523 replies to this topic

[dusty]

Hey everyone!

 

I am posting this on behalf of the mods team.

 

You've probably noticed by now that the status bar has been removed, and that some sections of the forum (The Wacky Board, the RP board) have been hidden away.  And we realize that this is probably super-duper shocking and probably upsetting.  We are sorry about that, truly we are.  But to be honest, this is something that is probably long overdue.

 

So here's the scoop.  The whole purpose of Hamster Hideout is to be an educational site for people to learn about hamster care.  Things like the status bar, the Wacky board, and the RP board have absolutely nothing to do with that purpose - they are all "extra" features.  The Wacky Board was started a very long time ago as a fun place for members to play games, such as "Word Association" after making friends on the forum. Now, having extra fun things that don't have to do with hamsters is perfectly fine.     It doesn't make sense to have a forum that just talks about hamsters 24/7 all the time.  But when those extras start to cause problems or they interfere with the main purpose of the forum, that's not a good thing.

 

And that's the problem here.  The extras are universally the source of the most drama, trouble, and argument on this forum.  This is why we chose to shut them down.

 

We want to re-focus the forum and take it back to its roots.  This is a forum about hamster care.  

 

We realize that there are members who were only on the forum to RP or to chat with friends.  And we realize that this change is going to be an especially big one for them.  However, we do ask everyone to keep some things in mind.

 

As much fun as we all have with the social media aspect of the site, this is a hamster forum and hamsters will always be the main focus.  We are going to be trying to get back to that a lot more in the future.  Members may find that this simply isn't the place for them anymore.  But we trust that these people will find other places to do these things that will likely suit their needs a lot better than a hamster care forum.  Whether you stay or leave, we wish everyone the best.  

 

Thank you guys so much for your understanding.

 

I will keep this post open so that you may leave your comments and other words of encouragement/support. Please keep it civil! Don't throw anything at me! *wears a Kevlar helmet and covers face*

[Jingle Bells]

This is very overdue, however, is it possible I could have access to RP's I was in? I'm writing a story based on one and I want to keep it as close as possible to the true thing.

[SomebodyOld]

Hey everyone!

 

I am posting this on behalf of the mods team.

 

You've probably noticed by now that the status bar has been removed, and that some sections of the forum (The Wacky Board, the RP board) have been hidden away.  And we realize that this is probably super-duper shocking and probably upsetting.  We are sorry about that, truly we are.  But to be honest, this is something that is probably long overdue.

 

So here's the scoop.  The whole purpose of Hamster Hideout is to be an educational site for people to learn about hamster care.  Things like the status bar, the Wacky board, and the RP board have absolutely nothing to do with that purpose - they are all "extra" features.  The Wacky Board was started a very long time ago as a fun place for members to play games, such as "Word Association" after making friends on the forum. Now, having extra fun things that don't have to do with hamsters is perfectly fine.     It doesn't make sense to have a forum that just talks about hamsters 24/7 all the time.  But when those extras start to cause problems or they interfere with the main purpose of the forum, that's not a good thing.

 

And that's the problem here.  The extras are universally the source of the most drama, trouble, and argument on this forum.  This is why we chose to shut them down.

 

We want to re-focus the forum and take it back to its roots.  This is a forum about hamster care.  

 

We realize that there are members who were only on the forum to RP or to chat with friends.  And we realize that this change is going to be an especially big one for them.  However, we do ask everyone to keep some things in mind.

 

As much fun as we all have with the social media aspect of the site, this is a hamster forum and hamsters will always be the main focus.  We are going to be trying to get back to that a lot more in the future.  Members may find that this simply isn't the place for them anymore.  But we trust that these people will find other places to do these things that will likely suit their needs a lot better than a hamster care forum.  Whether you stay or leave, we wish everyone the best.  

 

Thank you guys so much for understanding.

 

I will keep this post open so that you may leave your comments and other words of encouragement/support. Please keep it civil! Don't throw anything at me! *wears a Kevlar helmet and covers face*

 

Just a question: Would you ever reopen them again? Not any time soon I know but I was just wondering.

[dusty]

This is very overdue, however, is it possible I could have access to RP's I was in? I'm writing a story based on one and I want to keep it as close as possible to the true thing.

 

Alright, how about I made it read-only for a day or two? I will hide it again soon.

[Jingle Bells]

Alright, how about I made it read-only for a day or two? I will hide it again soon.

that would be perfect, thank you.

[dusty]

 

Just a question: Would you ever reopen them again? Not any time soon I know but I was just wondering.

 

I don't know for now. I wouldn't say never ever. But I will have to see the situation on the forum for a while before making a decision.

 

 

that would be perfect, thank you.

 

Please try and see if you can access the topics:
http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/forum/107-role-playing/

[spoopy]

I personally feel this could be a good change for the forum. And if it isn't, well, I guess we'll have to try something else.

[Jingle Bells]

I don't know for now. I wouldn't say never ever. But I will have to see the situation on the forum for a while before making a decision.  Please try and see if you can access the topics:http://hamsterhideout.com/forum/forum/107-role-playing/

it works, thank you again.

[Zofia]

I'm not going to lie, I'm really upset about this. To me (and others as well), the status feature was a way to interact with everyone, tell people how you were feeling or if you just needed to talk to someone, which made HH stand out from other forums. Now it's just like every other forum :(, it doesn't feel... like it used to. 

[LittleDwarfHammy]

I was a little upset at first, but now, after reading this, I understand. I do think that this was a change for the better, at least until everyone gets situated. I will miss posting statuses, but now I can focus more on helping others with their hamsters. I might be on less often, but I will probably still log in at least once a day.

Edited by LittleDwarfHammy, 09 March 2017 - 12:17 AM.

[Trixie]

Never mind, the change is growing on me

Edited by Trixie, 06 April 2017 - 12:42 AM.

[Naidirem]

I'm not upset per se. I understand. I am saddened by it but I understand and support it despite how I feel.

[Sycohearted]

I totally understand and respect the change, But I'm only down about the status bar. It was a great way for members to give little updates about themselves without having to spam a whole thread.
Now I feel we will be getting threads like "I'm sick!" in the Cafe or "Bad day at school!" 


But as I stated, I do also understand it was an outlet for trolling drama. I'll miss the status bar greatly, but I super agree with the wacky board and RPs. They've been needing to go for a long time. 
It may be a refreshing change though, who knows. 

[Not active]

Aww, I'm going to miss the status bar, but you have very good points of taking them away. I hope maybe they will come back in the future, they were wonderful ways to tell people how you were feeling, about your day, if you needed to rant/pm someone, it also set the forum apart from other forums. ALL other forums I've been on didn't have a status bar. And now I feel like there are going to be a million topics in the Cafe saying five words... For example, last night I had cramps and I was going to post a status saying "Cramps. SUCK!", but now I can't.

 

Oh well, I believe you did this for a good reason, and I wholly support you and the mods <3

Edited by Maple~, 09 March 2017 - 12:54 AM.

[GrimHam]

I don't really agree with this, because now we may be getting a bunch of spam threads or something else. The statues bar was also a way to help make a new friends. We all care about hamsters, but we also care about the other hamster owners on this forum 

 

Saying that, I will respect the forum's discussions, and I get that people caused drama. This is a solution.