I have come to realize that the people with the most knowledge only post occasionally, and many of the people who post all the time, are not experts.
I miss the FS old forum
- Thread starter deanoc
- Start date
I have come to realize that the people with the most knowledge only post occasionally, and many of the people who post all the time, are not experts.
Irony.
AZ management *asked* it's members not to bump for sale threads more than once every 48 hours in order to be fair to all sellers, so sales threads wouldn't keep getting bumped off the first pages so fast. Compliance was shaky.
The op of this thread, deanoc, is a classic example of why the new wanted/for sale format became necessary.
Posting threads that were contests or asking members to respond in a thread that they will buy one of the x number tribute schons that were going to be made or asking potential buyers to 'trust me' that if you send me a g-note or 2 g-notes that I will send you something worth more, or the running joke about never posting pictures of what was being offered for sale, that even this would invite more commentary and do-gooders trying to find and post pics for him, all resulting in incessant bumping of these threads.
All very clever marketing, imo, but also patently unfair to all others who tried to abide by the 48 hour bump rule.
It boggles my mind that the unfairness of all that seems to be lost on dean.
and to be perfectly clear, I think dean is an extremely fair trader who takes excellent care of his customers, but that is a separate issue.
I do miss two things about the old forum:
1. The meaningful commentary that added *valuable* info we may not have known about the item being offered. And no, not that it hits a ton or that the seller is one of the very best.
2. That when someone is wanting to buy a particular item and if I had it I could post pics and a description of it in the thread so the poster could consider it, and also if they weren't interested then someone else might see it and be interested. But, of course, I could just post a new for sale thread.
On the whole and because there was so much abuse in the old system, I think the new format where only the orig poster of a thread can post in their thread and can only do so every 48 hours minimum, is a big improvement.
I am also thankful that the Panjo thing was 86'd.
best,
brian kc
AZ management *asked* it's members not to bump for sale threads more than once every 48 hours in order to be fair to all sellers, so sales threads wouldn't keep getting bumped off the first pages so fast. Compliance was shaky.
The op of this thread, deanoc, is a classic example of why the new wanted/for sale format became necessary.
Posting threads that were contests or asking members to respond in a thread that they will buy one of the x number tribute schons that were going to be made or asking potential buyers to 'trust me' that if you send me a g-note or 2 g-notes that I will send you something worth more, or the running joke about never posting pictures of what was being offered for sale, that even this would invite more commentary and do-gooders trying to find and post pics for him, all resulting in incessant bumping of these threads.
All very clever marketing, imo, but also patently unfair to all others who tried to abide by the 48 hour bump rule.
It boggles my mind that the unfairness of all that seems to be lost on dean.
and to be perfectly clear, I think dean is an extremely fair trader who takes excellent care of his customers, but that is a separate issue.
I do miss two things about the old forum:
1. The meaningful commentary that added *valuable* info we may not have known about the item being offered. And no, not that it hits a ton or that the seller is one of the very best.
2. That when someone is wanting to buy a particular item and if I had it I could post pics and a description of it in the thread so the poster could consider it, and also if they weren't interested then someone else might see it and be interested. But, of course, I could just post a new for sale thread.
On the whole and because there was so much abuse in the old system, I think the new format where only the orig poster of a thread can post in their thread and can only do so every 48 hours minimum, is a big improvement.
I am also thankful that the Panjo thing was 86'd.
best,
brian kc
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yeah, that happens how often, once a year ?? Then the cue maker can send a PM to the OP with permission to post his response about how good he is.
I mean, it's the OP;s job to sell his cue, not everyone else on the forum.
I like the "Wanted/For Sale" in its current construct without all the "noise". I've purchased several items without issue and appreciate this section for what it's supposed to be. There is always the "Main Forum" or "Cue and Case" areas if you want a little activity or commentary.
People will buy something if it's worth buying based on their personal preference. If you have been trying to sell something that hasn't sold in sometime...then no matter how hard you bump it; it probably won't well.
People will buy something if it's worth buying based on their personal preference. If you have been trying to sell something that hasn't sold in sometime...then no matter how hard you bump it; it probably won't well.
A few years ago, I noticed that a stolen cue was posted for sale here on AZ. I contacted the seller privately and put him in touch with my friend who had his police report, original sale info, etc. This seller is a super honorable guy and one everyone trusts....but what if it was a new or unknown seller (or worse yet the thief) who nobody knew and chose to ignore me. The way things are now I couldn't go into that thread and warn everyone.
Sure, that's when mods can get involved or you could make a new post in another section, but really, there have been times things like that aren't seen or have been reported to the mods and were presumably ignored, missed or just overseen.
As with anything, you have to weigh the good with the bad with how the forum functions.
At this point, I'm not for or against anything here now because I think the fat lady has sung her tune and the train's leaving the station here. The abusers killed everything here, imo, and it was a long time coming on. Fb is where the new wave of excitement is at as far as buying and selling and is more like the wild west. lol
Love AZ and I've been active here for a long time, but as more and more people leave this forum for other venues, a LOT of the associated GOOD INFO that this place became known for being the go-to source for, will leave also.
I hope that is not the case, the last part. There were a lot of knowledgeable and helpful posters here in the past. I don't see nearly as many active here anymore.
Sure, that's when mods can get involved or you could make a new post in another section, but really, there have been times things like that aren't seen or have been reported to the mods and were presumably ignored, missed or just overseen.
As with anything, you have to weigh the good with the bad with how the forum functions.
At this point, I'm not for or against anything here now because I think the fat lady has sung her tune and the train's leaving the station here. The abusers killed everything here, imo, and it was a long time coming on. Fb is where the new wave of excitement is at as far as buying and selling and is more like the wild west. lol
Love AZ and I've been active here for a long time, but as more and more people leave this forum for other venues, a LOT of the associated GOOD INFO that this place became known for being the go-to source for, will leave also.
I hope that is not the case, the last part. There were a lot of knowledgeable and helpful posters here in the past. I don't see nearly as many active here anymore.
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A few years ago, I noticed that a stolen cue was posted for sale here on AZ. I contacted the seller privately and put him in touch with my friend who had his police report, original sale info, etc. This seller is a super honorable guy and one everyone trusts....but what if it was a new or unknown seller (or worse yet the thief) who nobody knew and chose to ignore me. The way things are now I couldn't go into that thread and warn everyone.
Sure, that's when mods can get involved or you could make a new post in another section, but really, there have been times things like that aren't seen or have been reported to the mods and were presumably ignored, missed or just overseen.
As with anything, you have to weigh the good with the bad with how the forum functions.
At this point, I'm not for or against anything here now because I think the fat lady has sung her tune and the train's leaving the station here. The abusers killed everything here, imo, and it was a long time coming on. Fb is where the new wave of excitement is at as far as buying and selling and is more like the wild west. lol
Love AZ and I've been active here for a long time, but as more and more people leave this forum for other venues, a LOT of the associated GOOD INFO that this place became known for being the go-to source for, will leave also.
I hope that is not the case, the last part. There were a lot of knowledgeable and helpful posters here in the past. I don't see nearly as many active here anymore.
If you didn't get satisfaction from the poster of the cue, couldn't you just start a thread in the main forum? Theoretically, more people would see it there...
Theoretically sure, but what guarantee is there that a particular buyer would stumble across that thread in a different section. So that's a 2nd best option. There are of plenty of folks who just frequent the W/FS area exclusively and do not frequently view or participate in other forum sections here. On the flipside there are also many who are active on the main section who do not frequent W/FS.
yes, yes it is. Plus, I don't have to go bump my own magic chalk for 48 hours, in the past you had to do it on the hour or you were on page three after 30 minutes. It was borderline ridiculous.
But the little group of sellers didn't mind... lol Buncha nitwits.
"Nice cue!"
"Beautiful cue!"
"I really like that cue!"
"I bet it hits a ton!"
"_____ makes great cues!"
"That's a player for sure!"
But these two are my absolute favorites!
"I hit with this cue and it plays lights out!" - On a thread for a cue listed "unchalked"
"That price is a steal!" - On a thread that's two years old.
Agreed, but we all know that when it comes to selling your hard earned work the most basic aspect of selling is what's important. Rule number 1. ABC (always be closing) and I would never have bought cues from great cue makers like Wayne Holmes, BHQ, Sugartree etc if it wasn't for solid feedback in the BST forum. These comments do help sales.
This is precisely why there has been a migration to social media, its less restricting and more open.
With that said...I'm not a fan of facebook. I think the forum here would thrive again with some key changes.
Yeah, that's all fine and dandy but so far away from what is really applicable in reality.
Its "everyone" else's experiences that create and grow a reputation. Its the backbone of marketing and one of the most fundamental aspects of sales...customer opinions, word of mouth, etc.
Again...its a simple fix. Stop the bumping. Address the real problem.
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I like the new rules, both as a buyer and a seller.
I don't sell often (I think 4-5 times in 3 years), but it was very discouraging when my post would get relegated to page 3 within 2 hours by people bumping their friends' posts with helpful, informative comments like "Nice cue!" or "Good luck with your sale." Thanks. That's real important information.
I also like it as a buyer because each post stays around longer, and I'm not seeing the same threads on the first page every time I visit.
However, I would re-consolidate the sections. It was interesting to see what people wanted to buy without going to another forum.
I don't sell often (I think 4-5 times in 3 years), but it was very discouraging when my post would get relegated to page 3 within 2 hours by people bumping their friends' posts with helpful, informative comments like "Nice cue!" or "Good luck with your sale." Thanks. That's real important information.
I also like it as a buyer because each post stays around longer, and I'm not seeing the same threads on the first page every time I visit.
However, I would re-consolidate the sections. It was interesting to see what people wanted to buy without going to another forum.
Great, but the time for "marketing" one's self as a cue maker is NOT when a guy is trying to sell his own cue. The reputation should be there before the sale, not at the point of sale. Otherwise, it could be all bs for all you know.
I bet you buy lots of stuff on late night TV
I have said it a thousand times...
What, for lack of better words, pisses me off, is that there are thousands of vBulletin plug-ins. Including plug-in's that only allow bumps if the OP clicks a link at the top of the page that bumps the thread. There are also settings that allow all members to reply, including the OP, that do not "bump" the thread. There is another setting that only allows the thread to be bumped every 24 hours... Want to know what it looks like? Try posting back to back to back, the forum shows a message and makes you wait ____ number of seconds/minutes/hours to post again.
How do I know all of this? Because it works on other vBulletin forums I frequent. I've suggested this to the mods and I've only met opposition from the nitwits that don't understand how to post pictures or type a complete sentence.
AzB posted rules in a sticky, that many skim over, and never enforced them. The excuse I was given is that it's hard for the mods to catch everything. How many mods does AzB have exactly? There should be separate moderators for every section and sub-forum. It lightens the load. Most forums have Admins & Moderators. When the load gets to heavy, they select more Admins, Global Moderators, Forum Moderators, and Sub-Forum Moderators. Hell, I've seen Moderators that only patrol the W/FS sections. To my knowledge we have Wilson, Mike, and Jerry. That's three people trying to patrol 51,000 members. Last time I checked, there were near 2,000 members online and Mike was one of them. 1 Mod per 2,000 members is not enough.
I need a beer.
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I agree
One person there has five pages of him bumping up his sale post. He has multiple postings as well.
One person there has five pages of him bumping up his sale post. He has multiple postings as well.
Building a reputation occurs at all points of a sell and including the creative/building process. Its all inclusive. That is reality.Great, but the time for "marketing" one's self as a cue maker is NOT when a guy is trying to sell his own cue. The reputation should be there before the sale, not at the point of sale. Otherwise, it could be all bs for all you know.
I bet you buy lots of stuff on late night TV
All I'm saying is what this poster is stating below and that it would be real easy to simply address the real issues rather than to remove an entire chuck of what a message board is all about.
I've owned and admin'd many vB forums. I couldn't agree more.
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And the OP is free to write whatever glowing comments he wants. hits a ton, best maker in the business, provide the cue makers website, show comments about his ability from past azb threads, show photos, show pro's that use their cue, put some of the cue makers own marketing in the thread as well.
It really is limitless what someone can do to advertise their cue. But folks are lazy or just don't know how to market it. Not our job to do their job for them. I think I market $8 chalk in the "for sale" threads better than most folks market a $2K cue.
My "ad" is huge. I got Dr. Dave test results, I got pro's name in there, I got the competitions name in there, I got everything but the kitchen sink.
Heck, some folks don't even tell you what woods the cues are for goodness sake. They don't deserve to sell their cue just on general principle. If they put all the details and spend more than 2 minutes creating the thread, they'd have a lot better luck. But it takes time to weigh the butt, and all shafts, and list the tip, the wrap, the condition, the maker, the age, the woods, the joint, the inlay materials, type of ferrules, etc. etc.
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WFS section
Personally I liked it better the old way.
I think it is possible to have more then one section and I don't see why we couldn't have one section set up the way it was and have another section the way it is now.
That would pretty much make everyone happy except the MODS I guess.
I am sure the amount of complaints that was coming from the WFS when it was the old way was a bit overwhelming .
But seeing AZB is the greatest pool forum in the world maybe modifying the WFS as said above would make the forum even better.
It would also be nice to have photography and video section.
Personally I liked it better the old way.
I think it is possible to have more then one section and I don't see why we couldn't have one section set up the way it was and have another section the way it is now.
That would pretty much make everyone happy except the MODS I guess.
I am sure the amount of complaints that was coming from the WFS when it was the old way was a bit overwhelming .
But seeing AZB is the greatest pool forum in the world maybe modifying the WFS as said above would make the forum even better.
It would also be nice to have photography and video section.
That would be nice, and it would be nicer if all along certain people would of posted
their crap in a gentlemanly fashion.
About 3 or 4 years ago a certain trunk monkey mentality found it's way to the forum,
rules had to be changed, but without enforcement, or added rules that cover
etiquette, well, look what happened.
The rule changes created more chaos because of the guys who are always looking
for that angle to keep their crap out in front, and the friends & neighbors that have to
say "I've held this cue, blah nice cue blah"
Now with few cheating options left, there are still guys that will do anything to get
their crappy equipment on the front page.
There are also members who feel they're entitled, which doesn't help the situation,
and my favorite are the guys who feel the need to bump their stupid thread when
they finally sell the cue.
Apparently it's important to announce to the world that you sold a pool cue.
The forum will be better in the long run under the current structure.
The guys who can't play by the rules, and still move their overpriced crap will go
back to Ebay & Craigslist.