FreeSpeach, No Moderation, No Banning of anyone. Would it work
Let someone else do the work, get rick, and find out. LOL
Let someone else do the work, get rick, and find out. LOL
If you were creating your own forum..
- Thread starter Webbs Billiards
- Start date
Jam,
Like I said, not looking to trump. Just adding a resource.
Like I said, not looking to trump. Just adding a resource.
Be prepared for a lot of time and effort and expense, with little back in return. Trust me on this one! I've got a forum now that sometimes feels more like a time- and money-burning operation than something productive.
So it'll be like my girlfriend?
Worse! Forums are high maintenance of your time and money. The girlfriend may appreciate it, but the majority of the forum participants won't. That's what is kind of sad. It's an effort in futility, I guess.
The industry members will only pay for advertising to a forum that has a high number of hits or a large readership.
I can name about a half-a-dozen pool forums now that are dead as a doornail compared to here. As I mentioned before, most pool peeps come here first and then go to their closed or unmoderated forums where they can talk about what's going on here.
1-at first, I would spend time to choose my forum pack, according to my needs, to the forum possibilities, check the functions & performances.... phpbb, vbulletin, IPB...
do NOT underestimate the importance of the code/server side !!
If I suppose the new forum is >10000 members
then I would, for sure, use the forum membership levels features at max.
2- I would build & structurate the staff :
admins would be by area of competences/expertise :
- server, hosting & coding side...
- forum side (forum features, moderation, membership=accounts monitoring, coding)
- project management= pool game & business , law & lawyers ...
moderators by level of expertise: forum system, moderation, business & sale moderations,....
3- I would work on the code of the forum registration process (let's improve& protect members privacy and members database ) and I would limit the 3d parties pieces of code to the strict minimum (ads & co = pollution, add a lot of load time... and privacy)
4- then I would base the new forum on levels of membership , privileges & co ...
to make it simple, valuable members could have privileges, like access to private areas, to forum moderation functions , some can be translators,...
play with the membership levels features !!
as for example, some members could be "under probation" (=unvoiced, read only) , some could be "voiced" (like a +v on IRC) , some could be " forum moderators" , some could be "VIPs"
5- if the forum is huge and well structurate, then I would add an IRC channel , for "live" help, chat, negociations, and even friendship....
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I've removed the used section, and replaced it with a link to az for used, and customs. Like I said, it's a place for dealers, and new equipment. It's designed as a resource. I welcome all billiard dealers, and have a private section just for dealers. Maybe someday az will link to billiarddealers.net to give folks a place to find the production cues, cases and dealers instead of trying to control them here.
I can't recall where I saw this. But there are a few forums that use that general main groups and then people can setup groups by invitations. Then those forums can have less crap in them. IMHO If I see another is this a balabushka thread I'll snap.
However, I must concur it would be real hard to compete with AZB
However, I must concur it would be real hard to compete with AZB
That's what I was promised back when we started to switch to AZ. I'm still waiting...
But on topic, it's marketing, and that doesn't have to mean selling. In a market like selling gasoline, your price is fixed. So gas stations compete by offering different products, services, and levels of quality. That's how we ended up with a Quickie-Mart attached to almost all of them.
You're not trying to compete with AZ, just have an alternative area for people to go. Since membership is free you'd need to offer something AZ does not if you want people there.
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What I'm offering is a place for billiard dealers to post their wares, where production cues are the main topic, and where you can find and discuss new equipment, and not get bumped to death by people who believe its custom or junk. Its a resource center for new merchandise and billiard dealers. It also has a dealer only section, that is hidden from public view to discuss trade topics, as well as a password protected area for wholesale trade topics. And noone will be posting below map, because I will have manufacturer rep members as well.
That sounds like a great idea. Not everyone needs/wants/knows about custom cues. Having a civil discussion about what the average player buys, including reviews by actual owners of those would be great. But, if it's centered around just your business it might not take off or find a limited audience.
Thats just it, my business will have no more space than any other. I have a fair mind towards this.
I've done this already,,,,,,,,it gets traffic, but not so many members,,,,but that's okay, as long as people find it useful it's worth the effort to me.
Why would AZB do that when all the production cue companies are advertising on AZB?
I think maybe, and respectfully, that you asked a question that you refuse to accept the answers to. Billiard Dealers aren't going to unite,,,,,MAP pricing takes care of that. They all sell the same thing, at the same price, so it's pretty much a cut throat game from there out.
Good luck with your forum.
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Funny, I think it has alot to do with attitude. I have many friends that are billiard dealers, and room owners. We get along just fine and we help each other when ever we can. So I guess it really depends on your attitude towards things. From a consumer view of things, I'd imagine it would seem to be just cut throat animals out here just trying to make a buck, but on my side where professionals deal with each other on a regular basis, its not that way. It's all about attitude, and respect. I've already "united" with plenty of dealers on AZ by the way, and Billiarddealers.net just gives an added place for us to do business.
It is true that it is hard to have a discussion here about production cues. Somebody invariably comes along and rains on the parade with some kind of a superior attitude about it. We can generally discuss some of the well respected "vintage" production cues, but not so much the current products. It's fine that people have their say on a particular issue, but sometimes the whole superiority thing gets a bit out of hand. People get talked down to, lectured, admonished, and generally berated. Most people buy and play with current production cues, by far in fact.
It will be interesting to see how another forum develops. To say that all the others do is discuss AZB simply isn't true. I don't hang around them so I don't really know most of them, maybe it is true of some. The other one that I do frequent really does not preoccupy itself with AZB at all. There is the occasional comment about AZB of course, but that certainly does not characterize that forum.
AZB is large, but sometimes it seems that some people feel that pool and billiards starts and ends at AZB. This just isn't true at all. In fact some of the most noted people in the industry aren't found here. This is a great forum, but it does not define the sport at all...it couldn't be farther from being such a force in fact. As for the rest of the web site, I don't even know what is there. I only frequent the forum. The only time I visit the primary AZB site is when I accidentally click on it. I have in fact never seen anything there that caught my eye and caused me to want to read.
As far as ideas...I am working on the dancing girls and free beer. My wife has already turned down the dancing gig and I won't give up my own beer. I am seeking options. I may have to think outside the box on this one.
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It will be interesting to see how another forum develops. To say that all the others do is discuss AZB simply isn't true. I don't hang around them so I don't really know most of them, maybe it is true of some. The other one that I do frequent really does not preoccupy itself with AZB at all. There is the occasional comment about AZB of course, but that certainly does not characterize that forum.
AZB is large, but sometimes it seems that some people feel that pool and billiards starts and ends at AZB. This just isn't true at all. In fact some of the most noted people in the industry aren't found here. This is a great forum, but it does not define the sport at all...it couldn't be farther from being such a force in fact. As for the rest of the web site, I don't even know what is there. I only frequent the forum. The only time I visit the primary AZB site is when I accidentally click on it. I have in fact never seen anything there that caught my eye and caused me to want to read.
As far as ideas...I am working on the dancing girls and free beer. My wife has already turned down the dancing gig and I won't give up my own beer. I am seeking options. I may have to think outside the box on this one.
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Maybe Justin Beiber would come and dance for you!!!
Maniac (j/k doc)
I wasn't sure who that might be so I Googled for some images. He is indeed a bit effeminate. Perhaps he would agree to putting on a skirt and shaking his stuff around for us? I am not sure but I somehow doubt that would have the effect we are looking for.
Apparently he sings. Perhaps he could belt out some classics for us? He does not look the part though, so somehow I doubt he can actually sing. Must be a pop star of some sort.
Would he bring beer? That would certainly make me consider the matter further.
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Good luck.