I just want to cyber hug everyone on this forum!!! :D

[Crystal_Dawn]

I joined the bird talk magazines forum and WOW! Within 1 day it made me appreciate how awsome our forum here is!!! There was this person who actually verbally attacked a 13 year old girl and called her stupider than a bag of rocks!when she asked for help with what do to after making a mistake and accidently hurting her cockateil! IT was so mean!!!

As far as I can tell, everyone here is very compassionate and sweet and does there best to help eachother rather than beat someone when they're down! I love you guys! and i'll never forum cheat on you guys again hahaha ;) I've learned my lesson!

*HUGS*:p

[Mistyoriline]

Awwe...This is a great friendly site thanks to Dave:clap: :happy4: :clap: :makeout: :cheers: :laughing: :clown: :laughing2:

[blueberrybuns]

awwww!

{{{{{{HUG!!}}}}}}

[Dave]

Thanks. :) That's one thing that I feel makes this site stand out from the rest. Aside from that fact that anyone, no matter what their age, can join and feel comfortable posting, our forum has a much more laid-back and relaxed environment. I don't have the staff going after people just because they're posting like they would on an IM conversation (netspeak as it's also known). I've seen other forums where people get warned for doing that. I feel that if someone feels more comfortable posting like that, even if it makes our forum as a whole look a bit less professional, let them! I don't want to lose members just because I don't like the way they type online. Would I prefer them to type properly? Yes. But I'm not going to go out of my way to stop them from typing otherwise. I don't see that on other sites.

Also, as others have alluded to, we have a very friendly member base. Now, I'm not generalizing saying other sites have all mean and negative members, I'm just saying that there's not a member here (that I've seen) that enjoys putting other people down, criticizing them, and making them feel inferior. I see this all the time on other forums I'm a member of and it does annoy me. Luckily we don't have that problem here.

And finally, I feel that we're more lenient when it comes to enforcing rules. If someone makes a mistake somehow (whether they knew about it or not), we'll usually let it slide the first time unless it's something major. And I don't believe in publicly humiliating any members (unless, of course, they get banned). So public warnings aren't really my thing. I prefer sending a private message to settle things. Because really, it's no one's business how you're going to deal with breaking a rule. That's between you and a staff member.

Finally (I know I said that already...), I feel that this site is more guest-friendly than other sites. I've seen other sites where they don't even let you look at a member's profile without registering. That's just stupid. For me, that's a big turnoff. I see that as a slimey way to build up your member count. If I want to check out the administrator's profile before I register, I feel I should have that right. This is just one example.

Okay, I'm stepping down from the podium now. :P

[bluebird]

:urock: this is a great site i agree everyone is willing to help each other & learn from eachother xxxxxxx

[Amy]

One again, Dave has done a truly magnificent speech.

[Budgiekin]

Wow Dave, that was really well said. I am in complete agreement with you. We do have a great member base here and we all seem to genuinely want to help others and share our passion for budgies. Keep it up everybody!!! :p

[ezaa]

youve got a point really, thats a point i really agree with

[star-24]

well said dave... couldnt agree more :twothumbs: :bowdown: :bowrofl: :urock:

[Kerry C]

Finally (I know I said that already...), I feel that this site is more guest-friendly than other sites. I've seen other sites where they don't even let you look at a member's profile without registering. That's just stupid. For me, that's a big turnoff. I see that as a slimey way to build up your member count. If I want to check out the administrator's profile before I register, I feel I should have that right. This is just one example.


Um, I always have to log on to look at a profile. If I don't I get this message:

You are not logged in or you do not have permission to access this page. This could be due to one of several reasons:

1. You are not logged in. Fill in the form at the bottom of this page and try again.
2. You may not have sufficient privileges to access this page. Are you trying to edit someone else's post, access administrative features or some other privileged system?
3. If you are trying to post, the administrator may have disabled your account, or it may be awaiting activation.

[Joe1]

:eek: THE PARTY HAS BEEN CRASHED!! :eek:
i must admit, i get that message too :o

[Bea]

I think that there have been several rule changes since that message was posted. :) Due to some people taking advantage of our features, some things have had to change. I believe public profiles is one of them, you can only see them if you're a member.

[peekaboo]

The friendliness and supportive advice is why I chose to join this forum over others. I used to belong to a guinea pig forum, but not anymore because of the bad attitudes, and unfair criticism of some people to others in the group. The only disappointment that I have felt here on TB, is when Baby left after offering training help that someone else didn't agree with, and they were angry with her so she left. I don't know if she has been back on but I miss her alot! Thanks for listening, I appreciate your ear:) Tina Marie

[BabycakesKristen]

Talk Budgies is an amazing site that I have fallen in love with ever since the first day I became a member. This is a great place to learn, share information, offer advice and show off our love for budgies to others who have the same passion. Everyone here is respectful (yet, sometimes opinionated), but it really seems like everyone is looking out for each other, regardless of what it may be about. Thanks everyone for the support, advice and humor that I wouldn't have ever had the chance of experiencing if it weren't for Talk Budgies!! :)

[BabycakesKristen]

Dave,
How did you get so lucky to have created a forum quite like this? You should be extremely proud of your accomplishment. If there is anyway I can help out at Talk Budgies, feel free to let me know. This forum has become a sanctuary for me and I'm more than willing to help out if any extra help is needed. Great job for such a successful forum and for attracting such amazing members.
Kristen

[Nikoletta]

Yes, it is a great place to be this forum. It's like a family to me! Thanks again to all the guys that take care of the prompt operation of the forum and a big thanks to Angie (redgirl) who introduced me here! Thank you all :)

[Dave]

I know I said I don't agree with blocking profiles from guests, but this had to be done because mainly for privacy reasons.

Dave,
How did you get so lucky to have created a forum quite like this? You should be extremely proud of your accomplishment. If there is anyway I can help out at Talk Budgies, feel free to let me know. This forum has become a sanctuary for me and I'm more than willing to help out if any extra help is needed. Great job for such a successful forum and for attracting such amazing members.
Kristen
Thanks Kristen. If we ever need help with something in the future, I'll keep you in mind. As for creating this site, I never did expect it to become as big as it did. Several months before I created this site I created a very similar one, Budgie Boards. It never really got off the ground though. We got a few members and some posts, but it never got anywhere. After a few months went by I decided I'd give a budgie forum another chance. By this time I had more experience with a bigger forum thank to my Talk Camp website. To my surprise, the members started joining the day I set up the boards. Literally, I still hadn't finished adding all the forums and changing all the settings and I got my first member. I still have no idea how this happened.

None of my other sites took off like this one did. If I had any more ideas I'd give another subject a try, but I'm out of ideas. :P I guess I just started this forum at the right time.