ThePortForum.com

Oh it all sounded so good in my head. How I lost a day, I don't know.

Two years ago yesterday we were trying to get a permanent place for our discussions that had started out at Roy's FTLOP site but had drifted to a forum that I'd been using for other stuff, so that we could be a bit more rebellious. Conky found that "ThePortForum.com" was available so we bought it. Treacle loaded up the BB software and I put the categories together, which are still here today. The first post was an introduction from me, whilst I waited for the other guys to turn up, wondering if we'd just put together a complete waste of cyberspace or not.

Two years on, I am proud to announce that Meaningless Drivel is still a wonderful waste of cyberspace.

The rest of ThePortForum is a great place to babble on about purple stuff. There is still a decent amount of daftness in amongst the fantastic discussions and Tasting Notes. As admins we have to do considerably more to stave off spammers than we have to sort out squabbles which is the way I like it, although I would like the spammers to stop - honestly, that was not encouragement, please bugger off somewhere else. It's a tribute to the posters and the atmosphere that we have created betweeen us all.

We are still independent, still based around the posters, still run as a cooperative, still lacking a budget for either income or expense, so still free, still all about Port.

Thanks to everybody for two years and one day of a really enjoyable ride, let's keep it up. I raise a glass of the house Port, Morgan's 1991, to The Port Forum and all who sail in her,

Cheers,

Alex

And so say all of us.

Thanks to you and Treacle for pulling all of this together and for keeping it going for two years. Roll on the next two!

AHB wrote:And so say all of us.

Thanks to you and Treacle for pulling all of this together and for keeping it going for two years. Roll on the next two!

Alex,

As far as I'm concerned TPF is about the people that write on it and the things that they do. So somebody that has hosted two major tastings at his home and organised many others should take a great deal of credit for anything to do with the site, that's not mentioning all the Tasting Notes. Thank you for everything that you do, it's far more effort than I put in. I could mention everybody else in turn but it would end up being a Gwyneth Paltrow awards speech and I can't do with all the crying,

Cheers

Alex

I would like to thank Mr & Mrs Wiseman for giving us Julian - what kind of port-centric website would this have been without Apostrophe Crime's and One question at a time?

Happy 2nd birthday and all who sail in her

Presumably it would be for the best if I were to ignore Derek.

Other than to say ‟Dr and Mrs”.

The thing I like best about this forum is that we managed to create a place that is both very meaningful as very meaningless. And all of that in the same place. Well done, keep it up!

Cheers,
Ronald

Ooo! Look! Ronnie's reached Martinez 1985 status. Now that's a port worth drinking.

Just a quickie to echo KillerB's sentiments and thank all the members and admins for making The Port Forum a success. I have only just seen the page ranking as well and it's a great achievement to get a 4.

Here's to the next 2+ years and I hope those that are going enjoy Portugal!

Best wishes

Treacle

We are truely blessed by an appearance of The Creator.

Thanks to you too Treacle for continuing to host this madness

AHB wrote:Ooo! Look! Ronnie's reached Martinez 1985 status. Now that's a port worth drinking.

where can one in teh states buy a 85 martinez =)

g-man wrote:

AHB wrote:Ooo! Look! Ronnie's reached Martinez 1985 status. Now that's a port worth drinking.

where can one in teh states buy a 85 martinez =)

According to Wine-Searcher - nowhere. In the UK, everywine is showing up with a ludicrous price for six but more reasonable, although still expensive, for 12. Two more if you buy the pro version, which I refuse to do for the number of times that I use it.

Good question - should we get a pro version of wine-searcher for TPF use?

I used to have the pro-version of wine-searcher but didn't renew my membership a few months back when it lapsed. I probably will renew it again at some point, but I'm tending to use http://www.globalwinestocks.com at the moment.

I have a pro version of wine-searcher, but I'm not sure it actually saves enough to pay for itself. There are occasions when the non-sponsors have a wine that isn't available from the sponsors (the free version), and occasionally the non-sponsors are a buck or two cheaper than the sponsors, but it doesn't add up very quickly.

Global Wine Stocks allegedly has data from 50% more retailers than wine-searcher, but it can be really slow even here in the US.

Credit where credit's due moment of the week:

I said that Conky found that ThePortForum.com was free, this is incorrect. Conky suggested the name The Port Forum but Uncle Tom found that it was free. I have written documentary proof if anybody is in the least bit bothered, which I'm sure they are not. However, for the record:

Name Suggester: Conky
Site Finder: Uncle Tom

Phew....

Glad you cleared that up. I was worrying from afar!

Of course if you consider it is in the Arena of Meaningless Drivel, I suppose it is a rather important distinction.

"but had drifted to a forum that I'd been using for other stuff, so that we could be a bit more rebellious"

Very diplomatic. We actually were driven by thoughts of free speech and no individualistic censorship. It was a shame it wasn't necessarily the most deserving cause that crystallised our efforts, but that's another story.

Alan

Always the "class act" eh Alan?


Congratulations to Alex K., Treacle, the moderators and members of .

Two years and going strong ... wishing you all ... many more!

Apologies Roy if the simple truth is difficult.

Some get very sensitive and need it their own way. By the way, do you still need permission to post links to this site from your own?

Now now, children, do we need a time out?

For something that's allegedly in the past, it sure seems to strike some raw nerves both ways.

Gentlemen,

It is time to move on. We are where we are today and I believe that we are stronger for the path that we followed to get here. To borrow a phrase, "per ardua ad astra".

As you like the odd Latin phrase,

how about one for Glen,

"damnant quodnon intelligunt"

or Alex,

"concordia discors"

I'll stop there for the sake of future peace....

Conky wrote: I'll stop there for the sake of future peace....

Please do - this was supposed to be a nice thread.

Personally, I thought that Glenn's comment was all the more pertinent as he does not know the history.

Enough now.

Reminder of the rules

Alan,

I've taken my time to reply, so I am not replying in haste.

I have found your contributions to this thread to be needlessly personal, vitriolic and harmful to the atmosphere that I like to feel is generated by this forum. When I meet port lovers or members of the trade, I often refer them to this site and also to FTLOP. However, I feel embarrased by your continuing one-man vendetta.

Please stop in this thread and all others.

I have made a complaint and asked the admins to review your posts and to consider whether they are in accordance with the site rules. I don't think they are and should therefore be removed.

If anyone else feels that your posts are in breach of our site rules, please report the posts using the little exclamation marks you see in the top, right corner of the message. It will help the admins greatly to know whether I am being over-sensitive or whether there is a wider agreement with my interpretation.

Alex

AHB wrote:Alan,

I've taken my time to reply, so I am not replying in haste.

I have found your contributions to this thread to be needlessly personal, vitriolic and harmful to the atmosphere that I like to feel is generated by this forum. When I meet port lovers or members of the trade, I often refer them to this site and also to FTLOP. However, I feel embarrased by your continuing one-man vendetta.

Please stop in this thread and all others.

I have made a complaint and asked the admins to review your posts and to consider whether they are in accordance with the site rules. I don't think they are and should therefore be removed.

If anyone else feels that your posts are in breach of our site rules, please report the posts using the little exclamation marks you see in the top, right corner of the message. It will help the admins greatly to know whether I am being over-sensitive or whether there is a wider agreement with my interpretation.

Alex

So I can take it that your views are not shared? I have also taken my time to reply.

It is a shame you are an apologist for the pseudo elite who 'appears' to have garnered no support for your views.

You have achieved your objective, and I will leave your Forum to your small clique. I would also thank those who voiced their support privately, and appreciate their unintentially clear variety of background and geography.

Alan.

Conky wrote:So I can take it that your views are not shared?

You can, but you would be wrong.

Conky wrote:You have achieved your objective, and I will leave your Forum to your small clique.

You know his objective? That must have been one of the private messages you received, then. Or you are telepathic. Or presumptuous. But no matter.

Conky wrote:I would also thank those who voiced their support privately, and appreciate their unintentially clear variety of background and geography.

The lady doth protest too much, methinks.