Yes, its been beaten to death but one of the main issues is that very few have offered actual applicable solutions to fixing the issue. No shortage of complaints and suggestions, some good some bad.
Here are some actual plugins and mods that I think will restore the For Sale forum close enough to its previous state while making sensible corrections that address the original concerns that led to all the changes.
Plus a few of my suggestions that are easily implemented.
Some of these will likely require a vbulletin upgrade but that shouldn't be a big issue.
1. Bump Prevent - The BumpPrevent Plugin allows bumping of a thread only by the Creator of the Thread after a specified Time elapsed.
http://vb-plugins.com/bump-prevent.html
This solves the issue of everyone's comments bumping a thread and gives the OP the ability to bump the thread but only after a specified time period. Such as 24 or 48 hours.
2. Pay to Post - With the Pay2Post Plugin you can setup paid forum section and members need to pay to activate their Thread. This can be useful for a Classified Ads or Advertising section on your forum.
http://vb-plugins.com/pay2post.html
A premium sub section for dealers, heavy flippers, cue makers and online storefronts.
It has been discussed that dealers and heavy sellers be permitted to sell in their own dedicated forum. This allows for a charge to use that sub forum. The advantage to the dealer is that there would be less traffic with more exposure. There could be a number of additional benefits added to this like dedicated library or even a dedicated Sub forum store front. Which I think is much needed here.
3. Mark as Sold- This modification will allow you & your members (based on usergroup permissions) to mark a thread as "Sold". It will add the prefix "SOLD" to the thread title, and if set in the admincp - it will also close the thread.
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=271747
Here's my outline that I believe will work. Not an end all be all. I'm certain that some changes along the way will be needed but this will go a long way in restoring the market here.
1. Cue flippers, cue sellers, dealers and cue makers should be afforded their own subsection to advertise independently from the For Sale Forum.
IE - for 200 bucks a year or a pay per thread mod you'll have your own subsection to post your items for sale, share your current work and post to your own gallery. This could be customized in many different ways. These "pay for" subforums have been successful on many other forums. Your own little retail/advert area.
In the For Sale forum -
2. Install a mod that allows posts but prohibits the posts from bumping the thread.
3. Install the bump prevent feature and set it for every 48 hours. Allowing the user to bump the thread after the set time and partner this with the Mark as Sold mod which will close the thread.
4. Add moderators. There should be no less than 5 active mods for this section.
These few changes will control the bumping without stifling the conversation. The subforums open up a stream of revenue and allow those who want to pay a place to showcase their work or create threads in bulk.
Here are some actual plugins and mods that I think will restore the For Sale forum close enough to its previous state while making sensible corrections that address the original concerns that led to all the changes.
Plus a few of my suggestions that are easily implemented.
Some of these will likely require a vbulletin upgrade but that shouldn't be a big issue.
1. Bump Prevent - The BumpPrevent Plugin allows bumping of a thread only by the Creator of the Thread after a specified Time elapsed.
http://vb-plugins.com/bump-prevent.html
This solves the issue of everyone's comments bumping a thread and gives the OP the ability to bump the thread but only after a specified time period. Such as 24 or 48 hours.
2. Pay to Post - With the Pay2Post Plugin you can setup paid forum section and members need to pay to activate their Thread. This can be useful for a Classified Ads or Advertising section on your forum.
http://vb-plugins.com/pay2post.html
A premium sub section for dealers, heavy flippers, cue makers and online storefronts.
It has been discussed that dealers and heavy sellers be permitted to sell in their own dedicated forum. This allows for a charge to use that sub forum. The advantage to the dealer is that there would be less traffic with more exposure. There could be a number of additional benefits added to this like dedicated library or even a dedicated Sub forum store front. Which I think is much needed here.
3. Mark as Sold- This modification will allow you & your members (based on usergroup permissions) to mark a thread as "Sold". It will add the prefix "SOLD" to the thread title, and if set in the admincp - it will also close the thread.
http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=271747
Here's my outline that I believe will work. Not an end all be all. I'm certain that some changes along the way will be needed but this will go a long way in restoring the market here.
1. Cue flippers, cue sellers, dealers and cue makers should be afforded their own subsection to advertise independently from the For Sale Forum.
IE - for 200 bucks a year or a pay per thread mod you'll have your own subsection to post your items for sale, share your current work and post to your own gallery. This could be customized in many different ways. These "pay for" subforums have been successful on many other forums. Your own little retail/advert area.
In the For Sale forum -
2. Install a mod that allows posts but prohibits the posts from bumping the thread.
3. Install the bump prevent feature and set it for every 48 hours. Allowing the user to bump the thread after the set time and partner this with the Mark as Sold mod which will close the thread.
4. Add moderators. There should be no less than 5 active mods for this section.
These few changes will control the bumping without stifling the conversation. The subforums open up a stream of revenue and allow those who want to pay a place to showcase their work or create threads in bulk.