PCB Forums Closed

[nestle]

Whoa. Found out from DP forums.

We regret that the Paul C. Buff, Inc. Customer Forum has been
permanently closed. We appreciate the many enthusiastic members and
posts to this forum. Unfortunately the time involved in maintaining
this forum and the increasing presence of spammers and non-
constructive, impolite and otherwise negative posts have made it no
longer practical for us to continue this service to our customers.
For news, announcements and general customer information, please visit
paulcbuff.com
For questions and comments, please mail info@paulcbuff.com

Thoughts?

[GregMik]

A victory for the trolls?


Greg

[Wilt]

Paul does seem to get rather defensive and bristle rapidly to anything other than sterling remarks about the products. Maybe the frank commentary has gotten to him once more?!

[dsmPhotoCompany]

I find it to be an intense overreaction. This is what I posted there just before it was shut down on the thread discussing the closure...

-----

I agree, this is a serious overreaction. I've always enjoyed the things Paul does, but this will be the first time I am seriously critical of him.

- As a business owner, you need to realize you're going to get all types of feedback. It won't all be good. That's not always bad, those negative things can fuel the fire to bring new innovations and become better at what you do. Not unlike a strong photo critique.
- This may be the first time the PCB service (and yes, this forum is part of service) falls short of it's high standards. That's a shame.
- Many people have learned and grown their photo skills from this very forum. Being selfish because a little negative feedback didn't go your way and taking something a way from others just does not seem like you.
- I'd venture to guess this forum can be directly linked to thousands of dollars in sales. Money talks, or, I guess it doesn't.
- You gotta remember the 80/20 rule and it can apply in many ways. In this case, you're allowing the 20% that make up for 80% of the complaints to ruin it for the other 80%.
- This sudden change screams "I don't want to hear from my customers anymore". Whether that's the case or not, it certainly has that appearance. Again, sub par to your almost always superior service.

I do hope you reconsider as I not only will be disappointed for myself and the other members, but I don't think this is a solid business move for yourself. If you are willing to enable this behavior and allow the vocal minority to define you and how you do business, I guess that's your call.

-----

[TMR Design]

I know I'll get some heat about this but in the time I spent there and the occasional visit or link to a thread over there I've found that Paul simply can't take criticism and gets defensive and becomes a whiny baby if anyone has anything negative to say about him or his products. This happens on other forums he participates in as well but he doesn't have control in those forums.

I've seen many instances when he blatantly removes the offensive posts and deletes and locks threads when he doesn't like the direction of comments made. He doesn't understand the concept of a public forum, and while we can all agree that the owner of a domain and forum gets to make the rules, he just doesn't get it.

Sorry, but he just can't take it. He sure can dish it out but when it comes his way, he simply won't have it.

[Alejandro Sandoval]

WOW !

I have to say what I know about lighting I learned in there I will be grateful to be part of that gang...very talented people in there.

I remember reading Giulio Scorio post religiously....

too bad...

[RichNY]

Where are we to get up to the minute info on his vaporware then?

[Cathpah]

Originally Posted by TMR Design

I know I'll get some heat about this but in the time I spent there and the occasional visit or link to a thread over there I've found that Paul simply can't take criticism and gets defensive and becomes a whiny baby if anyone has anything negative to say about him or his products. This happens on other forums he participates in as well but he doesn't have control in those forums.

I've seen many instances when he blatantly removes the offensive posts and deletes and locks threads when he doesn't like the direction of comments made. He doesn't understand the concept of a public forum, and while we can all agree that the owner of a domain and forum gets to make the rules, he just doesn't get it.

Sorry, but he just can't take it. He sure can dish it out but when it comes his way, he simply won't have it.

+1
A forum is meant for discussion, and without different opinions, those discussions get pretty boring very quickly. A forum should not be used as just an advertising tool....if he were truly confident in his product/timeline, he wouldn't get so sensitive and freak if anyone said anything negative about his products.

Originally Posted by RichNY

Where are we to get up to the minute info on his vaporware then?

HAHAHHAHAHAHA.....too true.


I just hope the POTN lighting forum won't face a sudden influx of PCB fanboys who aren't willing to admit that his products/timelines have any faults.

[Speedlighter]

My favorite site gone

[dsmPhotoCompany]

Originally Posted by TheAztech

WOW !

I have to say what I know about lighting I learned in there I will be grateful to be part of that gang...very talented people in there.

I remember reading Giulio Scorio post religiously....

too bad...

Enjoyed seeing and hearing about your stuff there as well.

[TMR Design]

Waa Wahhhh , what a cry baby!

He's pitiful.

[dsmPhotoCompany]

Originally Posted by Speedlighter

My favorite site gone

That last post from him is very disturbing. I wonder if the product line will just abruptly disappear should something not go how he likes it.

I just don't understand the knee-jerk reaction.

[Lithian]

He dropped out of the Fred Miranda (FM) forums a few days ago

Originally Posted by Paul Buff

I believe I will check out of FM for now. This was supposed to be a thread about a new product - a thread I didn't initiate. But it seems several on here would rather try to use it to attack and argue and attempt to belittle my company and my products in any and every way they can possibly find.

If that's what you want on FM - be my guest. For those who actually want info I suggest other forums.

er for

It goes without saying that in that particular thread were people interested in his product and people asking for confirmation of the release schedule, to me a reasonable question where a simple request to await further details in the next few weeks would have served well... rather than viewing everything as an attack which has brought mostly negative reactions so far.

I assumed he meant the pcb forums, wonder what the other forums are then?

[burntpixel]

I was not really following that thread, I did look at it and went on. By the time I left the house after posting a follow up to my thread and got to work the forum was gone.

There were a lot of helpful people there that I will miss. This is not his first knee jerk reaction on the forum. He booted a lot of helpful, skilled photographers off his forum.

Pretty sad overall.

[kencas]

Yeah I too am really sorry that it has gone so abruptly. The images forum was a great source of inspiration for Seniors and individual portrait photography for me (and especially Pfiltz whose senior shots in his studio I absolutely adore), so it is sad to see it go...

Ken