I’ve spoken about it here and there on the message board, but I’m building a website called Modern Snuff. I thought I would start a discussion string here to talk about how it is going and to seek input about the website, so that I’m not littering the board with various discussions about it. I can sort of restrain myself to this one discussion string, so that anyone not interested only has one discussion string to avoid. LOL.

The website is here:

http://www.modernsnuff.com

In order to support the website, I’ve added a new snuff blog as well:

http://modernsnuff.blogspot.com/

I personally, still have a lot to learn about snuff.  But, I do know how to build and maintain an informative website.  Lots of experience in that area.  I also know how to bring together information and resources from those who know a topic better than I do, which is all the easier for me to do, since I’m perfectly aware I still have a lot to learn.

Anyhow, I appreciate any help, suggestions, or constructive criticism that is sent my way.  I’m not defensive about stuff, so I want to hear the straight scoop.  If I have something wrong, let me know…or if I could improve something, let me know.  I’m not making money from the website.  I’m mainly building it because of how helpful Prof. Griffiths’ website was for me (and others).  Sort of inspired me to pull as much information together about snuff on one easy to navigate website.  Please feel free to post here, send me a private message, or email me at mark@modernsnuff.com.

It is an ongoing process, and even once all the pages are up…there will always be something being added or improved.  So, again…please feel free to help in any way you see fit.  

Thank you!

Mark

And, if Facebook is your thing, there is a discussion group on Facebook as well.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/modernsnuff

Mark

Most excellent front page and will look forward to viewing as it matures! I really think members will like this.

Check your pending membership requests on the FB page. I clicked the request a good while back. I am looking forward to seeing progress reports on the website, and contributing ideas as I have time.

@cpmcdill.  Chris, You are now approved.  :-)  I’ve been so busy with adding stuff to the website, that I forgot to check for pending memberships in the group.  

Mark

It looks fantastic @markstinson (on my phone at least) - very sleek and professional in layout / navigation. Rich in relevant images (both modern and historical), without appearing cluttered. Love the typeface - beautiful. To me, it perfectly blends history and sentiment, whilst maintaining a contemporary edge. Symbolic of your aims, and a very hard balance to get! I trust you’ll be adding a search function to the respective threads?

Thank you.  And yes, I’ll be adding a search function soon.

Mark

Excellent. It’s looking to be a very engaging resource.

I’ve been working on the “Snuff Articles” archive page, which will collect as many news articles on snuff tobacco as I can possibly find and include. For each article, there will be a link to the original news article on-line, as well as an archived PDF version of the article just in case the news article drops off the web over time.

http://modernsnuff.com/articles/index.html

I’ll be adding some more articles today.  If you know of any I haven’t included yet, please feel free to share the link or links with me.  I’d love to include them.

Thanks!

Mark

Fantastic @markstinson. I particularly like the inclusion of PDF downloads. Will check them all out. Keep up the good work!

I hate dead-links…or losing information to dead links.  :-)

Mark

@markstinson You’re doing such a great service to the community with that site. I love that you linked Philip Griffiths site on there. A sad passing, that was.

Thanks, @Hitsuzen.

Mark

If you use Facebook, the Modern Snuff page has a dedicated Facebook group. I dislike Facebook personally, but the Modern Snuff group is one place I don’t mind visiting and posting to on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/modernsnuff/

I was also able to archive 14 news articles about Nasal Snuff Tobacco on the articles page today. Visit here to access them: http://modernsnuff.com/articles/index.html

Mark

Here is a list of the articles thus far:

Thanks for dedicating such time an effort there @markstinson - looks like I have a lot of reading to do

@markstinson - you are doing a fantastic job there. I look forward to reading those articles.

Thank you, @Nulliverse and @chris.

The Snuff Articles page is done for now.  There are 19 articles included there, some of which are fairly obscure and interesting.  I’ve added images to the page to break it up a bit, and at this point, I’ll just add new articles as I stumble across them or as they are suggested to me.

http://www.modernsnuff.com/articles

I need to finish up the techniques page next.

Mark

This was a difficult page to complete, but the Snuffing Techniques page is now complete at the Modern Snuff website. I’d love your input about the page. See anything missing? See anything you don’t agree with? See anything you didn’t know before? I’d really like to hear your opinions and impressions of the page, so that I can improve it. Thanks!

An image from the new page:

Looks complete to me. To be honest, I cannot think of any suggestions for further improvement. 

Thanks for taking a look, @Mynheer.  :-)

Mark

Same here, you nailed it.

I’m surprised how fast you built your page, so far is great with lots of interesting things. Congratulations markstinson!

I thought I would add a series of posts to the Modern Snuff blog about the benefits and joys of snuff. This is the first one…and it is called, “Snuff Puts Money Back in Your Pocket.”

Thanks,

Mark

The Modern Snuff Facebook discussion group now has 40 members.  If you are over on Facebook, drop in and join the group. 

Modern Snuff Facebook Group

Mark

CLICK HERE to see the latest post on the Modern Snuff blog, called “Snuff Feeds Your Senses.”

Here’s the text of it, in case you don’t want to leave the comfort of the board:

We experience the world through our senses and perceptions.  Listening to beautiful music or the voice of a loved one comforts us, soothes us, and brings us happiness.  Watching an action movie or our favorite sports team compete gets our heart racing, our blood flowing, and brings us alive.  Bundling up in cozy blankets makes us feel warm, and safe, and makes all our problems very far away.  We experience the world around us through our senses, and this stimulation sets a tone, shapes our mood, and changes who we are in the moment.

Snuff is to the nose what our favorite song is to our ears.  Snuff directly interacts with our olfactory senses, which have been shown to have a strong connection with our memories.  First there is the ritual.  A tap on your tin or box.  The pinch warming between your fingers.  The snuff settling into the front of your nose.  And the slight pleasant burn of the tobacco accompanied by the full and complete scent that fills you entire nose,   Over time, as the scent lingers, it changes…and layers of flavor are revealed.

The right snuff can take us to places and moments in our life, and have an impact on our present.  Sometimes this is very overt and obvious, and we can identify the memories that are consciously triggered.  But, most of the time it is more subtle than that, and the complex layers of scent and sensation change us in the moment.  The right snuff sparks an emotional reaction, and can shift our demeanor dramatically.

Yes, snuff delivers nicotine from the tobacco into our bodies.  But snuff-taking is so much more than a chemical reaction.  Snuff takes over one of our five senses, and drags us along for the ride.  That act of taking snuff is a stolen moment from the rest of the world, and the flood of sensation and scent that hits us sets the stage for a definitive shift from where we are, to where we want to be…

Nice post (again). Beautifully expressed. It’s funny to notice that for me snuff quite often has a totally opposite effect. I do a lot of mental work and instead of giving me an escape or shift from where I am to somewhere else, I use snuff to bring me back into my senses, out of my mind and into here and now.

As I work my way through the benefits of snuff, I will likely do one on the stimulation/focusing aspects of it as well.  You are totally right.

Mark

site looks nice

Thanks, @jpsks. 

Click here to see another post on the blog called, “Snuff-Takers are Civilized and Polite.”

Here’s the text of the post:

I’m in my later 40’s and I’ve rubbed elbows with all sorts of people in my day. The poorest our country has to offer, the wealthiest you could deign to find, and everything in between. I’ve have multiple hobbies and interests, and as a fairly out-going social person, I tend to seek out people who share my hobbies and interests. The best of course is face-to-face associations and friendships, but in this day and age, the option to interact with others as a distance has never been easier or more available.

All this is to say, I am entirely impressed by the polite and gentle behavior of the snuff-takers I have interacted with thus far. The snuff-takers I’ve met face-to-face are always happy to have met a fellow traveler, and are quick to jump into conversation and to offer a pinch of their favorite snuff. Meeting a snuff-taking stranger, is like meeting a long-lost friend with all the attendant joy and need to catch up.

Online, snuff-takers are welcoming, humble, quick with advice, slow to deride or pass judgement, and show a calmness in their interactions that only confidence and a pinch of snuff could lend a person. Snuff is talked about, traded, gifted, and held aloft as an unbreakable common bond. Jaded by my interactions with the average person online, I find myself thinking it is too good to be true at times. I find myself bracing myself for the next attack. Watching for the knife stuck deftly into the shoulder-blade, as a well-practiced internet-warrior makes a cowardly attack from behind. But, the attack never comes…the blade is never bared.

If you have found yourself drawn to nasal snuff, and you are curious, or need advice, or simply want to interact with other snuff-takers, reach out. You will never find a more welcoming group of people. Feel free to join both of the groups below, and thus enrich your own enjoyment of snuff-taking. You will certainly find some fine acquaintances, and maybe a friend or two in the process.

The blog posts ends with a link to this message board and a link to the Modern Snuff Facebook Group.

Mark

I’ve been updating the “Famous Snuff-Takers” page at Modern Snuff with new information, and I’ve added all the historical snuff-takers images I’ve created so far.  As I create more of these images, I’ll continue expanding the page and adding to it.  But, here it is thus far…

http://www.modernsnuff.com/famous

Mark

Think some new members may not know about this very good resource. Even I could use a little brushing up! Thanks @markstinson

Excellent website, lots of info, love the “books on snuff” section, I haven’t visited the blog yet and the facebook group seems inactive, or at least unable to accept new join request. Anyway, congratulations and thanks for all the effort put into this!

@Gilliat I tried joining this site about a month ago, still pending

@markstinson 

second time trying this, you should consider using something like wordpress, instead of making the pages by hand with an HTML editor.

I’m happy to answer any questions ( I am a web developer with over 15 years of experience ) 

Also take a look at https://disqus.com/, to add comments to your pages. 

The website is great. The articles interest me most. Our member @ArtChoo is a great resource as he has found quite a few old news stories related to snuff. Those stories are gems of history.

It has been awhile since I posted on Snuffhouse. Life’s been fairly busy. My kids are growing up on me, moved to a new house, etc, etc.

I recently cleaned up the Modern Snuff website. Fixed dead links. Added some more material. And I’m working on adding several new pages in the coming weeks. If you get the chance to look the website over, let me know if you have any content suggestions. Things that need correction. Things I could add. Material you have that you are willing to share. Thank you!

And the Modern Snuff Facebook group has grown to over 2100 members. It is an active group if you spend time over on Facebook. If you are not yet a member, send in a request, and I’ll get you approved.

Mark

Will definitely check out the site @markstinson !

Thank you for the effort of putting that up and updating it.

It is a Labor of Love.

Thanks Mark for your wonderful website. There’s so much of interest there. You’ve done a great job.

Graeme

Thanks @Graeme1. If you have any suggestions for things that can be added, please let me know.

Hi Mark.

I like it as is but if i think of anything I’ll let you know. You did have a menu link to making your own snuff. When clicked it said “under construction” but I see the menu link has gone now. Are you still working on it?

Cheers,

Graeme

7 or 8 years later, and I never did finish that page. Every time I tried, and kept realizing it was too complex a topic to address on a page like that. So, I removed that link. I may add a page eventually, but it will be more of a linkage page that points to many other folks addressing how to make snuff. Rather than me trying to consolidate a page for the site. If that makes sense.

Mark

Yes, that’s thoroughly understandable. It’s a complex business but my 9 homemade snuffs have, so far, been very successful and pleasant.

G.