i wouldnt try to "lead" some of the members that are in the group over there.

Its meant as a joke, and its funny.... so very funny, how people take such offense to it, without knowing the bigger picture. The lot of us, that are in that group.... are friends. Were in chat every night just about, with eachother.

I use it and wolf pack stuff isn't any kind of problem to me, they know the questions that need to be asked that sometimes the OP doesn't. Gets the object of the thread at least answering questions, that is where I find the info I need 99% of the time with how they handle things....granted it should never have to get to the BOI if your a decent person but some people don't understand how to communicate.

I have been an active member and use the BOI frequently. Yes there is some "Jerry Springer" type stuff but sometimes you have to go to the level of scumbag you are dealing with. Some of these scumbags are a Jerry Springer show waiting to happen. Just because some people can delve down to out these scumbags, doesnt necessarily mean they are this way all the time.....

I have been an active member and use the BOI frequently. Yes there is some "Jerry Springer" type stuff but sometimes you have to go to the level of scumbag you are dealing with. Some of these scumbags are a Jerry Springer show waiting to happen. Just because some people can delve down to out these scumbags, doesnt necessarily mean they are this way all the time.....

^_^ AMEN

There is jerry springer stuff... but alot of it.... is absolutely HILLARIOUS in some respect or another. Theres a reason some of the things are said, and maybe sometimes that stuff is only picked up by more active members, im not really sure. Not all of it, but i can remember quite a few threads where old history is brought back to light for sheer entertainment purposes. Sometimes... the bad guys need a little prodding.

I agree the BOI should be used as a tool to get information on a company that your thinking of buying from.. But some of the things said are harsh.. I agree scumbags need to be outed.. But some of the things people say there would get them a beating in real life.. I do use it when I see something I'm intrested in and don't know the seller.. I just hate having to wade through all the crap to get the real info.. You know???

Alan

I just hate having to wade through all the crap to get the real info.. You know???

Alan

Yup, seems to be a popular theme!