tedmanzie Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 i guess that's where the banner advertising comes in. lots of forum based classifieds are free - gearslutz for example. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Lets wait until its finished then try it. If we decide its not working we can look at alternatives. What would people say to a forum based area but where members must pay a fee to make a listing, say £20 a year or something? The reason for this new system is two fold, mainly because we think it'll make browsing easier with thumbnails and because it'll make some £ we need. Lets try it, remember its not finished yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shonks Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 gumtree is free as you all know!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 annual fee won't work in my opinion, listing stuff is generally spur of the moment behaviour. you could get members to pay a fee and only members can list but i wouldn't be surprised if a lot of people bailed out. i would rather pay listing fee, but as mentioned i think you should generate income by alternative ways if possible. main issues on the new classifieds is that it feels too restricted with the 'questions' 'features' etc. and its quite impersonal but i can't quite work out why. maybe the 'conversation' aspect of the current system is the thing. at the moment there are enough listings that it doesn't get out of control and its mostly UK based. gearslutz is a nightmare for buying and selling to be honest because its too worldwide and too many users. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shonks Posted November 23, 2012 Author Share Posted November 23, 2012 if you start charging a fee you'll end up with a site mainly of amateurs and hobbyists. Most pro players wont buy into something like this I reckon. For no other reason other than most of 'em are brassik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Works for Talkbass.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 Meant to say - the new section, when finished, will be customisable to allow threads below the posts etc. However that'll cost some dosh so until we start making some we'll adapt as we go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 (edited) Ped... Is there a possibility that the clickthrough ratio on ads has dropped since the constant thread updates problem began? It must have affected traffic to the site, surely? Edited November 23, 2012 by wateroftyne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1353700352' post='1877708'] Ped... Is there a possibility that the clickthrough ratio on ads has dropped since the constant thread updates problem began? It must have affected traffic to the site, surely? [/quote] Yes we're feeling the difference mainly due to the mobile theme issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted November 23, 2012 Share Posted November 23, 2012 [quote] Yes we're feeling the difference mainly due to the mobile theme issues. [/quote] Blimmin' mobile users! *sheepish look* I wonder how much of any fall in traffic is due to users no longer having to log on to follow threads? (Sorry to be curious. This stuff is my day job.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shonks Posted December 3, 2012 Author Share Posted December 3, 2012 I still think te classifieds echo Gumtree, and gumtree has a wider audience, so not much point using classifieds here. The market place forum was just that, a forum and so gave BC a club type feel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 Maybe it did, but having not bought or sold for a few months, I started looking in earnest again recently, and was surprised by a ) the apparent large rise in non-UK sellers and b ) the large number of ads by people with no posts who have just joined to flog something, either with a link to an eBay listing or a one liner posted from a phone. It's also surprising, in these difficult times, with the for sale forum awash with so many ads, that people are expecting a wholly unreasonable price for their item, usually accompanied by a "I paid (current rrp + 10%) for it 5 years ago". The above goes some way to explaining why the majority of instruments are ending up unsold. I'm not really a fan of the classifieds approach but my main gripes at the moment are no photos, having to look in two places for ads while the switchover happens, and a lack of discussion on the classifieds. There is a Questions option but I haven't yet seen a single question posted. Once the photos are appearing and the old forum closes to new posts and replies I'm sure we'll get used to it. Personally I'd be happy to pay a fee to list something for sale here because I think it is a superb resource for bass and far more pleasurable to deal with BC members than eBay or Gumtree. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandomBass Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='Shonks' timestamp='1353577708' post='1876157'] i feel like the character on the' fast show' the one in the pub who agreed with everyone even they had conflicting views...doh! [/quote] Yeah you are totally right, I know exactly how you feel.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='XB26354' timestamp='1354525126' post='1886847'] I'm not really a fan of the classifieds approach but my main gripes at the moment are no photos, having to look in two places for ads while the switchover happens, and a lack of discussion on the classifieds. There is a Questions option but I haven't yet seen a single question posted. Once the photos are appearing and the old forum closes to new posts and replies I'm sure we'll get used to it. Personally I'd be happy to pay a fee to list something for sale here because I think it is a superb resource for bass and far more pleasurable to deal with BC members than eBay or Gumtree. [/quote] The problem is though, regardless of whether the new system cuts down on the issues you've mentioned, the activity and traffic is going to plummet. ...unless the devs have something under their sleeves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1354525812' post='1886860'] The problem is though, regardless of whether the new system cuts down on the issues you've mentioned, the activity and traffic is going to plummet. ...unless the devs have something under their sleeves. [/quote] I'm not so sure. People still want to flog stuff and it's clearly a buyer's market at the mo. My only worry would be a reduction in activity from those that post outside the classifieds and contribute. I'd be happy to lose the one line from a phone listings with no location, price or photos! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 At this point in time, I still don't feel comfortable with the Classifieds section (yet) but think that Ped and all the BC team need to be supported through the process, while they try to get it right... with of course, constructive feedback from all of us who use the site regularly. It can't be easy to develop the site into a sustainable business that also retains it's sense of community (something we all value highly), especially when funds are clearly very tight. In terms of my own contribution, personally, I 'd be happy to pay an annual membership fee. Equally, I think some kind of charging system in the Classifieds section is fair, particularly if it's puts some kind of brake on those people who join the Forum just to sell something and then never contribute anything else to Basschat as a whole. My only proviso would be that, whatever format the Marketplace or Classifieds section ultimately takes, it should if possible retain / provide the ability for Basschatters to participate and generate in comment and discussion; it is a very valuable resource and one I've always looked to when buying/selling.. Anyway, isn't that why this place was called 'Basschat' in the first place! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuzzbass2000 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 I really miss the conversational aspects. Yes there were quite a few "wish I had the dosh" type comments, but in amongst all of that I learned so much from the interaction between the buyers and sellers - as well as the interested parties who might not have had the cash, but did have the knowledge. That's the one thing I don't like about Gumtree - no interaction. Another thing I'm finding is a bit of a pain is if I click on the features or questions tabs, they are effectively new pages - so to get back to the full listing I've now got to hit back a few times or find the classified button at the top, get the full list, select the filters etc.... so it seems like you've introduced more clicks. So... not quite working for me yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='XB26354' timestamp='1354527261' post='1886875'] I'm not so sure. People still want to flog stuff and it's clearly a buyer's market at the mo. My only worry would be a reduction in activity from those that post outside the classifieds and contribute. I'd be happy to lose the one line from a phone listings with no location, price or photos! [/quote] But this is a huge aspect of it. Passing traffic drives the growth. Without it, it'll stagnate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 (edited) I try and shift stuff locally first anyway. I can't remember the last time I looked at the new classifieds. I keep forgetting to click it. I think the buying and selling aspect is part of the heartbeat of BC, and I'm guessing it's the entry point for a huge chunk of users who then get involved in the wider community. Splitting it off is like cutting off part of the water supply and diverting it elsewhere. Edited December 3, 2012 by wateroftyne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='XB26354' timestamp='1354525126' post='1886847'] Maybe it did, but having not bought or sold for a few months, I started looking in earnest again recently, and was surprised by a ) the apparent large rise in non-UK sellers and b ) the large number of ads by people with no posts who have just joined to flog something, either with a link to an eBay listing or a one liner posted from a phone. [/quote] I don't have any problem at all with people with no posts joining just to put something up for sale, or joining just to buy something without posting in the rest of the forum. And in fact this is a very important plus side of the [i]old[/i] forum sales section as it is has a large amount of self regulation going on - eg. [i]other members[/i] will comment "you need to state a price" or "this thread needs photos" or "where are you based" etc and you can often tell by the buyers communication skills and responses whether they are worth dealing with. You'll also get another member saying if they know the seller etc. So for this reason alone I am keen to keep the old section. I know i keep going on about it but obviously a lot of members feel the same way, and the impersonal 'classifieds' is not the best way going forward, unless it can incorporate a post/comment system to mirror what we already have in the old section. Also i don't know if the photo upload is fixed yet but this is having a real detrimental effect on the sales section as a lot of people don't know how to link to photo hosting sites and we're getting loads of "email me and i'll send you some pictures" which is hopeless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='ted_manzie' timestamp='1354529153' post='1886912'] I don't have any problem at all with people with no posts joining just to put something up for sale, or joining just to buy something without posting in the rest of the forum. And in fact this is a very important plus side of the [i]old[/i] forum sales section as it is has a large amount of self regulation going on - eg. [i]other members[/i] will comment "you need to state a price" or "this thread needs photos" or "where are you based" etc and you can often tell by the buyers communication skills and responses whether they are worth dealing with. [/quote] Neither do I, but, just like with eBay, if someone joins, has no feedback and lists something for £2500 the alarm bells ring immediately for me. I agree that self regulation is good, but I have always found it irritating that you see a thread on something you like, then you get into the ad, everything's great until there is no price nor location. It's fine to ask where someone is based but not on every second ad. Some people are fine buying from abroad or the other end of the country but I like to try first, and there's nothing more frustrating than having to ask or PM, only to find out they're hundreds of miles away! It is mandatory to state a price but most of the casual sellers didn't bother to read the rules and posted anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='XB26354' timestamp='1354529880' post='1886921'] Neither do I, but, just like with eBay, if someone joins, has no feedback and lists something for £2500 the alarm bells ring immediately for me. [/quote] 'Buyer beware' should always apply, though...? IMO, this is such a small drawback if the benefit is a vibrant, growing community. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 [quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1354528389' post='1886898'] But this is a huge aspect of it. Passing traffic drives the growth. Without it, it'll stagnate. [/quote] But how many users does a site really need? I can think of hundreds of people that post here regularly, and probably up to a couple of thousand people whose names I at least vaguely recognise. I feel that there are already plenty of people on here and enough turnover of users to prevent stagnation. How much real value is there to either us or BC if someone joins, posts a for sale ad a very high price and then vanishes, never to be seen again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 This is not intended to mean any kind of exclusivity. Just that it's nice if there is a reasonable percentage of people on here that we can recognise! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tedmanzie Posted December 3, 2012 Share Posted December 3, 2012 the location thing is made worse by the profile not showing up in mobile devices apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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