The argumet to pay to use fora is hardly valid. It doesn't cost much to run and maintain. Simple google ads would cover that cost many times over, considering the traffic here.
Supporting and protecting dodgy operators means supporting the ripp-off of the general kiter, who in return mostly contribute to the success of this site. It's like the good old saying "piss em on the back and tell em its raining". I don't get it, doesn't sound like free speech to me. It's maybe time to change the rules and support the real supporters. Why constantly block an essential topic of our sport? We all like gear, so why not talk about it and let people know about who sells what.
Not suggesting to buy overseas, there are awesome shops in oz with fantastic service an good prizes.
Now Laurie, this topic is about free speech and its consequences on SB, not about any shops. According to your rules this should be legit.
excuse my ignorance, but is 'fora' the collective noun for forums?
Answered my own question, thanks wikipedia:
Noun
'fora'
1.Plural form of forum.
Usage notes - the English plural forums is preferred to the Latin plural fora in normal English usage.
Ref: Modern English Usage, 2nd Edition, ed. Sir Ernest Gowers, Oxford 1968 (article '-um', p.658).
Tough gig the moderator... but just like some of the other classics like "strappedvsunstrapped" or "do i need lessons?", the whole debate about online vs shop has been done to death before and you only have to go back and read it for yourself rather than clog up todays SB pages with the repeats...So Tomthepom, whether your a troll or a noob to SB, you seem intelligent enough to know when youve been told to **** off...
Sorry to see you go so quick, Tomthepom.
You should hang around, get to know the place, get to know us. We're all good people, and we enjoy kitesurfing, and I hope you do to.
Move along everybody ...nothing to see.....get back in the line and just pay the $1300 for a board......question nothing.....dont rock the boat..
Nobody was shop bashing.
Although the shop bash defence is a good one to use to lock a thread that might be a little close for comfort under.
Think of it more as an SOS
Save our shops.
Surely they cannot be expected by "big Kite" to be able to compete on such an uneven playing field. If they are getting ripped so much that a "bricks and Mortar" kite shop in the states can undersell by near 100 per cent a "online distributor" in Australia then Gawdammit they need us to go in to bat for em!!
I want a local shop
I want it to be profitable
I dont want to be one of those sheepish blokes that go in to buy a trinket and never ,ever walk out with a kite or a board.
Something aint right.
Mmmm popcorn... 
If you were to slag off a business or a person and publish it on a site like this you can be up for DEFORMATION OF CHARACTER and end up in court seabreeze could be held liable for allowing it to be posted on its site .
Why don't you research the facts before you slag me off . but don't worry i wont sue you LOL .( it is the law look it up)
mmmm was extremely interested to read this unfold. Although there is the obvious banter, there is an serious underlying issue here. It is a micro example of the whole internet phenomena and it's problems. Free speech versus destructive information. You can get help for medical issues on the net and yet some choose to say prey on the vulnerable.
So...you let everyone know that a certain operator has done you wrong. Surely the community should know and use the net to not only highlight inappropriate operators, but also to promote good ones - like I do at AKS (I'm just a customer by the way, no more).
and yet they are opinions after-all. Also on both extremes how does one identify trolls doing their self indulgent promoting??
Mr Moderator, although some of the language and intent has got out of hand, surely you can't have promotion without depreciation. The good without the bad, the ying without the yang.
Mr Tomthepom, you have made an extremely relevant point...and yet your language was not constructive and generalised shop owners...the ones i know don't get out in the water nearly as much as you think, and the ones i deal with are intelligent human beings, not the picture you painted.
I think if the language is neutral, so and so had board for this much, got it from such and such at this price, let people read between the lines. Free speech needs its own self moderation and once again your generalisation was sorry to say appalling (but i do understand your anger, been there mate). The use of minority communities in the follow-up to cross reference this site was also tasteless.
Also there is a wealth of information here, that can save you a lot of time, money and injury. Don't let the 'high horse' of free speech stop you from, what i think is one of the best forums of any kind out there. Well organised, easy to access - try and find anything on kiteforum, it's a bloody nightmare.
But Mr Moderator I think you need to elaborate on your reasons, not just throw some policy in someones face - what was the reasoning behind the code of conduct and why...or exercise your right to free speech and say nothing!
No-one is right or wrong here, this is an issue facing the internet across all sectors, but one could argue, by really promoting someone who does you right, is positive, good for the industry and will by default, destroy the shonky operators.
Hmmmmm
So I generate a random email account
Sign up to a forum, with no details bar a super cool username
Access the site through a proxy server
And you think you're gonna find someone who could be bothered to try and find me to sue me cause I said you like to go down on your own mum on the internets....?
Defamation is hard enough to prove in the really real world..
never mind on nerdweb
End of the day, this is lauries' show, don't like it don't tune in
(do I get me free tshirt now loz..?)
Easiest way to fix it.
Use your real name when posting 
Shock horror!
You may be accountable for what you say, like in the real world.
Until then, what Laurie says....goes...
I agree with Dave, real user names would make people accountable. I reckon too, a lot of the moronic negativity that comes out would be reduced and the forum would be left with people being generally positive or at least being real and writing what reflects their personality and beliefs. The whole green thumbs and red thumbs is a good idea but useless if the people are anonymous. I think then SB would grow a lot. good for everyone.
My 2 cents.
What was this topic all about again?....I recon you are responsible for your own decisions, if you dont like the price, just dont put the money on the counter, its that simple but dont go on and on about it ,hasnt any one told you, its a big nasty wold out there, and some one will take a slice of your pie if he can get away with it...
Gawd I hope theres a breeze this afternoon
Totally agree with BWD and kitethrills. Get rid of the anonymity on seabreeze and people wouldnt post half the crap that im seeing a lot of lately on here. It would weed out the trolls and there would be so much more positive vibes. Red thumb away trolls.
^^^
The anonymity of some of the forum moderators has bother me for a long time
The last time I expressed my concerns in a private message to Laurie was only answered with platitudes from Laurie
And I was aggressively confronted at the beach by another person later
Come on Galah. Man up show your accountability and let us all know your true identity
