XMarks Ties

[Jock Scot]

Now hold on chaps! We have a spot of good natured anarchy going on here! I quite understand the frustration, but let us have a spot of respect here. It is Steve's website and it is Steve's shout, no one else's.

Alright, we could have been rather better informed, but it seems that the matter is in hand and the one thing I can absolutely guarantee is that not all of us will like the end result , however hard we try.

[English Bloke]

...Now hold on chaps! We have a spot of good natured anarchy going on here! ...

No anarchy here Jock. I promise you! I gave up on this tie ever materialising during the previous threads, as soon as I realised a committee of 2,500 would like as not, fail to reach a common agreement.

I appreciate it's Steve's call and when he gets around to it (no disrespect intended, I understand he has the matter in hand and is waiting on 3rd parties), if I like the result and the price is not exorbitant I might consider buying one.

In the meantime, I'm having a bit of fun with a tie that has a pillow in it! (see clickable link in my post above [No. 127]) It's not an XMarks tie, it's a tie you can rest your head on when you're reading threads like this one, and that appeals to my sense of the ridiculous. I'm just a big kid at heart but I mean no harm.

[Jock Scot]

I know EB, you and others are having a wee fun "joust" at Steve and I have to admit that I have enjoyed it! Sorry Steve!

However it seems that as there is, apparently, light at the end of the tunnel it would be a shame if misunderstandings occur and confuse the newer members here who have not read, right from the start, the saga of the lengthy birth pains of "our tie" .

[Steve Ashton]

Believe me folks, there is no offense taken on my part.

I would, of course, have preferred that some consensus had been reached from the membership as you have put me in the position of making a decision that I know will not please everyone.
No matter what I choose I will be wrong in the eyes of some. (but hey, that is normal around here.)

I took the money collected from our advertisers over the entire first year of my ownership of the forum and purchased items to be held in stock so they would always be available because that is what you asked me to do.

We have our Tartan and yes, there is fabric available.
We have our Cap Badge and yes, I have them in stock.
We have our Dandelion. ditto.

The orders for these trickle in. I have not yet recovered the cost of purchasing these items and at this rate it may be over three years before I break even.

Now you ask me to make an arbitrary decision on additional items to be purchased and held in stock with the possibility of going further into the hole with forum funds.

There is a shirt possibility but again no consensus on style, color or design.
Now we have a tie ifrs but again you cannot seem to agree on style, color or design.

And you ask me to use forum funds to purchase these items, and hope that enough of you like them to actually buy them.

With the track record on our other items it is unlikly that all the ties, of any design, would sell or it would take years for even a minimum order to sell out.

Strangly enough one member has offered, out of the kindness of his heart, to gift the forum the sum of $1000.00 just to get the shirts on order.

I am not a big fan of a regimental style tie as a symbol of the forum. Unless we use the Tartan for the ties I don't feel it would be instantly recognizable as representing the forum. I would prefer to spend our money on a shirt with our cap badge on it or something else that says "We are X Marks". Something that could be used to help recognize each other at Games or which could be seen by others as a symbol of our membership in this community.

I have recently used the current funds to purchase a custom made Quaich and logbook to travel the world.

I made a promise to Hank, and to all of you, that I would never turn this forum into a money making enterprise. I collect some money from advertisers to pay for the operation of the forum and have enough left over to purchase a few, select items, that you, the members, choose to represent us. I have kept that promise.

I'll purchase ties if that is what you ask me to do. I'll purchase shirts if that is what you decide you want me to do. I really do wish there was some consensus though.

[Zardoz]

I am not a big fan of a regimental style tie as a symbol of the forum. Unless we use the Tartan for the ties I don't feel it would be instantly recognizable as representing the forum. I would prefer to spend our money on a shirt with our cap badge on it or something else that says "We are X Marks". Something that could be used to help recognize each other at Games or which could be seen by others as a symbol of our membership in this community.

I'm with you on this Steve, I've always thought the tie should be pretty close to the tartan to 'work'.
I like the idea of ties, but I know in my heart that I might never buy one if I just didn't like it or felt it was too costly, so your comments about the money part of it make a lot of sense to me.
But I do like the idea of a nice polo type shirt with our cap badge on it, 'clan shirt' style.

[English Bloke]

My 2p if I may?

Don't buy the ties Steve. You'll never get the money back. Looking at the various threads that have covered this topic, there is too much variety of opinion on what it should be and I for one would be unlikely to buy a tie I wasn't happy to wear.

As we have a great thread going regarding the ABF tie, why don't we make that the X Marks "adopted charity" tie. That way those that want to can buy an existing article at a price that suits them (there are two versions, silk and polyester) and those that don't wish to, don't. I know a number of the membership already own one following Jock Scot's inspired suggestion.

It's already been said here that Isle of Skye tartan doubles as X Marks Hunting so I don't see why this wouldn't work nicely and the membership would have the satisfaction of knowing they were contributing to a good cause. ABF is also open to debate if anyone has a better suggestion. To be fair, Alan H's suggestion of all buying an existing tie in the same pattern of X marky type colours is great too.

EDIT: I have nothing more to add. I realise now that people are taking this matter awfully seriously, where as I am not so it's best I step out of the debate. My presence in this thread appears to be more disruptive than jovial. My intention was to raise a smile but that doesn't seem to have happened in all quarters.

[Jordan]

I've never really thought of this before, I always thought that the selling of the Xmarks items was making a profit or at least breaking even.

I agree about the tie if they won't sell there's no point we should just adopt one instead for those who really want one. I'm all for a polo shirt tho.

Jordan

[Jock Scot]

I follow your reasoning perfectly Steve and of course you are quite right to point out the realities of it all. But do you know? I am actually rather sorry that there is probably not going to be an Xmarks tie.

[Father Bill]

Before long we'll all Tai won on.

[MacBean]

I'm a bit saddened by this decision; I was rather looking forward to adding an "official" XMarks tie to my wardrobe. Not to accompany my XMarks kilt -- which I don't have -- but to be worn at will with the others. So I'm with you, Sandy, and will share in your "unofficial" version.

I spend so much time here, I might as well commit to buying a tie (which I prefer to a shirt anyway). I liked Alan H's find...reminds me of the first school tie I wore. Back then, some students were still in the last throes of thumb-sucking, I preferred to chew on my tie... I'd come home with half my tie gone.