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FaunaClassifieds Site HELP & Feedback Forum Anything of a nature concerning this website, moderators, admin, or anything having to do with how it is being run, should go here. Criticism is welcome, but abusive antagonism is not. THIS IS NOT THE FORUM FOR FEEDBACK CONCERNING BUYERS AND SELLERS! Such posts are ONLY allowed as replies to classified ads posted by the specific member involved in a specific issue with you.

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Old 02-29-2012, 01:15 AM   #41
WebSlave
Maybe, I'm just not rational at the moment (hit yet another road block trying to get my car fixed and I'm fit to be tied. Literally...), but the purpose of the GGC program was to be something similar to a Good Housekeeping seal of approval or Better Business Bureau wall plaque that would be displayed on or in a person's business. If they don't have a website, are they even really a business in any sense of the word for the PURPOSES of promoting INTERNET business? Does it make any sense at all to offer this to everyone just producing a handful of animals once a year and really not any sort of "business" entity at all?

There is a tradeoff implicit in this program in that a BUSINESS can display their certificate on their website for visitors to their website to make note of, and in that fashion hopefully feel a bit more comfortable about doing business with them. The emphasis is on BUSINESS, as you can see. In return, that certificate helps bring people to this site to view the information resident in the polls about that business and perhaps even register here and possibly become an active member. Which, I believe, helps EVERYONE here. This is also beneficial in that people visiting this site can view those certificate entries and potential use that form of advertising by those businesses to then visit their website with the intention of possibly doing business with them based on the feedback they see in the polls.

Quite honestly, without the business websites being in the equation to sport those certificate banners on, I really don't see the sense of running this program. It just becomes a one way street that, in my opinion, negates he real usefulness that I envisioned from it.

So what am I missing here? Am I just overlooking something that is obvious to others about how I wanted this to work?
 
Old 02-29-2012, 02:16 AM   #42
AGoodwin
It doesnt seem like it would make it a one way street to me. First of all, the person still has to be a contributing member, therefore they have made a donation to this website. Secondly, if they are advertising their status, weather on a website or not, they are still bringing attention to this forum and bringing traffic here. I do not see what difference it makes weather the person has a web site and sells hundreds of animals a year or weather they have only a facebook page and sell only dozens.
 
Old 02-29-2012, 08:10 AM   #43
hhmoore
I actually see Rich's point...and consider it a very good one. That was the intention of the GGC program (though I had somewhat overlooked the business focus earlier). Small businesses come and go, today's internet businesses probably more so than ever. That is to be expected...especially in such a volatile area as reptiles. Many of these people don't have a long term interest in the animals - they see the prices when they start, get discouraged that they aren't making their money back hand over fist, struggle against heavy competition, and lose interest. Even people that do have the history sometimes move on - whether due to retirement, health issues, life changes, or whatever.
Looking back to when I started on this site in 2004, it seemed like there were a lot more contributors...and a lot more "real" businesses. The GGC program started in mid February of 05, had a big hiccup (IMO, at the time) with the fall from grace, but still had 133 participants by the end of the year. Another 47 were added in 2006....
Only 17 of those 180 still have their certificates active (14 of those are from 2005)...but more telling is that only 125 certificates have been processed in the next 5 yrs.

What's to blame, though?
Different attitudes - For sure.
Fewer contributors - I think so.
Fewer actual businesses - Probably.
Decreased awareness - Yes.
Fewer people pursuing business in the "traditional" way - Yup.
It is as hard for me to fathom, as it is for you, believe me...I just don't get the social networking craze. I have a Facebook page (2, actually, because my whole purpose was to start a KBI Herpetoculture page; and it wouldn't let me do that without a personal page. I wasn't smart enough to just enter my name as KBI Herpetoculture ), but I hate it. I rarely post, and don't even look at it for weeks at a time. But that's me - and I'm tired and cranky, so people expect that of me.

I agree that dwindling numbers are telling a story...but that doesn't necessarily have to be the end of this. It would be easy enough to write it off as a good idea that was under appreciated; but let's consider decreased awareness. Rarely is the GGC a topic of conversation; and it isn't really advertised that I recall seeing. There are 2 accounts sitting there in red, due to a negative score on their poll, that only have one vote. I don't have time (or the desire) at this moment to review the polls, but I'm quite sure there are a number of them with no votes. I'm guessing that only contributing members can vote(?), but how are we keeping people aware that this program exists & encouraging participation?
I'm as guilty as the next person - I haven't voted on a poll in years; but that is partially because I don't most of these people even by reputation, and I don't give my recommendations lightly. Heck, near as I can tell, a lot of them don't even have reputations (no offense intended to those people).

We can scrap the idea, or try to do something with it - which might entail reconsidering the vision, but it definitely means figuring out what we can do to make it appeal to people. My only reason for suggesting the option of not holding fast to the website requirement was because fewer people are going that route...I had lost site of the BUSINESS focus; but you raised a very valid point on that front, so I'm reconsidering. I suspect that if we were to extend the audit to the un-highlighted names, we would find more without websites (or certificates posted) - which further raises the question.

Odd that none of the expired certificate holders have chimed in on this thread
 
Old 02-29-2012, 08:37 AM   #44
Focal
I think many people just don't know about it. When I had one, I had to send people over to it to vote, most couldn't, but that was after I tried to get a trader rating and a BOI update. There are a lot of options to leave feedback and I just ended up settling for the two that are used the most.

What I do breed, I breed from my home and that's the address that's listed along with my phone number and email. After persuing truth in the BOI, I have received numerous calls from block numbers and have even had my email spammed. Nothing that has hurt my feelings, but I didn't want to see how far the criminal mind would go with access to my home address. That's why I asked for mine to be removed.
 
Old 03-09-2012, 11:10 AM   #45
dragonlvr64
Is there a banner type advertisement we can place on our websites now instead to attract their attention and send them over to Fauna?
A shame this program did not work. I know that most of the people who bought from me were not on the contributor level and could not leave feedback.
Guessing we remove the good guy banner on our sites?
 
Old 03-09-2012, 02:55 PM   #46
WebSlave
I'm not really in any hurry to take anything down on this end, so you can leave it up as long as you would like.

I don't think there was any notable effort to convince me that I should keep the program. Or did I just miss it?
 
Old 03-09-2012, 03:15 PM   #47
WingedWolf
As one of those who's really been proud to have the banner up, and has been using it for the intended purpose, I do hope it stays around. It's been rough patch for everyone financially. The only issue I've seen with the program is the lack of participation in the polls--I have plenty of trader ratings, but no poll responses. I think perhaps people just didn't think of it. I do like the program.
 
Old 03-09-2012, 03:52 PM   #48
dragonlvr64
Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedWolf View Post
As one of those who's really been proud to have the banner up, and has been using it for the intended purpose, I do hope it stays around. It's been rough patch for everyone financially. The only issue I've seen with the program is the lack of participation in the polls--I have plenty of trader ratings, but no poll responses. I think perhaps people just didn't think of it. I do like the program.
I agree Donna.
In our industry word of mouth and reputation is everything. I really was hoping this program would stay around and bring about a good feeling for that person who is new to online buying or to you(me,us) as a seller.
I too am proud of it as I am my reputation and wanted to show that off a bit, as well as promote Fauna and BOI. I have my small banner ad, I have Fauna in my website as "we support".

Just know that a couple of us wanting it and really using it won't do much to keep it here.
Unless we really beg??
 
Old 03-12-2012, 11:43 AM   #49
joshjtd
Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedWolf View Post
As one of those who's really been proud to have the banner up, and has been using it for the intended purpose, I do hope it stays around. It's been rough patch for everyone financially. The only issue I've seen with the program is the lack of participation in the polls--I have plenty of trader ratings, but no poll responses. I think perhaps people just didn't think of it. I do like the program.
I also have the code for the banner on my site and maintain my contributor level of membership. Perhaps having a button to the GGC post for that member (kind of like the BOI button) that people could click to go place votes on way or the other may direct people there and the feature would be used more?
 
Old 03-12-2012, 11:45 AM   #50
joshjtd
I would also have to agree that it has been a financially trying time for many folks over the past few years. Lots of the folks on this site are hobbyist breeders and with the job market being the way it is, may have experienced a loss of a full time job which forced them out of the reptile business.

Just my two cents.
 

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