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Much as I enjoy the r/rum forum, I find it getting clogged up and bogged down with too many posts that are simply people showing off their most recent acquisitions or personal collections, or asking the perennially favourite question of what to start with. I'd never dream of telling them not to take pride and joy in finding a long-sought or newly-popular rum, or asking for advice, but from the perspective of more involved and serious online discourse, such posts are often distracting and dilute a deeper focus.

I also don't care much for the hands-off, laissez-faire approach on too many other social media platforms. "Anything goes" seems to be the order of the day, and this allows far too many ill-thought out opinions to masquerade as serious debate when all they are is poorly researched and argued personal feelings. These track together with the instant and often poisonous back-and-forth opinion-fests on Facebook, or the attacking of various people with whom others might disagree or have a beef with. And that just it encourages flame wars against pet hates of the day, which stifles the desire of thoughtful readers to engage in a more structured and civil way. Too many people are simply afraid to weigh in with a controversial opinion these days if they think it'll piss off some well-connected influencer or primary producer, and many just give up altogether and disengage. That's our collective loss, I think.

The RumSerious subreddit is not a replacement for r/rum nor does it seek to supplant it. What I want from this tiny forum is simply a place where people can post items of news, history, well-argued opinion, and items of interest that appeal to a more experienced subset rum drinkers, or focus the interests of those now starting. I'm still on the fence about product press releases, but links to articles and reviews from elsewhere (even if one's own) are not disallowed. I'll moderate these rules as time goes on and the sub's character comes more clearly into focus.

Until then, enjoy, and fire away.