State of the Forum Poll - SwapShop

[Skizz]

Message from BigSoccer

All - We are asking all forum members to give us some feedback about the state of our forums. We would be grateful if you would take a few moments to vote in the poll, but more importantly post your thoughts about how things are going in this forum. Anything is fair game - the moderators, the quality of the discussion, the amount of traffic, the forum structure, etc. Voting is useful, but we are most interested in ways you think BigSoccer and specifically this forum can be improved -- what we are doing right or wrong, and your thoughts generally about your use of this forum.

Thank you for any feedback you can provide!

[illdthedj]

the extra policing by mods of late has been really appreciated.

however i still think some sort of sub division would cut the amount of posts you personally dont want to sift thru.

if it was as simple as WANTED or SELLING sub forums. that cuts in half (relatively speaking) the posts i dont care about. if im looking to buy, i would know which sub forum to go to, and if selling, etc.



also, you know how there are stickied threads like the general adidas thread, nike, etc. in the boot forum? i think that should be done for sizes in subforums. like 11.5 and bigger, 9.5-11, and 9 and smaller. thats just three subforums, and that would greatly decrease the amount of boots for sale i would need to sift thru.

obviously this idea of size subforums has been discussed. It was voted on, and a large majority were in favor. apparently the "super mods" arn't down with the idea though, as well as some mods.

i still personally think its a great idea. i mean, if im looking for 11.5 and bigger boots, why force me to look thru 50 other posts for smaller size boots to find 2 or 3 posts i want to look at? or if you are only looking for boots in the 10.5 range, you wouldn't need to bother with the other two subforums.



i dont think it would be hard to change, and it would make things easier for everyone.



think of it this way.

right now each post represents a person in a gymasium. we're all yelling at the top of our lungs "10.5 vapor 3!" or "used us9 laser 2!" or "size 8 copa indoor!" hoping we get heard thru the yelling. the constant bumping of threads was an attempt for people to be heard (ie seen on the front page)....the recent mod policing is basically just a teacher busting thru the gym door and yelling "HEY SHUT UP AND STOP YELLING!" lol

now wouldn't it be easier if this crowd of people were divided and put into 3 different rooms, and we all looked at a sign that said "room 3 for size 11.5+" or whatever and went to the corresponding room? a whole lot less yelling im sure, and much easier for people to find what they are looking for.



anywho that is my 2 cents lol

[Gunner17]

Hey Skizz -

Gotta agree with ILLD - the forum would be great with some size breakdowns. Maybe if you had ranges -
Say US size 11, 11.5, 12 as an example.

I have only been on here for a week or two and that is my only real beef. It is hard to sort through to find your size.

Thanks -
G17

[copa9]

Splitting into Looking To By and For Sale would be great , and size breakdowns would be good as well - even if it's a range. I use NSB.org a lot , and it works well.

I personally LIKE people being able to BUMP their threads - it keeps whats active for sale on top, so I down have to scroll page after page after page.

[illdthedj]

honestly if there were subdivisions by size there wouldn't be a need for people to constantly bump their listings, because instead of 1 front page for everything (in which new posts are more constant and older listings get pushed off the page easier), there would be multiple front pages (a front page for each size subdivision) and people's listings would be far less likely to be bumped off the page.


why the super mods are so against doing this i do not understand.

this idea of having shoe size subdivisions was first brought up by a mod. and it was voted on, with an overwhelming majority for it. but i guess it got shot down by super mods. why? that reason has still to be unveiled.



seriously, its not that hard:


go to Swapshop, this is what you see --->

1) boots : size 9 and smaller
2) boots : size 9.5-11
3) boots : size 11.5 and larger
4) other equipment

just 4 subforums. 4) other equipment dosn't need any size subdivisions because there's barely any non-boot listings to begin with.

im going to keep pushing for this because i think its an excellent idea, and i cant seem to find any reasons not to do it that way.

[Skizz]

I will explain this once and once only.

honestly if there were subdivisions by size there wouldn't be a need for people to constantly bump their listings, because instead of 1 front page for everything (in which new posts are more constant and older listings get pushed off the page easier), there would be multiple front pages (a front page for each size subdivision) and people's listings would be far less likely to be bumped off the page.

You think that creating a ton of subforums will resolve the problem of bumping? How? People will still keep bumping their threads daily trying to sell their items! People do not bump their threads because they have gone off the page, they bump them because they want them at the TOP of the page. Some people genuinely do it for that reason but others say that they do it because its not on the front page, but they want their item to be the first one on the top of the page.

Answer this - if a size has its own subforum, do you genuinely think that a thread will NEVER fall off a page? Think about it.

why the super mods are so against doing this i do not understand.

How about because SwapShop does not have enough traffic to warrant a number of forums taking up tons of server space? There are other forums that warrant a subforum but do not get it, I campaigned for the SwapShop for months and I'm not prepared to do this for a number of forums we don't need.

this idea of having shoe size subdivisions was first brought up by a mod. and it was voted on, with an overwhelming majority for it. but i guess it got shot down by super mods. why? that reason has still to be unveiled.

How about because he is the newest of the mods and didn't go over the idea with any of the others? How about because he posted one thread in the mods forum and never chased it up, he just said "can we have this" and nothing else?

The supermods do ask the other moderators whether it's warranted if one mod presents a balanced argument. The argument was not balanced, no valid reason was put across or backed up with figures, so it didn't happen. That's the reason.

seriously, its not that hard:

go to Swapshop, this is what you see --->

1) boots : size 9 and smaller
2) boots : size 9.5-11
3) boots : size 11.5 and larger
4) other equipment

just 4 subforums. 4) other equipment dosn't need any size subdivisions because there's barely any non-boot listings to begin with.

im going to keep pushing for this because i think its an excellent idea, and i cant seem to find any reasons not to do it that way.

You keep campaigning, but here's how it is. Moderators are here to do what we think is best for the forum because we basically run it. I personally do not think subforums are needed and bar ctoa (who hasn't moderated for any sustained period of time anyway) I believe the other mods agree. I was asked by an Admin whether splitting into buying and selling is a good idea (which I said it was) and that is as far as it is going.

So just to reiterate, it's not happening because:

1. SwapShop does not have enough TRAFFIC to warrant four subforums.

2. There are not enough Moderators to moderate the subforums consistently - we are not taking any more on, before you ask, as you cannot have a mod who has permission to just a subforum, and we do not need five E&G mods

The situation will be reviewed six months after the new forums are put in.

[illdthedj]

skizz:

first of all, it isn't a TON of subforums. its 4. that hardly counts for a ton.

as for bumping: i personally only bumped a thread if it got pushed to the second page, and i know many others simply bumped their threads because it got pushed off the first (front) page. people dont bump threads just because they are seventh down from the front page, they do it because it is no longer visible on the front page. Creating a few subforums cuts the amount of new posts bumping others off the front page in thirds (if there are three shoesize subforums.) thereby decreasing greatly the desire for people to bump their threads constantly. Basically, it would take much longer to be bumped down the page with subforums.

Your question:
Answer this - if a size has its own subforum, do you genuinely think that a thread will NEVER fall off a page? Think about it.

Of course it will fall off the page EVENTUALLY, but the time it takes for that to happen is greatly increased. probably to a point where the seller has already sold the item by the time that happens.


and do subforums really take up that much extra space? its the same amount of posts, just divided into seperate folders. ill plead ignorance and could totally be wrong, but something tells me creating 4 subforums is not going to take up that much more space.

and i dont know what amount of traffic has to do with anything, because the point of this is organization and making the swapshop forum easier to navigate, and easier for people to find what they want.


Look, you created this thread asking people that participate in the swapshop forum what they thought, and how they think it could be made better.....all I am doing is what you asked by giving my honest opinion on how to make the swapshop forum structured in a better way....because making a small handful of subforums WOULD make the swapshop better and much easier for people to find what they want instead of having to sift thru a ton of posts that they have no interest in. An overwhelming majority of users of this forum have already made their opinion heard about this subject, and the only people that seem to object to it are the mods, who rarely use this forum themselves. (jus sayin')

i think ive given a balanced argument for the size subforums, whereas the only argument ive been given against is that this forum dosn't have enough traffic, which i dont see what that has to do with organizing the structure of this forum.


anywho i dont really care anymore because its obvious you are against it, but then again dont ask for opinions on how to make the forum better if you dont want to listen to them, because what i have talked about regarding subforums for different sizes has been the one huge subject that actual participants of this forum have brought up regarding making this forum better. CTOA saw it as a good solution, and people voted on it. i believe it was more than 85 percent that voted that agreed. When i brought it up in that one thread i started, a large majority agreed with me. When i bring it up in this thread, more people agree.

more importantly post your thoughts about how things are going in this forum. Anything is fair game - the moderators, the quality of the discussion, the amount of traffic, the forum structure, etc. Voting is useful, but we are most interested in ways you think BigSoccer and specifically this forum can be improved -- what we are doing right or wrong, and your thoughts generally about your use of this forum.

Thank you for any feedback you can provide!

thats what you asked, and i gave my honest answer. and its obvious a large majority think the same. if you didn't want hear about it, why did you ask? because you must of known it would have been brought up.


but like i said, this is the last time ill bring it up (well maybe haha)

[illdthedj]

ps if server space is a huge reason against subforums, why not delete that useless ebay auctions forum to make room?

NOONE uses that forum. its a total mess. it seems like a total waste if you ask me, correct me fellow swapshoppers if im wrong.

[illdthedj]

pss pardon my petulance dont red card me lol :D

[Skizz]

skizz:

first of all, it isn't a TON of subforums. its 4. that hardly counts for a ton.

Is four more than two?

as for bumping: i personally only bumped a thread if it got pushed to the second page, and i know many others simply bumped their threads because it got pushed off the first (front) page. people dont bump threads just because they are seventh down from the front page, they do it because it is no longer visible on the front page. Creating a few subforums cuts the amount of new posts bumping others off the front page in thirds (if there are three shoesize subforums.) thereby decreasing greatly the desire for people to bump their threads constantly. Basically, it would take much longer to be bumped down the page with subforums.

Sorry, I didn't realise that I kept an eye on those who took the piss? And I don't really care if people bump their threads because it's gone onto the second page, what about the other people who made new listings and theirs have gone off the front page because someone wants to bump their thread back onto the front page?

Fair is fair, threads drop off the front page when they drop off the front page and just because someone wants their thread on the front page they shouldn't be allowed to put their thread ahead of someone elses. That excuse doesn't wash with me I'm afraid.

And stop going on about the subforums, they are not happening - full stop.

and do subforums really take up that much extra space? its the same amount of posts, just divided into seperate folders. ill plead ignorance and could totally be wrong, but something tells me creating 4 subforums is not going to take up that much more space.

Yes!!!!! You have to create a completely different FORUM. It's not a FOLDER, it's not like My Documents on your PC!

and i dont know what amount of traffic has to do with anything, because the point of this is organization and making the swapshop forum easier to navigate, and easier for people to find what they want.

BigSoccer pay thousands of dollars for server space and maintenance on this forum, they aren't going to fritter away server space for something that's not worth it. The amount of traffic that goes through here at the moment - it's not worth it.

Look, you created this thread asking people that participate in the swapshop forum what they thought, and how they think it could be made better.....all I am doing is what you asked by giving my honest opinion on how to make the swapshop forum structured in a better way....because making a small handful of subforums WOULD make the swapshop better and much easier for people to find what they want instead of having to sift thru a ton of posts that they have no interest in. An overwhelming majority of users of this forum have already made their opinion heard about this subject, and the only people that seem to object to it are the mods, who rarely use this forum themselves. (jus sayin')

We aren't the only people who object to it. A thread was posted saying "who wants this", only 23 people posted saying yes. It takes 10 people for a motion to be considered, 50 for it to happen. It failed.

The mods of this forum don't agree with it.
Not enough users agree with it.
Therefore the supermods don't agree.
Therefore the admins who create the forums don't agree.

i think ive given a balanced argument for the size subforums, whereas the only argument ive been given against is that this forum dosn't have enough traffic, which i dont see what that has to do with organizing the structure of this forum.

I have given you tons of arguments! For your sake I will reiterate AGAIN

There is not enough traffic to warrant four subforums.

Not enough people posted to say they wanted it.

It does NOT solve the problem of threads falling off the page.

There are not enough moderators to provide the consistency through the forum that is needed to monitor it correctly, and you cannot make a user moderator of a subforum so there will be no others.

Is this clear enough?
anywho i dont really care anymore because its obvious you are against it, but then again dont ask for opinions on how to make the forum better if you dont want to listen to them, because what i have talked about regarding subforums for different sizes has been the one huge subject that actual participants of this forum have brought up regarding making this forum better. CTOA saw it as a good solution, and people voted on it. i believe it was more than 85 percent that voted that agreed. When i brought it up in that one thread i started, a large majority agreed with me. When i bring it up in this thread, more people agree.

How many people posted in this thread to agree?

How many people posted in the other thread to agree?

85% of 52 people isn't really a big majority, Plus it isn't 50.

On top of that I am not presenting a biased opinion. The BigSoccer Admins check these threads, and I was asked about the idea of splitting into buying/selling. NOT THE FOUR SUBFORUM IDEA. I agreed with that (as I said earlier), so it's not just me who it doesn't wash with.

We invited ideas of how to make the forum better, not orders that we should immediately fulfil. Ideas were presented, the Mods and BigSoccer admin have discussed this, and the buying/selling forums will be implemented soon. As I said before, the situation may change in future, but not while circumstances are as they currently are.

thats what you asked, and i gave my honest answer. and its obvious a large majority think the same. if you didn't want hear about it, why did you ask? because you must of known it would have been brought up.

Because, if you notice, every BigSoccer forum has this thread in? And as I said earlier, I knew this would be brought up, maybe you keep telling me I dont want to hear about it simply because you don't like the answer I am giving you!!!

[Bolivianfuego]

Yea, put me on the list of not seeing what the big issue is with bumping??

I think there is too tight of a hold on the swap forum.

Also I htink it would be helpful if we could edit our posts to help with keeping things tidy in threads, like erasing the beginning of a thread to 'sold' once well something is sold so it doesnt get confusiung.

Try to take that up wtih teh bigger heads in charge to let users edit their own posts in ths swapshop section.

[ats494]

What I dont understand is how we can say NO bumping and users just find another way of bumping their threads.. an example would be a user who wants a type of cleat. they just write uptop and need this particular boot? Isnt that the same thing as bumping? I just dont see how the rules can be made but still be broken. Thanks

[copa9]

I REALLY don't understand the purpose of a thread that explicitly ASKS for peoples opinions, this chastises people for giving their opinion. This is uncalled for, and if this were a professional environment, would be unprofessional. If there were limitations that prevent certain kinds of changes from being made, that should have been communitated in the first place. Again, people should not be chastised for asking for something asking for what they werent told they can't ask for.

Also, consider, that traffic may increase it were more usable and inticed people to use it. People will use what they like, and won't use what they don't like.

Bottom line - what is the point of this thread? What's the point of saying yes/no and giving an opinion if nothing can be done about it anyway? What CAN be done????

If this pisses someone else, feel free to suspend me or whatever. This poll asked my opinion, and I'm giving it.

[Bolivianfuego]

^^Completely agree. I wonder why all of a sudden mods arent responding?? Maybe there needs to be a new form of Mods to change things up in this forum....