FaunaClassifieds - View Single Post - The BOI will be coming to an end on 02-02-2020

01-24-2019, 04:23 AM

Hello hello! If It's alright, I have a few thoughts on this matter. I'm not an active conversationalist in the community, but I do care deeply for the website as a whole; I apologize if that precludes my being able to weigh in, but I would like to speak of my experiences as a more casual user of Fauna.

I would like to start by saying thatif not for the BOI, I would likely cease in getting new reptiles.. The adage of doing one's research is moot when there's nowhere to get that information from, and I have been burned too many times to boldly go where no one has gone before. As someone who doesn't dabble in social media, the BOI is instrumental in how I research potential sellers: it is, in fact, how I found FaunaClassifieds in the first place. But in spite of my wonderful experiences here, and my constant recommendations of this website to other herpers I know IRL, I was not aware that there was more I could do to support the site as a whole.

I don't know how many people realize that support for Fauna has been falling, and I think more visibility in that area would benefit the website. Another site I support (mynoise.net) has a banner showing their current funding level for the month in various places throughout the website. It acts to remind users that their actions have a cost, without being obtrusive or obnoxious. At least in my personal experience, users are more likely to donate (in the instance of free-to-use or nonprofit services) when they are confronted with the reality that a website is vulnerable to the realities of server costs and hosting fees -- especially when it is a website with an invested community, or one which provides a service not replicated elsewhere.

And Fauna has bits of both of those things.

In my experience, people don't tend to notice problems with a site until the 504s start. I believe many of us are lulled into a false sense of security that the websites we use will be there for us- that everyone else is footing the bill, and that there isn't anything an individual person can do to impact a situation. Therefore, I think the registered users of Fauna would benefit from a wake-up, shake-up roll-call linking everyone to either this thread, or one similar to it in perhaps the news section. Users value transparency and honesty, and if more people- newcomers in particular- were aware of the troubles you've had with the BOI and in keeping Fauna open, I think more of them would be willing to do what they can to support the site. Had I not come to the BOI to search up a name, I wouldn't have found this thread, after all- and for many people who primarily dabble in the classifieds, they may not be aware that there are issues brewing under the surface to begin with. From a purely end-user perspective, then, I think we could stand to be more conscious of the website's needs.

(Fauna is free, it costs $$ to host this ad, consider making a donation if you found buyers/sellers/benefited from fauna et al, our subscription model offers these perks, etc etc. There are a lot of ways to remind people that the webhosts aren't made of money and that the site is a service, not a guarantee.)

In addition to the subscription model currently offered, and the ability to purchase adspace, I also feel that (if Fauna management were open to it,) the website would benefit from a place to send Donations! I know that when I'm either not in a position to set up a subscription for service, or I do not use the service enough to warrant paying for it on a monthly basis, when available I instead opt to donate directly on a one-time or per-use basis to show my appreciation! Less-frequent users of the site may be drawn to that option over subscription models- and as some use the site more over time, they may move to buying a subscription in the future, too. Either way, some money is better than none money, and I doubt that there's a dearth of people willing to donate -- I think that many, like me, are a combination of not thinking about it, and not being aware of the options. I certainly want to support this website!

(There are also myriad ways to encourage donations and membership perks- some sits paywall icons or wordcount of posts, install limits on how many photos you can use and all of that, but if you'd rather not you can try the positive reinforcement route of giving donators little "donator" titles in addition to the membership roles, perhaps giving out little profile banners or things you can purchase for your donation like a badge stating if you're a snake breeder or an iguana collector or something. There are a lot of options is my point! It depends on what the users would be open to and what the staff want to implement, of course!)

In all, I personally think the hobby would change for the worse if Fauna were to go away, BOI or no -- but I think the BOI itself is a huge asset for the community, and one I would hate to see disappear. Facebook and other websites are all well and good (not,) but none of them can match the history and the level of accountability found in the BOI. Even if things do tend to go awry there from time to time, this is where the community gathers to feel each other out. I don't believe another website will replace that any time soon. I feel that the BOI is one of Fauna's strengths, in addition to the wonderful organization of the classified's section and the fact that this site boasts more variety in available species than any other site out there. I consider Fauna one of the touchstones of the community, at least personally, and of the big three classifieds sites (morphmarket, kingsnake, and fauna,) I consider this one to be the best of all three in terms of user engagement, variety of content, and overall quality of experience. I think there's a lot of good in the people here, too, and that counts for a lot.

But all that said, I understand the need for funding and the desire to rid yourself of a perpetual headache in the shape of a legal liability. I am far, far too familiar with being on the receiving end of a job that feels thankless, like a hole in the wallet and an ache in the head. And I will support and respect whatever decision the Fauna Admins decide to make on this issue one way or another as the decision they found necessary, because at the end of the day, it's their site and their rules, and they must do what's best for their own well-being first and foremost.

I will also say that on the first I will be purchasing a subscription to support the site in light of this article. And if you read all of this, thank you very much for your time.

01-24-2019, 04:23 AM	#59
onebigmoth	Hello hello! If It's alright, I have a few thoughts on this matter. I'm not an active conversationalist in the community, but I do care deeply for the website as a whole; I apologize if that precludes my being able to weigh in, but I would like to speak of my experiences as a more casual user of Fauna. I would like to start by saying thatif not for the BOI, I would likely cease in getting new reptiles.. The adage of doing one's research is moot when there's nowhere to get that information from, and I have been burned too many times to boldly go where no one has gone before. As someone who doesn't dabble in social media, the BOI is instrumental in how I research potential sellers: it is, in fact, how I found FaunaClassifieds in the first place. But in spite of my wonderful experiences here, and my constant recommendations of this website to other herpers I know IRL, I was not aware that there was more I could do to support the site as a whole. I don't know how many people realize that support for Fauna has been falling, and I think more visibility in that area would benefit the website. Another site I support (mynoise.net) has a banner showing their current funding level for the month in various places throughout the website. It acts to remind users that their actions have a cost, without being obtrusive or obnoxious. At least in my personal experience, users are more likely to donate (in the instance of free-to-use or nonprofit services) when they are confronted with the reality that a website is vulnerable to the realities of server costs and hosting fees -- especially when it is a website with an invested community, or one which provides a service not replicated elsewhere. And Fauna has bits of both of those things. In my experience, people don't tend to notice problems with a site until the 504s start. I believe many of us are lulled into a false sense of security that the websites we use will be there for us- that everyone else is footing the bill, and that there isn't anything an individual person can do to impact a situation. Therefore, I think the registered users of Fauna would benefit from a wake-up, shake-up roll-call linking everyone to either this thread, or one similar to it in perhaps the news section. Users value transparency and honesty, and if more people- newcomers in particular- were aware of the troubles you've had with the BOI and in keeping Fauna open, I think more of them would be willing to do what they can to support the site. Had I not come to the BOI to search up a name, I wouldn't have found this thread, after all- and for many people who primarily dabble in the classifieds, they may not be aware that there are issues brewing under the surface to begin with. From a purely end-user perspective, then, I think we could stand to be more conscious of the website's needs. (Fauna is free, it costs $$ to host this ad, consider making a donation if you found buyers/sellers/benefited from fauna et al, our subscription model offers these perks, etc etc. There are a lot of ways to remind people that the webhosts aren't made of money and that the site is a service, not a guarantee.) In addition to the subscription model currently offered, and the ability to purchase adspace, I also feel that (if Fauna management were open to it,) the website would benefit from a place to send Donations! I know that when I'm either not in a position to set up a subscription for service, or I do not use the service enough to warrant paying for it on a monthly basis, when available I instead opt to donate directly on a one-time or per-use basis to show my appreciation! Less-frequent users of the site may be drawn to that option over subscription models- and as some use the site more over time, they may move to buying a subscription in the future, too. Either way, some money is better than none money, and I doubt that there's a dearth of people willing to donate -- I think that many, like me, are a combination of not thinking about it, and not being aware of the options. I certainly want to support this website! (There are also myriad ways to encourage donations and membership perks- some sits paywall icons or wordcount of posts, install limits on how many photos you can use and all of that, but if you'd rather not you can try the positive reinforcement route of giving donators little "donator" titles in addition to the membership roles, perhaps giving out little profile banners or things you can purchase for your donation like a badge stating if you're a snake breeder or an iguana collector or something. There are a lot of options is my point! It depends on what the users would be open to and what the staff want to implement, of course!) In all, I personally think the hobby would change for the worse if Fauna were to go away, BOI or no -- but I think the BOI itself is a huge asset for the community, and one I would hate to see disappear. Facebook and other websites are all well and good (not,) but none of them can match the history and the level of accountability found in the BOI. Even if things do tend to go awry there from time to time, this is where the community gathers to feel each other out. I don't believe another website will replace that any time soon. I feel that the BOI is one of Fauna's strengths, in addition to the wonderful organization of the classified's section and the fact that this site boasts more variety in available species than any other site out there. I consider Fauna one of the touchstones of the community, at least personally, and of the big three classifieds sites (morphmarket, kingsnake, and fauna,) I consider this one to be the best of all three in terms of user engagement, variety of content, and overall quality of experience. I think there's a lot of good in the people here, too, and that counts for a lot. But all that said, I understand the need for funding and the desire to rid yourself of a perpetual headache in the shape of a legal liability. I am far, far too familiar with being on the receiving end of a job that feels thankless, like a hole in the wallet and an ache in the head. And I will support and respect whatever decision the Fauna Admins decide to make on this issue one way or another as the decision they found necessary, because at the end of the day, it's their site and their rules, and they must do what's best for their own well-being first and foremost. I will also say that on the first I will be purchasing a subscription to support the site in light of this article. And if you read all of this, thank you very much for your time.