# My thoughts about Rollitup



## lilroach (Dec 3, 2014)

*I hope that the administrators take this post in the light it was written…..and hopefully not take it down.

I was a fairly active member on here for about a year until the format change. This was my first grow-site and while I learned much, I also found all the conflicting information very confusing. The term “information over-load” certainly fit what I was experiencing, and my grows suffered as I attempted to try too many things all at once.

After the format change, everything else seemed to also….including a degradation of subject matter. “Where do you shoot your jizz most of the time” is a current thread that has spurred-on this post.

Then there’s the well-worn subjects such as defoliating that has about 3 pages of good information and then 96 pages of creative ways of insulting other members.

Prior to the format change, I had about a dozen good growers on my friends list that were active and gave and got good information. I just went through my list of friends and they all have left the building. The Exodus of these and many more good growers is certainly a symptom that something is going terribly wrong with RIU.

There are other grow-sites that seem void of flamers and trolls that seem to plague RIU. I know that the moderators on here have done their best to quell the comments from these posters, but it still happens on too many threads on a daily basis.

It’s sad that so many good growers are gone as new growers do not have the expertise to draw from as I did only a year ago. I too am strongly considering not coming back after this post. 

So, in closing I want to thank RIU for being my first step in learning how to grow, but at the same time I’m sad that this site has turned into much mis-information and bullshit subjects that have nothing to do with growing. If you’re doing your first grow, there’s some good info on here…..but after that, I would look elsewhere to find out where the good growers hang out.*


----------



## Sand4x105 (Dec 3, 2014)

While I pretty much agree with everything you say...
I'll miss ya LilRoach. 
I'm always 'outside the box' so idiots that are idiots in life, are idiots on growing. 
Peeps 'Like' to be part of the conversation, even if they have only heard, and never have grown...
How do you tell the difference ? 
With the experience that you have gathered here. 

Listen up you first time growers... YOU don't know shit, and for you to argue your shit attitude is stupid and shows it.

Less is always more, come here less, enjoy it more...
Seems like we were in the same boat....
I just jumped out sooner!


----------



## mudballs (Dec 3, 2014)

the good growers hang out in the threads of other good growers where there is zero crap posts. they don't really muck around with other threads because they're mature enough to no longer find joyous fun in such things as jizz fests and the like. this is an underground hobby for a lot of us and it naturally attracts altered perceptions. you're right it's 80% shit and 20% greatness. you've gotten what you wanted and needed its only natural to move on but don't give a dissenting exit interview...just go. those that are prepped for the next level know where and how to find the answers and progress. if we risk imprisonment why cry about shitty posts?


----------



## bradburry (Dec 3, 2014)

it would be better for people to know when to seperate the serious from the silly.....theres a time and a place for everything but when you open a thread regarding a good honest subject......you don't want your first post to be "SUCK MY MOTHERS DICK UNTILL RAW AND STICKY" ......it can ruin your whole thread.


----------



## lilroach (Dec 3, 2014)

mudballs said:


> the good growers hang out in the threads of other good growers where there is zero crap posts. they don't really muck around with other threads because they're mature enough to no longer find joyous fun in such things as jizz fests and the like. this is an underground hobby for a lot of us and it naturally attracts altered perceptions. you're right it's 80% shit and 20% greatness. you've gotten what you wanted and needed its only natural to move on but don't give a dissenting exit interview...just go. those that are prepped for the next level know where and how to find the answers and progress. if we risk imprisonment why cry about shitty posts?



I understand exactly your point of view, and I would have penned a similar reply months ago. "Shut up and leave already".

I guess I was trying to not put down RIU so much as to hopefully make a point that would be taken by the administration/moderators that would clean-up the site.


----------



## ttystikk (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> I understand exactly your point of view, and I would have penned a similar reply months ago. "Shut up and leave already".
> 
> I guess I was trying to not put down RIU so much as to hopefully make a point that would be taken by the administration/moderators that would clean-up the site.


I agree with every word you said, including about the change in the site's character after the software 'update'. I'm not sure why, but the new format seems to encourage and promote juvenile behavior instead of the good stuff. I noticed the difference right away, hoped it would improve- and it hasn't.

The feedback about serious growers spending most of their time in one another's threads is incorrect; us serious growers spend most of our time IN OUR GROWROOMS, leaving little time for stupid drivel. That's why we don't spam or flame or start shit- we're just too fucking busy for that kind of stupidity.

If it continues to be a pain in the ass to weed through the drivel to find any good content, it's entirely reasonable to call the staff out on their performance before finding someplace that works better for you. I already have.


----------



## mudballs (Dec 3, 2014)

don't get me wrong it isn't all shut up and go. its a nice change of pace to have this level of conversation. id rather you stay and help clean it up. petition for more moderation. be a louder voice of constructive input. why in gods name would a site let some of these threads stay escapes my rational to be sure.how can we change things? how about a way to ignore entire sections?theres only a few i would even want to see so a personalized forum homepage would be ideal. lets pool our efforts and try to gain control?


----------



## bradburry (Dec 3, 2014)

you could have your own personal ban button for your own threads and allow only who you want in.


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

hi!

First off I moved your threat to the proper location, as its not related to growing so much as the user base/mods.

I don't see why we'd delete this thread as it doesn't violate any tos but I can certainly put _my point of view_ on a few things maybe to clarify? 

When riu went down it was down for about 2 weeks almost, completely shut down while we imported everything over to the new software , this certainly caused a lot of members to find another forum, however, we absolutely needed new software our website base and user base is HUGE, and vbulletin wasn't working properly 
Leading up to those weeks which was about 2 months was constant frustration on both the users and the mods, because of the site not working, like ,...at all..

riu has been up since 06, and there are more people using web based forums through the influx of legalization /med cards in many countries, areas, states, ect. we have over 500,000 members and with that you get all types of personalities.

Riu has a few basic rules which we do our best to enforce throughout the forum board.
Our active mods do their best to read through their specific forums while cleaning up harmful or rude content.
However with so many threads and so many users often posts slip by us, which is why we have the community tool to report harmful content.

Unfortunately users feel the need to fight back rather than use the report function. We get about 10-50 reported content per day and I would say the majority of it is from toke n talk or politics. rarely do we ever see reported content from the marijuana section. Unless the community works together to report content thats inappropriate our mods will indeed miss some because we are volunteers who do have outside lives and while im not using that as an excuse it is true that we do have priorities outside riu , we do our modding because we love the website and just want to help out.

Ultimately, we need the community to help us to report bad content, while we also look for bad content ourselves. The way modding works its not like we can search or have a hit pop up when theres excessive swearing we physically have to read through every single thread, 
this takes alot of time and effort, which is why things slip by us. On average I read about 8 hours worth of threads per day on riu 8 hours is certainly NOT enough time to read all the threads that are new that day let alone that week.
Basically there is too many threads moving to fast created or posts, to simply read in a day while managing my priorities outside riu.
The mods certainly do the best they can, and work really hard for this website however until the community starts using the report function, we will be missing issues.

So if you do see something thats rude or not for the board help us out we encourage you to hit report takes like 2 seconds! and we certainly wont ever tell anyone you did.


----------



## ttystikk (Dec 3, 2014)

bradburry said:


> you could have your own personal ban button for your own threads and allow only who you want in.


THIS. If it's my thread, I should be able to remove posts I don't want in it.


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

ttystikk said:


> THIS. If it's my thread, I should be able to remove posts I don't want in it.


this is why you have the report function We would never allow users to be able to remove posts they dont like,_* ive never seen a forum that has ever allowed that.*_
Hit report, and a mod will take care of it


----------



## RM3 (Dec 3, 2014)

I used to love it here, Ahhhhh the good ol days


----------



## bradburry (Dec 3, 2014)

sunni said:


> hi!
> 
> First off I moved your threat to the proper location, as its not related to growing so much as the user base/mods.
> 
> ...


please don't ban me


----------



## ttystikk (Dec 3, 2014)

It must also be said that many of the most obnoxious posters are enshrined in the pantheon of 'most valued members', due no doubt to their prolific postings... of nasty, useless baiting garbage.

If you don't deal with people who make a habit of such behavior, it sets the tone for the rest of the board.

A tone heard loud and clear by everyone who comes here...


----------



## ttystikk (Dec 3, 2014)

RM3 said:


> I used to love it here, Ahhhhh the good ol days


Yeah, it's nice to have somewhere else to go.


----------



## Aeroknow (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> *I hope that the administrators take this post in the light it was written…..and hopefully not take it down.*
> 
> *I was a fairly active member on here for about a year until the format change. This was my first grow-site and while I learned much, I also found all the conflicting information very confusing. The term “information over-load” certainly fit what I was experiencing, and my grows suffered as I attempted to try too many things all at once.*
> 
> ...


Even though I've only been registered here as long as you, I've been a lurker forever.
I've noticed a trend over the years here. It seems that the majority of people hang out for a bit, and then disappear. Could it be for the same reasons you want to bail?
I'm not so sure it's because some of the mis-information that happens. Or the attitude, as a whole, that rollitup is changing for the worse. Who knows though.

Anyways, about that absolutely disgusting defoliating thread that got hijacked:
I'm the nicest guy in real life(imo), but that guy who hijacked it, was talking so much bullshit, even I had to talk shit back. I literally had to try hard not to view new posts on it. Didn't work. I would view, get upset, and then post some bullshit back. I deleted more posts than the ones I left.

But I bet, that if someone posts an honest question, they'll *still* get a bunch of honest answers and opinions, as replies. Along with some honestly lame replies. I view those replies as comedy. Maybe lighten up a little?


----------



## bradburry (Dec 3, 2014)

chaos i tell yu CHAOS!!


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

ttystikk said:


> It must also be said that many of the most obnoxious posters are enshrined in the pantheon of 'most valued members', due no doubt to their prolific postings... of nasty, useless baiting garbage.
> 
> If you don't deal with people who make a habit of such behavior, it sets the tone for the rest of the board.
> 
> A tone heard loud and clear by everyone who comes here...


Well we only delete that is in the rules.
-Personal attacks (ie: youre a fucking idiot, go die, ect)
-Nudity 
-Spam /Advertisement
-Goodbye threads
-Threads negatively posted about other members
-Selling/trading/gifting
there are a few others but they dont pertain to this issue 

I cant ban someone just because someone finds that user obnoxious ..that is why we have the Ignore button found under your name top right hand corner, "people i ignore"


----------



## mudballs (Dec 3, 2014)

I'm going this direction
https://www.rollitup.org/t/personalized-forum-homepage-ignore-forum-sections.852872/

Make Request>ignore sections.

not gonna try to change people that's an exercise in futility. gonna try to change the functionality of the forum instead


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

Aeroknow said:


> Anyways, about that absolutely disgusting defoliating thread that got hijacked:
> *I'm the nicest guy in real life(imo), but that guy who hijacked it, was talking so much bullshit, even I had to talk shit back. *I literally had to try hard not to view new posts on it. Didn't work. I would view, get upset, and then post some bullshit back. I deleted more posts than the ones I left.
> 
> But I bet, that if someone posts an honest question, they'll *still* get a bunch of honest answers and opinions, as replies. Along with some honestly lame replies. I view those replies as comedy. Maybe lighten up a little?



This is exactly what im talking about instead of hitting report you contributed to the issue by fighting back.
this happens ALL the time. I mean ALL the time..its not just you people dont want to use the report function. 

I've been on here 06, riu hasnt changed, assholes will be assholes, the only thing thats changed is the AMOUNT of members we have now compared to than 
I see people get a lot of help on here make friends ect. I see that more than bad. 

Everyone has their own views on WHAT should be deleted , or considered bad content, 
sometimes we get reports about things that arent violating tos so we simply cant delete it.


----------



## ttystikk (Dec 3, 2014)

sunni said:


> Well we only delete that is in the rules.
> -Personal attacks (ie: youre a fucking idiot, go die, ect)
> -Nudity
> -Spam /Advertisement
> ...


Sure I can ignore people- believe me, I do- but those stupid posts are left behind for everyone else.

You're dancing around a central fact; that roll it up promotes stupid bullshit far more than growing. I'm sorry if you disagree with my assessment, but I've heard it too often from people who really did want to find a good forum.

It's feedback; listen carefully, don't get defensive and try to solve the underlying problem that we're all in agreement exists here.

The ignore button is not a solution.


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

ttystikk said:


> Sure I can ignore people- believe me, I do- but those stupid posts are left behind for everyone else.
> 
> You're dancing around a central fact; that roll it up promotes stupid bullshit far more than growing. I'm sorry if you dosage with my assessment, but I've heard it too often from people who really did want to find a good forum.
> 
> ...


I am certainly not getting defensive, I listen carefully to all users. Please do not take me for being defensive,
Im just trying to help make things clearer on what we can delete as per rules.(i didnt make up the rules i just follow them)

I am also trying to help anyone who doesnt know about certain features have the ability to use them.

Im working for you here, giving you options that the forum has ,in short im just giving the options for a better forum usage to users, im just trying to help , I cannot change the rules, That is admin, Im just trying to help make anyone who reads this thread have a better forum experience by giving the options of features that are online and able to use.

Also listening to you , and anyone who posts, 
please see where I am coming from here. it is certainly not on a defensive stance, its from a helpful point of view.


----------



## MrEDuck (Dec 3, 2014)

The biggest problem is honestly size. Half a million accounts means you're going to have a bunch of assholes. And a lot of disagreement over who to do things. The fact is cannabis is a plant that will grow well in a wide variety of conditions and what works in my garden might not work in yours. At the end of the day so long as you're happy with your quality and have enough to meet your needs you're growing right.
It does surprise me that a community of cannabis growers has so much trouble chilling out though.


----------



## chuck estevez (Dec 3, 2014)

a forum that has no personality gets boring real fast. Look at some other grow forums that have natzi like control, they are small and boring. It's their way or the highway, i always prefer a looser forum that let's some banter go on, within reason. I find myself laughing at some of the crap posted more than being pissed off about it.


----------



## lilroach (Dec 3, 2014)

Well......I am glad that my original post spurred on this conversation.

I agree that the size of membership and the girth of this site makes managing it a daunting task. It doesn't take too many rotten apples to spoil the site for others.

I'm a member of several grow sites....all much smaller, and often very little is going on there (not referring to a common site some of the posters of this thread frequent)....and there's little content to grasp as new.

Sunni.....I don't envy your tasks on here. It has to feel like you're herding 1,000 cats every day. I have no real solutions to your challenges other than to say that you're losing many expert growers that find this site exasperating. Maybe having a passworded section that only approved members can frequent.


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> Well......I am glad that my original post spurred on this conversation.
> 
> I agree that the size of membership and the girth of this site makes managing it a daunting task. It doesn't take too many rotten apples to spoil the site for others.
> 
> ...


in the past we did have a paid membership forum, elite it was 5$ or something but it didnt go over too well.

playing devils advocate here but
who would approve of these members?
how many members can be approved?
what would be the approval process?

approving a membership area, while being non biased, would be easy but that doesnt stop some members some simply not getting along.
there are members who are excellent forum users, who simply dont get along with eachother, even the most upstanding members dont like other upstanding members, thus fights would still break out


----------



## lilroach (Dec 3, 2014)

I might suggest ditching the non-marijuana threads if that's where your challenges reside.


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> I might suggest ditching the non-marijuana threads if that's where your challenges reside.


thatt will definitely never happen, so many members would be upset if we didnt have a place for general talking, and than all of the marijuana areas specific for growing ect. would be FILLED with general chatter that would just be a headache all in itself worse than now


----------



## lilroach (Dec 3, 2014)

sunni said:


> in the past we did have a paid membership forum, elite it was 5$ or something but it didnt go over too well.
> 
> playing devils advocate here but
> who would approve of these members?
> ...


Sunni......I don't have the answers to your questions. Maybe an "Experts Only" section that just the approved (by moderators? or those that have a large number RELEVANT "likes" as a guideline) or a referral process....I dunno. Other's can read expert posts, but cannot comment.

Sure, people don't get along all the time, and that's when moderators (hence the name) step in.


----------



## chuck estevez (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> Sunni......I don't have the answers to your questions. Maybe an "Experts Only" section that just the approved (by moderators? or those that have a large number RELEVANT "likes" as a guideline) or a referral process....I dunno. Other's can read expert posts, but cannot comment.
> 
> Sure, people don't get along all the time, and that's when moderators (hence the name) step in.


maybe you can call them communes? Lilroach, what is with the sudden attack on RIU and wanting to change it/ I mean, isn't rm3's site kinda the private site you're talking about? Isn't it boring as hell there? I know I rarely go there as much as i appreciate the members and the info, it is a dead site, want that to happen to RIU? I just don't get all the whining about the site and wanting to change it threads.


----------



## Walter9999 (Dec 3, 2014)

I think any member has the ability to turn the page if they come across something they don't like...being thin skinned will get you no where on Internet forums...I've read plenty of silly things on RUI the ability to move on is the readers decision...use it


----------



## lilroach (Dec 3, 2014)

chuck estevez said:


> maybe you can call them communes? Lilroach, what is with the sudden attack on RIU and wanting to change it/ I mean, isn't rm3's site kinda the private site you're talking about? Isn't it boring as hell there? I know I rarely go there as much as i appreciate the members and the info, it is a dead site, want that to happen to RIU? I just don't get all the whining about the site and wanting to change it threads.


I'm not attacking RIU....not at all. My intentions were to share what many people feel and causes them to leave this site. One thing I don't want is a bunch of newbies being the only real-time resource on this site. I don't want members having to sort through "Where do you shoot your jizz" threads to learn how to properly grow weed.

I'm sorry you feel I'm whining. I'm sorry you feel that private sites are dead. I'm not here to try to make this site like any others.....but I'd like to think that those in charge would like input from those of us that once loved this site that no longer do.....and why it's happening.


----------



## chuck estevez (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> I'm not attacking RIU....not at all. My intentions were to share what many people feel and causes them to leave this site. One thing I don't want is a bunch of newbies being the only real-time resource on this site. I don't want members having to sort through "Where do you shoot your jizz" threads to learn how to properly grow weed.
> 
> I'm sorry you feel I'm whining. I'm sorry you feel that private sites are dead. I'm not here to try to make this site like any others.....but I'd like to think that those in charge would like input from those of us that once loved this site that no longer do.....and why it's happening.


I keep seeing sunni tell people to report when they don't like something, she says they can't see it all, they are just volunteers and need some help, try hitting the report button and see what happens. I helped another member with a thin skin find the ignore button. YOU have to do your part to make the forum what you want it to be, but it can't cater to each individual who can't handle some things, WAY to big for that.


----------



## Sativied (Dec 3, 2014)

chuck estevez said:


> maybe you can call them communes? Lilroach, what is with the sudden attack on RIU and wanting to change it/ I mean, isn't rm3's site kinda the private site you're talking about? Isn't it boring as hell there? I know I rarely go there as much as i appreciate the members and the info, it is a dead site, want that to happen to RIU?


+Rep. 

RIU is also obviously not just a grow forum, considering it as such will lead to disappointment, so yeah there's more (lots of nonsense) on the main forum index. Some of it is quite entertaining. It is what it is and compared to other sites it isn't even that bad. Trolls and assholes everywhere. 

If only the admin was as committed as Sunni is... Albums, design, xenforo update... After vbulletin was replace with Xenforo it just wasn't finished. That's not an attack on potroast, I'm sure he has his reasons, but there's a lot of room for improvement.


----------



## Sativied (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> Maybe an "Experts Only" section that just the approved (by moderators? or those that have a large number RELEVANT "likes" as a guideline) or a referral process....I dunno. Other's can read expert posts, but cannot comment.


I've had the exact same thought about the advanced mj cultivation and its breeding sub forum a couple of times. It's less active so the approval process should be doable, and it could serve as a good example to other forums. But again, considering this a cannabis growing 'discussion forum' will only lead to disappointment.


----------



## Uncle Ben (Dec 3, 2014)

I have posted and modded cannabis forums since the beginning of forum time and with the exception of a few private, by invitation only, they are all the same. "We" are supposed to be cool, chill out types. In reality nothing could be farther from the truth. Cannabis forums tend to be a magnet for some of society's most dysfunctional people. 

And having modded the first cannabis website (other than ADPC, a newsgroup), 6 forums at time single handedly, I can sympathize with the mods. It's a very time consuming job, no pay, and emotionally draining at times.

So having said that, all I can say is "eat shit and die".


----------



## Wilksey (Dec 3, 2014)

lilroach said:


> I understand exactly your point of view, and I would have penned a similar reply months ago. "Shut up and leave already".
> 
> I guess I was trying to not put down RIU so much as to hopefully make a point that would be taken by the administration/moderators that would clean-up the site.


You do realize that there's a couple of mods that troll just as hard as anyone on this site don't you?


----------



## sunni (Dec 3, 2014)

Sativied said:


> +Rep.
> 
> RIU is also obviously not just a grow forum, considering it as such will lead to disappointment, so yeah there's more (lots of nonsense) on the main forum index. Some of it is quite entertaining. It is what it is and compared to other sites it isn't even that bad. Trolls and assholes everywhere.
> 
> If only the admin was as committed as Sunni is... Albums, design, xenforo update... After vbulletin was replace with Xenforo it just wasn't finished. That's not an attack on potroast, I'm sure he has his reasons, but there's a lot of room for improvement.


thanks for calling me dedicated, potroast and admin are two different people though  potroast is very dedicated but has no ability to do the coding/web design none of us can thats only admin


----------



## budman111 (Dec 3, 2014)

Like the guys said, a lot of it is a bit of banter like my avatar but their is a lot of soft people here that takes it to heart.


----------



## Uncle Ben (Dec 4, 2014)

RIU at its finest.
https://www.rollitup.org/t/what-original-things-do-you-do-to-your-growing-plants.852390/


----------



## insidagain (Dec 4, 2014)

I happen to love the ignore function. It has made the forum much better for me at least.


----------

