Too many ads

[rtbdragons]

Can anything be done about 1 person having his ads mostly filling up the first 5 pages ( and thats as far as I looked ). It gets boring and like I said I gave up at the 5th page. It is ninthof9 under bearded dragons. Sorry and thanks

 

[Dennis Hultman]

Your thread has been moved off the BOI and to the feedback forum.

Please read from post #22 in this thread.
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102321

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

Several of us have posted threads regarding a few members that monopolize the classifieds. It fell on deaf ears, and those few continue to monopolize the classifieds.

 

[Cat_72]

Several of us have posted threads regarding a few members that monopolize the classifieds. It fell on deaf ears, and those few continue to monopolize the classifieds.

You took the words right out of my mouth....or off from my keyboard, as the case may be.

 

[WebSlave]

Several of us have posted threads regarding a few members that monopolize the classifieds. It fell on deaf ears, and those few continue to monopolize the classifieds.

ARRGHHH!! Thanks for the barb between the ribs, ie: "deaf ears".

Sorry to disagree, but those previous arguments were not ignored, which I believe the evidence of which still exists in this forum. The arguments were rejected as being weak and without merit. Furthermore, I am not about to put myself in the position of protecting the unambitious from the ambitious when it comes to their business practices and their desire to use the resources at their disposal to the fullest in order to be competitive in the marketplace. This is a FREE resource (after being soundly trounced trying to limit classified posting to paid members only, no less), in which anyone can post as MANY ads as they wish without restriction.

But thank you for trying to keep the best interests of this site at heart. It is really appreciated.

 

[Cat_72]

Rich, the "deaf ears", at least in my sight, were the ears of those that were posting the whole slew of ads. Not you.

That said, I still find it annoying when someone posts a whole slew of ads and then bumps them multiple times daily, to make sure theirs are well above any other ads posted (some don't have the time to sit here and bump ads multiple times daily, ambition doesn't have a damn thing to do with it)....I'm not sure how that says anything about anyone having or not having the "best interest of the site" in mind.

It is kind of funny though....the thoughts being "rejected weak and without merit", yet keep being repeatedly voiced. Apparently a few people think they have merit.

 

[WebSlave]

It is kind of funny though....the thoughts being "rejected weak and without merit", yet keep being repeatedly voiced. Apparently a few people think they have merit.

Yes indeed, it is funny in a way. It's what is called a "vocal minority". The operative word being, of course, "minority". There will ALWAYS be a subset of members here who don't like something or other, no matter what it is.

All things considered, I still can't see that the classifieds are needing me to throw MY time, effort and money to "fix" something that is such a molehill, in my opinion.

And push come to shove, I really don't see the classifieds utilized all that overly much where it would be smart to take steps to INHIBIT what traffic some members are already providing there. I'm still hoping it will bounceback from the last ill advised step I took to start charging for people to post classified ads. Which I believe I am justified and giving a resounding "I TOLD YOU SO!" from posts in the past where I plainly stated I thought it was a BAD move, and resisted doing so. But to quell the usual complaints that I don't listen to people nor follow their advice, I decided to go against my own opinion and implement that suggestion anyway. Which pretty nearly KILLED the classifieds completely after about a year of trying it. I posted graphs showing this pretty plainly up in the Clubroom forum if anyone with access is curious to take a look.

So no, I'm not really willing to go against my (hoped for) better judgement in issues any longer that are apparently instigated by a "vocal minority".

But tell you what. How about this? You set up a poll to see how many people are upset about this "problem". I won't even require that you prove that a MAJORITY sees this as an issue. If you can get even 10 percent of the normal 800 or so registered members who log in each day to vote that it does bother them, then I'll put it on the plate to look at after the site gets that long awaited upgrade. Assuming, of course, that the upgrade doesn't drain the pocketbook too badly... If even a minimum of 80 registered members aren't concerned, then I'm afraid that I certainly cannot see any reason to waste my resources in the pursuit of satisfying such a minor issue as this.

Oh, and I also will want to place a wager about how quickly an implementation of a "fix" generates its own set of complaints from yet another "vocal minority"....

 

[Cat_72]

All things considered, I still can't see that the classifieds are needing me to throw MY time, effort and money to "fix" something that is such a molehill, in my opinion.

Rich, I will reiterate....I was NOT addressing you, nor expecting you to "fix" ANYTHING. Why the heck should I set up a poll about something I haven't even asked for nor wanted you to change?

Rich, the "deaf ears", at least in my sight, were the ears of those that were posting the whole slew of ads. Not you.

I only commented on the "weak and without merit" statement because even if it is a minority of folks who feel this way or speak up about it, it does not mean that the thought is without merit. It obviously has SOME amount of merit, perhaps not to you...but to some.

I also found it a bit offensive that you would state that people were griping about it because they didn't have the "ambition" to come in and bump their ads several times a day...I would have thought you of all folks would realize that many simply do not have time to do so. But of course, I'm sure that idea is without merit as well.

 

[Lucille]

I suggested on another thread that the bumpees get together and form a block of ads. In collusion, they could take turns bumping their block.
Creative ways to compete for customer attention in a tight market generally benefit the customer. I think a lot of work on the Faunaclassified classified by both readers and advertisers would be good for everyone to make it the kind of place that one would want to look at often. I went to the amphibiam classified to look the other day and less than half of the recent ads were for amphibians. Customers, if motivated enough, can send notes to sellers about their ads.
The idea of colluding to prevent advertising monopoly is something sellers could try and would seem to take care of the problem.

 

[WebSlave]

Rich, I will reiterate....I was NOT addressing you, nor expecting you to "fix" ANYTHING. Why the heck should I set up a poll about something I haven't even asked for nor wanted you to change?



I only commented on the "weak and without merit" statement because even if it is a minority of folks who feel this way or speak up about it, it does not mean that the thought is without merit. It obviously has SOME amount of merit, perhaps not to you...but to some.

I also found it a bit offensive that you would state that people were griping about it because they didn't have the "ambition" to come in and bump their ads several times a day...I would have thought you of all folks would realize that many simply do not have time to do so. But of course, I'm sure that idea is without merit as well.

Perhaps you need to re-read the opening post for this thread and tell me who it is being implied that should "do something" about this issue. Who else WOULD this thread be addressing? If not the person or persons managing this site, then who?

If your (and Marcia's) replies were addressing the persons responsible for the supposed problem then wouldn't it be more appropriate to directly address the persons being complained about rather than posting such replies in a thread in which you are saying does not have the same target audience as your own posts? Sorry if I don't follow the logic of what you are saying, and have assumed that replies in this thread had remained on topic.

So be that as it may, I believe my assumption, was a logical result of reasonable interpretation of the opening post in this thread, and the belief that the replies were likely on topic and directed at management of this site.

And as for the "ambition" comment, this is in reference the the other thread in this forum where from the later posts it is obvious to me that certainly some people would rather ME do something about the problem rather than coming up with their own solution to handle their competition in this marketplace. An ambitious person wouldn't come to me wanting me to do something about their competition. Someone IS ambitious and posting a lot of ads. Someone else apparently is not, and resents this ambitious person. Personally I don't care to reward someone for not being ambitious by dinging the ones who are ambitious.

I really have no intention of losing any sleep over yet someone else not liking something on this site and complaining about something so frivolous. Big friggin' deal. Someone posts more ads than someone else wants to.....

 

[rtbdragons]

This isn't competition to me because they don't even come close to what I produce. What it comes down to was make a rule of so many ads per day per person. I am trying to help you. You could get your name out there more with a Little bit more organization. When I sell on Kingsnake I give them Fauna as another site to find reptiles. You have to admit this site isn't as strong as Kingsnake. If you would just tweak some things you might get close. Don't take everything so personnel and try to look at it as someone trying to be helpful.

 

[Cat_72]

Perhaps you need to re-read the opening post for this thread and tell me who it is being implied that should "do something" about this issue. Who else WOULD this thread be addressing? If not the person or persons managing this site, then who?

If your (and Marcia's) replies were addressing the persons responsible for the supposed problem then wouldn't it be more appropriate to directly address the persons being complained about rather than posting such replies in a thread in which you are saying does not have the same target audience as your own posts

?

I read the initial post clearly. It was indeed asked if something could be done, and perhaps the intent was to ask you to do something, or perhaps not. I guess I didn't take it that way, but again my intention with my post was to simply say that yes, the topic had been brought up before, and yes, I know at least some of the people responsible for those ads were fully aware of the complaints and continued to keep posting in the same manner...Lucille also shared something that "could be done". Something not involving you having to do anything.

Sorry if I don't follow the logic of what you are saying, and have assumed that replies in this thread had remained on topic.

So be that as it may, I believe my assumption, was a logical result of reasonable interpretation of the opening post in this thread, and the belief that the replies were likely on topic and directed at management of this site.

I took the topic of the thread as being people who post and repost their ads several times daily.....and as such, the replies certainly have been on topic. Just because each of us made a different assumption....

And as for the "ambition" comment, this is in reference the the other thread in this forum where from the later posts it is obvious to me that certainly some people would rather ME do something about the problem rather than coming up with their own solution to handle their competition in this marketplace.

I suppose on this one, I had assumed that your replies were remaining on this topic, and did not know that they were in regard to a different thread. I don't remember the specifics of that thread, but think it quite unfair to lump everyone who hasn't the time to bump their ads several times per day "unambitious". As I said, I thought you of all folks would understand this, as busy as you are, especially during baby season. I have slow days (like yesterday and today) when I can get on here several times a day, but the majority of the time, I am lucky to have the time to get here once in a day.
But looking only at the posts made in THIS thread, I fail to see the logic in that assumption. I guess if you think I'm unambitious because of it, it's really no skin off my .

For goodness sakes, it all comes down to someone asked if anything could be done about it, and though I saw the OP's point, we already know you aren't going to, and the posters in question don't care if it annoys some people. That's all I meant to say. If more was read into/assumed from the posts, not my fault nor intention. Simple enough.

 

[Cat_72]

OK.....I'll be the first to point out, after Bob's latest post....I assumed incorrectly about what he meant.....

But I still stand by the other stuff I said. LOL.

 

[Golden Gate Geckos]

ARRGHHH!! Thanks for the barb between the ribs, ie: "deaf ears".

Rich, the "deaf ears", at least in my sight, were the ears of those that were posting the whole slew of ads. Not you.

If your (and Marcia's) replies were addressing the persons responsible for the supposed problem then wouldn't it be more appropriate to directly address the persons being complained about rather than posting such replies in a thread in which you are saying does not have the same target audience as your own posts?

Oh Rich... My comment was directed to those who abuse the classifieds, not you. I suppose I could have listed the names of those who monopolize the ads, put I didn't want to start any crap with other members. It seemed to be better simply to make a general statement to "try to keep the best interests of this site at heart", as you said you appreciated.

Besides, the few that do abuse the classifieds know who they are, and obviously don't care... or have deaf ears. These are the same kinds of people that cut in to the front of the lines to get their tickets at a concert or ball game. [sticks foot out to trip them].

Here's a couple of other threads on this subject:

http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102321
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=39805
http://www.faunaclassifieds.com/forums/showthread.php?t=101679

 

[WebSlave]

Marcia, I think it much more likely that those people don't even venture into the Feedback Forum, so probably never saw the threads about the issue. What I meant was to contact them directly with a PM or email which probably would have been the best way to get their attention, IMHO. Not hearing a tune doesn't necessarily mean they have "deaf ears". It could just mean that they didn't hear the tune.....

Thanks.

 

[kgymn]

I'd like to say that, to an extent, this is a little blown out of proportion as these posts are in fact all being made days apart. I have seen few, if any, double posts of the same animal from this poster. It's not their fault they have more to offer than other posters do. But in general, I find it rather annoying no matter what the forum for people to make one post per animal, when there is a whole clutch of them. If there's 4 or more animals, it just streamlines things and makes it more user friendly to lump them into one ad.

Theoretically, if this does become more of a problem, or even in fact to avoid it becoming one... One person monopolizing one classified section discourages other people from posting their ads in it. If your goal is to have more people posting in your classifieds, having someone posting redundant ads is not in your best interests. If your goal is to have it *look* as though the classifieds are filled with great herps at a surface glance, then that's another story.

As someone who is looking to see what is available, it is greatly discouraging to have to sift through a ton of posts to find the few that are relevant to what I am looking for. Also, even if I was considering one of the animals this one person is posting, that are all so similar to begin with, I'd quickly get discouraged simply by having to open up so many different posts just to see all the animals available in one group.

Most importantly, Allowing someone to monopolize a classified section turns away potential buyers for everyone posting, which in turn will discourage sellers from posting.

I don't see how making a few guidelines for posting classifieds would take up so much of your time. Perhaps the few people speaking out are the "vocal minority" simply because the 'majority' on this website doesn't appear to be interested in this specific type of animal. If this started happening more often on one of the classifieds for a more popular animal on this site (say, boas), I bet you'd be hearing a lot more about it.

In fact, I see making guidelines as something that could benefit these classifieds and give them an advantage over others, if you in fact simply set the guideline of "Please no more than 3 posts per clutch, per page" Condensing the related animals into fewer posts streamlines things and makes browsing much more user friendly. Which in turn would benefit buyers and sellers and make both more likely to use the site.

Just 2c from someone new to this forum. Take it for what you will.

~Katy

 

[KelliH]

It stinks when a few classifieds posters abuse the lack of rules in the Classifieds section to their advantage. We've had similar issues over on blah blah blah.net. Personally I think it makes a seller look desperate when they post ads every single day and/or try to monopolize the front page of the classifieds, that's just me though.

 

[hhmoore]

Perhaps the few people speaking out are the "vocal minority" simply because the 'majority' on this website doesn't appear to be interested in this specific type of animal. If this started happening more often on one of the classifieds for a more popular animal on this site (say, boas), I bet you'd be hearing a lot more about it.

Something quite similar happened last year(?) in the Ball Python classifieds. And it seems that most of the commentary in this thread has been from people not particularly interested in "this specific type of animal".

I've noticed the volume of ads by that seller, and (personally) think it is ridiculous. Whether his approach is considered motivated or a pain in the butt might be a matter of perspective...but individually listing that quantity of similar (almost identical) animals becomes tedious for one that might seriously be looking.

(I was going to state that it lended a sense of desperation, but Kelly offered that one up while I was shortening this post)

 

[Goanna]

I was just about to say something about this as well. Every time I come here to look at the classifieds all I see are pictures of 20 bearded dragons all from the same seller in the Recent Ad's section. It's pretty annoying.

From a programming aspect, I would say modify the classified section to only display the newset ads from each section, this way it's not just all bearded dragons or ball pythons. Or, just set a limit to posts per day per user to photopost classifieds.

Now Webslave, to make your life easier, these features have already been added to photopost classifieds, both as hacks for the version your are currently running, or as an included stable feature on the newest version 3.0.

The hack allows you to set a limit to the amount of free ads a user can have, and then once they reach the limit, they have to delete an older ad to make room for new ones, which keeps the playing field level. The new version I beleive has a more advanced system allowing posts per day.

Also, being that your classified is integrated with vBulletin, other PP classifieds users say that you can just use vbulletins built in post limit system to police the classifieds system. If that doesnt work, a limit of posts per specified time limit's (Example, 3 new posts in a particular area of the forums for 24 hours) modification already exists for vbulletin, again making modifications a bit easier on your end.

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=96848&highlight=Post+limit

 

[Goanna]

Oh, adding to my above post, the vbulletin hack will of course work on the older forum based classifieds section as well, although I dont think those get as much abuse as the Photopost powered classifieds.