Prices

[AndyL]

Guys, quit posting prices. Either its "cheap" or its "not cheap" :razz:
http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=21018

Ok, I'm going to take offense to this edit, and comment.

Last I checked there was no rule saying we couldn't post prices of really good deals. Supporting buisness or not. Yes, the prices of the boxing day sale are probably way better than the only other local supporting buisness - but that's life.

This is the only board I'm on (and I frequent over a dozen), where it would appear the administrators are less interested in allowing free discussion between members (including advice on where the good deals are). And more interested in protecting the sponsors.

Its perfectly acceptable to disallow spamming of prices. But I wasn't running around saying "you can get it cheaper at BA's" or "Golds sells it for half that price". Just posting a good price for those who didn't receive the flyer.

What's next? No group orders to be arranged except for supporting vendors?

[Delphinus]

I am a member of at least as many boards as you cite, and I feel that Canreef is one of my favourites. I know of several boards who are less open with what may or may not be posted; and I know of several which are more. Each, I feel, has its plusses and minuses. We strive for the best features of each, and in a way, try to go our own way as well.

I am disappointed you feel that we do not attempt to foster an open forum with open discussions, because that really is the furthest from the truth.

As far as the advertising issue goes, we've have problems in the past where people would present themselves as being impartial third parties when in fact they were representing business interests. As I said recently in another post, we chose to maintain offering a "free" board as the primary goal. However, I can assure you, it costs us a fair amount out of our own pockets to keep this board running. If we don't keep the playing field as level as possible, then that goal is jeapordized. I'm sorry if this means a post may get edited here or there, but if you're not given an explicit warning of misconduct, then you're not in trouble and shouldn't react defensively or offensively.

I'm afraid I cannot post more at this time, however if you feel that my post does not address your concerns, please feel free to comment further. If you are OK with keeping your criticisms fair and impersonal, then we can discuss this further.

[Skimmerking]

Very well said there Tony...:mrgreen:

[AndyL]

I'm not getting offended, defensive or offensive. I just have issues with the new rule as it's being applied.

I'd really like the specific rule to be posted for everyone to understand. As I see it, there is some question to how/when/where it applies.

If we're not allowed to provide pricing for competitors to advertisers - does that now mean we're not allowed to post pricing on group orders to non-supporting companies?

How does this apply when people ask the regular "where to shop while visiting posts" and the resulting "Who's got the best price" etc? Does this mean we simply put a local supporting company first? Are we not allowed to give our comments about pricing/quality topics if a supporting company is among the locals?

The "rule" is as yet unstated, and is pretty unclear as has thus far been implemented. I know I speak for a number of members when I say I'd like some further clarification.

Personally, I'd be happier contributing an annual donation to the board (similar to RC - you don't have to... But some recognition/additional features if you do) than to limit some of the main reasons why many of us frequent the board (ie access to the FS forums, the group orders, knowing what the local shops have (and for what price) without having to visit after each shipment).

My .02$

Andy

[titus]

Hello,

Andy, thanks for inquiring about this. Tony was right in that we are trying to be as open as possible and he is also correct in that we have problems with members posting on businesses behalf. That explains why we keep a watchful eye on some of the posts.

Now, to answer your question about group orders and posting prices, it is allowed. However, it will be subjected to our discretion. For example, recently a member (not new but relatively new) posted a series of group buy threads for both livestock and hardware. But majority of the members commented that it's actually more than what their LFSes are selling for. This explains why we watch some of the threads and sometimes will take action on it.

So we all do our job to the best of our abilities. And try to keep as many people happy as possible. As for your suggestion to being a donating member for more features, please let me know what exactly what features you have in mind.

Titus

[AndyL]

Various boards offer various different solutions, that'd be something you'd have to look at, as I can't comment - not knowing what your software will allow you to do.

Most boards give a nice little tag under the avatar saying "supporting member". We all know RC's search feature is only accessible to non supporting members during non peak hours (3am works good!). More storage in photo albums - (this one drives me nuts on canreef, seems i'm always pruning). Some even require it to have an avatar...

What the board allows, and what the members want - I can't comment on. I can't speak for everyone.

Andy

[titus]

Hello,

Thanks for the feedback. I have been thinking of the supporting member feature but haven't gotten around to implementing it yet. I hear you on the photo prune issue.

Titus

[geopod]

I do appologize mods for posting the price but I was just doing what I thought was ok.A LFS bred and raised... had a sale and I was just mentioning it.I didnt realize they needed to pay for being a sponsor. I am no way affiliated in,with any LFS at all.Everyone here knows me and that I work in the military.Mind you sometimes working at some of these stores you may catch some good deals or two...But I understand what Tony,Titus and Andy is sayng. I actually agree with everyone and cant really take a side.But I know you have a job to do and have a board to run and yes it does cost money.I will respect that and leave it at that. By the way who are all the sponsors for this site? I was trying to find the sponsor link.,I may have passed over it a few times looking for it.


George

[Tarolisol]

I dont have anything to say about the price posting post, but i really want a supporting member deally, I always wanted one on reefcentral but never liked reefcentral as much as canreef. I just want the little picture :) Plus some extra features would be nice.

[michika]

I really do have to agree with Andy regarding his request for a clearly stated rule. I know there is a basic user agreement when you sign up for the board, but honestly, how many of us really do remember it from way back when?

Maybe stickies could be included at the top of every section of the board denoting the rules of posting. Or maybe include it in the blue bar that lists User CP, FAQ, etc.

Many of us who are posting prices etc, may not know any better. I personally didn't know anything about a no price posting rule until I read this thread.

As for donating for special privledges/services, I'd be worried of the boards eventual growth causing some of the issues that we're noticing on other boards, e.g. search engine availablilty on Canreef. If you were to "privitize" certain services, I would suggest that they be features that go above and beyond what everyone can access as a non-paying member. For example, extra gallery space, larger mailboxes, or more ability to customize the displays and board color schemes.

My guess is that the best way to find out what people want for additional features would be to put it to a free vote. Everyone could have their say in what works for them. In the mean time, an offical post from the moderators of what goes and what doesn't might be helpful to prevent any further "oppsies" on our part.

[kellehar]

I also have to agree with andy on this. As I have had posts deleted for being advertizing in nature. I dont work for any fish store. Im the same as geopod in the military. Just a little bit frustrating. Anyways not trying to be a jerk just confused on what should and shouldnt be sensored.

[Delphinus]

Sorry for the belated reply on this one. We (the moderators) talked about this and came up with a new policy that I hope will be satisfactory to those who expressed concerns in this thread. I was supposed to make a post but I've had to delay getting the message out due to being incredibly busy all of a sudden while at work and not having the 5 minutes to actually type this in.

What we've come up with is this: You can post prices in a thread as a matter of discussion, but you cannot post a shopping list of prices.

So for example:

"I was at <insert store here> and I saw CO2 regulators for sale for $20! Score!" This would be OK. (* As long as it's not in the buy/sell forums. More details about this one to follow.)

"I was at <insert store here> today and here is a shopping list of prices of the things that I saw." Or "Here are all the items and their prices from <insert store here> that came to me in a flyer in the mail this week." This would be not OK.

So, the obvious question is, what is a shopping list? Basically, once something gets to be a large list of multiple items and their prices quoted, then then this would be construed as a shopping list. Arbitrarily, if more than 5 items are listed, it's a shopping list. And be careful, because as soon as 2 or 3 people start replying with the 2 or 3 items they're listing, the whole thread can become, inadvertently, a shopping list. The reason this is an issue is because a shopping list is either potentially advertising, or worse, potentially becomes a "which store is best to shop at" thread, which never end nicely.

Also, when posting in the buy/sell forums, try to limit yourself to posting items that you are selling (or buying) yourself. BOCTOE ("but of course there are obvious exceptions"). The occasional "I'm posting this for a friend who doesn't have email" is, for example, one such exception.

...

Now, as for the sticky posts suggestion detailing guidelines for each forum. I personally would rather we did not go this route at this time. It is my preference that we just stick to common sense and good nettitiquette when posting (and I think that 99% of the time this is "good enough"). If we start posting rules all over the place, the board becomes a less fun place to be. My $0.02 on that one.

Thanks!

[Willow]

does this stuff all apply if the store we are talking about is a sponsor?

[Delphinus]

No, it doesn't matter if it's a sponsor or not.