Quote by @-K8memphis on 1 day ago
cheatize no character limit that i know of -- in fact when i did my testing 123 post at first i just did 'test' and it said i had to put more characters/letters so idk
I think the character limit is for the title of the post. I got confused. Menopause. Blah.
I think that a massive falling out and exodus can happen any time on any forum. I've seen it happen so many times. Not that I spend a ton of time on any of them, but I try to visit places I like. It takes ONE person to start a big hair-flipping session, sometimes a real person, sometimes a troll identity - someone who is determined to stir ***t up. And on the opposing end, it takes one person who gets easily offended (in step with current fashion)...
@ElizabethsCakeCreations - and about confidence... I don't have the lack of confidence, but I have a contradicting issue with self-esteem and the dark side of over-achiever complex. It roots in childhood, and I've been fighting it all my life. I am Just Never Good Enough - and I know how stupid that kind of self-evaluation is. Childhood and youth are long gone, and I do not have the same people around me to bring me down, but then my own voice - out of habit - starts criticizing everything I do, and I can convince myself that whatever it is I made/did - is terrible. My advice to you - pat yourself on the back more, don't give into self-doubt, and yes, people are interested in what you have to say.
@Jesi Winter - What you said about bringing people joy, is true. Some say "it's just a cake", but I also am truly happy to see how people light up, when are presented with a beautiful creations. I've donated three small decorated cakes for a raffle once, and was present at the surprise winners' drawing. It was a pretty large gathering, and people were taking random seats. The winning "tickets" were taped to the bottom of chairs, once everyone sat down, it was announced to check under their seats for a win.
It was incredible to watch the joy. Big, grown-up people, were literally jumping from joy.
Also, I have a habit of copying my finished message text (highlight+ CTRL C) before I post. That way, if I get an "oops...", I at least have it on my clip board, and can re-post.
also with 'oopsies' the highlight, control c is best as lelekb says -- but the back arrow can also work as well as control z
Okay I'll say it I MISS THE DRAMA!
So that makes me a horrible person (I knew that anyway)
I miss certain mouthy stroppy members and their nemesis the Disney princess who could see beauty in every "how much for dis cake?" nutjob who sallied in with one wreck of a cake and a FB page adorned with 4 letter words.
These are the things that amuse me, the one liners (pastrypet) the business advice (CZ, AZ Couture, Mimifix, Applegum Pam, Kaza, MB Alaska) The genuine new baker who needed techniques explained who hadn't already taken five wedding cake orders for $50.00.
I agree with Brandisbakes that CC is dying slowly and I'm sorry about that, its NOT vibrant...but it is "nice"... despite my best efforts.
Sadly nice is boring, we have enough sugar in our lives and nice folk don't get the controversy and vibrancy going, they like a quiet life with other nice people who will hug and encourage them? Ugh!!! Lol.
Add to that the proliferation of blogs offering free tutes and youtube where no interaction is required (or cash investment) and you have a big old reason right there not to dip into the forums. I agree with K8 that the forums aren't all CC has to offer but it was a big part. I only use it for resources and to have a laugh at the old "nasty" threads from 2014 when they went on for hundreds of posts till a mod eventually stepped in when a "nice" person flagged the thread.
Happy old days lol.
One feature I cant find is the "who's online" feature when you could tell which of your favourites were actually logged in, if you had a question you could be sure of an answer pretty damn quick. I can see why they have omitted that feature because it shows the quietness and lack of participation on the site. Not a good advert for the future.
@cakebaby2 Bwuahahaha! I'm dying. Don't worry, there are still people on here who I have my eye on and am waiting for them to take a ride on the crazy train. It will happen eventually.
A lot of the people who used to be very active on here with witty one-liners aren't doing cakes anymore or aren't on here anymore, but I've seen some of them pop up here to add a comment every now and then.
sarcasm can be uproariously funny but it takes quite a polished hand to deliver it in print without doing real damage --
i detested it when one person got ganged up on and got salty sand rubbed into their blisters in the ensuing melee -- it was bullying in the thin shameful guise of 'we're helping you' and there is no room for that bs anywhere--
there is room for uproariously funny things but not at someone's expense -- nope
Lol @cakebaby2 well I too must admit I must be an awful person bc I miss those days a bit too. Not the being mean just to be mean I don't like name calling or people throwing others under the bus but the raw honesty has all but disappeared. It seems like an honest answer or opinion is met with a sugar coated ohhh I'm so sorry they weren't nice about that. I've received several messages saying " I would have loved to say this on the thread but I don't want to pot stir". People are worried that what they say will offend and cause a big argument. I've seen some pretty bizarre personal attacks happen on here that cross the line and that I don't like and it's that stuff that's caused people to be hesitant to share. To me cc has been watered down and that in combination with a few other things I see happening is the reason it seems to be losing its vibrancy.
I'm teaching sarcasm to my 7 and 4 yo kids. Don't want them to miss out later :-)
I read a study article, that sarcasm is good for brain development and health. That discerning sarcasm triggers areas in tge brain not normally used, and provides mental exercise.
Dang who knew I had a fit brain I thought I just had a smart mouth :p
Ah so that's why I'm old..but have the face and figure of a young thing? Who knew...I'll live to a ripe old age. Seriously I never actually saw anything I would personally have been scurrying under the couch for, plenty of straight talking yes but that's never really bothered me..I assume we're all pretty grown up and have survived plenty of knocks real or imagined in the "real" world.
I find the tail wags the dog these days just about everywhere and if one delicate flower gets sniffy everyone else has to moderate their opinions and ideas. And come on K8, I love you to bits for your unfailing, unflagging enthusiasm for this site and the ballsy way you jump in to protect the seemingly weak and defenceless, but perhaps we can look for slights where none is intended when on a mission?
You are something of an "Elder Stateslady" around these parts and I'm sure you've seen your fair share of drama and virtual bloodshed that perhaps others took in the spirit it was intended.
There was anothe speechr monitoring who shall remain nameless but her initials were Enga who took exception to just about everything a particular member said...especially when it was directed at someone else..those were entertaining threads and I urge new members missing a bit of the testosterone (from the ladies) that used to zing about these threads to google them..for a right good laugh.
CC is definitely smaller than it used to be but it is much more alive than I think people realize, it is just being used a little differently.
Yes the forums are quieter - less drama, but also less information sharing.
CC still has over a million unique visitors every month and 70,000 engaged subscribers to the newsletter. The other outlets definitely have taken a chunk of the action, mostly Facebook and Pinterest, but CC is still serving its role as a source of information and inspiration for cake decorating.
I agree that a lot of the fervor from Buddy and Duff on TV has subsided and that is definitely contributing to the decrease in activity online, I think the industry is probably finding a "new normal".
We of course are always interested in features you feel would enhance your experience at CC day to day, even if you don't realize it, we actively work on CC every day. We have a never ending list of features planned, the sit will continue to evolve, and with your input hopefully in a positive way.
We of course are always interested in features you feel would enhance your experience at CC day to day, even if you don't realize it, we actively work on CC every day. We have a never ending list of features planned, the sit will continue to evolve, and with your input hopefully in a positive way.
Personally, the one thing I'd like to see added is the ability to go to where you left off on a thread when you log back in, as opposed to having to find it from the beginning. It would just make it easier to navigate.
I would love one notification per thread. I don't need 15! I had to stop getting email notifications because it was clogging my inbox.
elizabeth -- i just use the notifier on here -- i don't get the emails either
kara, and if you use the alert thing on here and click on the newest link you can go to the correct page with the newest posts -- you still have to scroll but only that one page which is nice
I do just use the notifications here but it's annoying to see 15 when it's only 2 posts
you can delete them all at one time very easily -- sorry you're annoyed
Not the end of the world I think I'll live lol
@Heath the pages listed on the top of the thread and not just at the bottom please oh please lol!!!! And just in general the basic functions of the site to work consistently I don't need a lot of bells and whistles just a simple easy to navigate site. Facebook as a wonderful feature of blocking that might be nice too ;)
One thing I will say is life is truly to short to be easily offended, make mountains out of molehills and let what others say or do on a public forum have any real effect on your life however using cc as a way to get out personal vendettas is where I draw the line and it's happened but having said that I think there are still enough cc members to make cc great case in point this thread so let's just keep posting and enjoy the fact we have a place to talk cake and everything else under the sun :)
I'm very offended! Nobody will tell me what baking pans to get (another post).
Please unoffend me! Lol
Quote by @ElizabethsCakeCreations on 3 hours ago
I'm very offended! Nobody will tell me what baking pans to get (another post).
Please unoffend me! Lol
I like the ones with no seams in them, don't know which they are. They're easier to clean which is nice. :)
I'm still here, every day, looking at new techniques, perspectives, toys (i mean tools), CC still has so much to offer. I for one do not miss how thread topics would turn into wars of egos, and pros versus hobbyists. Sheesh, why can't a hobbyist develop expert level skills? I always strive to improve and reach higher, and am grateful to pros who are willing to share their skills.
People like K8 are awesome. I do miss Edna (Tonedna) and a few of the others.
Thank you everyone for sticking around, and thank you Jackie and Heath!!
It does have a lot to offer, mostly in the archives. How many times did you see that phrase "I love CC" being bandied about when it WAS a vibrant place? Never. It was just there, CC, it was a given it was appreciated because the boards were zipping along, no one had to keep reassuring themselves and each other how much they loved it, or thanking Heath and Jackie for.. having a business?
A case in point is the gallery, a quick trawl through the todays"favourites" reveals 3 or 4 "likes" gets you a favourite, many of whom have never posted one thing in the forums in years? Many highly gifted professional cakers are flooding the gallery without adding one single thing to the site apart from a glimpse and an advert for their creations?
There used to be hundreds of likes on individual cakes by fully participating members. I applaud the likes of K8 and webaketogether who start threads valiantly trying to keep interest going.
@cakebaby2 I also find the gallery a little discouraging, when it gets flooded by highly professional adverts. I mean, nothing wrong about being a skilled professional, but somewhat annoying when it is just that - an ad, and nothing else, it would seem.
@cakebaby2 I find that I am a very typical uninteresting person who happens to like to talk....A LOT lol. I'm beyond interested in the world around me near and far. I love hearing other people's stories and interests. I'm a totally uncultured American but I would love to learn more about other cultures and others perspectives. The wiser I get ( I would say older but I'm only 30 maybe that is old I don't know haha) the more I realize life isn't a one size fits all there isn't one way is right and one way is wrong (generally speaking) Cc kind of provides an opportunity to get a glimpse of the world from my laptop. That's why I post threads and I'm involved in cc I genuinely enjoy having a place to come that isn't bound by borders, skill levels and has the freedom to discuss everything from cakes to a variety of other random topics. And about the photos in the gallery I don't even look at them anymore either something has definitely changed there too.
@Marian64 I had a response typed out to you and then forgot to post and lost it and now I can't even remember what I was going to say :( oh part of it came to me I wanted to say you weren't long winded at all but can't go back to read it all now so alas I can't remember the rest of what I wanted to say lol.
@gscout73 I must have missed those times but what I did notice in the past before the mass falling out was that there seemed to be feathers ruffled on both sides about certain topics that it seemed there was great divide between prof. and hobbyist. I won't go into detail bc it's irrelevant at this point but my hope is that there can be a common respect between everyone no matter the status they have. I'm a business baker but I see the skills of hobby bakers and I can't believe how gooood they are so for me I don't care what the "title" is its what we all have to contribute that matters to me outside of the business section that is.
One thing I will say though and maybe @Heath can clarify this for me but the business section seems to be a serious source of tension from time to time and I read on here that there was a requirement to respond in that section? I've never read any formal rules so I would really like to know the do's and dont's if there are any.
Quote by @Marian64 on 4 days ago
I will agree people are to easily offended when advice or opinions are asked for, but the person asking only wants to hear what they want to. I kind of miss some of the more livelier discussions.
I also think if you get help you should go back and thank people for the help. If you ask about help with a particular cake it would be nice to post a picture of it on the thread so those who helped can see the finished work.
Sorry for being long winded. Nor do I submit or delete the post.
I 100% agree with the going back and saying thanks and maybe even sharing how it turned out! I actually will look at posters previous posts to see and if they don't go back and reply I don't bother even posting a suggestion. A trend I've noticed in doing that is the title usually says "HELP!!!!" and then it's crickets after that I'll pass lol :)
sorry for the double posts edit still isn't working for me.
Quote by @Webake2gether on 1 hour ago
One thing I will say though and maybe @Heath can clarify this for me but the business section seems to be a serious source of tension from time to time and I read on here that there was a requirement to respond in that section? I've never read any formal rules so I would really like to know the do's and dont's if there are any.
The only thing they ever said was that people shouldn't ask if someone is licensed before responding to a question, which in my opinion is actually pretty relevant to certain questions. People who weren't licensed were asking questions in the business forum then getting mad when someone would ask them that. It was a general guideline to not harass people who were selling things illegally, not an actual requirement to post.
regarding double posting -- if you notice it right away you can usually delete one of them --
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