I quit the other forum after 6 + years and over 6000 post

[aliengriller]

Haven't deleted mine YET, but seriously thinking bout it.   I learned SO much from that site, mainly when I got my SRG--after reading all the posts about what a wonderful cooker it is (agreed!)   Spend more time here, BUT will wait a few weeks and see what happens.   I know MOST of the names and profiles on here--mostly from the CB forum--BUT, that doesn't mean I'm married to either one.   

[Albert Rivera]

Most have said the site has been great for a long time and I concur 100%.

I joined the site and used the name  "a beginner" because that is exactly what I was and still consider myself as much to be.

I gleaned and continue to harvest much helpful information from the site.

The wonderful resource is still there and so are the many, many, many contributions made by some really talented folk.

It may be a good idea to hang on to such a wonderful resource even if no further active involvement continues.

Most regrettable is the spam bombardment the site has experienced lately without immediate intervention by site manager/ managers.

I still love the site and hope management soon intervenes and fights the current spam issues.

There is a wealth of more than good information and much of it is product specific, I want to continue to benefit from such a wonderful resource and hope it continues to be available to me and others.

Looking and expecting things to get better over there because the spam is tough to take.

[teesquare]

ANY forum is only as good as:

1. It's members

2. It's management

I see it as a loss for everyone when a forum goes downhill, or is perceived  in that manner. It  does not help another forum when one goes down. It only weakens the faith that members have in any forum by raising fear/suspicion that the same thing could happen "here"…So - we all have to remain vigilant doing our part to keep LTBBQ as a quality place. I will give you my word as to my commitment. And - I feel confident in speaking for the Admins and other Moderators in that respect.

What can you do as a member? RECRUIT! If you know of folks that are "good guy"members on other forums - invite them to join us here.

What will LTBBQ staff continue to do? We will continue to examine in-coming member applications to  prevent spam. And - in the event that we miss one ( have not yet… ) trust that we will swat them down immediately.

There will be no "absentee management" of this site.

T

[Pappymn]

I always think of the quote from Goodfellas. One of the greatest movies ever made.

Henry Hill: You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, :You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a good fella. He's one of us.: You understand? We were good fellas.

How I feel about the people here.

[CDN Smoker]

Another site I did not find

Just me but what is different about this site verse the others is this site is not owned by a company selling something. It is owned by folks who care about BBQ and supported by like minded folks and is (I hope) paid for by sponsors who in turn are supported by members.

I am a proud owner of a MAK 2 Star and I am proud to say it will only digest cooking pellets.

I have found Slawsa 150 miles away(I hope), and when I am looking for something in regards to BBQ the first place I will look is Letstalkbbq and more. If I can't find what I want I will post asking the advice of our fine membership.

Again a BIG thank you to Pappy for the invite because he is  a Good Fella

[RAD]

Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. It was my first experience with posting and learning like this and I've tried to keep posting but it was just getting out of hand. It is such a shame that it has gone this way after it was such a great place to end my day. Thanks Tommy for the invite to LTBBQ and making this my home now.

[Scallywag]

I always think of the quote from Goodfellas. One of the greatest movies ever made.

Henry Hill: You know, we always called each other good fellas. Like you said to, uh, somebody, :You're gonna like this guy. He's all right. He's a good fella. He's one of us.: You understand? We were good fellas.

How I feel about the people here.

Exactly! I dont even bother with any other forum .. this is home.

[mikecorn.1]

I was invited here by Muebe. Glad he did. I rarely, if ever visit any other forum anymore. I like being able to post my cooks from any of my cookers or talk about any product that is not site specific.
Thanks for having me here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[deestafford]

I don't look at the time there as wasted for myself or others.  We helped a lot of people become better outdoor cooks as improving myself as we went along.  I always tried to emphasize that even though the forum was sponsored by Char Broil it was open to all types and techniques of cooking and cookers and treated it that way. Char Broil had a good thing going when it had CB Martin as the moderator and gave him full rein as well as him being the face of the company.  Unfortunately, when people put the wrong people in charge of an area such as marketing things go down hill and that's what happen there.

I don't think the CharBroil HQ understood the value of the forum and how many cookers were sold there.  I alone bought six and still think they have excellent products that fit my price range and lazy style of cooking.  I know many  others here had the same experience.  I don't know if the HQ folks know what Tommy did for the product development or not but the SRG line of cookers are much better as a result of Tommy. If they had been smart they would have hired him to be in the product development arena. I think what happened was some people felt other people were getting to much exposure and were jealous and envious and did all they could to take the lime light away.  What too many people don't understand is you can sign a flashlight on yourself for visibility; but, you will be seen much brighter when the multiple lights are shining on your people.

The bottom line is Char Broil leaders have made a big leadership mistake and it destroyed what was a family. What a shame.  What a shame.

But, as happens many times in life, when one ship sinks another much stronger, more seaworthy, more practical, and has more luxury arrives.  That's the ship we are now sailing on--LET'S TALK BBQ!!!!  Thanks Tim.

Dee

[teesquare]

Thanks - again fellas!

And, forgive me for pounding the point…but - we built the playground…. but it is just a vacant, useless lot - unless all the "kids" find it worthwhile to play in. THAT is the objective. To keep reminding the membership that this is YOUR playground. Suggestions, comments and ideas are always welcome and - how we will continue to make LTTBQ better. YOUR ideas.

[Sailor1]

Thanks - again fellas!

And, forgive me for pounding the point…but - we built the playground…. but it is just a vacant, useless lot - unless all the "kids" find it worthwhile to play in. THAT is the objective. To keep reminding the membership that this is YOUR playground. Suggestions, comments and ideas are always welcome and - how we will continue to make LTTBQ better. YOUR ideas.

Can we get a Beer fountain installed!!!!  It gets pretty thirsty playing and a beer fountain would sure help.      

[pmillen]

The Char-Broil management isn't stupid.  They aren't loosing anything except the costs associated with maintaining SOTG.

The "hard core" members will either stay on SOTG in spite of the spam pollution or will move en masse to this community.  If they all move then the Char-Broil forum simply has a new address.  It still exists and still provides the same benefits to Char-Broil but, now, Char-Broil is relieved of all obligations relating to it.

The only way you can try to influence C-B is by not purchasing their products or not supporting them with your advice and training for their new customers.  Based on what I've seen over the years those of you who do that sort of thing will not stop. 

So C-B gets what they want.  You do, too.  You get to continue your chosen role as a recognized authority in some field.

[TMB]

The Char-Broil management isn't stupid.  They aren't loosing anything except the costs associated with maintaining SOTG.

The "hard core" members will either stay on SOTG in spite of the spam pollution or will move en masse to this community.  If they all move then the Char-Broil forum simply has a new address.  It still exists and still provides the same benefits to Char-Broil but, now, Char-Broil is relieved of all obligations relating to it.

The only way you can try to influence C-B is by not purchasing their products or not supporting them with your advice and training for their new customers.  Based on what I've seen over the years those of you who do that sort of thing will not stop. 

So C-B gets what they want.  You do, too.  You get to continue your chosen role as a recognized authority in some field.

Boy you hit that nail on the head.  CB gets what they want while we sit here and help those that need it.  I will always help anyone that ask weather it's a CB or whatever type cooker and I feel many here will do the same.

Just a shame a company like CB treats a good forum like trash. I know a few folks within CB and they do not feel the same way, they want the site up and going like it use to be. Problem is you have a few that could care a less about people, they only concern themselves with $$$$$$$  and that's a sad thing.

I spent many years on that site as did a lot of folks here and we became friends, so that if anything I get to take away I'm fine with that. 

I will tell you this, when I built my pellet grill Charbroil stopped all contact with me, guess they didn't like someone stepping on their toes.  OH well, I still have friends there and they will talk to me so no skin off my nose.     

[teesquare]

The Char-Broil management isn't stupid.  They aren't loosing anything except the costs associated with maintaining SOTG.
Sorry to disagree, but it is NEVER smart, or good business to ignore the core supporters of your product. They help a manufacturer predict trends, correct issues, and are better able to influence new product purchases by others - at street level - FAR more effectively than ALL advertising.

The "hard core" members will either stay on SOTG in spite of the spam pollution or will move en masse to this community.  If they all move then the Char-Broil forum simply has a new address.  It still exists and still provides the same benefits to Char-Broil but, now, Char-Broil is relieved of all obligations relating to it.
Uh...if you look around here, and look at the post count activity, and all of the names that used to spend most of their time on the CB site...I think the evidence proves otherwise. The "hard core" users - that is the quality contributors have moved on from CB. Merely because CB is "large" is not evidence of current management decisions being smart, nor is it a predictor of future successes. One can always build a cheaper mouse-trap. And, that is where CB shines. Low cost for features. Not durability.

The only way you can try to influence C-B is by not purchasing their products or not supporting them with your advice and training for their new customers.  Based on what I've seen over the years those of you who do that sort of thing will not stop. 
This is something that I don't think we could have a gnat's influence in. The fact is, CB is the worlds largest producer of outdoor cooking equipment. That volume - is immense.

So C-B gets what they want.  You do, too.  You get to continue your chosen role as a recognized authority in some field.
I think what CB wants is to move ahead what they perceive as more hands-off marketing. Facebook is their main point of contact. ( It has definitely not been customer service in my experience.... ) They flatly have failed to capitalize on the opportunities afforded them via a well run forum. The data they could have collected to help steer their future to a place where the consumer felt they were responsive...just does not matter to them. That is not conjecture. That is based on the evidence of MANY of us, and our experiences.

I hate it. But, sometimes - when companies become the "leader" in a marketplace, the y begin to believe themselves invincible. That they are the leader because of what "they" did. They forget that is was the CUSTOMER that created the success....."Dance with the one that brung ya" means something more than a cowboy expression of humor. It is about understanding the basic tenants of your business, and how to build on those basics  - creating and re-inventing yourself without forgetting the very essence of that which caused your success......

[Saber 4]

The Char-Broil management isn't stupid.  They aren't loosing anything except the costs associated with maintaining SOTG.
Sorry to disagree, but it is NEVER smart, or good business to ignore the core supporters of your product. They help a manufacturer predict trends, correct issues, and are better able to influence new product purchases by others - at street level - FAR more effectively than ALL advertising.

The "hard core" members will either stay on SOTG in spite of the spam pollution or will move en masse to this community.  If they all move then the Char-Broil forum simply has a new address.  It still exists and still provides the same benefits to Char-Broil but, now, Char-Broil is relieved of all obligations relating to it.
Uh...if you look around here, and look at the post count activity, and all of the names that used to spend most of their time on the CB site...I think the evidence proves otherwise. The "hard core" users - that is the quality contributors have moved on from CB. Merely because CB is "large" is not evidence of current management decisions being smart, nor is it a predictor of future successes. One can always build a cheaper mouse-trap. And, that is where CB shines. Low cost for features. Not durability.

The only way you can try to influence C-B is by not purchasing their products or not supporting them with your advice and training for their new customers.  Based on what I've seen over the years those of you who do that sort of thing will not stop. 
This is something that I don't think we could have a gnat's influence in. The fact is, CB is the worlds largest producer of outdoor cooking equipment. That volume - is immense.

So C-B gets what they want.  You do, too.  You get to continue your chosen role as a recognized authority in some field.
I think what CB wants is to move ahead what they perceive as more hands-off marketing. Facebook is their main point of contact. ( It has definitely not been customer service in my experience.... ) They flatly have failed to capitalize on the opportunities afforded them via a well run forum. The data they could have collected to help steer their future to a place where the consumer felt they were responsive...just does not matter to them. That is not conjecture. That is based on the evidence of MANY of us, and our experiences.

I hate it. But, sometimes - when companies become the "leader" in a marketplace, the y begin to believe themselves invincible. That they are the leader because of what "they" did. They forget that is was the CUSTOMER that created the success....."Dance with the one that brung ya" means something more than a cowboy expression of humor. It is about understanding the basic tenants of your business, and how to build on those basics  - creating and re-inventing yourself without forgetting the very essence of that which caused your success......

Well put and very thoughtful response, those are some of the reasons that I am enjoying what y'all have created for us here and even though some dislike Bradley and their forum, I find that, in spite of some QC issues they are experiencing they are attentive to customer feedback to the degree that's possible and I don't see customer service like they exhibit very often in other companies regardless of the industry. Hope I haven't violated any policies here by being supportive of both sites? If I have feel free to delete this at your discretion.