The race to 50, who will it be today and what do they want

[bulletsmith]

Every forum on this site is visible to the entire internet. If the goal is to attract people who will try to contribute in some meaningful way, and not just for the ability to trade, why not make the classifieds a members only forum that turns on only after some criteria is met?

I posted a comment earlier in this thread about being a site supporter. I was unaware that there was a vendor status and fee. That makes perfect sense. Does it need to become more of a requirement than a choice? When the consensus of the mods is that a member is using the site simply to further their business, it's pay up or no classifieds?

 

[pudly]

Every forum on this site is visible to the entire internet. If the goal is to attract people who will try to contribute in some meaningful way, and not just for the ability to trade, why not make the classifieds a members only forum that turns on only after some criteria is met?

A bit of a history lesson based on my time here and comments from Fenway, Mods and regular members:

Fenway wants this to be a gun community first with the classifieds as a perk for contributing members. There are dedicated gun classifieds sites for those who want that and/or are not honorable in their dealings. The classifieds are visible to everyone including search engines because they attract additional people. Unfortunately, this sometimes creates a tension with people trying to snipe firearm deals without contributing to this community. This led to the 50 post rule. The combination of visible classifieds and the 50 post rule works fairly well (but certainly not perfectly) and some people who first found out about the site via the classifieds become regular contributing members. In the end, it is all about a tension between (a) wanting people to find this site and (b) wanting to keep this a community site and not a free gun classifieds.

 

[SSGSAD]

It probably would not hurt to set some. Maybe only so many ads in a row?? Or in a time frame??

One a month ????? Unless you have been around for a while ..... 2-3 years ?????

 

[bulletsmith]

A bit of a history lesson based on my time here and comments from Fenway, Mods and regular members:

Fenway wants this to be a gun community first with the classifieds as a perk for contributing members. There are dedicated gun classifieds sites for those who want that and/or are not honorable in their dealings. The classifieds are visible to everyone including search engines because they attract additional people. Unfortunately, this sometimes creates a tension with people trying to snipe firearm deals without contributing to this community. This led to the 50 post rule. The combination of visible classifieds and the 50 post rule works fairly well (but certainly not perfectly) and some people who first found out about the site via the classifieds become regular contributing members. In the end, it is all about a tension between (a) wanting people to find this site and (b) wanting to keep this a community site and not a free gun classifieds.

OK then, it is what it is. I guess I was looking at it more of an issue with people coming here to sell, not so much to snipe deals.

 

[pudly]

OK then, it is what it is. I guess I was looking at it more of an issue with people coming here to sell, not so much to snipe deals.

Understood. The 50-post rule has done a pretty good job controlling snipers, but there currently is nothing to prevent people from getting to 50 and then camping out in the classifieds. At least they have to trade fairly to maintain a good trading reputation unlike on Hoosier Topics or other free sites.

 

[1911ly]

Every forum on this site is visible to the entire internet. If the goal is to attract people who will try to contribute in some meaningful way, and not just for the ability to trade, why not make the classifieds a members only forum that turns on only after some criteria is met?

I posted a comment earlier in this thread about being a site supporter. I was unaware that there was a vendor status and fee. That makes perfect sense. Does it need to become more of a requirement than a choice? When the consensus of the mods is that a member is using the site simply to further their business, it's pay up or no classifieds?

The 50 post rule or the site supporter fee is the criteria. The 50 post rule is abused by a select few. It's not hard to figure out who. I think it's ridiculous. F**k it's just freaken 20 bucks for gods sake.

I hate people that are just "users". I've ran most of them out of my life.

 

[GregD]

200 would be good, and six months as a member.

This is a great idea !

 

[eric001]

I don't tend to have a whole lot of $$ just burning holes in my pockets so I don't buy a whole lot of stuff out of the classifieds. That being said, I also am one who has passed over something I'd have loved to buy just because it was listed by a "classifieds squatter" kind of person. I feel there is an inherent level of dishonesty involved where someone has gained access to the classifieds and then basically just uses this site as their own clearinghouse instead of hosting their own website to sell all the stuff they want to sell. And I'm just paranoid enough that I do not want to be involved in any way with someone the .gov might later nail for running a gun business without the required paperwork involved.

Knowing full well that my opinion is pretty much of zero value in the grand scheme of things (I've been married long enough to learn this facet of reality), I'd dearly love to see the flippers have to pay a vendor fee to keep their internet business--and let's face it folks, the real flippers on here ARE running a business in the classifieds--going as they have in the past.

And kind of like the 50 post rule...where 50 is I'm guessing an arbitrarily chosen number... I'd love to see an arbitrary cap set, above which the vendor status is required to post additional adds. I don't spend enough time in the classifieds to have a firm idea of what that number should be, but just as a starting point for discussion the number 10/month comes to mind... I'm sure Fenway and the mods could come up with a more realistic number.

I'm hoping something like this set up eventually gets put in place, just because I value INGO for its people, discussions and amazing depth of knowledge available on so many topics. I would be disappointed at the least if INGO somehow gets the reputation of being just another place to sell/buy guns and related stuff.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

200 would be good, and six months as a member.

I too, like this idea. This is a great forum with lots of good information and entertainment. Much better than that lame book of faces.

 

[AmmoManAaron]

I think we've got a live one.

View Profile: trsowders76 - INGunOwners

 

[churchmouse]

Slowed him down a bit.

 

[Dead Duck]

76chevy

And He's Smokin!

 

[SSGSAD]

76chevy

And He's Smokin!

He only has 13 posts, now .....

 

[Dead Duck]

He has 3 when I decided to write my post.

I must be a slow typawriter.

 

[SSGSAD]

I think we've got a live one.

View Profile: trsowders76 - INGunOwners

Looks like a lot of one liners, to me .....

 

[1911ly]

He's on fire!! But I'd bet he looses a few before it's over.

 

[hopper68]

Up to 19!

 

[EvilKidsMeal]

76chevy

And He's Smokin!

Yea, this guy




Oh boy 22 now. Someone catch him! Haha

 

[1911ly]

He is at 25.

 

[Dead Duck]

Wait -
He joined in 2010.

What's in the classifieds tonight?