I'll have to admit, after dealing with the aristocracy of alledged experienced and knowledgable BF hunting groups, on a personal level, that anyone takes this group any more seriously than others out there. Repositories of information, are a good thing, when not involved with the disemination of the material to be added to it. I don't consider my personal experiences with BF to be any more or less valid than anyone elses, no matter how insignificant the experiences of others may seem to be. Categorizing more or less validity is subjective, compared to what that person experienced in real time. Emotional content within the moment of an experience, can never be justified to others who weren't there.

Bigfoot does sell well, and they have to finance those wonderfully inconclusive jaunts to China and Canada, even if with cable Monsterquest tabloid financing. I'd love to know where the next Cascade hunt is going to be based, and crash it, just to see the reactions of the hierarchy in charge. Would I be sent packing, even thought the vast Cascades are quite free to play in. From what I've seen of organized BF groups, they don't seem to have any more handle on how to find BF, than the single person out there on his own. Boyscouts getting their merit badges, have as much chance as any Meldrums that spend thousands of dollars at a time and weeks of "effort".

BF hunting has turned tabloid, as much as Ghosthunters on SciFi. Stick to your own sense of humility and integrity, and let the tabloids run their course.

Updated. Big surprise right?


But uhhh yeah. Maybe they shouldve filled out a sighting report. Not.






I stick by my original post. It's completely RIDICULOUS that an administrator no less, suggested that the person hearing the falling tree fill out a sighting report. Still some nice WHY questions came out of this thread that I hope a few people will think about.

It is scary, if scary's the right word ( ridiculous does it for me too ), that an Admin suggested what he did & sadly, i have used that Database of Sightings for the past 3 Years to do some of my own Research in things & i am honestly thinking now " Was it just a huge waste of time ? " using that particular Database simply because i strongly have HUGE issues with many of the recent Reports that the Organization publishes ??

As has been mentioned " Sound Reports " didn't used to get published yet the influx of Class B's over the past 18 months or so is so much that it isn't possible any more, in my opinion, to use them in Research & i honestly think it's better to just simply ignore them..

How sad that is..

Bart, your use of the "but some of them were booted" defense offers me a rare opportunity to quote Elmer Keith...

"Hell, I was there"

Really...you can't be serious....

If that makes me "defensive," simply being a member (and agreeing with the thread premise mind you) and pointing out a historical fact that's been slightly manipulated (by a few) to create a certain perception to a receptive audience, then I guess that equivelates to you being easily offended as a former member because you consider yourself a "prominent researcher." And did I neglect to mention apparent connisuier of bland quotes?

WOW.

No COGrizzly, no fighting match here. I have always liked and respected NW and my intent wasn't to portray him as some self -described "prominent" researcher (an excellent asset to bigfoot research, definitely.....an egotistical-type person....no), it was the inaccurate point of him alluding to me as "defensive" here with the stance of my posts in THIS PARTICULAR THREAD. I still think his referenced quote was extremely "bland" however

(edited to remove comment about self promotion, as I just saw the post above, and to further clarify) It still LOOKS like you said that, but I'll give ya the benefit of the doubt!).
Bart, my point is that people were booted because they didn't agree with, or kowtow to the master there. that, and his treatment of people, is also why so many left. Your post seems to imply that the reasons for people leaving(or getting booted out) was otherwise, and that the fact that MM kicked them out before they quit, made it different. There are tons of threads here as to why people left or were kicked out, so I don't need to go into them again, but I really WAS there(hence the quote) and saw how people were treated(again...lots of threads here). The thread itself seems to revolve around the reasons for why the "mass exodus" happened, and your post SEEMS to imply that it happened for reasons other then what has been discussed so many times. If I read that wrong, sorry, but it's how it reads.

I'm beginning to be glad I never joined "the other" forum...and hardly just from this particular thread.

to be honest, it was not really the forum part that we're discussing, but the large exodus of former investigators and such from the bfro. Bart does seem to be talking about a situation different then that, but I read it as being part of that, hence my post. As above, If I took it wrong, sorry, but given the subject of the thread it's understandable(I think!)

edited as i think NW understands we were on a different page (I think)LOL

My above post was merely from the observance of so many BFF threads I've looked over going back two or three yrs. The consensus seems to be many fine folks there (as I felt), but to post there, none are allowed to "type outside the box" in the forum or it'll be a brief membership. I never even bothered to read their forum, but doesn't appear I'm missing a wide spectrum of opinions. I just like to look over the report collection there.

Hi

I never even bothered to read their forum ~ ~ "O" well don't we have someone here to have fun with Stop the presses ! Hold the Phone ! Slow the car ! Dim the lights ! Break out the Beer ! Fire up the Grill ! Pass the Grey Poupon ! ~ What do we have here ? Posting about a forum with out reading that forum while being in another forum talking about that same forum ?

Well Sadly Not Very we can do about it much ~ Cause : Mr Noxie did state this in the end ( I just like to look over the report collection there. ) Thought we had ya there for a second, Till next time MR Noxie, Till next Time.

Peace
Tim

Hey now...I never claimed any expertise in the matter Mr RedRat. I figure 62 BFF members over 746 posts in 3 yrs that can only agree on this one topic can't be wrong, tho...can they?

Now gentlemen, lets not be so harsh, I mean, I'm sure there are plenty of good people over there. Just they play by a different set of standards than we do over here. They didn't let me play very long over there, so I'll play over here.

Who's harsh? The Snake started it, wickie.
I said the same thing earlier as you, but I guess I should go and get forum-booted myself instead of relying on hearsay about heresy.

I would say plain and simply, money has changed things... What may have once been a scientific endeavor in the beginning ( high emphasis on the word MAY), has turned into a business operation for MM.... Anything pointing to the existence of Sasquatch, or the mere mention of the topic itself is good for business for ole MM...

Ah, the BFRO forums...

I'm a regular over there. It's where it all started for me. After something strange happened out in the woods one night, I found them.
Now, there are TONS of times when I want to scream, "WTF???" over there, but that's not allowed. I sometimes also want to say, "DUH" or "ARE YOU FREAKIN' KIDDING ME?". But that would surely get me tossed.
So I recently came over here. I can be myself here. If there is something stupid being discussed here, I can say, "...um, that's kind of stupid."

There is a thread over there about the possible reaction if someone belches at a Bigfoot.

Now, over here I would expect that thread to suffer a horrendous hailstorm of ridicule and ribbing, as it justly deserves.
But over there all you can do is sit and watch as more and more people get into it as if it's a serious discussion.

Now don't get me wrong; as has been mentioned here in this thread, there are a LOT of sharp folks over there doing some really good work. Not everybody is a follower over there, either. You can spot the free thinkers a mile away; they're the ones who get quiet when topics go astray. I still place a very high value in some of the discussions there.
But to be completely true to myself, I also have to give equal airtime to the BFF. Actually, more than equal. I think I've found a new home right here.

I don't want this to sound like a "bash", either. The folks who are comfortable over there have plenty of good reasons. It's a different environment. We're not all alike, and some folks like that atmosphere. Especially if a poster suddenly finds themselves getting picked on. Over there a Mod will jump in almost immediately and steer the thread back on track.

Different strokes, as they say.

For the record, I also have misgivings about the money angle. But nobody is forcing me to read that forum, and so far I haven't been banned.
I do get a little bit bummed out when someone feels that they have to defend their position (BFRO support). I don't think it needs defending. It's simply "different".

Now pass the tar and feathers! LET'S ALL GRAB TORCHES AND GO TRASH THEIR TREEHOUSE!!!

...not really...
Spaz

Well Spazmo I'm sure there are some sane people over but I just don't how you stand being part of a board that allows that kind of craziness to go on and not allow it's members to say how insane it is.

Well, I do have to bite my fingers (since I type instead of talking!).
I've just learned to pay attention to the more logical stuff and not read the stuff that I hate. And I never come down on anybody, otherwise I'd be gone in a second.
The reason I still go there is because it's one of the more active forums available. Lots of people means lots of ongoing discussion, just like here. I'm a BF addict, and I need my fix!

Spamzo you don't need a fix you need rehab man.

Yeah, rehab in the form of two or three months deep in the Emmigrant Wilderness eating fish and berries...

Hi, my name is Spazmo, and I'm a squatch-a-holic

No, he's a squatchachocoholic.

All he needs is to find a squatch with a box of See's and he's set
Bring your toothbrush Spaz, it's gonna be a long night!

..."hey LOOK! It's a real-live Sasquatch! And he's leaving me something there on the ground...IT'S CHOCOLATE!!!"

Spazmo runs over to the spot, grabs the gift and shoves it in his mouth...
He gags ferociously, realizing

THAT'S NOT CHOCOLATE.

See?

Spoons should be carried by all bf researchers to avoid any unnecessary confusion... just saying...


Welcome Spazmo... good to have you here...

...ACK...
...PTOOEY...
...spit, slobber, hack...
...snort-HORCK, HORCK-snort...

Spit...
Spit some more,
PTOOEY.

Thanks RB. Glad to be here...I think.

Spazmo man your up 120 post haven't even been here a month.
*Tosses Spazmo a bottle of Listerine to wash the bigfoot present out of his mouth*

You've touched some important points. I think that the standards have been slacking (being nice even) lately. I wish more people from within would speak out on the why, and who. People taking an interest in this subject often are exposed to the BFRO database before anything else. Maybe in the future that will change, and there will be a more refined version of sightings published that removes all the bogus and poorly documented sighting reports that would be pretty much considered useless (except to keep the flow of visitors to your website perhaps?)

Maybe even from within the BFRO one day enough people will call bullshit and it will make for some changes in the program. Doubtful though, seeing as the objective isn't always seeking truth.










I think a lot of people are forming that same opinion as of late. There are some fine people still involved with that organization, but the "scientific" standards and label are quickly sliding off. (self proclaimed regardless) I can only speculate at motivation for this, but I can say that publishing obviously bogus reports can't lead to anything scientific, nor productive for anyone but the organization itself.

Dude... just be glad you didn't step in it!

Told you to bring your toothbrush!

Yeah, I'm obviously a lot more at home here than "over there".
Plus, there are pics of hot chicks here too...
And now that I got rid of that awful minty fresh stink on my breath, I can MACK THEM CHICKS!!!

(looking over my shoulder to see if the wife is watching)

Was this Post before or after the " need a smile ? " thread in the Member Lounge ??

Ahhhh! The hazards and pitfalls of squatchin'. I truly believe that the art of knowing when it's truly chocolate is the most important lesson one can learn in life.



Yep, that Matt Moneymaker's a funny one. To tell you the truth, I don't think he's temperamentally suited to running a large organisation. He's got an awful temper and his mood can change in a flash. It's the reason he doesn't do a lot of podcasts (that and all the people who make the podcasts can't stand him). I've only heard him once on the radio, I think it was the 'Binall of America' thingy. The interviewer was asking really soft questions, but suddenly MM just loses it and starts ranting like a man posessed. Quite amusing, actually. Wish I could post the reference.

Until I started reading this post I had almost forgotten about this little flash from the past.

Conflict with members of the Bigfoot Forums

For several years the BFRO maintained amicable relations with Bigfoot Forums, the Internet's most prominent discussion board addressing the bigfoot phenomenon. BFF administrators facilitated a forum for organizing the first BFRO expedition, but relations declined as ex-BFRO members started to talk publicly about how the the organization was managed. On January 2, 2006, a message entitled "The Straight Dope About the BFF" was found hidden in the source code of a page on the BFRO website. Soon after its discovery the code was removed, but it can still be viewed in place via Archive.org cache.

The author of the message or the specific precipitating event that lead to it being written is not known. Matthew Moneymaker declined assistance in the form of a pro-bono forensic examination of the computer system to ascertain the culprit.

Discussion of this message can be read here.