The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Note: The OLD B& forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

LeicaFan

New member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

How would a potential buyer/seller be able to check Positive/Negative feedback?
As a follow-up would existing feedback carry over?
I'm also interested in this...

I have multiple positive transactions on this site and I often use my feedback here to demonstrate my trustworthiness on other sites (this one, too) when I'm buying and selling. I'd hate for all of that to go to waste. :(

Would it be possible to implement the iTrader feedback system? Some forums that I belong to use iTrader and it works very, very well.

Just a thought...
 

weinschela

Subscriber Member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

I have to agree, I don't sell much so it doesn't really affect me but the structure of the site has always been appealing because it feels like a community rather than a commercial enterprise.

Of course you can do what you like with the site, it's yours but there are already adverts and if the desire is to raise money then why not offer things we can buy rather than charging for a service?

As an aside, as there is now a fee, will there be something in return, as in mediation in the case of disputes or anything like that? Or is the fee just to allow access to the members on here? If I'm paying for an advert and something goes wrong, I'd expect the people I'm paying to have a structure for sorting that problem out.

I really hope this doesn't change the feel of the site, I want to feel like a community member rather than a customer!

No offence intended, just my view!

Mat
I agree with this. It isn't the fee standing alone. I don't mind for example contributing to the site by being a Subscriber Member. It is the sense that buying and selling on this site was more of a community thing with people known to each other rather than a kind of flea bay where it is a free for all. Now I know caveat emptor is the rule here also but in practice it has worked differently -- and generally smoothly -- with an element of trust in people you "know" even if only by their postings. I hope the community sense is not lost but simply by charging and making it purely commercial I am afraid it will be lost. I guess we have no choice but to wait and see. And the forum owners can do as they like; that is their right.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

We knew there would be push back...

There are several reasons for the new B&S format. Without going into all the gory detail, the main one was multi-faceted: Within the current software there is no way to set up a per-ad fee basis; there is a way to set up a subscription model, but it required a complete new instance of the forum AND since it is fee-based, would have required everybody who wanted to use it to manually re-register. Hence the alternative software that allows us to set per-ad fees as well as a subscription model if we desire to change to that in the future. Moreover, this software does allow existing users to be ported over, though there are some warts within that system we're sorting out.

As re what you get in return for the cost of the ad -- you get the ability to post as many ads as you want and for anything you want to sell. IOW there are now no limitations on the number of ads you can have running at one time nor are there any restrictions on what you sell.

It is still a use-at-your-own-risk forum, but it does require users to be registered as with the existing system. We will keep the feedback threads of the old forum alive until we figure a better way to show feedback inside the new software -- which there are options for.

Finally, some revised coding is being worked on now that will show more user data in teh square to the right of their listing title. We do expect that this will ultimately be a superior system to what we now have, and in time, everyone will be happy we made this change.

Yes our goal is to make money from the advertising. And it would be great if it was actually enough to cover the cost of running the site. Currently, the few that generously give as subscriber members -- and many thanks to them all -- don't cover even 10% of the regular operating costs, though they do get larger, fuller featured image galleries.

And thank you for your patience during our remodel! :).
 

Albino_BlacMan

New member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Just wondering why there's a 750 word limit for for sale items.

Now it's almost impossible to list more than one item in a thread with a decent description.

Won't this clog up the Classifieds forum since there will likely be at least twice as many threads?
 

flyingpalm

New member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

You should keep the old B&S for a longer time and see which side has more visitors, then decide which side you should go for.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

flyingpalm -- that's a thought, but please understand we've already decided which one WE like better ;)
 

kuujinbo

New member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

How would a potential buyer/seller be able to check Positive/Negative feedback?
As a follow-up would existing feedback carry over?
I'm also interested in this...

I have multiple positive transactions on this site and I often use my feedback here to demonstrate my trustworthiness on other sites (this one, too) when I'm buying and selling. I'd hate for all of that to go to waste. :(
+1. IMHO that's the weakest link in the current system for both buyers and sellers. If the current buy and sell is removed before a rating system is implemented/integrated with the new classifieds, it's even worse. At least with the current buy/sell the positive/negative feedback threads are "stickied" at the top.

Will be even more confusing (finding feedback) for new users, and they may well be put off - guessing one of the goals of these changes is attracting new users. I.e., it makes more sense to do the switch to the new classifieds as a single unit with feedback integrated at the same time.
 

Bob

Administrator
Staff member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Limit is 5000 characters and 6 images.
-bob

Just wondering why there's a 750 word limit for for sale items.

Now it's almost impossible to list more than one item in a thread with a decent description.

Won't this clog up the Classifieds forum since there will likely be at least twice as many threads?
 

Albino_BlacMan

New member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Under "Ad Details" it says "750 characters left" for me.

Can I go beyond that or am I doing something wrong?

Limit is 5000 characters and 6 images.
-bob
 

Bazwell

New member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

This thread seems to be the only place where members can post their thoughts about the New Buy&Sell, but after Nov. 1 the thread will be frozen. Mods, would it be possible to create an "About this forum" discussion zone on the main forum so that we can continue this conversation after Nov. 1? In the current setup I don't see where such a thread would fit.

Personally, I find the UI of the New Buy&Sell to be markedly inferior to the old one. It is very cluttered, there is no clear demarcation of where one ad ends and the next one begins, and the sellers' names are not visible until you click through to the main ads. On the other hand I do think there is an opportunity to create a better feedback system here in the new B&S, such as what they have at pentaxforums, fredmiranda, etc. In those systems it is much easier to ascertain a seller's or buyer's aggregate feedback record.

I understand the owners have good reasons for making these changes but I just hope that the clarity and the community atmosphere of the old B&S can be maintained in the new one.
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Well I will speak up here and explain a few things. First off I am not part of these decisions as I am no longer a owner of GetDPI forums. Workshops yes forums no as I had to sell my shares to fund medical expenses for my wife. I know but that's life and I have to deal with it and whatever keeps her on this planet I will do. Secondly I needed to say this because I needed to get it off my chest as I'm not good at keeping these kinds of secrets. Now on behalf of the owners here Jack, Bob and Andy I will say this. All these requests to shift the forum around cost a load of money as they need to bring in people to rewrite the code and Bob has done some of it. This forum cannot and let me repeat this keep running without funds to keep it alive. Donations are great but it's not enough nor is it enough for paid advertising. Change is in the wind and each suggestion that comes up equals a million lines of code to rewrite the standard code in V bulletin software. I'm sure the owners are doing everything they can to make it as best they can and take your suggestion to heart but those buy and sell forums you mention cost money too. eBay has grown ridiculous on seller fees, fred miranda costs a yearly fee but on maybe 100k users LUF charges by the item I believe . We could go on here but free cannot support the forum and major sweeping changes in software cost money. I suggest after it closes this thread we would move it to the sunset bar to continue this dialogue but from a founding father of this great site lets give it a chance to sort it all out and let the owners organize it to there taste. They certainly hear your requests and are trying to accommodate as much as they can.
 

D&A

Well-known member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Well I will speak up here and explain a few things. First off I am not part of these decisions as I am no longer a owner of GetDPI forums. Workshops yes forums no as I had to sell my shares to fund medical expenses for my wife. I know but that's life and I have to deal with it and whatever keeps her on this planet I will do. Secondly I needed to say this because I needed to get it off my chest as I'm not good at keeping these kinds of secrets. Now on behalf of the owners here Jack, Bob and Andy I will say this. All these requests to shift the forum around cost a load of money as they need to bring in people to rewrite the code and Bob has done some of it. This forum cannot and let me repeat this keep running without funds to keep it alive. Donations are great but it's not enough nor is it enough for paid advertising. Change is in the wind and each suggestion that comes up equals a million lines of code to rewrite the standard code in V bulletin software. I'm sure the owners are doing everything they can to make it as best they can and take your suggestion to heart but those buy and sell forums you mention cost money too. eBay has grown ridiculous on seller fees, fred miranda costs a yearly fee but on maybe 100k users LUF charges by the item I believe . We could go on here but free cannot support the forum and major sweeping changes in software cost money. I suggest after it closes this thread we would move it to the sunset bar to continue this dialogue but from a founding father of this great site lets give it a chance to sort it all out and let the owners organize it to there taste. They certainly hear your requests and are trying to accommodate as much as they can.
Guy,

I and I'm sure many others echo your heartfelt thoights regarding this site and its enormous value to the photogrphic community. You're correct, to run a site like this costs money and as much as we'd like "free", I think many would be only to glad to support a paid classified Buy and Sell forum, especially one as good as the one here on Getdpi has been. This is mainly due to the wonderful Getdpi community and this alone makes all the difference.

I believe it was either Bob or Jack that mentioned that if they wanted to keep the old style Buy and Sell forum but have it become a pay for ads type bpard, they's have to use a subsciption type approach. Just a thought but if this was possible, maybe that would be the compromise most would be looking for. In other words, keep the same Buy and Sell forum as its always been but only those that pay for their subscription fees are able to log on and post. I would hope financially this would bring in the same or more funds than the new style Buy and sell would bring and at the same time keep the old style Buy and Sell that most love. Heck, with only a change how one would log in with a supplied password upon paying tbeir subscription fee, maybe the cost of making these changes could be kept to a minimum. Just some personal thoughts of mine.

Dave (D&A)
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Dave, as I tried to explain above, to do that would have required a new instance of the existing forum for the B&S and EVERYBODY would have to have re-registered for the new B&S as there was no way to auto port them over -- think about that for 10 seconds and you'll see the almost insurmountable issues around implementing it.
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Guy, thank you for sharing part of your difficult personal situation. Folks, rest assured that Guy is still very involved with GetDPI and of course was involved in the planning of the new B&S implementation. He and I are still active with workshops, but now you know why we scaled them back this year. Anyway, Guy remains a super moderator here, he can ban anybody including himself :)ROTFL:), and he can move and edit threads. We will move this thread to the Sunset bar or we may be adding a new subforum to discuss the site in general as we've added the new frontpage and will want a landing spot to discuss the articles posted there, so we may do that at the time and move this thread there. Either way, there will be a redirect for you.
 

D&A

Well-known member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Dave, as I tried to explain above, to do that would have required a new instance of the existing forum for the B&S and EVERYBODY would have to have re-registered for the new B&S as there was no way to auto port them over -- think about that for 10 seconds and you'll see the almost insurmountable issues around implementing it.
Jack, thanks you for your response and explanation. I'll be the 1st to admit that I am naïve about what it takes technically to implement much of the cahnages you and others have discussed. I did think about what you explained for more tham 10 seconds (LOL) and maybe I'm simply an optimist but with so many loving the current B&4 boards as they currwntly are, I'm betting most everyone would be willing to both re-register on Getdpi as well as pay a subscription fee.

It may take months till most get around to doing this but I think most would be on board. Of course as changes are made to the new B&S board, its also possible many concerns will be addressed. An open mind to all possibilities is the best course of action in my opnion. Looking forward to what's coming down the pike :)

Dave (D&A)
 

Jack

Sr. Administrator
Staff member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

In general, none of us likes change, especially when we feel the existing format is fine the way it is -- and the existing format was fine for the users that could adhere to the limitations, but ultimately didn't work for the owners going forward... One example is we wanted a fair way to allow folks that wanted to list multiple items separately a way to do that. Anyway, it's natural that the new format is going to feel "wrong" for a bit of time, however we believe that over time folks will learn to appreciate the new format. And then there's the big benefit of us being able to manage and modify it to meet the ever changing needs.
 
V

Vivek

Guest
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

The most intriguing thing for me is to find out who would be the very last one to make a listing in this, come 12pm 1 Nov, PST (or is it GMT?). :)

I hope the new format will discourage scammers (http://www.getdpi.com/forum/gear-fs-wtb/49071-wtb-nex-16-2-8-20-2-8-a.html NO LONGER looking!) who would just register here to scam.

FWIW, there had been a discussion earlier in the Sunset bar about changes/fees and monetary contribution to the site.
 

Bazwell

New member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Guy, I am very sorry to hear about your wife's health struggles, and I hope she is doing better very soon. I'm glad that you will be continuing your association with the Forum in other roles even though you are no longer an owner.

I'm still quite new here so I don't know much about the history of the forum, but I do want to voice a big thank you to the owners and mods for doing all the unsung work that makes Getdpi such a congenial place. Even if there are some bumps along the way in the transition to the new version of the site, I'm sure members will understand that these changes are being made with the intention of ensuring the longevity of the forum. I think the vast majority of members will be willing to pay for use of the B&S if that is what is needed to keep this place going. It is only fair to pay for a service that is so valuable. I think most of the critical responses to the new B&S so far have not been about the idea of paying, but rather about the organization and look of the new B&S page, which I'm sure can be tinkered with. And as Jack says, it is quite possible that after a few weeks we will simply get used to the look of it.

All the best in your work, and again, thank you for the dedication and the good humour you have all shown here over the years.
 

Andrew Gough

Active member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Personally, I kinda like the new B&S forum. I have always found the current forum not so user friendly as other B&S forums that I use.

My problem is that listing on multiple sites using a fee system, gets prohibitively expensive. I might as well just bite the bullet and go eBay. This is why I asked for a yearly fee. FM charges $40-50 if I remember correctly. This will also bring in a bunch of cash for programming etc…

Andrew
 

Andrew Gough

Active member
Re: Note: This forum will be shutting down on November 1st, please use the new B&S.

Guy, I hope that everything works out well with your wife's treatment.

Andrew
 
Top