Our 10th Anniversary - Wow

[Oudnoob]

I've been wondering as well? Idea's probably should have been floated well before the date. Seems a bit late now?

Seems like it was hyped up and just faded out. The moment has certainly come and gone.

 

[Mr.P]

I'm trying so hard to keep it positive here but it really is a shame. I'm beginning to think we need someone to start an alternative forum who is involved in maintenance, participates in and follows the conversation, cares about the community and wants to help it grow etc.

 

[DubOudh]

I'm trying so hard to keep it positive here but it really is a shame. I'm beginning to think we need someone to start an alternative forum who is involved in maintenance, participates in and follows the conversation, cares about the community and wants to help it grow etc.

You are right there.
Sadly, self motivated posters can keep a forum going for just so long and then they become mainly just readers of posts. I personally wasn't going to this event but it been called off so shortly before the event, could prove tragic in other ways.
What is an influencer?

 

[p$yl35h]

Haven’t been here as long as many active members, but this forum is special in that it is constructive and transparent. Scaling the platform (or any platform for that matter) is painful and odds of failure are high. Hope this forum finds the funding, execution muscle and continued user engagement to fight against mega platforms.

 

[Mr.P]

You are right there.
Sadly, self motivated posters can keep a forum going for just so long and then they become mainly just readers of posts. I personally wasn't going to this event but it been called off so shortly before the event, could prove tragic in other ways.
What is an influencer?

Of course I don't really mean that we need another forum, the histrionics are to get the point across. I think the best thing could be to tend to this place, although another independent forum would be a good thing too and I would try to participate and help it work

 

[roflwaffle]

Haven’t been here as long as many active members, but this forum is special in that it is constructive and transparent. Scaling the platform (or any platform for that matter) is painful and odds of failure are high. Hope this forum finds the funding, execution muscle and continued user engagement to fight against mega platforms.

Never been cheaper to pay hosting, particularly on a small active member forum with dozens of paying vendors in a high cost niche. Scaling is not against mega platforms but merely just being an engaging place to visit and stay, execution muscle isn't really a thing, I think folks would accept just not ghosting or making weird grand gestures then bailing on it instantly. This is a bizarre thread to hype something up that coulda just not been stated, then ignore it and hope it goes away. It seems like a lot of recent unnecessary self created issues, so just thinking about strategy would likely resolve the most egregious of issues. This is is like the third over promise in a month

 

[p$yl35h]

Can’t refute what you mention. Perhaps (and hopefully) this period of misses is just an aberration vs. continued pattern. 🙏

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

 

[Joe]

Happy birthday Ouddict and all members, mods, vendors and co-founders. 🥳🥳🥳

May it be only the beginning and may many blessed decades of inspired connections follow, sharing, learning, experimenting, weaving bonds and sharing love for quality natural aromatics

I joined in 2017 (from memory) and have had very inspiring times here. I am too overworked nowadays to be here as often as I would like to, but I connect when I can and love to participate in exchanges !

Much love to all 💝

I also joined in 2017/2018 under a different name. Which I forgot. That’s why they changed my name,
🙂
😎

 

[Joe]

Can’t refute what you mention. Perhaps (and hopefully) this period of misses is just an aberration vs. continued pattern. 🙏

My friend, never fear I am here! And yes I meant that to rhyme.

 

[Joe]

Congratulations on an incredible 10 years!

Joining Ouddict has genuinely changed the way I experience natural perfumery. What began as curiosity has become a lifelong journey of learning—understanding not only the beauty of oud, musk, ambergris, sandalwood, and florals, but also the patience, craftsmanship, and tradition behind them.

The greatest gift this community has given me is perspective. It has taught me to smell more carefully, appreciate authenticity over hype, and respect the artisans whose dedication keeps these ancient traditions alive.

My sincere gratitude to Nadeem, the moderators, the artisans, and every member who has generously shared their knowledge over the years. Communities like this are exceptionally rare.

May the next decade bring even more learning, friendship, and unforgettable aromas. It is an honor to be part of this family.

Three more decades at least.

 

[Sproaty]

I also joined in 2017/2018 under a different name. Which I forgot. That’s why they changed my name,
🙂
😎

I just looked - joev!
Which is a name I actually recognise - I think your picture was you on a mountain? I never made the association that that was you!
And yes, difficult to disagree with the sentiments expressed above. I do feel both a) bad and b) empathy for Nadeem ,as he often has a lot of plans and ambitions for here that are expressed and then not materialised, but also that both management of the forum is a time sink and it is not something that he shies away from - I have seen how much effort he puts in behind the scenes to resolve issues. It's really not a case of lack of care, it's just as Olfactory Nomad alludes to - a lot of things juggling at once. But then I guess he puts himself into that position. It's like the Kinana debacle
And I really don't say this to be a dick, much love to my bro xx

 

[Joe]

I just looked - joev!
Which is a name I actually recognise - I think your picture was you on a mountain? I never made the association that that was you!
And yes, difficult to disagree with the sentiments expressed above. I do feel both a) bad and b) empathy for Nadeem ,as he often has a lot of plans and ambitions for here that are expressed and then not materialised, but also that both management of the forum is a time sink and it is not something that he shies away from - I have seen how much effort he puts in behind the scenes to resolve issues. It's really not a case of lack of care, it's just as Olfactory Nomad alludes to - a lot of things juggling at once. But then I guess he puts himself into that position. It's like the Kinana debacle
And I really don't say this to be a dick, much love to my bro xx

But it’s only been fairly recently that Nadeem got into the other projections, one of which is the huge undertking of ScentExpo, which IS for all of us. The other ones are cracking out his brand, the trees, maybe something else I can’t quite recall atm, but I think the SE is taking up most of his time.

But not, I don’t think I posted a pic of me on a boredom. If i did, I was a kid, ‘cause I went to the North Carolina boredom’s want i was an early teen. I don’t know if that’s the picture or not though. I’m sure I posted a more contemporary one, for the time in 2017/18.

 

[Adweeya Mufriha]

I also joined in 2017/2018 under a different name. Which I forgot. That’s why they changed my name,
🙂
😎

I think you even wished me a nice welcome when I joined !

I did join under the nickname 'Nicolas', which is my first name. I changed it after an Etsy vendor - now out of business - became over aggressive after being confronted for selling crap. I took the current cryptic username from a book on scents in gardens in Muslim cultures that I was reading at the time. I am considering changing the nickname again, but I wonder if it will end up being confusing haha.

Anyway, thanks for the memories and wishes for many more years of aromatic mutual enrichment and shared bliss ☺️

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

This really has been forgotten about hasn't it? Oh well, it was a late start anyway for prep. Maybe we should start aiming now for the 15th?

 

[Mr.P]

I would love to know what's going on, luxarti hasn't been updated in about a year, no follow through here, all the newcomers are still being labeled as administrator it's like nobody is keeping an eye on this place anymore.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

I would love to know what's going on, luxarti hasn't been updated in about a year, no follow through here, all the newcomers are still being labeled as administrator it's like nobody is keeping an eye on this place anymore.

Agreed.

 

[roflwaffle]

I would love to know what's going on, luxarti hasn't been updated in about a year, no follow through here, all the newcomers are still being labeled as administrator it's like nobody is keeping an eye on this place anymore.

I imagine its a chicken or egg problem. Nobody is using it, so why put in effort, theres like... 1 review, and it looks to be a test data entry/bogus. But also, its not used because theres no data or love shown. Nobody's doing reviews or scent of the day because its not integrated, and its not integrated because nobody's using it. That's a harder problem to solve than just bashing out some code IMO. And, tbf, a few minor bugs have been fixed in the past like 4 months, it no longer shows ensar for the first entire page, though now its just alphabetical which I'm not sure solves the root issue of discoverability.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

I imagine its a chicken or egg problem. Nobody is using it, so why put in effort, theres like... 1 review, and it looks to be a test data entry/bogus. But also, its not used because theres no data or love shown. Nobody's doing reviews or scent of the day because its not integrated, and its not integrated because nobody's using it. That's a harder problem to solve than just bashing out some code IMO. And, tbf, a few minor bugs have been fixed in the past like 4 months, it no longer shows ensar for the first entire page, though now its just alphabetical which I'm not sure solves the root issue of discoverability.

True. I like the idea behind it and I'm sure with proper attention it could be very useful but at present there is zero need to even glance at it.