please take a look at this thread:
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249378
to sum it up - at this time only contributing members can post replies to ads.
-
In case most of you have not noticed, I made changes to the donation amounts as well as the durations for all of the paid membership levels. Things are winding down here, and this seems to be the most prudent way to deal with the "end of life" period of this site.
Contributor level members - $10 per 30 days
Sponsors - Eliminated
Benefactor level members - $25 per 30 days
Endowment level members - $50 per 30 days
Account Upgrades Page -
Responding to email notices you receive.
**************************************************
In short, DON'T! Email notices are to ONLY alert you of a reply to your private message or your ad on this site. Replying to the email just wastes your time as it goes NOWHERE, and probably pisses off the person you thought you replied to when they think you just ignored them. So instead of complaining to me about your messages not being replied to from this site via email, please READ that email notice that plainly states what you need to do in order to reply to who you are trying to converse with.
Changes addressing the ad bumping problem..
- Thread starter WebSlave
- Start date
please take a look at this thread:
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=249378
to sum it up - at this time only contributing members can post replies to ads.
SafariPets
New member
I feel like that information should be posted in the section where you select a level. All that is listed there are the prices. I had to search to find out what benefits I would have by upping to the next level.
Are there any other benefits to moving from contributor to benefactor? Like more PM's allowed? This info should be right there where you select your membership level.
Thanks for making this site work...
Troy
here you go:
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64541
(there's also a link to this info on the page that has the pricing under where it says "Membership Level Options")
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64541
(there's also a link to this info on the page that has the pricing under where it says "Membership Level Options")
SafariPets
New member
OK, now I see the link in that top section, I still feel like it could be made a little more prominent (i.e. Option C - Contributor Level Membership- 30 Bumps per Month, etc...) listed right there where you pay....
AND/ OR
Put "Paid Membership Table" in bold at the top.....
just some suggestions
AND/ OR
Put "Paid Membership Table" in bold at the top.....
just some suggestions
SafariPets
New member
Also, to Rich,
Could it be pro-rated? So half way through the year, I am having a better year than anticipated... Can I upgrade to a higher level and pay a pro-rated price?
Could it be pro-rated? So half way through the year, I am having a better year than anticipated... Can I upgrade to a higher level and pay a pro-rated price?
Sorry, but there is limited space in the descriptions on the subscriptions page, and quite honestly, trying to cram all such info in there would just befuddle too many people trying to make heads or tails out of the listings there. Unfortunately, providing too much information is just as bad, and sometimes worse, than not providing enough information.
If your current membership is 6 months or less old, I can upgrade you for the difference in price. Basically you would need to pay directly via PayPal and provide info in the payment concerning what it is for and your member name. You can do PayPal to me via [email protected] if you want to proceed with this.
Thanks.
bigdaddysnakes
New member
Ya effin right. Nothing is being done . Its the same crap going on every where. I'm done trying on this site. I'm going to be meeting with an investor this week . We are going to be talking about creating a better site and software to solve this problem. I posted last night, and with-in one hour I was 4 pages back. My wife says just do what they're doing. I said thats the problem. It should be one ad per week ,per category . A spam flag button, for people using more then one email . Maybe a way for members to report duplicate ads.
For now its not worth it.
For now its not worth it.
hhmoore
tired & cranky shadow
One ad per week, per category? And you don't think ads will get buried?
A policy like that might work for a startup site; but there are 1059 people viewing this site as I compose this post. The classifieds are the most heavily used feature of this site; so, yes, ads get buried quickly in the popular categories.
The expectation here is that people will manage their ads, deleting previous versions when they repost. A lot of people don't bother - whether intentionally, or not - and they subject themselves to possibly having their ads removed and/or incurring infractions. Obviously, given the number of ads being posted, we cannot check each ad, and look at the member's history to see if they are in compliance; but I focus more on this aspect than reviewing names/locations, and I delete a lot of ads each week. It's a time consuming process, as it means sending a lot of PMs; and I only have just so much time available for that endeavor.
)
A policy like that might work for a startup site; but there are 1059 people viewing this site as I compose this post. The classifieds are the most heavily used feature of this site; so, yes, ads get buried quickly in the popular categories.
The expectation here is that people will manage their ads, deleting previous versions when they repost. A lot of people don't bother - whether intentionally, or not - and they subject themselves to possibly having their ads removed and/or incurring infractions. Obviously, given the number of ads being posted, we cannot check each ad, and look at the member's history to see if they are in compliance; but I focus more on this aspect than reviewing names/locations, and I delete a lot of ads each week. It's a time consuming process, as it means sending a lot of PMs; and I only have just so much time available for that endeavor.
Exaggerate much? I just looked, and only 2 ads were placed within an hour after yours (in the same category). That hour barely moved you out of the top spot...and it was 4 hrs before you'd dropped a full page. Again, you posted in one of the most heavily used categories; so, yes, 18+ hrs later you're on page 5. If you think that is too far back to be effective, feel free to repost....but make sure you delete the earlier version(s) of your ad as you go. (You've been advised of the expectation, so I wouldn't bother sending you a PM
)
Good luck with that. Let me know how that works out for you.
I have an observation somewhat related to this topic.
I focus primarily on the Turtles & Tortoises portion of the classifieds. I have noticed a number of folks who are not contributors who seem to like to avoid paying, but want the benefits of bumping their ads. The typical workaround is to delete ads and repost them when they get a day or so old or drop into the area of the second (or so) page. This tends to kick paid member listings further back much, much faster than normal. In response, I tend to bump my own listings more frequently. More frequently than I would otherwise have/feel need to. Much more during especially "ambitious" periods for such members. Some of them do this for three, four, and sometimes even seven (or so) ads at a time. That kicks a lot of listings down for free. I am not sure it violates a rule explicitly, but it is a pretty obvious tactic to circumvent the contributor-and-above bumping benefit and keep non-paying member ads at the forefront at the real estate expense of the paying member ads.
Thanks for giving this a read. I see many of these same folks often paying to be on KS because it is the only option to post there and trying to utilize a "loophole" here to get out of paying for a particular benefit.
I focus primarily on the Turtles & Tortoises portion of the classifieds. I have noticed a number of folks who are not contributors who seem to like to avoid paying, but want the benefits of bumping their ads. The typical workaround is to delete ads and repost them when they get a day or so old or drop into the area of the second (or so) page. This tends to kick paid member listings further back much, much faster than normal. In response, I tend to bump my own listings more frequently. More frequently than I would otherwise have/feel need to. Much more during especially "ambitious" periods for such members. Some of them do this for three, four, and sometimes even seven (or so) ads at a time. That kicks a lot of listings down for free. I am not sure it violates a rule explicitly, but it is a pretty obvious tactic to circumvent the contributor-and-above bumping benefit and keep non-paying member ads at the forefront at the real estate expense of the paying member ads.
Thanks for giving this a read. I see many of these same folks often paying to be on KS because it is the only option to post there and trying to utilize a "loophole" here to get out of paying for a particular benefit.
hhmoore
tired & cranky shadow
Rich had said numerous times that he's not going to limit one person's efforts just because another doesn't want to put as much work into their sales. If somebody wants his (or her) ads to stay on top, and is willing to repost several times daily, then he will maintain that choice ad positioning...as long as he manages his ads explained in my previous post.
To be honest, I don't usually scan the individual categories for duplicate ads (unless I'm bored, or can't sleep - then I might) - I just review the new posts regularly.
If somebody isn't managing their ads, report them or send me a message.
To be honest, I don't usually scan the individual categories for duplicate ads (unless I'm bored, or can't sleep - then I might) - I just review the new posts regularly.
If somebody isn't managing their ads, report them or send me a message.
Understood. I am just viewing it through a different lens, I guess. I would not mind bumping all day every day or reposting all day every day if that is considered acceptable work. It just did not fit with my impression of the spirit of the idea as I saw it (incorrectly or not). Thanks for the response.
hhmoore
tired & cranky shadow
I understand your point...but there's really only so much that can be done. Prior to the changes about which this thread was posted, people were "free bumping" - often several times daily - and almost nobody cleaned house by deleting their older bumps. I have my settings at 40 posts per page; and I could click on ads that had 2 full pages of "bump", "ttt", "still here", etc. Part of the solution also caused a problem - people could no longer do multiple post ads, so now they make separate ads.
Sure, there are ways to fix the issues you mentioned...but at a price; and custom features usually need to be redone when updates happen. Basically, Rich is trying to keep the classifieds appealing and useful to as many members as possible. I think it would be great if we could cater more toward our paid memberships; but you've probably seen how things go when changes are made.
As far as the people reposting groups of ads - scroll through the BP classifieds sometime...there are a couple of sellers that take up a page and a half when they post or bump.
Sure, there are ways to fix the issues you mentioned...but at a price; and custom features usually need to be redone when updates happen. Basically, Rich is trying to keep the classifieds appealing and useful to as many members as possible. I think it would be great if we could cater more toward our paid memberships; but you've probably seen how things go when changes are made.
As far as the people reposting groups of ads - scroll through the BP classifieds sometime...there are a couple of sellers that take up a page and a half when they post or bump.
Certainly.
As for the BP section, I have quickly noticed that which you have mentioned. My presence/involvement there is very small and, in some ways, I am almost glad it (the degree/extent of my presence) worked out that way.
Thanks again.
As for the BP section, I have quickly noticed that which you have mentioned. My presence/involvement there is very small and, in some ways, I am almost glad it (the degree/extent of my presence) worked out that way.
Thanks again.
Tugboat123
New member
Oh crap. I'm a new member. I started my account the other day so I could post an ad looking for somebody to adopt my Russian tortoise. I had never heard the term "ad bumping". Sadly, I just did that. I've only done it once, and I won't do it again now that I know about it. Sorry.
Do not sweat it. I took care of the bump-style post this time. Just be mindful to avoid it going forward, please. That way there are no warnings and point-bearing infractions.
Tugboat123
New member
I just put a new reply on my post. I decided to make it so people could have the tortoise entirely for free if they can completely prove that they have knowledge of Russians and prove that he will go to a good home. I want him to be happy. Just letting u know it wasn't an attempt at an ad bump. I just want people to know that I wouldn't charge somebody who is a great tortoise owner.
No worries.