Can’t argue that! I’m Upstate. Seed whore.
Gotta love the old sayings. Good ol Gramps.
I’m not against people figuring out the system and rising in trust level quicker. It gets people excited about being here, and helps to make them feel like they belong. I get that. About those extra likes tho…
And tl3 status for coop seedruns done here on OG. A documented seedrun. More people might do coop runs with this small change.
As simple as to manually give perpetual TL3 status to those who earned the Overgrower badge for completing a seed run, easy does it… 
I participated in the Appalachian Christmas event for six years. The people I met there maintained their pride and dignity when there wasn’t much to go around.
Yep, I am with you Chara, I would much rather just buy the seeds. I share and am gifted seeds from friends I know and trust. But in general, good old fashion free enterprise works fine with me.
That said, I have thousands of seeds I would love to give away. If I had enough of any one strain to supply coop or freakers I would do it. I have purchased or made the vast majority of what strains I have, I have just never done a massive preservation run before because 100 seeds is plenty for me. In the future I think I will see if I can harvest more seeds.
well, perhaps it is frowned upon with good reason, I don’t know. But it would be my prefered method.
It’s against the site rules, iirc. I would have to hunt for the information
yeah, the part where you put ‘work something out’ implied a trade and nothing that would break the rules.
thanks. I won’t break any rules so I won’t do it, but it still would be the way I would prefer. If I felt inclined to make 2500 seeds I would feel different I’m sure. I will have lots of seeds from my Zacatecas Purple/Michoacan run so maybe I will have enough to mess with sending to the coop, or however that works.
I read the ways to move up in trust level… figured after my months of regular involvement would have gained me the “respected” trust level but I’m still a “member” trust level.
I am also a site sponsor so kinda stopped thinking about my trust level status.
Whatever… the people who know me trust me so that’s good enough I figure 
People have to be a little bit shady if they are purposefully finding ways to gain the system to advance in trust level. Not to insult anyone who is doing that but it kinda hints at a greedy motive.
In the end these are things for the site owner and admin/mods to discuss based on any negative patterns of activity they observe or have pointed out to them.
I’ve done a limited coop sign up. 100 slots instead of 150. The coop is flexible.
For me this discussion is really a societal problem.
A lack of integrity is the meat of the issue.
Some tolerate it better than others.
Just think…
What if everyone followed these guidelines. 
Please remember to be the kind of family member, you would like to have.
You know the kind that is always there to help out.
Never takes more than they need.
Gives back way more than they ever take.
And always happy to do so.
I realize that this is just a fantasy…
But what a concept, right?
To summarize here… to me the real issue is…
Some people just don’t give a dam on the next man.
I see everybody out here doin’ for self
And they don’t give a damn on the next man
Puttin’ status and wealth over God and health
I can’t wait 'til you the next man.
Are you still not sure what I am saying, have a listen to this song it explains it really well.
Also the private lounge is pretty much unused and useless.
Not my site not my rules and I don’t mean to change this…
But I do think it could have a use.
What if to enter the private lounge you had to know someone that invites you.
Invite only.
You could sponsor someone new in but your membership is on the line.
All kinds of clubs are run this way in real life.
The island was supposed to have a sponsorship program but it kinda got abandond.
When I talked about doing this sorta thing when I first arrived I was told it would not work.
I was asked who decides who get in and who does not and who is in charge of kicking people out.
That is why it won’t work they said…the key to this working is you have to keep personal emotions in check.
Here is a good example, I am sure I have frustrated @Randar in some of our past discussions, we do not see eye to eye on some things.
But we are still able to call eachother family and care for one another as such.
My stepbrother and I see things very differently at times, but I would die for that MOFO any day of the week if it was needed.
But as a test pilot program, I feel the island has worked very well.
Those that help out around here could be grandfathered in.
Those such as @DougDawson etc. don’t need any screening I think we can all agree on that.
We did this on another site and it worked well.
We simply place a new member up for a yay or neigh vote.
If anyone has complaints they can be voiced and if enough people agree that the new member is not a good fit, they can be declined or offered a prove-it deal.
Where they have a short period to redeem themselves and still become a member.
Everyone except the @DougDawson, @misterbee @Rhai88 etc. type model will need to come in as a probationary.
Once you complete the probation then you make full member.
This has been done and proven to be successful, it could be recreated here with very little effort.
But again…
I am but one man crying out in the wilderness. 
That would be so awesome! Some exciting sativas would be appreciated by many folks here. Thank you for considering it.
All you would need to do is make a post in the Co-op Voting thread (link below) w any details about the strain.
Then the coop action group votes on it.
Then there’s someone like me who came in less than 6 months ago, got new user of the month, went real active in breeder threads with plants I was growing, boom got trust level 2 in like 2 months. I’ve def tossed my name on the free/giveaway/co-op/doing a tester now. My seed bank has doubled from the measly dozen and a half packs I got when I first started growing a year ago.
Some of the time requirements you guys are talking about is going to shy away people that want to be active right away that are just starting growing because of legalization and med use.
Oh and I know no one else that grows. So the sponsorship thing is jumping through a bunch of hoops and I got kids, yo.
People do not know how to build social capital.
Just a philosophical question, I’m not like directly asking you.
Why does it matter to the person breeding the reproduction who’s signing up if it’s within the site rules? They’re just sending the bulk seeds to the couple people that then package and ship to individuals, right?
How do you figure that, you only need to have 1 friend that trusts you enough to invite you to their house for supper.
This type of trust circle worked before legaization and it could work now.
So no hoops to jump through at all.
Before legalization it was even harder for myself as someone that does not know anyone that grows, to get into any circles. I don’t see any appeal to going to the way things were before legalization.
Again. I got kids, a family, classic kinda life here but I’m also a med card holder that grows his own. Do I have to go back to being a weed socialite to get into circles? I don’t have time for that and I doubt I’m the only common shmuck out here that wants to grow some good weed. We all know seed prices are a racket, too. Let alone all the fake stuff out there that get’s the common person roped in. You’re talking about making it a cool guys club.
It’s the Lord’s day and I’m getting pretty head high. Another general philosophical kinda thought.
Is the thought that Trust level should be harder to obtain along the lines of thinking like “I had it rough, so the new guys should, too”?
Not at all, did you read what I wrote.
This is a working model on another site.
It has beeen working for about 10 years now.
You are not being compelled to join if you dont want to just obstain if it does not work for you.
No idea will be perfect for every single person on earth.
But for the majority this works and it works well.