Your point is valid, but there is more to the story.
There have been many cases in Las Vegas where posting something
good to the group has killed the play. If I were to divulge my
best kept secrets in a public forum, they would disappear in
under a month. This is unacceptable for me. On the other hand,
if someone could offer something of a similar value, I wouild
be eager to trade information, since it is MUCH better to have
several good plays and spread my action than to focus on one play
and wear out my welcome.
The Vegas group has clearly suffered as a result. But this is
because the universal sharing model has glaring weaknesses that
have been exposed in the Vegas group. And from what you say,
the AC group has had the same downfall.
Private sharing is a superior model for several reasons.
1. Casinos do not simply get to read our posts and see their
own weaknesses. This has been a problem in Vegas. I do not
know if that is true elsewhere, but one thing is certain, the
casinos can read this any time they choose.
2. When something good comes along, it is not killed off. Many players in Vegas are quite lazy and will not find plays on their
own, but they will read VPFree. If something good is posted on VPFree, it will be burned out rapidly.
3. Private sharing rewards hard work. If I go find good plays
and information and trade it with others who do the same, we
benefit.
Groups such as this do provide value to posters, but if the
choice is between killing the group or killing the plays that
the group is interested in, I will choose to kill the group.
After all, if the plays all die, the group will also die due to
lack of interest.
I do still think groups like this can be valuable, but not as
valuable as in the past. Discussing upcoming promotions, the
nature of the players club systems, hosts, and so forth is not
necessarily highly sensative, yet can be both valuable and not
so easy to find out by yourself. And of course the group can
still serve as an excellent resource for those who are either
newbies or casual players looking for good value on their
vacation.
Finally.... My request for private discussions will not kill the
group. People will post what they will post. But people will
sometimes trade information they do not choose to post.
Changing conditions killed the ACVP and Vegas groups, not private
emails.
Jim
···
regards...Tom
PS - private sharing of good info is the best way to kill a group. For
example the ACVPP group. There is absolutely no sharing of good info in that
group, the vpfree listings are missing most of the good plays, and the talk
is total trivia or seven star nonsense. I hope this group never becomes like
that one. I think trip reports are the best way to share some good plays
with others.