What has become of Bladeforums?

[Ankerson]

Jim,

I agree, there does seem to be a lot of "assumptions about people" and that does tend to trigger some and then the piling on starts, the mob mentality.

The really sad thing is that we aren't even talking about expensive items here in the grand scope of things. :rolleyes:

It's not like someone just got a $500,000 car or bought their 3rd Million Dollar vacation house someplace or just got a new 150ft Yacht..... Or a Private Jet... Stuff that actual rich (Wealthy) people buy..... Not just some random $400 item..... They could spend that much on eating lunch out.

I mean what's $400 when looking at what MOST things cost these days?

Having a $400 item means someone is rich? :rolleyes:

I see the same thing on the computer forums, someone spends $20 or $30 more for something and they are all of a sudden rich or whatever... :rolleyes:

And people will argue with you FOREVER over budget no matter what, even if it's not exactly safe, they will still favor cheaper over safety almost every time.

That is a problem...


Jim

I don't care for arguments about what people buy, or what they may or may not have.

That said, sometimes I cannot figure out why people buy what they buy or collect. I just let it go.

We are on knife forums, and one persons obsession is going to be as unique as their fingerprint, interest in art or architecture.

I don't either, not my business.

I might get involved if I see some piling on or a mob forming however.

[Messermann]

I am sitting here with my mouth agape! Thank you all for this forum and for this specific thread! Talk about a sanity check!

I really wondered about BF? There are a number of bullies/punks that just tear into people with complete impunity. Not sure why they aren't filtered out? While there are some who really know their onions when it comes to knives, there's at least three sophistry-spewing pretenders for every genuine expert. It's as if they actually believe they are fooling others and getting over on them.

There's also the terrible "cheapness" of the site. Either pay up, or you can't even send private messages or upload an avatar. Just where did that come from? Does someone make their living off Bladeforums?

Anyway I am deeply thankful I am here, and that I'm not the only one that shakes my head at Bladeforums.

Thanks again!

[bearfacedkiller]

Does someone make their living off Bladeforums?

Yes, it is a privately owned forum and run for profit. Spark also owns a knife shop called One Stop Knife Shop in Kentucky.

The for profit aspect turns it into a shill forum at times. Manufactures pay to host sub forums on there and get to run their sub forums as they see fit. I have had critical posts removed from a certain manufacturers sub forum. Every subforum is different but they are not all built around open and honest discussion. I think of bladeforums like a magazine, it is entertaining but also a marketing tool at its core.

Spark seems like a good guy. I think many of the old guard on there have been around since before he purchased the forum. Not sure why he lets them run wild?

[Ankerson]

Does someone make their living off Bladeforums?

Yes, it is a privately owned forum and run for profit. Spark also owns a knife shop called One Stop Knife Shop in Kentucky.

The for profit aspect turns it into a shill forum at times. Manufactures pay to host sub forums on there and get to run their sub forums as they see fit. I have had critical posts removed from a certain manufacturers sub forum. Every subforum is different but they are not all built around open and honest discussion. I think of bladeforums like a magazine, it is entertaining but also a marketing tool at its core.

Spark seems like a good guy. I think many of the old guard on there have been around since before he purchased the forum. Not sure why he lets them run wild?

I believe the prior owner is still a member on the forum, he used to own BF and a few computer tech forums.

The computer forums were sold to a media company and Spark bought BF.

[DSH007]

I am sitting here with my mouth agape! Thank you all for this forum and for this specific thread! Talk about a sanity check!

I really wondered about BF? There are a number of bullies/punks that just tear into people with complete impunity. Not sure why they aren't filtered out? While there are some who really know their onions when it comes to knives, there's a least three sophistry-spewing pretenders for every genuine expert. It's as if they actually believe they are fooling others and getting over on them.

There's also the terrible "cheapness" of the site. Either pay up, or you can't even send private messages or upload an avatar. Just where did that come from? Does someone make their living off Bladeforums?

Anyway I am deeply thankful I am here, and that I'm not the only one that shakes my head at Bladeforums.

Thanks again!

Haha, yes, BF calls them "moderators"..

I lurk on BF sometimes, usually for "research purposes" - gathering information/user opinions on a new non-spyderco knife I may be interested in prior to buying it - sometimes for entertainment purposes :p. I find it extremely difficult to weed out the valid, helpful data from the self-important know-it-alls or the ignorant bullies. Most threads seem to deteriorate into childish name-calling before the second page. And the "moderators".. forget about it haha.. some of them are nastier than the most childish poster. Seems you can say whatever you want, so long as the mod agrees with you, but any sort of dissenting opinion or critical discussion usually gets shut down..

To me, BF is like the knife hobby equivalent of "real housewives of wherever".. might be good for a laugh here and there, but generally lacks any valuable content (for me anyways). I haven't been able to bring myself to join.. just browsing is reminiscent of the cringiest elementary school playgrounds.. Sometimes it's great for a laugh, but a few min is usually more than I can handle before x'ing out..

I'll stick to the Spyderco Forum thank you very much! This place is a much better section of the internet :)

[Ankerson]

I am sitting here with my mouth agape! Thank you all for this forum and for this specific thread! Talk about a sanity check!

I really wondered about BF? There are a number of bullies/punks that just tear into people with complete impunity. Not sure why they aren't filtered out? While there are some who really know their onions when it comes to knives, there's a least three sophistry-spewing pretenders for every genuine expert. It's as if they actually believe they are fooling others and getting over on them.

There's also the terrible "cheapness" of the site. Either pay up, or you can't even send private messages or upload an avatar. Just where did that come from? Does someone make their living off Bladeforums?

Anyway I am deeply thankful I am here, and that I'm not the only one that shakes my head at Bladeforums.

Thanks again!

Haha, yes, BF calls them "moderators"..

I lurk on BF sometimes, usually for "research purposes" - gathering information/user opinions on a new non-spyderco knife I may be interested in prior to buying it - sometimes for entertainment purposes :p. I find it extremely difficult to weed out the valid, helpful data from the self-important know-it-alls or the ignorant bullies. Most threads seem to deteriorate into childish name-calling before the second page. And the "moderators".. forget about it haha.. some of them are nastier than the most childish poster. Seems you can say whatever you want, so long as the mod agrees with you, but any sort of dissenting opinion or critical discussion usually gets shut down..

To me, BF is like the knife hobby equivalent of "real housewives of wherever".. might be good for a laugh here and there, but generally lacks any valuable content (for me anyways). I haven't been able to bring myself to join.. just browsing is reminiscent of the cringiest elementary school playgrounds.. Sometimes it's great for a laugh, but a few min is usually more than I can handle before x'ing out..

I'll stick to the Spyderco Forum thank you very much! This place is a much better section of the internet :)

Forums are social media too.

And the internet so there will be all kinds of people on them.

On some of the forums one does need to have a thicker skin than others.

Now the difference is when one is threatened because they have a different opinion than what is popular.

[DSH007]

I am sitting here with my mouth agape! Thank you all for this forum and for this specific thread! Talk about a sanity check!

I really wondered about BF? There are a number of bullies/punks that just tear into people with complete impunity. Not sure why they aren't filtered out? While there are some who really know their onions when it comes to knives, there's a least three sophistry-spewing pretenders for every genuine expert. It's as if they actually believe they are fooling others and getting over on them.

There's also the terrible "cheapness" of the site. Either pay up, or you can't even send private messages or upload an avatar. Just where did that come from? Does someone make their living off Bladeforums?

Anyway I am deeply thankful I am here, and that I'm not the only one that shakes my head at Bladeforums.

Thanks again!

Haha, yes, BF calls them "moderators"..

I lurk on BF sometimes, usually for "research purposes" - gathering information/user opinions on a new non-spyderco knife I may be interested in prior to buying it - sometimes for entertainment purposes :p. I find it extremely difficult to weed out the valid, helpful data from the self-important know-it-alls or the ignorant bullies. Most threads seem to deteriorate into childish name-calling before the second page. And the "moderators".. forget about it haha.. some of them are nastier than the most childish poster. Seems you can say whatever you want, so long as the mod agrees with you, but any sort of dissenting opinion or critical discussion usually gets shut down..

To me, BF is like the knife hobby equivalent of "real housewives of wherever".. might be good for a laugh here and there, but generally lacks any valuable content (for me anyways). I haven't been able to bring myself to join.. just browsing is reminiscent of the cringiest elementary school playgrounds.. Sometimes it's great for a laugh, but a few min is usually more than I can handle before x'ing out..

I'll stick to the Spyderco Forum thank you very much! This place is a much better section of the internet :)

Forums are social media too.

And the internet so there will be all kinds of people on them.

On some of the forums one does need to have a thicker skin than others.

Now the difference is when one is threatened because they have a different opinion than what is popular.

Hah all true! I've thought about joining BF a few times just to get a peak at the fabled "whine & cheese" section. I feel like that would really be good for a laugh! I'm all for differences of opinion (how boring it is when everyone thinks exactly the same haha!) and intelligent discussion. But ultimately, I don't think it's worth my energy to engage with people who are going to call me [insert insult] for the sake of calling me [insert insult]. And there just seems to be an awful lot of that over at BF, even in the the more "family friendly areas" of the forum. Hah it's not really even a matter of "thick skin" for me.. personally, I couldn't care less what some random clown on the internet types about me from his mommy's basement.. it's more that I don't learn anything from that type of exchange, so what's the point? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that there are plenty of standup guys on blade forums, who have an abundance of knowledge and valid experience.. it just seems to me, that there is also a lot more negativity there and that really cheapens that forum as a whole for me, to the point of not even wanting to officially join. I'm glad that members here are able to share knowledge without belittling other members.. it makes it a much more enjoyable place to spend time! :)

[James Y]

I’ve been a BF member since almost the beginning of it. But I rarely post there. And in recent years I don’t visit too often, either. TBH, I haven’t really had any problems with anyone. Years ago, I had a minor back-and-forth with some obnoxious guy, but that was it. No biggie. When I do visit, it’s mostly on one of the sub-forums, like the multi-tool/multi-purpose knives forum, tradition knives forum, etc. Generally much less drama, and more of interest to me in those parts.

Jim

[SG89]

Honestly I've never had a bad interaction on BF. I have only been personally attacked here. I try to just roll with the punches. Lord knows I've poked the bear plenty of times here. Although going after trolls on BF can be fun sometimes.

[Ankerson]

Honestly I've never had a bad interaction on BF. I have only been personally attacked here. I try to just roll with the punches. Lord knows I've poked the bear plenty of times here. Although going after trolls on BF can be fun sometimes.

I give them a hard time myself sometimes. LOL :D

Especially in PA. LOL

I go after the radicals generally.

[SG89]

Honestly I've never had a bad interaction on BF. I have only been personally attacked here. I try to just roll with the punches. Lord knows I've poked the bear plenty of times here. Although going after trolls on BF can be fun sometimes.

I give them a hard time myself sometimes. LOL :D

Especially in PA. LOL

I go after the radicals generally.

I mostly stay on the traditionals forum lol they are tame

[Ankerson]

Honestly I've never had a bad interaction on BF. I have only been personally attacked here. I try to just roll with the punches. Lord knows I've poked the bear plenty of times here. Although going after trolls on BF can be fun sometimes.

I give them a hard time myself sometimes. LOL :D

Especially in PA. LOL

I go after the radicals generally.

I mostly stay on the traditionals forum lol they are tame

I enjoy watching them stumble over themselves and repeating the same arguments over and over again. LOL

Still no more relevant now than they ever were in the 1st place.

[jpm2]

There's plenty of good info on BF with a lot of knowledgeable folks that don't mind sharing, It just takes a good filter to get through the high noise to signal ratio.

I spend most my time there in Maintenance, Tinkering & Embellishment and Spyderco subforums.

[RustyIron]

And the "moderators".. forget about it haha.. some of them are nastier than the most childish poster. Seems you can say whatever you want, so long as the mod agrees with you,

Although this thread is nearly a year old, I never chimed in because my momma told me that if I didn't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all. While that's certainly wise advice, I've always had a tendency to open my mouth and create controversy. After all these years, why change now?

My initial experience with BladeForums was not cool. I signed up using their online form, and it turns out that that my real name was being used in the forums. That was probably a result of my lack of understanding, but no big deal. I asked the administrator to change my screen name to a pseudonym. The response was instructions on where I should send the $10 fee to get them to change my name. And as we all know, their money-grubbing does not end there. Non-subscribers can't use avatars, uploading pictures is not allowed, and selling isn't allowed. The funny thing is, their server is noticeably overloaded much of the time, so I'd think they'd upgrade their service with all the money they rake in from user fees. But that's not what set me off yesterday.

Yesterday there was a thread going on, and I chimed in, somewhat supporting the contention of the original poster. Then this guy butts-in, being rather rude and confrontational. I didn't understand why he was trying to provoke me, or why he singled me out. The kicker was that this guy is a moderator! I didn't think that was appropriate, and even less so for someone tasked with maintaining civility. So I ignored him. Literally, ignored him, using the forum software to block him entirely.

I'll admit, I've learned some VERY important lessons on BF. I'll probably still lurk there periodically, but I don't think I'll contribute any more.

[vivi]

They're funny over there. They still haven't figured out my third account :p

[JRinFL]

The problems with BF are the same as with society in general, amplified a bit because it is not face to face interaction. To keep my sanity I just use a targeted approach, get the info I need then exfil, pronto.

[James Y]

The problems with BF are the same as with society in general, amplified a bit because it is not face to face interaction.

This is true.

Unfortunately, it’s all too easy for someone to be a troll anonymously. It says much more about the obnoxious ones than the ones they are trolling.

My policy online has always been to only post what I’m willing to say to someone’s face. Even if we are in disagreement. I’m polite in person, too, but I’m even more polite online. I try to speak to others as I would like to be spoken to.

IRL I can be a difficult person if I want to be, but I really prefer not to.

Jim

[Messermann]

I'm curious if anyone else stumbled into BF while searching for a kukri? A good friend of mine has a handful of kukris. He's a knowledgeable individual, so I asked him where to look? He cautiously recommended a company and I went to their website which appears to date from the early 1990's in terms of format and sophistication.

So I sent the owner an email. Prompt reply and certainly nice enough. They allude that they own BF (but I'm really not sure?) so I go over there and I'm far less than impressed. I'm still looking for a good kukri...

Anyway, I still drop by BF monthly or so for two main reasons. First, to check on any responses to a question I may have posted a month or so before. Second, to add to my ignore list. Now that I have something like 35+ individuals on ignore, the results to my queries are often of value, and I appreciate them. I notice that quite often, my questions trigger at least as many comments from people I have on ignore, than people I can view. Thank goodness I no longer have to page through them.

Still, it would be nice to understand #1) The focus on limiting services to those that do not pay to join, and #2) their continual beating of the drum that they (believe they) are the large "knife community" on the Internet. Tell that to FB or /reddit...

Once again, I deeply appreciate the sanity check of this forum. Thanks again!

[Messermann]

The problems with BF are the same as with society in general, amplified a bit because it is not face to face interaction. To keep my sanity I just use a targeted approach, get the info I need then exfil, pronto.

That's true, but I think there's something particularly broken over at BF, especially after reading this thread. There are a number of tightly moderated sites -- such as "The High Road" (largely for firearms) that just don't have the bullies/punks pouncing on people. In the case of "The High Road", the tight moderation is largely a good thing.

Your fast infil/exfil strategy is excellent. I would add that it's also nice to deep a detailed ignore list over there.

[vivi]

I'm curious if anyone else stumbled into BF while searching for a kukri? A good friend of mine has a handful of kukris. He's a knowledgeable individual, so I asked him where to look? He cautiously recommended a company and I went to their website which appears to date from the early 1990's in terms of format and sophistication.

So I sent the owner an email. Prompt reply and certainly nice enough. They allude that they own BF (but I'm really not sure?) so I go over there and I'm far less than impressed. I'm still looking for a good kukri...

Anyway, I still drop by BF monthly or so for two main reasons. First, to check on any responses to a question I may have posted a month or so before. Second, to add to my ignore list. Now that I have something like 35+ individuals on ignore, the results to my queries are often of value, and I appreciate them. I notice that quite often, my questions trigger at least as many comments from people I have on ignore, than people I can view. Thank goodness I no longer have to page through them.

Still, it would be nice to understand #1) The focus on limiting services to those that do not pay to join, and #2) their continual beating of the drum that they (believe they) are the large "knife community" on the Internet. Tell that to FB or /reddit...

Once again, I deeply appreciate the sanity check of this forum. Thanks again!

When BF started there was another big knife forum, I think just called www.knifeforums.com They had a bit of a rivalry from what I gather.