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NEW INFO ABOUT LTBBQ....MUST READ

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teesquare:
Please read this. It is vital to the health and well-being of Let's Talk BBQ. There are 2 topics - and I will keep it brief, but try to explain the "whys" as I go. You may respond to this thread openly here, or to me via PM if you have any questions.

It is probably no news to anyone here that we have been growing in numbers. A lot of fine cooks, and a lot of new folks that are eager to learn, as we all should be regardless of skill level.

We have controlled the growth of LTBBQ by various means. And this is with purpose. Just for the sake of any that do not know WHY there is a Lets Talk BBQ - lets review:
The internet is rife with forums. But, all too often their exists a prevalent "attitude" on many of them. And - others are over-run with spammers. Others still are not "family friendly" - and our spouses or friends might not be comfortable in those environs.
As we continue to grow we need to reflect upon what brought us to the point we are at: "a fun, friendly, family community built around a mutual love of all things food and cooking related" Notice the use of the word community as it is different from "discussion forums". We take it seriously that there is a feeling here on LTBBQ that you have been invited to a big backyard BBQ - where everyone here are friends, and their ore NO hidden agendas, "teams" or cliques. Everyone is expected to show mutual courtesy and respect. We wanted a forum that is user driven, and led with quality content. One that is not a mouthpiece for a manufacturer. Yes, we have sponsors - but they adhere to our rules and philosophies of honest, legitimate, respectful discussions about all products.

To the point:

1. Why we avoid religion, politics and sexual innuendo. It literally causes us to look smaller minded and purposed than we intend. There are times we have pushed beyond what is reasonable "mixed company" talk  - and unfortunately those threads have to be removed. We want LTBBQ to be a place that can be respected by the membership, their families and friends, and lurkers alike.
Before you post something, remember: that when you post it on an internet forum, it is analogous to taking out an ad in your local paper - and then the Associated Press pick it up and publishes it around the world. SO - if you have something that falls into any of the categories we want to avoid - please use the e-mail, or Private Message function to send it to specifically those folks that you know will not be offended. Heck - we even installed chat rooms for private conversations - if you like. No one need walk on eggshells, we are not prudes.In fact - some of you have received e-mails or PM's from me that clearly - I have the ability to be inappropriate  ;D! But - that is done PRIVATELY.  Again we desire to be seen as a place that any reasonable person can come to and not be insulted, offended or embarrassed. We can't please everyone all of the time - but we want to strike a fair balance here. There will always be judgement calls that the Admins. and Moderators must make - and that is their responsibility. It is not a personal power trip. We are here to HELP you and protect the forum, period.

2. About that "fun, family friendly community"... Part of what makes such is the understanding of the element of mutual respect. We treat everyone - from the folks that are here seeking advice before striking their first match to light a fire -to the folks that have written books, and are "known" personalities in the world of BBQ and or other cooking ( yes we do have some of those... ;)) with respect and friendship.
There has been a trend among some members to create a "photo dump" thread. A photo dump is a thread of pictures without sufficient text  to support the pictures as something repeatable by others. It is not a thread with the idea of sharing your skills, recipe or techniques. It is one that comes across as a "Hey! - look at me! Look what I did!" And, it's not o.k. to just say " e-mail me for details". That is disrespectful of those that take a few minutes to post a nice group of pictures - with relevant text including a recipe or cooking description. Those threads do not exemplify a desire to engage here as a person that likes to share. That attitude - or appearance of - is incongruent with LTBBQ's reason for existence. We come here to share, and learn from each other. SO - those threads may be deleted.
Another reason we need to not post in that manner - is because that type of photo dump thread also put us in breach of our user agreement with our hosting service. I have had conversation with the hosting service, and they have been agreeable to allowing us posting multiple photos about cooking as long as the text content is supportive/germane to the photos. In addition: Photos need to be embedded - NOT attachments.... Attachments eat up our storage and bandwidth - ultimately slowing down the forum. We will be regularly deleting attached photos, so - if you have a thread with attached photos, pleas replace it with one that is embedded. Those are hosted on a service such as Photobucket, Flickr - or any other that you use.

Lastly - YOU are valued as a member here. This thread is not to discourage posting, and we LOVE pictures. We merely ask that the focus remain on continuing to improve the quality of content. DO not confuse this with a criticism of anyone cooking. It absolutely is NOT that. It is to keep us growing in quality. The quantity ( membership) will come from that. People are always looking for a place like YOU have created by your input and friendliness.

All comments are welcome.

smokeasaurus:
I have been on many forums. I had to leave one forum because I scored on a pricing error (in my favor)on some Kingsford that I found out a few days later. I felt it was to late and shared my good luck on that forum and I was darn near getting death threats in my pm box.......I immediately notified the powers that be and had my account cancelled.

I was on one forum that had a couple of resident "superstars" that could post a thread about boiling water and they would have over 100 views and numerous ooh and aah posts.........I would go on with a real big cook and wouldn't get a hit...........left that one.......

The SOTG grill forum was over-run with spam and would be gone for days at a time...we all know what happened to that.

We are almost at 1000 members and we still have the feeling here of hanging around someones BBQ with a cold one in our hands talking about BBQ and More.....

So when we post....lets "talk" about BBQ and More. Share your tips and techniques, special methods,seasonings....it will all make us better outdoor cooks.....Old

Smoke can sure use the help  ;)

tlg4942:
Is the photo attached or embedded?

[attachments deleted after 6 months]

HighOnSmoke:
Well said Tim and Smoke! This is the BEST forum that I have been on and it is because of the "family" atmosphere here. For those people who want a place to "dump" photos, try
Flickr or Google Plus.  ;)

teesquare:
We are NOT trying to discourage photos. Quite the opposite. We ARE trying to encourage photos that are appropriate to information in text that gives the reader an opportunity to duplicate the dish in the pictures

Simple dishes that are well executed basics - not such a big deal - but say something about what makes this dish unique - so folks can learn from it and keep us in good standing with our hosting service.

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