Forum independance?

Discuss Christopher Ward watches
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Amor Vincit Omnia
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

It has been interesting reading the last few posts. I get the impression that a lot of our members like to know where they stand, and appreciate being in an environment where mavericks, trolls and keyboard warriors perhaps hold a little less sway than on some other platforms; a place where perhaps they can indulge their hobby and interest without too much fear of being attacked verbally or subjected to unsalutary content, whether in words or images.

Incidentally, have you noticed that you don’t wake up on this forum to pages of spam posts? I know of at least one forum that is regularly subjected to mass spamming. The reason is because we weed almost all of them out at source. We know that occasionally new members get slightly irritated at waiting for their first five posts to be approved, but the checks we carry out are the reason you don’t get spam. It’s another of those things that go on behind the scenes.

Not everybody will agree with every rule every time. I spent 40 years teaching, and during that time I backed (publicly at least), upheld and enforced any number of rules I didn’t actually agree with. As an Admin Team, we do actually discuss our rules a lot, and occasionally we tweak them in response to ideas and feedback. We believe that the rules, etiquette and guidance as they are serve the best interests of the forum as a whole, and it does seem that a lot of members agree. There are plenty of places where people can go to post in a more unrestricted way if they wish.

Regarding the so-called leaks, @asqwerth put it very simply: we made a promise.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by Has »

I am not long enough here probably…
But good lord… what is this? Some sort of a revolution??

How hard can it be? There are rules and the moderators take action if one is broken… so what.
If one needs anarchy… go to Twitter!

Seriously, the moderators are doing a great job for this forum! They probably don’t even get paid for it!
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by Noush »

Well I've been here a little while. 3 years. More than some, a lot less than many others.

I've spent extended time on other forums in the past, even moderated one of them. So I especially appreciate what Kip and the moderator team does.

Personally I've never felt 'restricted' in any way. It's uncomplicated - show some decent manners and it's all good.
If that is some 'price' for a friendly, supportive and interesting place to indulge my passion for watches, I couldn't be happier about the balance of things.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by ralfybaby »

Kudos to the peeps who run the forum. A labour of love for little reward.
Leave the tinfoil hats at home and don't bitch.
Some people take this watch malarkey waaayyy too seriously.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by 5oclockhero »

I've been away a couple of days and just caught up with these replies. Thanks to all that shared their views and to Kip for his detailed explanation, which I accept makes sense.
I began this thread, after my original post had been removed, mostly out of frustration. It seemed petty to me, as I merely felt I was sharing publicly available information that I was sure many had already viewed. In future I'll be a bit more mindful of the rules here!
As for my spelling mistake, I use a swype keyboard and auto correct on an android phone, which has a mind of its own often, and my GCE O level in English was half a century ago. I should have double checked it but I'm glad it provided so much extra entertainment to what was becoming a dull post !!

Thanks to the mods, your work here is appreciated and thanks again for explaining the rationale.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by albionphoto »

thomcat00 wrote: Sun Jan 29, 2023 12:38 am I had advance notice of the Forbes article via another avenue. I alerted the admins here and CWE and that’s all I did with the info prior to the Dune launch. I see no reason to play the leak game. I value the opportunity as it arises if CW wishes to share an advance preview with the ardent supporters and if asked to keep confidential I can abide by the request. I’m glad most others do, too.
Well played; well said.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by what-time-is-it »

I run a car forum and you are only truly independent if you don't rely on third-parties for IT help or financial assistance.

This forum is biased because it's close to CW who I assume fund it, support it with IT, do forum editions and insights into new models. It is a sales tool and it's pretty obvious to me the zoom calls hook a lot of people in with previews which in turn builds hype for new models, which appear very frequently. Same for tips about a special sale which might happen tomorrow at 2pm or whatever - it's all about selling watches.

I'm not saying the above is a bad thing, the alternative would be a forum with a subscription or that's full of advertising because they do cost money to run and require the goodwill of mods and admins.

What is nice to see is when a Mod has an opinion that's not always positive about the company or a particular model. Fair play to mods who do have an opinion and happy to go against the tide.

For posts being removed on here it wouldn't happen if CW controlled sensitive or embargoed information better with third-parties. Stop it at source and problem solved, but again it's all about sales and I guess if people are talking about a new CW, then they're happy with that.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by Kip »

what-time-is-it wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 1:33 pm I run a car forum and you are only truly independent if you don't rely on third-parties for IT help or financial assistance.

This forum is biased because it's close to CW who I assume fund it, support it with IT, do forum editions and insights into new models. It is a sales tool and it's pretty obvious to me the zoom calls hook a lot of people in with previews which in turn builds hype for new models, which appear very frequently. Same for tips about a special sale which might happen tomorrow at 2pm or whatever - it's all about selling watches.
I hope you have noted that the forum banner states Independently Operated for CW Enthusiasts. It is true that we have not been completely independent since 2014 when CW bought the forum from our founder Hans. However the only financial support we get is in the form of IT support. That's it!!

Are we biased, I should say so. Despite the vast array of subjects we have around here, we are first and foremost a CW forum. I don't think anyone that has followed this forum or been here for any length of time would deny that we are a very useful marketing tool for CW.
what-time-is-it wrote: Tue Jan 31, 2023 1:33 pm
For posts being removed on here it wouldn't happen if CW controlled sensitive or embargoed information better with third-parties. Stop it at source and problem solved, but again it's all about sales and I guess if people are talking about a new CW, then they're happy with that.
Can't argue with this. Although the most recent issue was not the fault of CW, this has been a problem in the past.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by albionphoto »

I agree that CW has let information slip occasionally and this is something all brands should try to do better. With so many potential avenues for leaks to happen it is sadly inevitable that they will. Hopefully all the vendors are now in up to speed.

Embargoes let media organisations get information early so that an article can be prepared. This benefits the brand and the media. Embargoes can be broken by accident as well as intentionally by third parties. No matter how carefully an embargo notice is read, accidents can happen. Quite often they run out at times that are weird for media organisations in other countries or, as CW used to do, are on strange days of the week. CW used to be a fan of Friday releases which were a real scramble. Apologies and embarrassment all round if an embargo is unintentionally broken. If it happens time and time again with a specific media organisation then further steps can be taken.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by Richard D »

I’m reminded that I few years ago I got an invitation to attend a “very special exclusive” unveiling of a new Bremont watch at their Mayfair Boutique. This was an evening champagne reception in the company of the brothers. However, the day before the event the internet was awash with reviews and images of the watch. I remember being underwhelmed and didn’t bother making the trip into London. These leaks happen all the time, I guess it’s all part of the hype surrounding a new release.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

Richard D wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 4:12 pm I’m reminded that I few years ago I got an invitation to attend a “very special exclusive” unveiling of a new Bremont watch at their Mayfair Boutique.
Now me, I’m a bit of a rogue. Whenever I see something advertised as exclusive, I always want to ask: “Whom do you wish to exclude?”

And do you know what, I don’t think I’ve ever really come across a company that would dare to give an honest answer to that question.
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Re: Forum independance?

Post by Richard D »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:55 pm Now me, I’m a bit of a rogue. Whenever I see something advertised as exclusive, I always want to ask: “Whom do you wish to exclude?”
I think that’s a very good question, one that I did ask Bremont. Never got an answer. Ironically, I got an email today inviting me and whoever wants to come with me to a ‘free’ tour of The Wing. I’ve sent them a date and I’ll see what comes back. The tour normally costs £25 per person.
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