This thread might turn into a huge mess or get deleted but it's a risk that should be taken in my opinion. I don't know whether or not to take Sage at his word that he is not ever going to visit the site again, but curiosity might get the best of him, and either way, I think this should be said, even if he doesn't read it. I'm fine with Sage's decision to leave the forum; to each his own. I respect that. I certainly wish he had handled it quite differently and simply stated his reasons and left peacefully, allowing the forum an opportunity to thank him for the countless hours he has spent truly attempting to do nothing more than help new users transition to snus and quit smoking or chewing. But as we know that is far from the reality of the way it went down. If anyone missed it I won't go into details lest this post gets removed, thus wasting my time. It just could have, and should have, happened differently, but that obviously can't be changed. The only thing that can be done at this point to partially rectify the situation in my opinion is to take a moment, for those who wish, to put our differences aside (if you had any) and thank the guy for trying so hard to help you. Please try not to use this thread to say anything too negative -- start your own if you still feel that strongly about voicing other opinions at this point.
Sagedil loved to point out how many posts he's made here and how much time he has spent on this site, as well as for how long he'd been here and been using snus. The fact that you may (or may not) have found that annoying at times is beside the point, so don't mention it. The point is that a huge percentage of his 7000+ posts were talking about snus; how to use it, pitfalls to avoid as a new user, his experiences using it to quit smoking, his advice on how best to reap its benefits, and what has worked for him in getting over any and all obstacles as a new user. Additionally, as many of us know first-hand, for a long time he was the first person to jump in and welcome new users to the forum and give unsolicited but valuable advice right off the bat. He frequently sent boxes of snus to total strangers who were in a tough spot and couldn't afford any or couldn't wait any longer for their order to come from Sweden. There were also times when he would let his emotions get the best of him and jump down people's throats if their post threatened the accuracy of any and all information here. The fact that you may (or may not) have found that annoying at times is beside the point, so don't mention it. The point is that he was downright fervorous in defending the forum from perceived attacks on its sanctity as a place where people could find accurate information about snus and all things related. A lot of us have known him on here for a long time and benefited from these characteristics I have described above. We've shared a laugh with Sage, or been a recipient of his tremendous generosity, or asked a question about snus that he answered immediately, thoroughly, and with a shitload of typos. At times there were disagreements, in some cases (mine) the disagreements ranged from the minor (Thunder Original snus is crap, white portions suck) to the full blow-outs (not rehashing anything of that nature here). A lot of new members have probably just spent a long time reading his posts and perhaps gained an upper hand on their approach to using snus. Whatever the case, I know that at least from me he deserves a thank you and a farewell.
And mods or admins, if this last comment qualifies the thread for removal, please consider just deleting the following single paragraph instead (or nut up and don't delete any of it lol):
I know that Sage and Fredrik and Sage and Ice have communicated with each other a lot over the years, so there is probably a lot more going on than meets the eye with the verbal exchange that resulted in sagedil getting banned from the forum. Or, maybe all or part of a post was deleted before I saw it yesterday. But based on what sage said alone in the VIP Announcement thread, the way he threw a little hissy and announced that this offer was the final straw and he is leaving, is not grounds for termination. The way it was handled first by him, then by the admins, is in my opinion total bullshit. It would have been so much better if he had peacefully and respectfully said goodbye and given the forum an opportunity to thank him, and it would have been so much better if, given the way he did announce his departure, it didn't get him banned. That's just f*kd up.
Anyway, I've said my bit. Sage, we agreed on very little, and you probably hated me toward the end there, but I thank you for your devotion to snuson and to snus and to the success of new users and people trying to quit smoking. And for all of the time you put into seeing to it that new members were welcomed and informed and advised. I wish you and Debra all the best in your life together. Thanks bud, Roo.
Sagedil loved to point out how many posts he's made here and how much time he has spent on this site, as well as for how long he'd been here and been using snus. The fact that you may (or may not) have found that annoying at times is beside the point, so don't mention it. The point is that a huge percentage of his 7000+ posts were talking about snus; how to use it, pitfalls to avoid as a new user, his experiences using it to quit smoking, his advice on how best to reap its benefits, and what has worked for him in getting over any and all obstacles as a new user. Additionally, as many of us know first-hand, for a long time he was the first person to jump in and welcome new users to the forum and give unsolicited but valuable advice right off the bat. He frequently sent boxes of snus to total strangers who were in a tough spot and couldn't afford any or couldn't wait any longer for their order to come from Sweden. There were also times when he would let his emotions get the best of him and jump down people's throats if their post threatened the accuracy of any and all information here. The fact that you may (or may not) have found that annoying at times is beside the point, so don't mention it. The point is that he was downright fervorous in defending the forum from perceived attacks on its sanctity as a place where people could find accurate information about snus and all things related. A lot of us have known him on here for a long time and benefited from these characteristics I have described above. We've shared a laugh with Sage, or been a recipient of his tremendous generosity, or asked a question about snus that he answered immediately, thoroughly, and with a shitload of typos. At times there were disagreements, in some cases (mine) the disagreements ranged from the minor (Thunder Original snus is crap, white portions suck) to the full blow-outs (not rehashing anything of that nature here). A lot of new members have probably just spent a long time reading his posts and perhaps gained an upper hand on their approach to using snus. Whatever the case, I know that at least from me he deserves a thank you and a farewell.
And mods or admins, if this last comment qualifies the thread for removal, please consider just deleting the following single paragraph instead (or nut up and don't delete any of it lol):
I know that Sage and Fredrik and Sage and Ice have communicated with each other a lot over the years, so there is probably a lot more going on than meets the eye with the verbal exchange that resulted in sagedil getting banned from the forum. Or, maybe all or part of a post was deleted before I saw it yesterday. But based on what sage said alone in the VIP Announcement thread, the way he threw a little hissy and announced that this offer was the final straw and he is leaving, is not grounds for termination. The way it was handled first by him, then by the admins, is in my opinion total bullshit. It would have been so much better if he had peacefully and respectfully said goodbye and given the forum an opportunity to thank him, and it would have been so much better if, given the way he did announce his departure, it didn't get him banned. That's just f*kd up.
Anyway, I've said my bit. Sage, we agreed on very little, and you probably hated me toward the end there, but I thank you for your devotion to snuson and to snus and to the success of new users and people trying to quit smoking. And for all of the time you put into seeing to it that new members were welcomed and informed and advised. I wish you and Debra all the best in your life together. Thanks bud, Roo.
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