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Regarding the "Want To Buy - Want To Sell" section


Jeff Wexler

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On the latest FS post (") that has piqued community "interest", I was so sorely tempted to post something snarky. I think I am to be congratulated that I exhibited restraint.

In here, however...

It's getting to be a regular thing: guy joins the board, first posting is of gear to sell. Clearly, there's no demonstrated interest in participating in the discussion. Why is it that we let anybody join and use their first post in the for-sale forum? I'm going to have to read up on IP Board, but there has to be an easy way to set at least some basic ground rules without Jeff losing his mind.

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Jeff, the way we managed some of this sort of problem on other web forums in the past is through the member ranks. Because ranks are dependent on number of posts, it can help to control access to posting in the WTS/WTB forum until they reach a rank just beyond the "minimum" participation threshold.

Depending on how anal you want to get, it could be set up such that a new member can read anything but can only post on the "Who I am Today" thread in "The Daily Journal" (not clear that you can restrict it that much, but it's an idea). Then once they've posted something there, they have access to more areas until some arbitrary threshold, after which they get full access.

I know that many are going to hate this idea, and I can't blame them. But I would think that as a community, it makes sense to set some participation thresholds that lets everyone have at least a glimpse at someone before they start posting their gear for sale.

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Setting a "rank" system by the amount of posts, likely might just endup encouraging some people to post... More often. For the simple reason of upping their "status". There would be more blahblahblah than ever

This is the obvious downside, yes. The only other way to do it is a more actively moderated group, and we're back to Jeff's head exploding.

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It's getting to be a regular thing: guy joins the board, first posting is of gear to sell. Clearly, there's no demonstrated interest in participating in the discussion. Why is it that we let anybody join and use their first post in the for-sale forum?

Why not?

The only other way to do it is a more actively moderated group, and we're back to Jeff's head exploding.

What is the "it" that there is no other way to do?

No-one's head is going to explode. All is well with the world, there is no proliferation of random rip off artists successfully preying on the honest (brutally sometimes), demeanor of sound professionals here on the board. (someone please correct me if i am wrong) There are countless easier places to prey. Keep calm carry on.

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I don't believe Jeff ever envisioned this being Jefflist for selling stuff. It is a discussion group and information exchange mostly. I don't know why but I do resent people only interested in selling gear. There are plenty of sites for that. I'd rather see this grow as a place for information and community and passing the knowledge of the collective members. Just my POV. How we do this is up for grabs.

CrewC

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Bear with me here...

I moved to Coeur d'Alene, ID from Los Angeles many years ago. I was still in high school, and it was a huge culture shock for me. There was actually a group of people just north of Cd'A in a little town called Hayden Lake that considered themselves better than certain other people (especially "minorities" but basically anyone whose opinions differed from theirs.)

These people called themselves the "Church of Jesus Christ Aryan Nations" or something like that... and they were allowed by law to "assemble" each year and have a parade -- right down the middle of Sherman Ave in downtown Cd'A. It made national news and North Idaho became nationally recognized as a hotbed of bigotry and racism. Every year, these idiots would have their parade, and every year the townsfolk would come out in droves to yell at them, hold up signs advocating human rights... they even began holding parades of their own. Every year it became more of a spectacle than the previous year, until one year someone had the bright idea of putting the word out that this time, when they had their little "white people are Gods chosen race" parade, that no one would show up -- we'd close all the businesses on Sherman Ave for an hour or so, and everyone would completely vacate the area.

I was actually living right downtown at the time, so I wandered down to see what was happening -- it was the funniest (and most pathetic) thing I think I've ever seen. A couple dozen grown men and women (I use these terms loosely) marching down Sherman Ave. with their ridiculous signs and ridiculous "costumes", shouting their ridiculous brand of hatred for all to hear -- only... no one heard them -- no one was there... it was a ghost town. It was almost hysterical, how stupid these people looked -- marching down a completely empty street, spewing out all their hatred for no one to see or hear.

My point is this (thanks for your patience)... there will always be idiots in the world. There will always be dishonest people who want to take advantage of others. There will always be hateful deranged spiteful maniacs who just want to perpetuate evil. How we react to those people is up to us. Sometimes not reacting is the best solution. Sometimes no action at all is the best "diffuser".

So if someone we don't know gets on JWSound and posts a bunch of stuff for sale, what happens if no one replies? Nothing.

It's difficult, I know... I couldn't resist putting in my own $.03 once I saw the spectacle a certain recent thread had become, but it really didn't help matters, did it? It was actually kind of selfish of me -- stirring up the caldron for my own amusement.

The last thing we need here is more policy -- common sense will eventually win out, and send the scammers packing. Those who have a legitimate tie to our little niche industry, and are trying to legitimately sell something on the level, might have to exercise a little patience and common sense of their own (ie: post in the "Who I Am Today" thread, etc)... if they really want to sell something in a hurry, there's always CL and/or eBay.

Anyhow, thanks for your patience -- if you're even still reading this.

~tt

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what do I do if I was browsing the web in search of an item to buy that came up via google in the FS/FT section... I can see it but I can not post to express my interest... even after registering for the site... I have DM'd the original poster but to no avail. I don't want to burden the forum with my random posts just so I will log enough in order to be able to post on the feed but is that the only way? I understand the restrictions for posting but if you are going to make the feed public (i.e. I can see it as a non-member via google) than shouldn't I at least be able to post as a newbie a response to the initial ad?

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what do I do if I was browsing the web in search of an item to buy that came up via google in the FS/FT section... I can see it but I can not post to express my interest... even after registering for the site... I have DM'd the original poster but to no avail. I don't want to burden the forum with my random posts just so I will log enough in order to be able to post on the feed but is that the only way? I understand the restrictions for posting but if you are going to make the feed public (i.e. I can see it as a non-member via google) than shouldn't I at least be able to post as a newbie a response to the initial ad?

Buying as opposed to selling is one thing, or should be considered as that anyways...

Since it's not a selling site primarily, it's the SELLING of stuff that needs to be "controlled" (ie enough posts or whatever). The buying? Not so sure anyone can really control that...

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what do I do if I was browsing the web in search of an item to buy that came up via google in the FS/FT section... I can see it but I can not post to express my interest... even after registering for the site... I have DM'd the original poster but to no avail. I don't want to burden the forum with my random posts just so I will log enough in order to be able to post on the feed but is that the only way?

Yes, this is a problem which is not addressed by the new imposition I have made, the requirement to have had 5 posts before posting ANYTHING in the WTB-WTS section. It is true that what we are trying to deal with primarily SELLING, not buying (or browsing to buy and wanting to ask questions) but the section itself is the repository for BOTH activities. It may be possible for me to restrict the SELL post but have the "comments" (questions, discussions, etc.) be un-restricted.

I truly want to keep this section and from the number of posts in this topic "Regarding Want-To-Buy Want-To-Sell section" that is the general consensus --- we want to keep this section but we want it to function better and more securely.

I will continue to work on it.

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