Originally Posted by jwhtan

The solution.

1. We put back hobbyist buy/sell but you'll all have to live with the server busy stuff.

2. Permissions to start threads at buy/sell is a privilege. Not a right and no more 50 posts, etc criteria. You must support af activities. It could be attending af events, joining AFC, help in community activities and be active. Please suggest other alternatives if u have any ideas. But the gist is that you must be part of this community. Solely engaging in buy/sell after hitting 50 posts etc will not work anymore.

3. As this is a privilege, it can be taken away anytime when u become inactive. " I used to be active " doesn't work anymore. If you get embroiled in any kind of dispute, the privilege will be taken away from you

4. The members have to help us with those either " new " members or members who have been away and do not know. When threads of the nature of " why I cannot post at buy/sell crops up ", you have to help us to answer them.

5. All members will still have access to view buy/sell threads and reply to those threads but starting threads will only be for people whom we feel has contributed to the community. The decision on who has contributed will be solely on us and no arguments will be entertained.

If u have other suggestions, please contribute. Once a consensus have been reached, I will reinstate buy/sell. One thing I realised, most of the people who do nothing but just engaged in selling have been very quiet. The silence is deafening.

Originally Posted by dave6238 (Post 8635683)

Seems like many members whose privileges have been taken away still dun understand what is meant by supporting AF and contributing to the AF Community.

It is NOT about how long you have been an AF member, how often u login, how many times u have posted articles n pictures to share or how many friends you have made here.

Neither is it about how many cheap fishes or accessories you have bought/sold in AF, how many FOC items you have given away or how you are encouraging fish-keeping by doing all this.

Nor is it about how you are helping to increase traffic in AF by being a member, creating big business opportunities for AF, or how much is AF worth if it is put up in the market for sale.

To understand why your privileges have been taken away, ask yourselves these questions:

1) Have you attended any AF event so far? Did you put down your name in the attendance list of the thread for the just concluded AF Carnival 2011 at OTF?

2) Did you put your name in the sales list for any AF souvenir items like AF Book, windbreaker, jersey, t-shirts and lanyard?

3) Did you put your name in the participation list for the Aro, Ray, TVR, Guppy, Betta and Flowerhorn competitions organized by AF?

4) Did u join any of the AF affiliated clubs like AFC and FHCS and participate in their activites?

5) And just in case you think that support and contributions must be in monetary form, did you volunteer to be a helper for the AF Carnival 2011 or any AF activities?

Hope the above gives you a clearer picture of what is meant by support and contribution.