A few Net54baseball board things......

[Leon]

I saw David M make a post in the Meet and Greet thread pertaining to some weird names that were "members". I figure I will address that and another very small board issue here, instead of posting elsewhere. Most people know that we use a very popular chat board software, Vbulletin. For whatever reason hackers have written programs to falsely, automatically and frequently register erroneous names and fake email addresses. I probably receive 800-1000 emails a day for the fake registrations. I have some rules set so I just wipe them out from a special spam mailbox every few days. That is the reason you will see weird members being registered. It happens with all of the Vbulletin forums, I would imagine. It's not that big of a deal but when you see our total members at the bottom of a page, it is not the real number. We are somewhere in the 2200 range for real members, and gaining about 50-70 a month, steadily.

Also, our little ebay/GSB price/user/grade links sections are down right now due to a server issue in another location. That probably won't be fixed for another day or so. My apologies on that. It's a little irritating but there is nothing I can do at the moment to fix it. It lies at the hosting company.

IF anyone has any constructive criticism or suggestions you may voice them here, or anywhere and anytime, actually. I hope all are having a Happy New Year. In about an hour and a half I am back to my little girls Volleyball Tournament (started yesterday, yuck) so will be out until a bit later. take care and happy collecting ......(GO TCU!!!)

[barrysloate]

I have a question: I've noticed more new members making their first posts than at any time since I've read this board. I know you don't have an exact count, but do most of these people disappear as fast as they register? Do many of them stay around for an extended period? I don't expect that you have an exact number, but you may have some vague idea. I only bring it up because I hardly recognize anybody anymore.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

I have a question: I've noticed more new members making their first posts than at any time since I've read this board. I know you don't have an exact count, but do most of these people disappear as fast as they register? Do many of them stay around for an extended period? I don't expect that you have an exact number, but you may have some vague idea. I only bring it up because I hardly recognize anybody anymore.

Hey Barry
Great question and wish I had an exact answer. I think people's participation level is as vast as our imagination. I do hear what you are saying. Quite honestly, I have never heard of 98% of the people registering nowadays. I sort of think that is a good thing as we have a lot of fresh blood on our vintage board (sort of an oxymoron, or irony or something... ) If you look at the Meet and Greet thread you will see quite a few 30-somethings. I think that is a great thing. Many folks really do start on the newer cards (which are great, wonderful, spectacular and I love all collectors) and then move back towards our gems. So, in answer to your question, I have no idea >. I do think the new folks mostly hang around but just don't post too often. We generally have well over a hundred people that have logged in within a few hours (as can be seen at the bottom tally) and over 1000 real members a day checking the board out. That info is in the back end of the s/w that only other moderators and I can see. best regards

[blackmamba]

Just to make this clear might in case anybody thinks im phony.

I have over 600 Feedback on ebay (awesome1969) is my ID

On sportscardforum and tradingcardcentral i have over 50 feedback on each site. (kobelover_24) is my ID.

Im the real deal and was refer to this site by nebboy. Hopw i can make some deals on here! Thanks Brandon

[ChiefBenderForever]

Originally Posted by blackmamba

Just to make this clear might in case anybody thinks im phony.

I have over 600 Feedback on ebay (awesome1969) is my ID

On sportscardforum and tradingcardcentral i have over 50 feedback on each site. (kobelover_24) is my ID.

Im the real deal and was refer to this site by nebboy. Hopw i can make some deals on here! Thanks Brandon

Scan the tougher backs. Take offers on them or have an idea what you are looking for as for price or trade. You have some nice cards but scans are to tough to see with 9 cards in pages on each scan, and need back scans. Make some small lots and put a price on them and see what happens. Scan hof individually with front and back scans. Be easy !! I wish I had a Kobe Chrome RC to trade you.

[blackmamba]

Originally Posted by JohnnyHarmonica

Scan the tougher backs. Take offers on them or have an idea what you are looking for as for price or trade. You have some nice cards but scans are to tough to see with 9 cards in pages on each scan, and need back scans. Make some small lots and put a price on them and see what happens. Scan hof individually with front and back scans. Be easy !! I wish I had a Kobe Chrome RC to trade you.

Yea i was told to do that. I really dont have that many tough backs. Yea, right now im taking offers on the stuff individually or as a lot. Lol, I dont need anymore of kobe rookie chrome's lol, Maybe if you had a refractor rookie!

Thanks for the help. Brandon

[Leon]

blackmamba- Please don't list and sell stuff on this main forum. Only sell it on the BST pages. If you don't understand PM me and I will explain. Also, settle down a little bit. Take it easy. Most of us on this board have been collecting quite some time, are middle aged guys, and like to have fun collecting with our friends. We want you to hang out with us but you really need to sit back and see how things are done and what the proper etiquette is on the board, before jumping into a pool head first only to find there is no water in it. Collecting is a marathon, not a sprint. We want to help you but you also need to help yourself with knowledge. Go read the archive section (icon in upper right corner)....after you read that you will know 100x more about vintage than you probably do now. Buy Lew Lipset's Encyclopedia of Baseball cards (all 3 volumes together) and get the 2011 Krause SCD. Read all of Lew's book and the vintage part of the SCD, and you will have a great start to collecting vintage. It's fine to ask questions but you should do a lot of reading and studying too. *(if you are serious about vintage) Good luck and happy collecting.....best regards

[ibuysportsephemera]

Originally Posted by Leon

It happens with all of the Vbulletin forums, I would imagine.

Yes Leon, it happens on my companies Vbulletin forums. Fortunately my managers are the only users, so I have it set up that all of the spam users are automatically rejected.


Jeff

[barrysloate]

There were so many new names on the meet and greet, and I assumed if someone introduced himself then he planned to post beyond saying hello. It's like going to a party, introducing yourself to the other guests, and then leaving five minutes later. Maybe some are still a little intimidated, and feel everyone else knows more about vintage cards than they do. If that is the case, then it's a good thing to read quietly and participate only once in a while. Any way somebody participates is fine; there are just so many new names and some are never heard from again after their intial post.

[Jaybird]

speaking for myself, I joined at the end of May. I just got back into collecting and heavily dove into vintage. I'm 38 and read the board daily (multiple times a day). I love it and all the contributions.

When it comes to posting, I feel like if I wait a couple hours, someone or multiple people will say what I was thinking so sometimes I just hold back.

I plan on going to the next National and meeting some of the board members which might make it easier to speak up and add my contribution once I connect with a few members on a face to face level.

Until then, I'll just add a bit when I feel like i have something unique or out of the norm to say.

Love the board though. It's been my home page since May!

[cubsfan102003]

Originally Posted by barrysloate

There were so many new names on the meet and greet, and I assumed if someone introduced himself then he planned to post beyond saying hello. It's like going to a party, introducing yourself to the other guests, and then leaving five minutes later. Maybe some are still a little intimidated, and feel everyone else knows more about vintage cards than they do. If that is the case, then it's a good thing to read quietly and participate only once in a while. Any way somebody participates is fine; there are just so many new names and some are never heard from again after their intial post.

Barry, and anyone else wondering. I'm one of these type of posters also. I'm very new to vintage cards. I've collected almost all of my life, with breaks here and there due to several different reasons. I've mostly collected modern stuff, but always really wanted to collect vintage too. It's just usually way too expensive for me. I've recently begun collecting vintage Cubs, and am slowly buying them as I can afford them. I've been lurking here for several months, much more so over the last 2 or 3 months. I check in nearly every day to see what I can learn and occasionally buy something someone posts for sale.

I don't know much about the vintage cards, so I usually don't have anything constructive to add to a conversation. I just read and absorb information from the people who do. As time, money and learning allow, I'm sure I'll be more active. For now, I'll just listen and learn.

Tom

[Kawika]

Originally Posted by Leon

I saw David M make a post in the Meet and Greet thread pertaining to some weird names that were "members".

Kind of a lame post on my part, Leon. It was the middle of the night and I had an insomnia thing going. All those quirky names intrigued me. I tried to err on the side of caution and not name names that might have been legit, but googlesketchup I am pretty confident is not a vintage card collector.

Jaybird and others: When I first came aboard Net54 several years back I was in awe of the knowledge some folks displayed and you wouldn't know it now but my wallflower instincts held me back from barging in on the easy camaraderie of members who had known each other for years. I lurked, I made infrequent posts, humble and hat-in-hand, learned a thing or two and gradually got comfortable with the flow of things to the point where I am no longer bashful about contributing. I've even been known to rant and rave on occasion. Meeting Net54ers at card shows etc as you mentioned certainly helped put a human face on an internet thing. (Maybe joehuman is a legit member after all). I like to think I'm still humble - it's a good attitude to keep. There are a lot of guys here who would be Ph. D.'s in Cardboardology if there were such a thing and a lot of guys with awesome collections. If you're already checking in multiple times a day I'd say you're in it for the long haul and it's just a matter of time before you develop the niche you're going to have around here. It's a great hobby.

[pgellis]

Did something change with the chat room or is it having issues?

I tried to log onto the chat today and it immediately says: "Wrong Password".

As long as I was logged into the main website, I never had to type in any password on the chat board. Even if I try to "log on" to the chat room with my current user name and password it still says "Wrong Password".

I have not seen that before. Are their issues with the chat room today?

[Leon]

Originally Posted by pgellis

Did something change with the chat room or is it having issues?

I tried to log onto the chat today and it immediately says: "Wrong Password".

As long as I was logged into the main website, I never had to type in any password on the chat board. Even if I try to "log on" to the chat room with my current user name and password it still says "Wrong Password".

I have not seen that before. Are their issues with the chat room today?

Well, I didn't know about the issue until now but it's there for me too. I might have missed an email to pay for the yearly hosting fee for it, I don't know? I was in the chat room the other evening and it was fine. I will find out and report back, but I am having the same issue too. For the record, even though it doesn't get a lot of use, the chat room is staying as a fixture. It's a really neat place (once it gets up again) and I think our board definitely needs it....best regards

[GoldenAge50s]

I am seeing a strange "Index of Net 54" heading at the top of this page & just below all the icons for selection as to where you want to go.
Looks like a glitch--never seen it before!

[ethicsprof]

me,too

best,
barry

[Leon]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

I am seeing a strange "Index of Net 54" heading at the top of this page & just below all the icons for selection as to where you want to go.
Looks like a glitch--never seen it before!

There is a server down, it got attacked by a s/w bug, and should be fixed later this evening or tomorrow. My apology for the irritation it causes...I don't like it either......regards