Newsbreak!

You know this whole “users need 10 posts before they can start a private conversation” deal? Well… It’s brought me to my knees. Yesterday, I got 39 emails asking about conversation privileges. The day before? 41. And it’s been like this since we implemented the rule.

Not to mention we have users arguing with moderators, users arguing with users, new and well meaning guys being ran off, fake posts to drive post counts and…  Just a general environment of suck that I don’t dig. At all.

The rule is gone… and is being replaced by a notification in the classifieds that basically says, “Be wary of private conversations that ask to take communication off the HAMB. Buyer and seller beware. Scammers are out there and we aren’t immune.”

I will say this… and I’m thinking of Chris Tucker as I type it… I will never… ever, ever, ever… institute a rule based on post count again. They never work. They always cause more problems than they solve. They suck.

Hold me to that please. I don’t wanna get fired on a FRIDAY.

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I think what drove me to this point was that I was dealing with so many of these “private conversation” problems while we were launching a new garagejournal.com. I’ve been without sleep for weeks it seems, but I am really proud of the new site. And while it’s still a little rough around the edges, I encourage you to go check it out.

We will be upgrading the H.A.M.B. to the latest version of Xenforo this fall. And while it will largely look and work the same as it does now, there are a bunch of new little features that make both navigating and using the site much more convenient.

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On another note, I’m late stamping Alliance tags… AGAIN. I apologize. This Garage Journal redesign has owned me for weeks. BUT, I am stamping today. If you are owed a tag, please make sure your shipping address is correct here. Cuz come hell or high water, I am shipping tags on Monday.