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New forum policy - brand names banned

Pseudonym
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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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There are some good arguments being put forward here, with a lot of valid points - many of which the mods and I have already discussed amongst ourselves. It's certainly a complex issue, which is why we've taken our time deciding on a solution. I'll try and address things point by point.

First, the legal position

Let me make this very clear. We are not here to protect you legally. To date, we have never been contacted by any authorities, but if that does happen, we would meet all our legal requirements. Probably that would involve a request to release private information, and as I say, we would need to comply.

The ethical position

We've always kept a very neutral stance on AAS and PEDs, and we need to make sure we stay that way. We recognise that for better or worse, they are a significant part of the gym/sports culture for many, and so we allow discussion on it. However, these products are illegal, and we cannot be seen to be encouraging or facilitating their use. Providing reviews (and therefore public recommendations) on various underground brands is a step too far in the pro-steroid direction.

But this site is our watchdog for dodgy brands!

Sorry, but that’s not our role. If you choose to use AAS and accept the risks that come with it, then safety is your responsibility, not ours.

Besides, if it’s safety you’re concerned with, then you should only listen to feedback from people you know and trust. Without the ability to know which reviews are genuine reviews (and are of genuine products), the endorsement or criticism of a brand is meaningless. In fact it’s worse than meaningless – it’s actually misleading. Even if the reviewer is a genuine poster and not covertly advertising, there are still plenty of dangers. Newbie steroid users may think that because XYZ brand had good reviews, they’ll be fine – so they go for the first source they find that sells XYZ. Veteran steroid users see a bad review of XYZ and opt for ABC instead, not realising that the XYZ review was actually a crap ABC product wearing an XYZ label (it happens!).

In my opinion, if a brand is serious about protecting its reputation and quality, it will come up with a way for users to verify the authenticity (and therefore hopefully safety) of its products. It’s the brand’s responsibility to verify that, not this website. Customers should demand authentication from their supplier, or go elsewhere.

But you can tell which members are pushing their brands.

Sometimes, but not always, and we need to be consistent in applying the rules. The mods shouldn’t have to be detectives. And we’re not just talking about phantom posters or official brand reps either. There are plenty of people who buy in bulk from the brand manufacturer, then resell what they don’t need for a bit of extra pocket money. These guys all have vested interests in that brand too – and some of them are pretty senior members here.

So what IS allowed then?

You can still post cycle logs. You can still talk about the various products (testosterone enanthate, clen, dbol, whatever), how you use them, and how they interact. Just don’t talk about the brands publicly.

The move to ban brand names isn’t a decision we’ve made lightly. It was discussed at length between the mods. We’ve been considering this for months. We also spoke to the brands themselves, and most of them support this move too. I know this is a major change, but hopefully you can see our reasons for it. Ultimately, I believe this will keep everybody safer – both legally and physically.

8)

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Riccardo Senior member

Riccardo

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Does this include pharma-brand gear and peptides?

What about trt discussion?

Good question, from Pseud's rationale it would seem that it would make no sense to ban the talk about legitimate pharmaceutical grade stuff.

But I liked watching the mud slinging it was entertaining haha.

inb4 pine pollen bhant.

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thatwaslight Veteran member

thatwaslight

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There are some good arguments being put forward here, with a lot of valid points - many of which the mods and I have already discussed amongst ourselves. It's certainly a complex issue, which is why we've taken our time deciding on a solution. I'll try and address things point by point.

First, the legal position

Let me make this very clear. We are not here to protect you legally. To date, we have never been contacted by any authorities, but if that does happen, we would meet all our legal requirements. Probably that would involve a request to release private information, and as I say, we would need to comply.

The ethical position

We've always kept a very neutral stance on AAS and PEDs, and we need to make sure we stay that way. We recognise that for better or worse, they are a significant part of the gym/sports culture for many, and so we allow discussion on it. However, these products are illegal, and we cannot be seen to be encouraging or facilitating their use. Providing reviews (and therefore public recommendations) on various underground brands is a step too far in the pro-steroid direction.

But this site is our watchdog for dodgy brands!

Sorry, but that’s not our role. If you choose to use AAS and accept the risks that come with it, then safety is your responsibility, not ours.

Besides, if it’s safety you’re concerned with, then you should only listen to feedback from people you know and trust. Without the ability to know which reviews are genuine reviews (and are of genuine products), the endorsement or criticism of a brand is meaningless. In fact it’s worse than meaningless – it’s actually misleading. Even if the reviewer is a genuine poster and not covertly advertising, there are still plenty of dangers. Newbie steroid users may think that because XYZ brand had good reviews, they’ll be fine – so they go for the first source they find that sells XYZ. Veteran steroid users see a bad review of XYZ and opt for ABC instead, not realising that the XYZ review was actually a crap ABC product wearing an XYZ label (it happens!).

In my opinion, if a brand is serious about protecting its reputation and quality, it will come up with a way for users to verify the authenticity (and therefore hopefully safety) of its products. It’s the brand’s responsibility to verify that, not this website. Customers should demand authentication from their supplier, or go elsewhere.

But you can tell which members are pushing their brands.

Sometimes, but not always, and we need to be consistent in applying the rules. The mods shouldn’t have to be detectives. And we’re not just talking about phantom posters or official brand reps either. There are plenty of people who buy in bulk from the brand manufacturer, then resell what they don’t need for a bit of extra pocket money. These guys all have vested interests in that brand too – and some of them are pretty senior members here.

So what IS allowed then?

You can still post cycle logs. You can still talk about the various products (testosterone enanthate, clen, dbol, whatever), how you use them, and how they interact. Just don’t talk about the brands publicly.

The move to ban brand names isn’t a decision we’ve made lightly. It was discussed at length between the mods. We’ve been considering this for months. We also spoke to the brands themselves, and most of them support this move too. I know this is a major change, but hopefully you can see our reasons for it. Ultimately, I believe this will keep everybody safer – both legally and physically.

8)

didnotread-1.gif

but seriously its a good idea to ban names. you cant trust anything thats posted on here anyway good job mods x.

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HarryB Veteran member

HarryB

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No offence but that's a stupid idea how are you supposed to learn anything about brands legit or fake. Good or bad ???

You know how this stuff goes BK... it's less about the brand and so much more about the salesman!

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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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Does this include pharma-brand gear and peptides?

What about trt discussion?

If it's a legal brand, then it's fine. 8)

so if a brand is mentioned ... instant suspension or ban ?

I've suggested the mods take a reasonably lenient approach initially - just an edit and a warning - but moving up to a week's suspension if people are deliberately being dicks about it. :P

No offence but that's a stupid idea how are you supposed to learn anything about brands legit or fake. Good or bad ???

As I said above (and so have a whole lot of others in their own way), when you can't know if both the reviewer and the product are legit, you can't learn anything anyway. The safest way is to talk privately to people you trust.

Question:

With this new no-brands policy, would it be helpful to have a stickied topic on safe use of steroids? An article that explains the risks involved with fake gear and dodgy dealers, and outlines how to minimise those risks. (Remembering of course that we need to remain neutral, and be careful the article does not become pro-steroid. We would NOT be providing a documented way to source gear or reduce the risk of being caught by the cops.)

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denzil Member

denzil

Posted
Posted
Does this include pharma-brand gear and peptides?

What about trt discussion?

If it's a legal brand, then it's fine. 8)

so if a brand is mentioned ... instant suspension or ban ?

I've suggested the mods take a reasonably lenient approach initially - just an edit and a warning - but moving up to a week's suspension if people are deliberately being dicks about it. :P

No offence but that's a stupid idea how are you supposed to learn anything about brands legit or fake. Good or bad ???

As I said above (and so have a whole lot of others in their own way), when you can't know if both the reviewer and the product are legit, you can't learn anything anyway. The safest way is to talk privately to people you trust.

Question:

With this new no-brands policy, would it be helpful to have a stickied topic on safe use of steroids? An article that explains the risks involved with fake gear and dodgy dealers, and outlines how to minimise those risks. (Remembering of course that we need to remain neutral, and be careful the article does not become pro-steroid. We would NOT be providing a documented way to source gear or reduce the risk of being caught by the cops.)

srs question i wont state the actualy brand but 2 syllables, clues .. the light a glow bug emmits..and the thing you kik into a goal ina footy match to score.. i heard its still arround and out in south aucks..cud it b that extra virgin oil ina vial or the goods any takers lol?

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Daz69 Senior member

Daz69

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srs question i wont state the actualy brand but 2 syllables, clues .. the light a glow bug emmits..and the thing you kik into a goal ina footy match to score.. i heard its still arround and out in south aucks..cud it b that extra virgin oil ina vial or the goods any takers lol?

Thought there were two Global brands Global Anabolics (dodgy as hell) and Global Pharmaceutical a legitimate company.......

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Pseudonym Veteran member

Pseudonym

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i wont state the actualy brand but 2 syllables, clues .. the light a glow bug emmits..and the thing you kik into a goal ina footy match to score..

For the record, this sort of alluding-to-a-brand-without-actually-saying-it will also be frowned upon. Otherwise everyone will start talking in obsure riddles, and things will just get silly. Full marks for creativity though, Denzil! :)

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denzil Member

denzil

Posted
Posted
i wont state the actualy brand but 2 syllables, clues .. the light a glow bug emmits..and the thing you kik into a goal ina footy match to score..

For the record, this sort of alluding-to-a-brand-without-actually-saying-it will also be frowned upon. Otherwise everyone will start talking in obsure riddles, and things will just get silly. Full marks for creativity though, Denzil! :)

fair call, understoood

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