Roguelet wrote:First of all, Jimble... I think your response was a bit over the top. We've come a LONG way around here lately regarding arguing points of view without personal insults, and it needs to stay that way.
This forum is in no way linked to the PQ pedigree site, other than that it is a link on the same web site. You can be a member of the pedigree side and not be a member of the forum, and vice versa. The pedigree side requires a paid subscription, the forum does not.
Years ago the forum was not in log in format and you did not have to be a member to post or to read, and that proved to be too much temptation for some people to run amok and create such havoc that the forum portion was shut down. The only way to revive it was to change to log in format, where you must be a member to post, but we did not make it so that you must be a member to READ.
Recently, there has been some very serious trouble caused by people who are or were forum members. In order to keep better track of these issues, the forum has been changed so you must be logged in to read. Hopefully this is only temporary.
The point being made in an earlier post was that, if someone wanted to come ask a question about their OTTB and try to figure out where or how to get a win photo, they would have to become a member and log in to post that question. That has been the way it's been since day one of this format and has not changed recently.
Those who only read and never post simply need to create an account... they do not have to use their real names and do not have to pay anything; all they must do is provide a legitimate email address. Then, they can go back to lurking and reading.
To access all the extra features and information on the pedigree side, a different account must be created; the two do NOT cross over. And, for that account, you must provide more info. and pay a fee.
I'm sorry if this log in format is an inconvenience to anyone, but I have been contacted by tons of people; way more than I realized existed; who have always been non member lurkers. They have, one by one, created accounts so they can go back to reading and lurking and will probably still never post, although now if the mood strikes them to post they will already be able to do so.
Please understand that this is necessary right now to curtail some issues and all will hopefully be returned to normal as soon as possible.
Hi, thanks for this long prose, and for not even addressing the original question.
This particular 'category' neeeeeeeeeeeeeeds to be openly visible to 'non-members' so that they know in advance that there might be HOPE for gaining very helpful/useful information here if indeed they might take the time and sign up for that freeeeeeee membership and post a query about their horse. Otherwise you are just like the sites that require folks to do something in advance without having any idea what benefit may come to them for the effort (be it the time it takes to register, or the $5 or $8 they might pay for race records).
But if you can't see that, then why have the title line of this 'category' read: "ask members..." ? ... as you can't get far enough to ask anybody anything without first BEing a member. (translation: By the time you would ask anyone anything, you would already BE a member)
And what is the incentive for one to become an elite 'member' when he/she has no reason to believe that asking questions of whomever is behind the veiled curtain will do him/her any good anyway?
And as to my response: The response that was "over the top" was the one immediately below my original post. Clearly the person was way out of line in telling me to "Stop confusing the database with the message board. You do NOT have to pay to be a member on the message board and post."
... when I never said a word about the database, and never said a word about paying to be a member of anything.
You must understand that these posts don't do any good unless people read them, and unless they are accessible for others to read.