Even though I an currently not in the market for anything (will be looking for a Tamron 28-75 later) I enjoy a visit to B/S several times a day because I like to keep a handle on current values for various items.
I also monitor buy/sell daily. It's obvious that it is back to its old status prior to having more of less "self-policing." The first page retention time is an hour, or sometimes less. The level of gratuitous posts (PM/email sent, nice item/price, good seller, blah, blah, blah) and bumps has returned to times past.
Sometimes it is hard to resist a comment. Mizar wants to swap all his high end Nikon stuff for high end Canon stuff and you really want to ask why in the B/S thread because you know a lot of regulars are asking the question...
Seems like a good place to ask how you think B&S could be better. I have long thought that the board/topic structure or layout isn't particularly appropriate for buy and sell. Let's hear some suggestions...
brainiac wrote:
Seems like a good place to ask how you think B&S could be better. I have long thought that the board/topic structure or layout isn't particularly appropriate for buy and sell. Let's hear some suggestions...
Eliminate the reply bump, threads are bumped with "pm's replied to", "SOLD", "xxx is a great seller" etc. Only the OP should be allowed to bump and once a day.
If we get rid of bumping altogether, and have recent ads rotate for the top spot, and dramatically improve search, would that help? A rapid/instant search to shortlist might help the bumping issue. For example, you would type in '1Ds' and an instant shortlist would appear. here's an example of what i'm talking about: http://cyberphotographer.com/questions/
To tell you the truth, I think it is OK just as it is. Making it a pay forum got rid of the "junk" and for the most part it does what it is supposed to do and it does it very well.
I think that just as most buyers and sellers on the buy and sell board are good folks, most who post there are sensitive to the issues that led to the most recent changes. With the lower level of traffic that resulted, it seems to have become okay again to drop into a FS thread for a social call. If this again reaches a level of absurdity, I suspect some communication to that effect from Fred would be enough to settle it down (rather than eliminating bumping altogether). For me, it's only frustrating when the seller him/herself bumps his/her own thread 5 times a day with the inane "PM replied," "photos added," "buyer backed out," "item still available," etc. posts. When I first joined this site, I thought it very unfair that price policing was outlawed, but posting opinions about how great a price/deal was was not. It's always been my opinion that any comments about price should be off-limits, as such comments, whether pro or con, are equally suggestive and persuasive, and have the potential of manipulating the process. I suppose the same could be said for postive comments about a particular seller, since negative comments/feedback are not allowed, since, again, these comments have the potential of manipulating the outcome, but only in one direction. I'm not at all opposed to the "good 'ol boy" networks that exist on the various forums, and in fact these are a plus in some ways, but I still think this is worthwhile food for thought. Since you asked....
Spydweb wrote:
All the B+S needs is a very little moderation.......A lot of us just like to window shop the forum.
Agreed.
And, the occasional "hello" post isn't creating a problem that I can see. The occasional wise word of moderation is all that is generally needed. We don't walk into a favorite store without greeting a familiar face - why would it be different here?
I window shop as well. And I occasionally buy, and sell.
brainiac wrote:
If we get rid of bumping altogether, and have recent ads rotate for the top spot, and dramatically improve search, would that help? A rapid/instant search to shortlist might help the bumping issue. For example, you would type in '1Ds' and an instant shortlist would appear. here's an example of what i'm talking about: http://cyberphotographer.com/questions/
What exactly is the problem with an occasional friendly post? Another fine forum revamped their marketplace rules about a month ago to eliminate "bumping" and such. That change just about shut it down. People want to talk a bit. This is not a newspaper classified ad section - it's a forum. And people occasionally discuss things in a forum.
If people just want to post an ad and not work with it or discuss anything, there's ebay. For those that want to maintain a friendly atmosphere and remain active in their sale, this is one of the few places that allows that.
I still miss the old days when the threads generated by Guy Mancuso's exotic glass sales would be pages long.
There is nothing wrong in an occasional friendly post. However, I do not see ANY reason for bumping - either friendly or intentional. Please, someone explain why we need to keep it.
Eliminate the bumping completely, it doesn't serve any role except making people invent ways to squeak ahead. Why is it that somebody the has many "friends" have the right to do so?
Eliminate bumping, maintain the chronological order and post as many friendly post as you want
