Mike P.
PetFlow had absolutely nothing to do with my decision. And you must certainly know that. After all, I took the time to send you a private email explaining – in precise detail – the exact reasons I had decided to temporarily close these threads.
I also responded to the comment you posted this morning on the Hypoallergenic Dog Foods thread where you said:
“Good by DFA friends I’m outa here…I do not agree with closing the Brothers thread. It was our place to hang out…”
In case you didn’t get a chance to read my response to you, I’ve reproduced it again here:
“Dear Mike P,
“We’re sorry to see you go. However, please understand this website was created to help its readers choose a dog food by providing each visitor with objective, unbiased information they can trust.
“DFA was never designed to be a chat room or a place for people to simply “hang out”. Or for any one thread to become a marketing mechanism for any specific brand. For that would be entirely unfair to the other 750+ product lines covered by DFA.
“The shear volume of daily activity, irrelevant discussions, product marketing and drama on the Brothers thread has become grossly disproportionate to the rest of our blog.
“As such, it’s also become an unacceptable distraction to the hundreds of other articles, reviews and threads published here.
“Although fewer than one-half of 1% (of our readers) actually participate in our community, their comments and arguments are visible to and read by more than 28,000 visitors each day.
“Once again, we’re sorry to see you go. You’ve contributed much to our community. In any case, you’re certainly welcome to return whenever you’re ready. We wish you all the best.”
Over the last year, I’ve received numerous written complaints from folks who feel DFA has become biased in favor of Brothers. Some have actually accused me of having a financial interest in Brothers – which I’m sure you must know – is simply not true.
The dangerous impression of bias and exaggerated importance given the Brothers brand created by these bloated and (many times) irrelevant threads can have on a trusted website like DFA can no longer be ignored.
For all the reasons I’ve already detailed, I will never compromise the integrity and trust placed in The Dog Food Advisor by its more than 28,000 daily readers – loyal readers who collectively consume more than 3.5 million page views each month.
Mike – I hope your sole reason for being here on DFA wasn’t just “the drama” you enjoyed on the Brothers threads. For if it was, you’ll be disappointed to learn I’m not planning to re-open them anytime soon.
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