34inXXIII - 2016 HOF Inductee

[Bengalholic]

I'm happy to announce that the Bengals Board has decided to make 34inXXIII the 2nd official member of our message board Hall of Fame...The Cam Cat Club!

There are many reasons that 34 was chosen, and why we felt he was deserving of the honor.

This board would not exist if it were not for the original board. The vast majority of members here were also on the old site and it was that core community that made this board a reality. 

34 was a very integral part of the previous community...the one that most of us once called home. As an admin, he served the old message board, the Bengals organization and the fan community proudly. He was always the epitome of class. He treated everyone with respect and and always had the best interest of the board and community in mind. Because of the way he conducted himself and how he interacted with the community, he was able to achieve a level of respect and admiration that is not easily earned.

When the old board closed, 34 joined us here. In the very early stages of this boards development, I reached out to 34 on a few occasions with questions, seeking advice and generally picking his brain. As usual, 34 was very gracious and very helpful. I can also say that we, as a staff, wanted to pattern ourselves after 34 in the way we conduct ourselves and moderate the board. His name has been brought up numerous times in staff discussions when we're looking at how to approach different situations. While all of us on the staff have grown into our own types of admin/mods over the last year plus, we still hold 34 up as the standard bearer.

34 has always been an important, well respected member of this community...whether it was leading the old board with great character or supporting this board since it's creation. He also helped inspire the very club he's now being inducted into. He made sure that Cameron's story was brought over here, so that it could live on and be remembered by our members. For all that he has done for this community over the years, he is incredibly deserving of being in our HOF.

So, to 34...thank you for all that you did on the original board, and for the support and encouragement you continue to give this board. Welcome to the Cam Cat Club!!!

[XenoMorph]

Congrats 34.... (does this make you a 2 time hall of famer?)

[BmorePat87]

Well earned.

[*wildcats forever*]

Extremely well said! Cheers to one of the most extraordinary gentlemen I have ever encountered!

[*Wyche'sWarrior*]

34's all class, kudos.

[xxlt]

This is very good news. And that's the word!

[Bmoreblitz]

Great choice. Great guy

[SunsetBengal]

Congrats to 34!  Our board community is stronger with you in it.

[CINwillWIN]

34inXXIII is a more than great admin.

He deserves all these good graces and more for keeping the old board together and working hard for everyone's respect in a very tough position. He has a way of letting you know, 'hey, you are effing up", with a nurturing sense, with a sort of fatherly advice instead of throwing down the ban hammer and kicking you out the door.

In my eyes, I hold 34inXXIII with very high regard as a teacher/mentor.

I wish I could throw him a huge party for his honor...(of course) Stephen Colbert would be invited.



I salute you good sir, a good friend, looking forward to seeing you again in 2017!

[*bfine32*]

I don't think 34 has ever had a cross word for anyone and he always supported the Board Mock on the Mothership. Seems like a great guy and definitely a great choice.

[34inXXIII]

I am extremely grateful to all of those who were involved in bestowing this honor upon me - especially considering how it relates to this group's namesake, Cameron Hartman, who was a stronger individual in his far-too-brief lifetime than I have ever been.

This truly caught me by surprise as I've directly contributed very little to this site since its inception. However, to learn of the behind-the-scenes impact via Bengalholic's comments is not only very flattering, but makes me very proud to know that whatever significant contributions I may have had on the old forum resonated with a number of its members and translated very nicely to this site thanks to the excellent staff in place here.

As I've referenced before, though, an appealing web site and strong moderation means very little without a core of members to make the message board thrive. There is no doubt that we had that at Bengals.com because of the near seamless transition to this board when our home of 10 years was taken from us. I will readily admit that moderating that site was an absolute chore sometimes, but it was because of the wealth of tremendous contributors that made the forum a true community that I felt obligated to try to do my best and to try to do what was right. I may not have always succeeded, but it means a lot to me that so many appreciated the effort.

Beyond the moderation, though, what I am most proud of from the last 11 years is the content of my posts. The two things that I enjoy most when engaging with others in such online communities is talking about my favorite teams and making other people laugh. The Bengals.com message board provided me an opportunity to do just that and to take both to a whole new level for me personally and I am grateful that so many accepted both my sincere ramblings and my flippant one-liners and graphics. (Enough about the old board for now, though; I'll save the rest for my AMA. )

I look forward to being more active on The Bengals Board going forward, not only to justify this Hall of Fame status but, more importantly, so I can qualify to use the Shoutbox. I know that there are so many others here who, like me, do not have many other Bengals fans to be able to interact with personally where they live. That's a part of what can make a site like this so special. It is a testament to what Bengalholic and all of the administrators & moderators have done to not only keep this community alive, but to improve upon it. Thank you and Who Dey!

[Bengalholic]

(07-21-2016, 03:14 PM)34inXXIII Wrote:

I am extremely grateful to all of those who were involved in bestowing this honor upon me - especially considering how it relates to this group's namesake, Cameron Hartman, who was a stronger individual in his far-too-brief lifetime than I have ever been.

This truly caught me by surprise as I've directly contributed very little to this site since its inception. However, to learn of the behind-the-scenes impact via Bengalholic's comments is not only very flattering, but makes me very proud to know that whatever significant contributions I may have had on the old forum resonated with a number of its members and translated very nicely to this site thanks to the excellent staff in place here.

As I've referenced before, though, an appealing web site and strong moderation means very little without a core of members to make the message board thrive. There is no doubt that we had that at Bengals.com because of the near seamless transition to this board when our home of 10 years was taken from us. I will readily admit that moderating that site was an absolute chore sometimes, but it was because of the wealth of tremendous contributors that made the forum a true community that I felt obligated to try to do my best and to try to do what was right. I may not have always succeeded, but it means a lot to me that so many appreciated the effort.

Beyond the moderation, though, what I am most proud of from the last 11 years is the content of my posts. The two things that I enjoy most when engaging with others in such online communities is talking about my favorite teams and making other people laugh. The Bengals.com message board provided me an opportunity to do just that and to take both to a whole new level for me personally and I am grateful that so many accepted both my sincere ramblings and my flippant one-liners and graphics. (Enough about the old board for now, though; I'll save the rest for my AMA. )

I look forward to being more active on The Bengals Board going forward, not only to justify this Hall of Fame status but, more importantly, so I can qualify to use the Shoutbox. I know that there are so many others here who, like me, do not have many other Bengals fans to be able to interact with personally where they live. That's a part of what can make a site like this so special. It is a testament to what Bengalholic and all of the administrators & moderators have done to not only keep this community alive, but to improve upon it. Thank you and Who Dey!

Great post, as usual. Equally as great...leading off with the classic 34/Colbert gif that (as always) hit the mark and made me laugh.

I honestly can't think of two better individuals (based on impact within the board community) to represent our HOF than Cameron and yourself.

Congrats!

[Wes Mantooth]

Just wanted to offer my congrats to 34. While I can't say that I know him very well, I can say that I always thought he did a tremendous job of moderating, especially in that he always seem to come across as extremely fair and open to other's opinions.

There always seems to be such a respectful, and well thought out response and/or counter in his posts, to whatever was the discussion. And that's a lot harder said than done. I know I can't often do it. I'm as guilty as anyone at flying off the handle and getting into petty bickering and back and forth. And I know many of the more active members can't always do it either. But that never seems the case with 34. His posts never seem petty, or baited, or calculated, or whatever word choice you would like to choose to describe much of the disagreements we see on sites and forums like these.

I respect nothing more (on here) than someone taking the time to write out a well-worded response to someone. And he does this pretty muc h every single time. I mean, we're obviously here mainly for discussion's sake, and taking the time to properly articulate your stance drives the conversation. Moreso than many of 1 to 2 sentence rebuttals we see, that are really just thinly veiled digs. Even if two remembers disagree, taking the time to write out a decent response at least shows them the debate is worth their time.

Lastly, there is very fine line between not writing enough and writing too much or, put differently, not putting in the appropriate effort needed to make your point, and putting in so much effort that your point is lost in a wall of words. (Aint nobody got time for that!) I may struggle with this more than anyone. I assure everyone, there are times as I'm writing I'm thinking that I'm just rambling at that point or that, "Man, this post is blowhard stuff. Make your damn point and shut up." I know that about myself. While his post always seem to rather well thought out, while not teetering on their point of me wanting to skim through to the bottom. Basically, there are very readable. Which is why I am here.

34 has always been more than respectful to me and, from what I have seen, to everyone else as well. He's obviously a very smart guy, and I always enjoy his posts, and especially his replies. So congrats, brotha!!!

[Shake n Blake]

I will second everything Toast Jones said. 34 was always my favorite mod on the old boards (I probably told him so several times in rep messages). Not to sound egotistical, but I related to him because he seemed (seems) to at least attempt to be as logical and rational as possible. He rarely - if ever - took an extreme stance and I think that's the way it should be. The truth is almost always somewhere in the middle.

I guess the difference between myself and 34 is that I'm probably a bit more jaded with the FO and 34 is far more articulate than me. 34 could honestly write columns for a living. Maybe he does, who knows?

Either way, congrats 34! There is probably no poster more deserving. You truly are a gentleman and a scholar.

[Bengalzona]

(07-21-2016, 03:14 PM)34inXXIII Wrote:

Beyond the moderation, though, what I am most proud of from the last 11 years is the content of my posts. The two things that I enjoy most when engaging with others in such online communities is talking about my favorite teams and making other people laugh. The Bengals.com message board provided me an opportunity to do just that and to take both to a whole new level for me personally and I am grateful that so many accepted both my sincere ramblings and my flippant one-liners and graphics. (Enough about the old board for now, though; I'll save the rest for my AMA. )

Every single one of your posts was well-thought through, to my recollection. I used to marvel at that!

[Hoofhearted]

Congrats

[packerbacker]

Congrats, great guy and a class act!