whatsbestforum - what's going on

IMHO WBF is the most dysfunctional forum. They have three moderators who collectively must come to a consensus on banning, pulling posts, and time outs. In spite of this, or more likely because of this, their highest profile members have left the site. Those are facts, not speculation.

Years without banning or moderation is not a success, it is a failure. Undermoderating is just as damaging to the flow of a forum as overmoderating. In this case, when moderation was ultimately required, it resulted in members leaving. To think otherwise is revisionist history.

And as mentioned, the owners are quite active on the site and one is an audio dealer, and the other formerly was. Not that this is all bad, as insiders can often bring unique insight to the forums, and in this case, it is all out in the open.

The quorum thing simply does not work for moderation, IMHO and YMMV.

@viridian  +1. The number of former members who used to contribute valuable information to the WBF has dropped down so precipitously that really those that are left are now nothing more than a group of shills either trying to sell product, or a core of folk who will simply argue for the sake of arguing. Dysfunctional is a good description. 

@treitz3  You have no idea of the facts, why would you, you get all of your information from the two owners who you report to. You are right on one thing though, I used to be a contributing ( which I now very much regret) member; that is until one of the owners decided he needed to follow blindly the acerbic guru that he brought to the site (who has apparently also left, or finally been banned?) and to demonstrate his ego and supercilious nature to all. 

Davey, I respect your opinion, but can’t agree with it as applies to the posters there. I think many of them are enthusiasts, just as they are here. Our own Mike L and manufacturer Atmasphere are both active on that site along with many others.

Subjectively, and I am speculating here, they also seem to have a larger contingent of international members, which certainly broadens the perspective, but can also lead to miscommunication as English is not a first language for some.

There is much knowledge to be gained at the site, but just as here, one must sift the wheat from the chaff.

@viridian  Sure, there are a few folks left that are enthusiasts, but those folk seem to hang out in the background, probably knowing that if they post something that doesn’t fit the agenda of one of the owners, they too will be banned. 

Your speculation about the language excuse doesn’t fit, because IME most of the prior members who constantly posted ad hominem attacks with impunity ( including the owners) speak and read English perfectly well.

If you want knowledge, there are much better forums to visit, including here.

Everyone likes something different and I don’t intend to take issue with anyone who has had an experience unlike mine. I can only say that I enjoy WBF. I’ve never had anyone try to sell me anything on that site, nor has anyone ever treated me in a discourteous manner. I think the forum is a bit better organized in terms of the topic breakdowns than this one, and I particularly like the discussions centered on particular manufacturers.
 

There are folks there who have strong opinions, of course, and they sometimes clash. I’ve not seen it get nearly as personal as it does here, but I don’t read every post. I have encountered a lot of very knowledgeable people who seem willing to share their experience on WBF. 

I find the same thing on this forum, which is why I take a look at it almost every day. It is not unusual here that if someone posts a question about an upcoming product decision that a dealer will immediately and directly try to sell them, because the dealer just so happens to have the perfect answer to a question that was often unasked. I find that annoying and I don’t think it should be allowed, but it’s not a dealbreaker and I don’t own the forum. If it annoyed me enough, I would leave, But I do think it’s bad form.

I think it’s generally, not universally, the case that WBF discussions revolve around equipment toward the higher end and Audiogon is more likely to cover everything from very inexpensive to very costly equipment. Both have their place and it’s good to have a choice.

the one thing that seems to bring these disparate sites together is that any mention of ASR evokes a vociferous, emotional response. I find that amusing and always enjoy those discussions.