I just came from the Harbour Lights official webpage, and I noticed something. Where has the link to our Collectors Forums page gone to? The link used to be on the front page under the collecting section, but I can no longer find it.

If it is no longer there, why has it been removed? If it is still there somewhere, then I may just not be looking in the right place.

http://www.harbourlights.com/

Naders

No, you are correct- it is no longer there.

It was removed sometime ago over the Summer. We were told that it was in response to complaints from Dealers due to the inclusion of the Marketplace in the Forums. speciffically the fact that items can be sold for less tha retail and the problem seemed to be that they can't do the same.

Except for all those dealers that sell for below retail on eBay.

Many people have had a problem refinding the Forums because the came to the Forums from the link on the HL website and had no bookmark for the forums, only the HL site.

A good number of us on the Forums expressed our displeasure with this shortsighted response.

Many pointed out that the Forums probably brought more business to Official Dealers than it took away.

It is unlikely to be changed no matter how many of us express our displeasure, though.

It doesn't hurt those who know about the forums- it hurts those new Collectors out there who are looking for information and don't word their search correctly.

That's life- win some, lose some.

Dennis

"it hurts those new Collectors out there who are looking for information"

That's pretty much what I was thinking. I've had this website bookmarked for a very long time, so I don't give it a second thought when I come here. When I noticed the link was gone, I though that it wasn't good for the new collectors because they may not know how to come here to get their information. Heck, they probably don't even know this site exists at all.

I wish this could change in the future.

Naders

Write your congressman!!!!!... well maybe just call Harbour Lights and politely suggest that the link return..

I love it here so much (and think that other's in the Florida Lighthouse Association would) that I have added a link on our website to get here.

Plus, every time I meet a member of our association I explain the Wacko Badge and the Colector Forums - those badges not only help us identify each other when we wouldn't normally know each other, but also generates interest for non-forum members. I tell FLA members to click on the link from our website - I wonder how many of the visitors are FLA members checking out the site?!?

I wish the had the link for one reason only- it's easier to remember the address for Harbour Lights than it is to remember the Forum address.

I could just tell people got to www.harboutlights.com and look around. I'd tell them about the forums and the link and that way they got to both .

I'll follow up on your suggestion Paul.

Dennis

Paul
That is a good idea.
I gave my thoughts on this on the forum,
Thinking that would be enough.
But apparently it is not. I am going to take your suggestion and call Harbour lights.
I feel that other collectors that want the link reinstalled should also
call Harbour Lights.

Calling Harbour Lights on this also sounds good to me. I'll give them a call when I log off tonight.

Rich

The link to the forums is VERY EASY to remember:

www.lighthousekeepers.com

That's all it takes.

John,

You're right it is easy to remember- unfortunately I keep forgetting it's that easy. I keep thinking it's that long string of letters and numbers that shows up on my browser when I link to it.

That just shows how my mind works- I think it's easier to get to a site that's all about Harbour lights by remembering www.harbourlights.com

I'm going to try and remember www.lighthousekeepers.com and tell people that address. It's just that the other one gives you more bang for the buck.

Dennis

I'll have to put a link on the links page on my website to the collector's forum for the convenience of folks, but I'm not sure that www.coastalbeacons is any easier to remember than www.lighthousekeepers.com Oh well... so it goes...

Gary

Gary, I once again went to your sight mentioned in the above link. I think I would add the .com to it thought so that others can enjoy the real great photos you have there. IT's always a pleasure to see a Masters work.

Bert

I may also call harbour lights and politely ask that they re-add the link to the web forum to their main page. Guess it can't hurt.

Naders

It would be much more convenient for the link to be with Harbour Lights but I can understand the dealers point of view also. I did change my link when the announcement was made here at the forum and maybe many did not notice the change. It means I must go from one to the other whenever I want to check things out but it isn't too big a deal. I guess we should just let as many people as possible know about these forums as we can. Maybe Harbour Lights would consider just a mention on the page that the forums exist without the actual link being shown and maybe the dealinrs wouldn't object because it wouldn't be "just a click away" from them.

I am not really sure I understand Harbour Lights reasoning for removing the link from their home page.
If dealers complain that the forum takes away from their business because of the Market Place, then maybe they should realize that it is nothing more than free enterprise at its best.
Alot of dealers can't even get there hands on some of the retired pieces that are available here on the forum, so I am not really sure what the problem is.
Rick

Here is the link to the thread in which we beat this horse to death earlier this summer?
Click Here

HL might(?) get the message if all 1000+ members made the call, but..........