Canreef Revamp 2014 - Ideas Submitted & Official Response

[titus]

Hello,

Originally Posted by Phil

Canreef is a business and exists with help of Vendors
First u need to bring back vendors lowering the fees helps bring new vendors
New vendors from different areas will bring more members
Yes u make less money but with more vendors= more money anyway
Look how many vendor left due to the increasing costs.
Most of the members In Edmonton also left do to the vendors leaving.
(Using Facebook instead)
More vendors = more members = more money
It's sad to say but without vendor canreef will not be here.
Me and reefwars tryed to explain this before and the thread got off topic really quick and got deleted.
I will say it's nice to see Titus on here actually looking at the problem we told u was going to happen.

Phil thanks for the recent PM but there is more to it as I've been wanting to do this for so long for the past 3 years but just haven't had the luxury of getting to it. Enough is enough for me and I just needed to do something this year. The comment about "It's sad to say but without vendor canreef will not be here." is so untrue and it's sad that I see this from time to time. Content and the social experience ranks at the top for me so anything to be built will have these addressed and taken care of first.

Originally Posted by Phil

Last post for the night lol
Let's brake down the vendor lists
Wholesales(don't really count)
Aqua digital
Reef whole sale
Seacare

Home based
Reef supply's canada
Kraken
Frag cave
Madjelly
Modular led
Fijirock

Brick and morter
Concepts (onley still he because of Denny)
Reef supplies (go reef)
BRS (USA)
Fragbox
Pets and ponds

Now let's say I talk to aqua digital I want some tropical marine stuff I get sent to aquarium illusions (non sponsor ) so now I have to switch to Facebook as there on there to talk about a product. (I'm no longer on canreef)
As this grows it's a snow ball effect.
Now let's look at who left

Brick and morter.
Aquarium illusions
Redcoral
Blue world
Marine experience
Marine aquaria

Home based
Snappy (back with concepts but still a lost store)
There's more I can't remember off the top of my head.

And I know your gonna see more leave befor more come back.

I like how you are categorizing them and the experience of how you started on here but landed on Facebook. Never thought of it that way. Thanks as this will help compliment a feature I want to add to the new buy/sell section.

Titus

[titus]

Hello,

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Make surfing canreef on my smartphone more accessible/user friendly
Make it easier to post pics on the site
On another fish forum I belong to, we can look up the list of members currently on, click on their name and start chatting/IMing immediately. Very painless process. This would be a good way to build a stronger community, cause IMing increases communications.

Can you list out any additional features you want from surfing via your phone, or any features not working well? Pics will be coming, or at least that's part of my plan. As for enhancing social interactions (ie IM) we can look into that.

Titus

[titus]

Hello,

Originally Posted by Proteus

I would like a like button for liking post

It'd be available when we upgrade vBulletin I think.

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

I know people within the Vancouver Aquarium and the non-profit Vancouver Aquatic Hobbyist Society (VAHS) fish club and can let them know to contact you, Titus.
Edit: Have sent off appropriate notification emails to have them contact you, Titus.

Thanks. I haven't received anything yet.

Originally Posted by reefwars

sucks that we have to use an external photo program to copy and paste pics, but at the same time at least its 30 img's vs 10 on RC lol

Okay I have some crazy stuff coming along.

Originally Posted by The Grizz

A person that grows there own coral and has there own web site to sell frags should be allowed to post a FS add on CanReef without being a sponser, period!!

There have been no easy way to systematically gauge whether someone is really doing this making money or not. And it's been bugging the team way more time than necessary discussing to death on anything about a specific member, when the member is brought to our attention. Part of what I'm planning to build will in some way facilitate us to draw lines systematically.

Originally Posted by Myka

Awesome Titus, I'm really excited to see what you have in store this year!
I think there should be some sort of "supporting vendor" option that is more affordable for home-based or smaller businesses. Besides Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton, and Vancouver most of the stores are relatively small and the current sponsor fees are too high for the revenue generated.
As far as updating articles - I've been wanting to update some articles I've written, but it's not easy for me to do this. I have to harass Brad to edit it for me.
I could do like a once a month or once every 2nd month sort of thing. Subject requests would be a good idea...

Yes there are indeed some ambitious plans being lined up. And part of that will address the long going issues of the smaller businesses.
As for the articles, it'll get easier but that part needs to come later most likely Q3 2014. Continue to speak to Brad on your ideas and plans. We're (cough Brad is) listening.
And yes part of the idea is to get people to chip in requests for new stuff.

Originally Posted by Hydrologist

This is spot on. Why don't you offer two types of sponsorship levels? Have greater perks for the higher fees (i.e. own sub forum, bigger ad in the banner, etc) The amount of small business that are starting up to support the demand of the hobby is growing at a an extremely fast pace. This forum can either keep up with the changing economics of the hobby or it can fall behind and be left in the dust.
We should be trying to support the small businesses trying to make it in this field, not raping them for a ridiculous sponsorship fee that will take months and numerous sales just to recoup the costs.
Whats going to end up happening is you will have businesses sign up for 1 year, get there name out, and then there gone! Doesn't seem very sustainable.
Sponsors bring in people, people bring in sponsors. Don't think I am right? Look at Reef2Reef.

Okay trust me this has been bugging me for years. And trust me something is being planned. I can't promise when it'd be here but it'd be addressed.

Originally Posted by Seriak

I like perusing all new posts on one page and not have to go into the forum section to specifically look at buy/sell. I pretty much don't look at buy/sell anymore which is potentially a loss to sellers.

Did I say there will be no buy/sell forums anymore but something better?

Originally Posted by spit.fire

Personally the only 3 things I'd like to see changed are
1. Sold button (as you said it is being addressed)
2. Lower cost of sponsorship (lots of smaller stores don't have the budget to become a sponsor)
3. I'd like to be able to see posts/threads by individual members on tapatalk (option is there but it doesn't work)

First 2 will be addressed. Last one I have no time to look at for 1H2013 yet.

Originally Posted by neoh

I would like to see a feedback system. And a way to donate to the site to pay for the upkeep of it, and to offset the cost to sponsors. Then a "Donator' badge.

Feedback... um... I guess I can think about how to do this.
Donate... This has been brought up before but I prefer to not having to do this. I don't know... just not wanting to see Canreef have to rely on members donating. I prefer members to contribute by participating.

Originally Posted by mike31154

While on the subject, perhaps a method of accessing reputation info for members themselves might not be a bad idea. I've had a quick look & other than the pop up I get when hovering over my own 'green' button, there appears no way of knowing who has contributed to my reputation & what the associated comments were. Also no way of reviewing the comments I've made when adding to another member's reputation.
Is there somewhere I can review the ones I left for others???

I'd like to see this to be available based on buy/sell ratings, easily accessible to anyone to view.

Originally Posted by The Grizz

Don't know if it's been suggested yet but a way to upload or embed videos in tank journals would be nice.

Photos oh yeah. Videos... possibly.

Titus