Quote Originally Posted by Ropey View Post
Why again do we care if vendors and/or retailers post here? I'm confused.

I also chafe at censorship. Especially when it feels like I'm being censored so that other people can make money.
First of all, and I assume this is your main concern... even though you've consistently been an author of contentious posts, no one has yet censored you. All your posts are here and remain intact, so I really don't understand your accusation of censorship.

Secondly, we ALL benefit from industry communication. We are pledged to allow them the space and free license to post anything they want, in order to advance our knowledge and feed us information, as well as answer questions and concerns that we, as consumers, might have. If we offend them, or tell them we either "don't care", or worse, "don't want them", we cheat ourselves out of extremely valuable information about the products we care about most. Why this doesn't make sense to you, only you can discern.

Personally, I want to ENCOURAGE industry people to frequent this forum. I cannot imagine a better way to get real information about the products we consume, IN REAL TIME, than to have representatives from tobacco companies coming here and telling us what's going on. They also should find us to be a place where they can come in order to find out what we're consuming, what we like, what we're excited about; what's working and what's not.

I want this place to be a place where both sides can communicate freely and openly with one another. I want to make this a place where industry insiders are comfortable and encouraged to speak freely.

As such, we're not going to be in the business of shewing them off, or insulting them. We will treat them with the same respect that we require member-to-member. We're not going to abide vendor bashing, or smack-talk about a retailer. If one of our members has a LEGITIMATE gripe, or has otherwise been "ripped off" by someone, fine, okay. That's something that's helpful and can benefit the community. Our responsibility as members is make absolutely certain that the information we're dispensing is vetted and absolutely accurate; that the vendor has been given EVERY POSSIBLE opportunity to make things right, BEFORE posting anything negative in open forum.

It is for the benefit of US ALL that such posts not be allowed on Cigar Bum. Offending vendors; retailers, manufactures and posting things that might otherwise discourage their activity here is anathema to the best interest of our community.