Idea for the classifieds...

[Flametop]

I think the new way rocks. There are plenty of other areas on the board to jibber-jabber in. Don't know if I'm in the majority or not, but I'm a happy camper.

[jgcable]

Thanks Ron it read as follows ..


Do not derail other peoples classifieds. Unsolicited comments are not always welcome additions to someone trying to sell something. These types of posts will be deleted and continued infractions will be dealt with (lose access to the classifieds, banishment, etc) Also, please don't add your ad to someone else's; it's just as easy to make a new post as it is to reply to one.

Post an ad when you're sure you want to sell something, and include the price! In short, "I'm thinking about selling my..." threads will be removed. "Email for price" threads will be removed. Plain and simple, sell or don't. If this were a newspaper, you wouldn't waste the money or time having them print, "thinking about selling." If you want to entertain interest, take it to eBay, set your reserve ridiculously high and then be done with it.

Finally, we're calling an end to posts like "if it only had a" or "if I had the dough, I'd be all over this." it clutters up threads, adds no value, and quite honestly, is irritating as all hell. We've all been there, we all know what it's like. It's time to stop it.

If you have nothing to add of value to the thread, don't post! If you have questions, ask them, but "dude, that's sweet! I wish I had the dough, bro!!!" does NOT add value to the thread.

Not to fan a potential fire... BUT.... , those comments that you state brought no value to the classifieds section actually brought more value than you think. For example.... suppose a JCF'r lists an amp for sale. He gets little to no response in the classifieds section. Then..... I (the one and only jgcable) or better yet... Twisteramps posts a response to his thread. No... not that we bought it.. but rather its a really good amp and if I hadn't have just spent my money on another amp last week I would be "all over it". Suddenly, the seller is barraged with offers. Why? Its because some JCF'rs have expertise in certain types of gear and getting a thumbs up of approval from somebody who actually talks the talk and walks the walk is important and enough to help that buyer make a decision. Its all about info and feeling comfortable about buying something you never heard or played before. Thats why we all check Harmony Central. The difference between Harmony Central and the JCF is that most of the active well known members really know their stuff.
Say somebody posts a wah pedal for sale. Most likely they will get little to no response unless they are giving it away. Then.... I will post that it is a kick ass wah (and I only do that if it is truly kick ass). DONE. SOLD.
Sounds like I am tooting my own horn. Well, not really. I have learned a ton of stuff on the JCF and most of it has been from the responses in the classifieds section. I try to help bro's out buying and selling gear. They did it for me. I return the favor.
That is the interaction I am talking about. Its not just "nice guitar" or "nice amp".
You know.. when I was younger I would always go to the music store with one of my bandmates. Usually it was with my best friend Dave who is also a guitar player. Why? Because of the reinforcement I got from him when making a purchase or checking something out. Sometimes I would get blinded by the "bling" and he would tell me the real deal. Even if it was a simple statement like "dude, that guitar is awesome".
Some JCF members have a much easier time asking the right questions in a public forum rather than a private PM or email. Especially the ones who don't even know what questions to ask. Thats when the active members with expertise in certain gear really helped answer all the questions they might have.
I think that with close to 10,000 posts I have an idea of how the JCF works and what features it has that keeps it successful. The new site is awesome. The bells and whistles are all needed. Its much more interactive and professional looking and feeling. Actually, its the best operating message board I have ever had the pleasure of being a member of. With that said.. I still miss the interaction (some of it needless and pointless as stated earlier) that occured on a daily basis in the classifieds section. I thing it was the section that set the JCF apart from all the other message boards out there.

[quadperson]

Jgcable, you nailed it bro.

[MountainDog]

Jgcable, you nailed it bro.

+1
Another example is where someone wonders about a neck shape or thickness, and wonders how it compares to a Soloist or a Wolfie. Some of us happen to have the guitar for sale and some Soloists and a few Wolfies and can do the type of measurements a possible buyer candidate wants to see. Under the old rules, I could see the question, and measure my guitars and post the info myself. Under the new rules, a potential buyer might PM the seller asking that, but then the buyer has to put in a post asking people to PM the answers to the question....that just gets awkward and probably won't happen.

[MountainDog]

i actually find my self posting less and less because the new format is confusing and visually distracting to me...

+1,000

[dinkyjacksonman]

New rule seems fine to me so does the new format of the forum.
Great job Admins!

[model1]

+1 to both of your posts MountainDog and JGCable

[Crusher]

New rule seems fine to me so does the new format of the forum.
Great job Admins!

+1

[DonP]

I really miss the dialogue that used to go on in the classifieds. Yes, sometimes it got ridiculously off topic, but most of it seemed harmless to me. The replies to questions/comments almost always helped me learn more about the item for sale and also gave me an idea of the personality of the seller.

It would be great if somebody would moderate that area and just completely delete parts of posts that get totally off-topic. There would be some gray area here and there, but at least it wouldn't totally shut off all dialogue.

If that wouldn't work, how about this? When a seller gets a P.M., post the question and your reply. This would be similar to the question and answer part of Ebay. If a seller wants to post a question and their reply, they could do it. If not, then they could skip it. Is that within the rules of the board?

Overall, I find myself going to the classifies less and less. It just has a really cold atmosphere now. Not a good feeling when a person is considering dishing out their hard earned $$ for something.

I totally agree with it felling more "cold" and it's not as fun anymore. Also great amusement - I'm still pissed that the ChrisRocksUSA thread was deleted and he got kicked off the board before I had a chance to read it. I'm sure it was funny as hell.

I will admit I'm much more of a buyer than a seller, so I haven't seen the other side of the coin.

BTW, the LPF classifieds are the same way, FWIW, and I rarely cruise those.


One important thing to consider is getting "action" i.e. lots of attention / web hits /whatever. If less people are cruising the classifieds because of the changes, the end result might hurt sellers.

[RaVenCAD]

Why rule about 100+ posts to see the classifieds? I'm new here, and have a whopping 7-8 posts I think. That's not because I'm shady or out to scam someone. It's simply because I don't live on this forum like other people do. I feel the policy is very elitist and it does nothing to encourage me to make this place a regular stop in my surfing, so it'll take a long time for me to get those 100 posts. There is a holier-than-thou vibe to the whole approval thing.. Besides, what makes you think a guy with 101 or 15,000 posts is any less shady than a guy visting only for the purpose of selling a guitar some dead relative left him? He might not give a rat's ass about being part of the community here, he just wants to put his item infront of a group of people that might appreciate it instead of blindly listing it on ebay and hoping someone stumbles upon it. I, as a Charvel fan, want to see that guitar and might even buy it. Excluding me based on that fact that I'm new here is highly insulting.

[StukaJU87]

Why rule about 100+ posts to see the classifieds? I'm new here, and have a whopping 7-8 posts I think. That's not because I'm shady or out to scam someone. It's simply because I don't live on this forum like other people do. I feel the policy is very elitist and it does nothing to encourage me to make this place a regular stop in my surfing, so it'll take a long time for me to get those 100 posts. There is a holier-than-thou vibe to the whole approval thing.. Besides, what makes you think a guy with 101 or 15,000 posts is any less shady than a guy visting only for the purpose of selling a guitar some dead relative left him? He might not give a rat's ass about being part of the community here, he just wants to put his item infront of a group of people that might appreciate it instead of blindly listing it on ebay and hoping someone stumbles upon it. I, as a Charvel fan, want to see that guitar and might even buy it. Excluding me based on that fact that I'm new here is highly insulting.

RaVenCAD, I think the rule has more to do with getting new members to participate and BECOME a known and active member of the forum. As people get to know you, and the thousands of other "junior members", they will feel more comfortable dealing with you and them.
Don't take it as elitist, or take it personally.

[jackson1]

..what makes you think a guy with 101 or 15,000 posts is any less shady than a guy visting only for the purpose of selling a guitar some dead relative left him?

Because there's at least two good reasons for having the rule:

One, simply because 100+ posts from a user will usually tell what kind of person he/she is. Confidence.

Two, this board doesn't benefit from the newbie hit and run members that come here only to sell a guitar and then dissappear.

[~K~]

It prevents a boatload of issues

Encourages participation
Removes Spam
Removes scammers

etc ..

Please don't come here sign up a new account and call us elitist because you feel a policy shouldn't apply to you. People before you put in sweat equity to get there and it isn't fair to them and highly insulting to all of us .

I certainly hope you come here and participate and enjoy the forum. I'm sorry if you feel by not accessing our classifieds you are not getting your moneys worth ..I'll gladly refund your membership dues if you want to cancel ..

[RaVenCAD]

I understand that reasoning, but I still feel insulted that someone thinks he/she has the need or the right to evaluate me before I'm allowed to see someone else's ads. A dedicated scammer could easily have 100 posts in 2 days, then they'd be free to do whatever they please. I feel it is a BS, elitist, discriminatory policy, and based on that, if I ever do get 100 posts here, it isn't a place I'll ever do business. I'm sure that opinion and $0.50 will buy someone a cup of coffee, but that's how I feel about it.

[~K~]

The policy is 100 posts/45 days)