03-09-2008, 08:32 PM
jskelton WatchGeeks Owner True WatchGeek
Join Date: Feb 2008 Posts: 16,675 Real Name: "Diamond Jim" Skelton
A note about our forum, other forums, and random things Hi everyone. I'd like to start by thanking each and every one of you that have signed up to become members here at WatchGeeks.net. It is truly our pleasure to have you here. I have seen, and heard about postings on other forums about this forum, and I have noticed a few posts here about those forums... I'd like to throw in my comments. I understand that coming here and seeing a whole new 'way of life' is exciting, and it's natural to make some comparisons to where you may have been before. I have no issues with that, but please refrain from mentioning the other forums by name (so as to not incite any forum wars like we've seen in the past), and please do not bash them. Whether or not you or I agree with their administration and policies... they still house a community of members that many of us consider friends, and hold respect for. Inter-forum bashing will not be tolerated here. We are beginning to see it start at other forums, and if their administrators allow it as they have so far... then so be it. Aside from comparisons and bashing we welcome ALL conversation, even if it is in reference to a topic at another forum. If you notice in our "acronym" section, we have provided the acronyms for each of the popular forums, that way when someone mentions for instance WTF you can mouse over it to see the definition, and if you choose, can explore an option you may not have previously known about. Conversations involving other forums are NOT off-limits, and please do feel free to discuss them at anytime! As our banner states... we are a truly open community for all. Some have asked why we have aligned ourselves exclusively with Invicta. There are several reasons for this.... 1) Eyal and I are friends. I trust him, and he trusts me with the image of his brand. Many months ago I was working with another forum to make ShopNBC an official sponsor, and due to other business taking the focus off of that project (such as us replacing our own CEO), the project was put on the back burner. Fast forward a few months and I was approached by Eyal to become involved with a watch forum because he wanted to create more of a connection between Invicta, and their dedicated customer base. By this time "things changed" with the other forum, and Michael had recently approached me with the idea of starting a new forum. I asked Eyal if he still wanted to do this... would he like to come over to our new forum. He agreed... and here we are. If not for recent events, all of this would have transpired at a different forum. 2) Invicta is one of the largest, and most powerful companies in the industry. Even from the
outside, people can see this as Invicta secures more movements from ETA, Sellita, Ronda and Miyota than ANYONE, and of course knowing that last year they sold more than 1.7 million watches. It would make sense to bring in someone with so much going for them. Look at most any watch forum and you'll see the greatest amount of activity in a forum dedicated to Invicta watches. Love 'em or hate 'em, they generate a lot of interest and conversation. Invicta wanted to support the forum members by "giving back" and allowing them access to them and listen to the customers directly. Eyal also wanted to be involved in our contests to allow our members exclusive, never before seen items.
It has been eluded to elsewhere that because I am a host for ShopNBC, that there will be limitations on acceptable topics. If you have read our mission statement, read posts by our owners, and if you have noticed the dedicated JTV forum you'd instantly recognize that this is far from true. The reason this forum was created was to battle the censorship and to allow total freedom in your posts. You don't have to be a ShopNBC lover, an Invicta lover, or "drink the Kool-Aid" as they say. From Aerowatch to Zenith and everything inbetween... just enjoy talking about watches. From a $50 department store special to a $1 Million Tourbillon... enjoy your hobby without any fear or interruption.
We at WatchGeeks do not view other forums as competition. We do not ask for a blood oath of undying loyalty... feel free to be a member at every forum on the internet! We aren't trying to compete and pull people away from anywhere... my goodness... you're all adults and these are only watch forums. WatchGeeks is here for the members.. not ourselves. No owner here profits form the forum, as a matter of fact is costs money that we do not make up for with sponsors or member donations. We are proud of that, and it allows us to be completely unbiased. The forum is here for you, and your wants and needs... so enjoy it as you like, as often as you'd like. If you'd like to see our forums expand with other brands or subject areas, please feel free to let us know in the MEMBER SUGGESTIONS area, and we'll be more than happy to do it. Whether we had 10 members or ten million, I am just as proud of this forum, and of its members. We are seeing the most eclectic group ever on any forum. From forum veterans, to first time forum participants and everything along the way. The forum in now less than 2 days has spawned more than 2500 posts from almost 500 members with a record setting number of 160 members online AT ONE TIME, so we must be doing something right. I'm proud to see all of you here, and I am especially proud of the hard work of our moderators, and my friends Michael and Bruce. I thank them for making it through all of this, and especially to Michael for making the dream a reality. Thank you all for being here, and let's have some fun!