Probable change of ownership and venue ahead.....

Optimus Prime

Optimus Prime

Fishing Mostly
Staff member
As we all know this private club is a dinosaur slowly going extinct.

I have been approached by my and Skitty's personal friend CURBSIDE SERVICE (aka Curby) with a proposition to take over the site and to do e-commerce and to re-open the doors as a public venue.
His proposal to me - which I have discussed with Dman and Skitty - would be to do banner ads and seed sales and he is thinking of many avenues to generate income.

He and several members who were active here in the past - all friends of mine personally would like to insure the site doesn't just die and go away.

He would take over ownership with my help and after an actual agreement is made with me, Dman and Skitty.

The only way to make it at all profitable for him to do so is to get foot traffic in here by going public and actually bringing in new members.

In the long run the site needs new blood to be sustainable or attrition will continue as folks die off. We have been watching this happen over the last several years and haven't added any new members in some time.

His proposal includes keeping many of the forums that are active - like the lounge and word game threads - open and possibly even private for members who aren't comfortable with the open door policy he will have to use to bring folks back in and garner new interest.

He will have to set up breeder forums/possibly help desks and wants to include some new grow forums that involve a metric system thing to bring in some non-American interest.

I am not sure how fast all of this will actually happen, but I will be meeting with him next week when he is in town for Thanksgiving.

I feel like his proposal would add longevity to our site which is going to celebrate it's 17th year in December.
It would remove the burden of asking members for donations as ideally the site will generate enough income for him to cover his costs, make him a small profit and even possibly give us new life and insure the site sticks around for years to come.

This isn't how we started out and wasn't our original vision but I personally believe it is in the best interest of the site, it's membership and our community.

His Instagram post is his initial way to see if he can get folks interested and see if he can get some folks to want to come back or join up.

Thanks for your patience.
I hope many of you can understand that the ship can not stay afloat without some kind of change moving forward.

I will personally be here for the transition and anything else we need to try and make this work and remain comfortable for us all.

Best & Always
H
 
I will reiterate what OP said…and vouche for Curby wholeheartedly. Yes, this deviates from our original setup, but times have changed so much over the last 17 years. Either TCC evolves, or it’s destined for the dustbin of history, like so many Cannabis sites of days gone by. We’ve strived hard to keep our original vision alive (private, no ads, no seed sales…etc.), but it’s no longer sustainable in 2023. Curby’s vision is grand, and will ensure that TCC’s 17 year legacy will continue. Still many details to workout, and rest assured we’ll keep membership apprised to details, timelines…etc. as they become available. @CurbsideService is now officially Admin here during the transition, so please give him a warm welcome home! :island77:
 
will all current threads remain gated/private in perpetuity? I hate to say it, but its the main reason I felt comfortable sharing here.
 
It would be a dang nightmare to have to go back through every darn post to decide what a person might want to delete. Some areas are rec and med, and nobody gives a rip. Other areas, not so much. I am pretty sure that this has been discussed, or needs some attention. I don't have a clue how the site could 'open up' and still have everyone feel somewhat safe.

I'm medical, so don't really give a rip about mice self. Have not attempted to pull off a grow since...well, feels like forever...i keep thinking that the crazy girl is going to return. Oooof. She's been gone for months, and she's still living in my head. I worry about her and hope that she gets help. But, i think that she left me with a mild case of ptsd, with a dose of guilt, too. Okay, i drifted a little off topic.
 
Unfortunately, once public, all current data will be visible. All I can suggest is that if members have threads/posts that you’re not comfortable being in public, then a clean up on members end may be the only reasonable solution. Deleting the entire website, and starting fresh is not doable. Plenty of notice will be given before TCC goes public. I don’t have a definitive timeline, but it will be happening sooner rather than later. I would suggest all members who are concerned about their privacy to work on that now. Also, there are talks of a “private forum” for current, grandfathered members, that will only visible to those members. Lots to workout yet….
Rico D said:
will all current threads remain gated/private in perpetuity? I hate to say it, but it’s the main reason I felt comfortable sharing here.
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Dman said:
Unfortunately, once public, all current data will be visible. All I can suggest is that if members have threads/posts that you’re not comfortable being in public, then a clean up on members end may be the only reasonable solution. Deleting the entire website, and starting fresh is not doable. Plenty of notice will be given before TCC goes public. I don’t have a definitive timeline, but it will be happening sooner rather than later. I would suggest all members who are concerned about their privacy to work on that now. Also, there are talks of a “private forum” for current, grandfathered members, that will only visible to those members. Lots to workout yet….
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is there a way to delete an entire thread? or just all my posts and start clean?
thank you
 
Please do not take my post as negative. I agree with going public, always have...BUT I am a risk adverse personality, so I want to bring up some points that could be contentious. Just feel it's important that all cards are on the table for scrutiny, to help avoid any future problems that could arise. Some quotes are pulled from the Coffee Shop thread.

Optimus Prime said:
We need new blood or our site will go extinct.
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Fact. This has always been my main reason for supporting going public.

Rico D said:
I do really like the more closed nature of this place. I hope that aspect is able to be maintained in some way.
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The main sticking point. Despite what folks may want to believe, there is absolutely no way to whitewash the site of information that someone might not want to get out...folks are dead, incarcerated, banned, detached, etc. They will never have a chance to filter such things out...serious consideration should be taken of that.

And let's not forget that there are secret forums within this secret forum...groups. Treatment of those should be addressed as well.

Bush Dr said:
There’s only literally a handful of people who post anything some days
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Let's keep in mind that going public is not a guarantee that will improve that. MyPlantGanja is public...Roller even turned on allowing bots and spiders in hopes of gaining a little more traffic...we still only have a handful of regular members posting. And they have banner ads...but they're hard to sell unless you already have the traffic.

nannymouse said:
I just don't know how the incoming would react to a nearly naked site.
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Not favorably. Probably not going to have newbies browsing through old Coffee Shop threads and such, but there is still personal details in informational/grow threads that very likely will be read by new members...something to keep in mind.

Slim Pickens said:
It would be terrific if we could maintain an area for the oldsters as mentioned. I'd also support entry to that forum for returning members,and maybe select newcomers by recommendation or nomination...whatever route it might take.
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CurbsideService said:
I will make sure there is always a safe private place for our original members!
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While initially it sounds like a good idea...remember that it will then be in direct competition with the public side for those members' posts. I too like the idea...just see this as a hurdle.

CurbsideService said:
...Facebook...
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My personal opinion, based on their history, is that there should be no affiliation whatsoever with them. They are a poison pill...considering their misuse of user information, you may possibly lose out on a large amount of potential new and/or current members.

Graywolf said:
With regard to CC going public to draw new members, a number of the old members left from conflict over what they posted. Ostensibly we will see more diversity in political views and unsanctioned posts from the public rowdy's than our select invited members. Will there be any shift in posting standards to address that?
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I too think this is an important aspect that should be ironed out.

Shovelhandle said:
Any suggestions on removing content here?
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Says the guy with 11,000+ posts. :p ...
nannymouse said:
It would be a dang nightmare to have to go back through every darn post to decide what a person might want to delete.
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And therein lies the problem, for even members who are here, to filter content. Not sure what an amicable solution would be.

Rico D said:
will all current threads remain gated/private in perpetuity? I hate to say it, but its the main reason I felt comfortable sharing here.
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A double edged sword...on the one hand, a lot of folks might not want their cannabis stuff to be public...on the other hand, it is what will draw traffic.



Sorry this was so long...just hoping to point out potential pitfalls so maybe they can be minimized.
I wholeheartedly back this venture, and would like to see it's implementation go as smoothly as possible. :)
 
Many good points here and in the Lounge.

If you really feel you have things to get rid of please attempt to clean up or delete some before the change over as Dman pointed out.

I do believe that Curbside will try to make a section for old timers to banter and keep things light and out of the lime light.

All things will be a work in progress until a final version comes into being and Curbside can then attempt to tweak things as necessary once it gets going.

All of this isn't really ideal but with the handfull of regular members posting here we will help him to do what we can to insure as many of the issues that have been brought up are addressed.

My choice was pretty simple ----> CLOSE or ADAPT to the times. The owership has decided to try and adapt to the times. It really isn't a tough decision. I do not visit other cannabis sites and would like to still have one I can. I have plenty of my own personal info and data on here and am really not worried about it. I do live in a legal state. I also don't believe many new members will be looking at more than pictures and grow related threads and if the lounge becomes hidden from view/removed for security purposes we can start fresh.

Nothing in life is perfect. This choice didn't happen overnight and I have personally lost sleep over it.
But I would like to see our creation adapt and live rather than just close. Closing means an end. We have a potential way to move ahead.
I have been here from day #1 and would at the very least like to give us a chance to stay alive.
Maybe Curbside will succeed and he has my and the other owners support in trying.

The world isn't perfect and a new version of TCC may not be. But we don't wish to simply give up and say goodbye without this attempt by someone we trust to help us keep it going.
 
Not everyone will be happy, things will not be perfect, and its going to be work in progress, those are about the only 3 things im willing to guarantee.

few things i want to address...
FB, IG ect... are merely other options for those who choose to be involved with the Cabana through them. The mass majority of the community (as a whole, not the cabana) utilize Instagram. Im personally friends with dozens of cabana members on FB. the new hustle and bustle of the site might be too much for some and want to enjoy the more laid back lounge vibe of a FB page. again these are personal decisions for what suites each user best. if you dont want to do it, then dont.... Simple.

I want the new structure to be far more information based and industry related. There will be MASSIVE clean up of Forums and threads. BE PREPARED, a lot of stuff will be going away if not about cannabis. All the social aspects of this site can be condensed to a much smaller area and will be. existing posts and forums will be moved around and restructured. Things are not staying the same, i know thats going to be hard for some people.

Im working hard on getting our core group of original members back to the site. im getting a lot of positive feedback, and have noticed a fair amount of people already logging back in to check out the current state of the cabana. lets try not to scare them right away lol. but i have talked to a lot people already and all seemed hyped to be part of the resurrection of the cabana agree the time is now and needed!

there will be updated terms of use. obviously things like hate speech will still not be tolerated, violence and threats obviously zero tolerance. outside of that, exactly what the new TOU will be, is still a work in progress, they will be far more relaxed, and i do not want the cabana over policed, this is a problem on IG for tons of industry related people and i want the Cabana to be the solution, not another contributor to the problem. My main focus is keeping everything Cannabis related. inevitably, peoples political and social views will spill over...an unstoppable force i will find a way to deal with. I have no problem giving someone the boot, and wont lose an ounce of sleep or give a second thought about it.

It will be public, and members will be responsible for there own content, and what they want to keep or delete. Im still familiarizing myself with the VBoard, but im quite sure users can delete there own content if not wanting it to go public, and will make sure everyone has time and directions on how to do so if they choose.

We will have private forum for you guys, stop worrying about that. how that happens and when, im working on it.

new logo, graphics and overall facelift coming soon. there will come a time where the site may be down for a short period of time. in will give everyone advanced notice.

Im not a great online communicator, luckily im already bald, because the stress of wanting to try and make everyone happy would have me losing my hair right now. I do want everyone to feel happy, safe, and comfortable when spending there time on the cabana, unfortunately i cant guarantee that, as each person has vastly different needs, views and opinions.
 
Sorry for the incompetence but how do you delete an entire thread? I only see the option to edit posts. Thanks
 
Ok, we get that some folks are concerned about going public. It’s totally understandable, we get it! All we ask, is to please give us a minute to sort things out. We don’t want anyone to leave, and we definitely want everyone to feel safe with the upcoming changes. Curby has promised a private forum for all grandfathered, current members. Anything posted in that private forum will not be searchable/visible to the overall new membership that will be coming on board.

Other than that, the website will be fully public, including all current social media plugins, including, but not limited to…FB/IG/X…etc. As far as account deletions, we will of course respect anyone’s decision to want their account deleted. It will make us sad that you’ll miss out on the exciting new features that Curby has in store for us all. But, again, we will respect your wishes! Nothing has even happened yet, so I implore folks not to jump the gun. Cleanup you huts of things that you don’t want public if need be, and stick around to see how things progress before leaving. I promise the sky will not fall by going public, it will only get clearer! :sunny:
 
Hey [MENTION=3980]CurbsideService[/MENTION] - just wanted to make sure I got in a Thank you for doing things that will hopefully keep this place going for a long time to come, it’s easy to get lost in the reasons we don’t like change but I agree it’s needed.

Forums are in my opinion the best platforms for growers (individual logs, strain and type logs and the historical ease of finding the same when it’s time to do a run. Just not the same on insta or discord so hopefully we bring a new group of growers into the fold.

Peace
- O
 
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