Moderators do much much more than calm down drama. In fact, on some boards, they contribute to drama!

I believe that there are many reasons this forum needs moderation - and drama is not one of those.

you know, in a way we are all moderators here
If we flag a post or a thread enough, it goes away until the owner of the forum can decide what to do with it. So if enough of us disagree, the post or thread goes away.

Personally, I think this forum is moderated more than we're aware. If there is really an issue, I feel it's dealt with pretty quickly. However, we also don't want to be censored within an inch of our lives either. If there is debate - well - what's wrong with that? I think it's good for new and potential owners to see two sides of all arguments and make an informed decision on what's best for them and their gliders. Sure, there are things most of us agree on - taller cages are better, approved diets are better, colonies are better than single gliders - but from there our opinions vary quite a bit.

I respect and value all opinions and always use what everyone has to say and factor that into how I care for my gliders. As long as I'm not being attacked, what's wrong with differing opinions? It's funny how some people suddenly feel their opinions aren't validated just because somebody disagrees. (and I'm not referring to anyone in THIS post, just a general statement)

Sorry, just had to throw in my two cents.

If you want to be moderated, you can always go to GC where you can't even speak your opinions without being threatened to be banned from the boards.

Personally I prefer to be able to say what I want. And when things get out of hand here they are taken care of. I've seen many threads disappear or become locked for one reason or another.

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Originally posted by ~SG~

you know, in a way we are all moderators here
If we flag a post or a thread enough, it goes away until the owner of the forum can decide what to do with it. So if enough of us disagree, the post or thread goes away.

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agreed

W T F... one hundred gliders... someone needs a smack up side the head for not fixing them [the gliders.] I don't know what else to say

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Originally posted by CrashersFuzzybutt

W T F... one hundred gliders... someone needs a smack up side the head for not fixing them [the gliders.] I don't know what else to say

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The ad wasn't real... it was an experiment done by Terry (Kazko)

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Originally posted by CrashersFuzzybutt

W T F... one hundred gliders... someone needs a smack up side the head for not fixing them [the gliders.] I don't know what else to say

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would you PLEASE read a thread before jumping in and making yourself look silly

Personally, although I do not own a Sugar Glider myself yet, I don't agree with how that craigslist post advertised this website. When people see a post for free Sugar Gliders, most aren't interested in finding out more information. As far as they're concerned, it's an adorable and small pet that they can try out. When they come to realize how much effort and care is needed to make these little guys happy, that's when they either get sent to a rescue or given to a friend to repeat the process.
I've seen the other advertisements on craigslist for this website. They were much more informative and not as misleading as this one is. Personally, I believe that is the way they should be done- Luring people in with the REAL information.

(long sorry)

I have to agree with Kiraberries... REAL information is what is important to be posting not trickery. Trickery to this website will only hurt by creating a sense of negativity to get points across, why would new comers want to stay and get more information from a site that posts false information to get them in? When educating someone on a subject of importance you want to be as simple and precise as possible while giving truth and facts... not tricking them into believing in what you believe in.

Enticement should be on a positive note. I know that sugar gliders (like many pets) are bought out of a “fade” moment and then discarded like a recyclable gift not a living breathing thing; we want to make sure that our pets are treated like family not just objects. It may seem like giving all positive information about gliders will entice many wrong people (it describes them in such a cute and cuddly kind of way)… But psychology says, these people who get sugar gliders to only discard them later will do that regardless of sugar glider education or not! Sure some education that you give people on this site will deter a few people and you would still inform that same amount of people regardless of a craigslist ad like this one or not. Again I think an ad like this hurts the site rather than promote it :)

As for posting 100 free suggies… I totally would have wanted to help and take advantage of the FREE in the posting. Taking care of any part of my family is financial obligation that takes top priority and quality. So why shouldn’t I look around for an opportunity to help someone and benefit by taking advantage of FREE (when normally I would be paying $200+ for just a grey suggie)??? Just because someone inquires about this FREE opportunity doesn’t mean that they are uneducated on proper care and commitment to these guys. The only thing that did worry me about this posting was the huge possibility of inbreeding…. And what defects some of them may or may not exhibit!!! No one has said anything about that.
A lot of the responses were for two, so you can assume there was some simple education done… pets that can give you more interaction that just looking through a cage (fish, some small animals, some birds, lizards, etc) cost a lot of money, initially. These days it is hard for many families to afford the start up fees but have all the love in the world to keep these guys, so why not search for free or greatly discounted to cut some costs???

(SIDE NOTE) -As a new poster to this site it is very uncomfortable for me to add any information that I have because I feel like there are the elitist posters that knock down most anything a newbie will say/post. But every now and again I get the gumption to post (as you can see).

Just as parenting a person is different for every family, there are still some laws and guidelines everyone must follow. There are those too for suggie owners and how you introduce those things into your furry family is your prerogative. I don’t think many allow for that on this site without a lot of elitist lip, sorry for any offense made just stating my feelings and opinion.

edit for typing error

Well I think it was a great way to get attention. It wasn't false advertising, it was an example of the kinds of questions we get every day. I really don't think it was luring people here under false pretenses or in any way negative. If anyone had clicked on the website link at the bottom it would have been because they wanted an answer because they may be in the same boat [though likely on a much smaller scale :P) If you actually saw it on Craigslist the ad was very obviously not actually saying that the person had 100 gliders to give away. Therefore it's not trickery. It's not posting false information to lure people in, it's posting something that happens ALL THE TIME and showing people where they can learn more.

I'm not attacking anyone or putting down anyone's opinion, just trying to respond to your points. Friendly discussion. =)

"the ad was very obviously not actually saying that the person had 100 gliders to give away."
... The ad stated: "100 Sugar Gliders (FREE)" The free implies that there are 100 sugar gliders to be given away.

Judging by Kazko's post here, it seems this ad was posted to see what sort of responses he would get -- hence calling it an "experiment".

The original post did not say: "Find this answer and more at: Sugarglider.com", as the ad has been edited. The night that it was posted there was simply "sugargliders.com" at the bottom.

So.. my opinion? It's false advertising. And, honestly, it's an awful form of it. There are much better ways to go about it.

If you read the just the title of the ad, yes, it looked like an actual advertisement. But by having a logo and link at the bottom it was obvious that it wasn't an actual ad for 100 gliders. I saw it right after Kazko posted it as he was in chat at the time. I would have thought mere common sense would have people realize that someone would not create an actual website if they really were just having out of control mating and had too many gliders.

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The original post did not say: "Find this answer and more at: Sugarglider.com", as the ad has been edited. The night that it was posted there was simply "sugargliders.com" at the bottom.

So.. my opinion? It's false advertising. And, honestly, it's an awful form of it. There are much better ways to go about it.

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Very much agreed

It was a simple experiment by Kaz. Obviously he has his way of going about things, and his method was to draw attention to the add. Personally I have no clue how it got flagged (My adds get flagged instantly). But if you think there is a better way to advertise the site, feel free to do so. I personally found the experiment interesting. And the replies he received we're both shocking and expected.

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Originally posted by fadedrainbows

If you read the just the title of the ad, yes, it looked like an actual advertisement. But by having a logo and link at the bottom it was obvious that it wasn't an actual ad for 100 gliders.

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Not really.
Many times people will post ads for exotics, and leave links at the bottom. Sort of like a "don't know what they are, look here!"

In fact, once on my local Craigslist I saw an ad for sugar gliders with a link to glidercentral. I read the ad, saw that there were 2 gliders needing a home, saw the link at the bottom, and sent them an email saying that they might have better luck finding a home if they posted on GC's classifieds rather than craigslist. The poster replied with photographs of their gliders, stating that they were really desperate to find a home.

Only difference between that ad and Kazko's 100 glider ad, was that only 2 gliders were being rehomed, whereas Kazko's advertised 100. And of course that the 2 gliders actually existed.

Wow! From this experiment, he's probably learned just as much about how people here feel about what he did. LOL

I would go out on a limb to say he probably doesn't even care what everyone thinks about it. He did it for his purposes and doesn't need our approval to do so.

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Wow! From this experiment, he's probably learned just as much about how people here feel about what he did. LOL

I would go out on a limb to say he probably doesn't even care what everyone thinks about it. He did it for his purposes and doesn't need our approval to do so.

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Definitely agree!

Don't get me wrong, I understand that it was merely an experiment to see the reactions that would be sent in, and to see how the average consumer goes about with purchasing Sugar Gliders. However, I do agree with WintersSong.

It was false advertisment. The ad clearly stated that there were free sugar gliders, and anyone who even MILDLY wants one would be tempted by that. After all, even if it doesn't work out, the suggie is free, so they could just give the poor thing away and they wouldn't have lost anything. However, since the ad was an experiment ( fake ) it is, in fact, false advertising.

To someone who actually cares enough to get more information, it may have been common sense to go to the website. But to others who think that this animal is easy to care for, they don't necessarily decide to research. If they do, they tend to youtube it instead- Which just leads to the "vet". Then they believe that they just feed their suggies pellets and they're good to go.

Overall, I personally believe, experiment or not, that this wasn't the best way to get this website out there. A fun ( yet slightly upsetting ) experiment for sure. Just not the best way to advertise Sugar Glider awareness.

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Originally posted by Kiraberries


It was false advertisment. The ad clearly stated that there were free sugar gliders, and anyone who even MILDLY wants one would be tempted by that. After all, even if it doesn't work out, the suggie is free, so they could just give the poor thing away and they wouldn't have lost anything. However, since the ad was an experiment ( fake ) it is, in fact, false advertising.

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They wont stop breeding! What am I supposed to do?
Find this answer and more at:

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where does it say 'I have 100 free sugar gliders to give away'? no where

I really don't think Kazko was trying to see how many weird responses he would get - he was trying to get people to visit this forum in a unique way. I don't think there was any false advertising - he gave people the link to this site with the intent of them coming here to get information on sugar glider needs. That's how people advetise all the time - they say or do something interesting and eye-catching to get people's attention and lures them into checking out the product. The product, in this instance, is the forum.

I just don't think he did anything wrong.

I'm glad he changed the ad, now it makes much more sense to someone needing the actual information. He clearly does care about our opinions because he changed the ad...meaning he must have took into consideration people replies on this thread. No one is offering approval or dissapproval, just opinions.
He chose to post it in the forum, knowing people would reply. If he didn't care I'm sure he wouldn't be bringing it to our attention....but thats just me. Before the ad was changed the title basically said "100 sugar gliders- and... free... next to it" all it said in the body was that they keep breeding and he didnt know what to do ...That could imply anything, but my FIRST assumption before even reading this entire post, was that there were 100 sugar gliders being offered for free.

When you Google "sugar glider", GLIDER GOSSIP is the first link to come up. It appears some of you dont realize the importance of KEEPING it first....

You are not seeing the WHOLE picture.

There are better ways to do that than false advertising. Just my opinion.

So the purpose of the post on Craigslist was to bring them to this website?

Just a question, why do you need to advertise this website? When people usually do research sugar gliders they sort of bump into here. That's what happened to me.

If it was an advertisement to go to this website, wouldn't they see this post? They'd probably feel embarassed.

That CL post was simply to get those "easy to interest" people to read the line about "what am I supposed to do", get an impression that sugar gliders breed like mad, which they do, and then to send them here to learn something about it. So it was an ad for the site. I find that most people immediately lose interest in being spoon fed stuff, so a long-winded post about husbandry is out. A person generally needs to be motivated to seek out information, and if posting an awful concept and a link gets people to think a bit, well that's what this a-hole is here for.

It was just an advertising experiment I guess. I didnt expect any emails as I have not gotten any before with this kind of stuff but I was immediately amazed at the number of replies so I let it become an experiment in human nature so I could share with you to show how much interest there is in sugar gliders, especially when they are offered for free. The messages kept rolling in after 24 hours so I did finally edit the message a little bit to be clearer. The messages have mostly stopped but I am still getting some from people who either dont read or dont really think much... And honestly, I want them to come here too so they can read, learn and make sure they want to jump into life with these animals.

I have removed all personal info and am not using it for anything so no need to be worried there. If someone ends up being embarrassed over this, well they really need to reassess their reason for responding in the first place, dont ya think?

But to all you "newbies" coming here, welcome. Please read, search, learn, ask ANY question, participate, and if you have sugar gliders, please SHARE! A community is nothing without every one of you in it and participating.

Now that the content has been changed, as a parent already, I would get what this is. And not think (like before) it is some idiot who is making one grave mistake of not taking their sugar gliders to get neutered. The title is a grab, yes, like many ads but the content tells us that it is a website giving you a clue at an extreme possiblity. (i've seen it too for cats and free/ low cost spay and neuter clinics)

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When people usually do research sugar gliders they sort of bump into here. That's what happened to me.

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And by my experienced guess, you also bumped into five to ten other web sites all owned by a well-known sugar glider mill/broker who presents false information through web, videos and documents. It is important that we are here to counter and nullify their efforts at taking over this community simply to make a buck at the expense of sugar gliders and their new unaware owners. They have paid out cash and time to try to blow all of the sugar glider communities out of the water but they cannot beat us and that is only because of YOU.

If there need be a shining light out there to protect people from this storm of mis-information for profit, then I will gladly hold it.

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Originally posted by Kazko

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When people usually do research sugar gliders they sort of bump into here. That's what happened to me.

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And by my experienced guess, you also bumped into five to ten other web sites all owned by a well-known sugar glider mill/broker who presents false information through web, videos and documents. It is important that we are here to counter and nullify their efforts at taking over this community simply to make a buck at the expense of sugar gliders and their new unaware owners. They have paid out cash and time to try to blow all of the sugar glider communities out of the water but they cannot beat us and that is only because of YOU.

If there need be a shining light out there to protect people from this storm of mis-information for profit, then I will gladly hold it.

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Originally posted by Kazko

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When people usually do research sugar gliders they sort of bump into here. That's what happened to me.

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And by my experienced guess, you also bumped into five to ten other web sites all owned by a well-known sugar glider mill/broker who presents false information through web, videos and documents. It is important that we are here to counter and nullify their efforts at taking over this community simply to make a buck at the expense of sugar gliders and their new unaware owners. They have paid out cash and time to try to blow all of the sugar glider communities out of the water but they cannot beat us and that is only because of YOU.

If there need be a shining light out there to protect people from this storm of mis-information for profit, then I will gladly hold it.

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Surprisingly, I didn't bump into the PPP and other mill breeder sites. This was the first website when I googled in Sugar Gliders. I didn't even learn about the other mill breeders until I was reading on this forum. I think it's a good idea to advertise the website, but it should just be about the website. It should be titled Sugar Glider Owners or whatever. Then all information and if any more information they should go to the website.