How about some extra "for sale" forums

[mplogic]

It's nearly impossible to buy or sell anything on here anymore. I just made a new FS post and within 15 minutes it was on the second page. We just have too many people posting too much stuff for the forum to handle. Even the 4 hour rule doesn't seem to be helping anymore. I think it would decrease the clutter and spread out the load significantly if we had at least a couple different for sale forums. It seems like there is a glut of posts selling all sorts of random stuff, which is cool, it's just a pain when you are looking for something and have to dig through pages and pages of kicknacks and cars and beanie babies and who know what else. How about one forum just for PC parts and PC related equipment/software, and another forum for all the random stuff (everything else). Another idea would be to have seperate "For Sale" and "Wanted" forums. I think this would make using the forums much easier for everybody.

Any good or bad feedback?

 

[Ryan]

If people want your stuff, they'll more than likely find it by searching. If you word your Topic title right, you more than liekly will not have to deal with the problem.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Yes! More forums! We don't have nearly enough.

If it's that important, don't be trying to sell it on a free forum with thousands of posts per day just in that one forum.

 

[mplogic]

Well the problem with that is when searching you get soo many old posts so it's hard to tell what is active and what isn't. Also I think most people just browse the first page or so when looking for good deals (I know I do). When stuff is dropping off soo fast you can't keep up with it, and with all the bumping and post farming it gets a bit ridiculous. A person with a bunch of friends bumping his posts is more likely to sell his stuff than a person who is just trying to follow the "rules".

Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining here, the Anandtech forums are still the best place to buy and sell stuff. I just see what I think is a growing problem and trying to offer a suggestion to alleviate some of the congestion.

 

[Angrymarshmello]

If you have something people want, people will buy it and people will find it. (Especially if it's for a good price) I've sold plenty of things where the first time I posted it, no one responded in the few hours before I went to bed. The next day when I logged onto AT, I have a whole load of PMs that need answering. It just depends on if the product is unique or in demand and how you price things. Is it cluttered? Yes. Is it hard to find stuff you want? No not really. Sub-forums for FS/FT have been brought up before and shot down everytime.

 

[nebula]

I agree, pros and cons to both methods, but I think I favor the "searching" method. If you really looking for something, you'll search for it.

 

[amdskip]

It's fine how it is, nuff said.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

A thread from just a few weeks back or so which includes one of my suggestions for making searching less "painful" (MUCH less if people actually start doing it). The more descriptive you can be, the less being at the top of the topic list actually matters. The people that are looking for something could more readily find it, and the browsing folks will continue to browse. (If I'm just looking, I'll typically go around 200-250 threads in). Searching for FS or WT does a great job of narrowing the fields, for example. Just gotta get everybody to incorporate more semi-standard abbreviations.

One thing about the FS/FT is... Anandtech isn't focussed on FS/FT. FS/FT is only one aspect of computer and technology hardware/software. While I hear FT4 does support subforums, I don't see where the current FS/FT is broken. So long as people take the time to describe their threads, searching is cake.

As far as pulling up too many old threads go, here's my take:

1) Encourage people to include a (SOLD) in the thread title.
2) If a thread has something you want to buy/sell in it but is rather old, PM or email the thread originator to see if it's still available. If there haven't been any recent posts the worst that could happen is that the thing is no longer needed.
3) It would actually be nice if the Originator field on the search results could include the date of the thread. The only thing about this is that some people use the same thread for months.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
Yes! More forums! We don't have nearly enough.

.

Hey the more forums there are the more opportunities for you to snivel and whine!

 

[mplogic]

Hmm, well thanks guys for actually bringing out some viable points, unlike some of these post farmers, lol.

The problem is, when you try to maintain a large list like I do, there is no way to include everything in the title. I try to rotate items listed in the title just so they will come up on searches but after a day or two of watching it I usually forget and the post gets burried again. I didn't know this had been discussed before. Oh well... was just an idea.

One thing you brought out Hossenfeffer, Anand's is supposed to be a computer related forum and originally that was mainly what was in the FS/T forum, lately there is just so much random stuff. I'm not opposed to it and I've bought and sold lots of that kind of stuff that usually appeals to other computer hobbyists, but there is truely some random non-computer stuff on there lately. It would just be nice if we had a forum for pc related stuff only and one for everything else. A good example of multiple FS/T & WTB forums is pirate4x4.com. They have tons of traffic but break it down into 5 or 6 separate forums and it makes finding what you are looking for really easy.

 

[zodder]

Originally posted by: Red Dawn

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
Yes! More forums! We don't have nearly enough.

.

Hey the more forums there are the more opportunities for you to snivel and whine!

I think I need to spend more time in OT. There are too many references to this. I feel like I'm missing out.

 

[beatle]

I agree it would be nice to have an additional forum, but I don't think it's practical to expect one, as this is primarily a computer site and I think a lot of people would see the bandwidth for a FS/FT forum for things unrelated to computers going to waste. (Did that make sense?)

It would also be nice if we could search within threads (without having to subscribe) for the FS/FT forum. There are too many threads with good stuff that have titles such as "TONS OF STUFF FOR SALE" and "MOVING MUST SELL ALL MY STUFF!" When looking for a particular item, these titles are useless. But again, I don't think it's practical to expect this "feature" to be added.

 

[Lord Evermore]

Well, it couldn't hurt to subscribe and search full text if you really make use of those forums that much.

zodder: I don't go to OT. I just snivel and whine here.

 

[mastertech01]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
Well, it couldn't hurt to subscribe and search full text if you really make use of those forums that much.

zodder: I don't go to OT. I just snivel and whine here.

Since you dont use the FS trade forum at all it would be rather senseless to say that we do or dont need additional sub forums for it. We whom use it and have been for years have a clearer idea of improvements needed. Sub forums is indeed something that has been integrated into Fusetalk and may be something we will be seeing in the near future. Since non subscribers have been excluded from full text search the search feature does lend itself to be very limited for the FS forum and lends to abusive use of topic titles to post lists of items which just wastes more space. IMHO

 

[Lord Evermore]

I wasn't referring to a subforum for FS. I was being facetious and sarcastic. I'm a proponent of reducing the number of forums because of lack of traffic in some and easy combinations with others. I also think the FS and HD forums ought to be subscriber only, or they should have extra ads (subscriber being the better option since people will just block ads if they increase) because those two forums generate probably half the traffic to the site by themselves, and people are making money from it (when they sell) or saving money when they use a hot deal, and all the site gets out of it is a heavier load.

 

[minendo]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
I wasn't referring to a subforum for FS. I was being facetious and sarcastic. I'm a proponent of reducing the number of forums because of lack of traffic in some and easy combinations with others. I also think the FS and HD forums ought to be subscriber only, or they should have extra ads (subscriber being the better option since people will just block ads if they increase) because those two forums generate probably half the traffic to the site by themselves, and people are making money from it (when they sell) or saving money when they use a hot deal, and all the site gets out of it is a heavier load.

The ads have already started showing up in FS/FT and HD. Just look at some of the stickies.

 

[mastertech01]

Well my suggestion to get rid of Hot Deals all together was blown away long ago, primarily because it is the most used forum from what I understand. I just feel it is a forum for the Ebay reseller, and doesnt belong. But most sites I go to have a hot deals section, however they are used for the intended purpose of passing on great deals for individuals, not to generate volume purchases for dealers to retail on Ebay or for computer resellers to aquire volume discounts. The forum generates bodacious numbers of hits though so you wont see AT ever get rid of it.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Lord Evermore
I wasn't referring to a subforum for FS. I was being facetious and sarcastic. I'm a proponent of reducing the number of forums because of lack of traffic in some and easy combinations with others. I also think the FS and HD forums ought to be subscriber only, or they should have extra ads (subscriber being the better option since people will just block ads if they increase) because those two forums generate probably half the traffic to the site by themselves, and people are making money from it (when they sell) or saving money when they use a hot deal, and all the site gets out of it is a heavier load.

I don't know about that...that would probably reduce the number of posts in FS/T dramatically. There are plenty of new people who have good stuff for sale, or else longtime members who just don't wish/need to subscribe. MORE ads might also introduce problems - longer loading times for our 56k members.

 

[Lord Evermore]

But like I said, they're getting a lot more out of those forums in some ways than other users, but they're getting it for free.

 

[mplogic]

In case you didn't know, Mr. Anand has become quite wealthy because of this site. But as I'm sure he understands, he owes that to all of the people that traffic this site. Any site that brings in a high level of traffic (especially one that encourages new users) is a very good money maker on it's own. A mistake that lots of sites have made is locking down all the "advanced" features and forums and requiring paid membership to have access to those things. The majority of users will not pay for what they previously had for free. I know I wouldn't, I'd just move to another free forum, or start my own. When these companies start getting greedy they usually suffer as the internet generation has learned that information is free (as it should be). I hope that Anandtech will not come to this, but you never know.

I think the FS/T and Hot Deal forums are the biggest draw to this site. I could be wrong but, when I'm looking for information on computer parts, reviews, etc., Anandtech is not usually my first choice. I usually read here when I have extra time or when I want a more indepth article, but when I'm just trying to get the dirt on which card or processor performs the best I usually look somewhere where the reviews are a bit more to the point. Anyway, I think that limiting the biggest drawing forums in any way would be a big mistake.

 

[Lord Evermore]

According to the staff, the forums barely pay for themselves from ad revenue and subscriptions, they aren't making anybody rich. If people won't pay for being able to make use of forums that are essentially lucrative for them, oh well. The people in FS/FT and Hot Deals generate a disproportionately large amount of traffic on the site. Sure most of them are seeing ads while they surf, but I can't imagine that the amount of bandwidth they use up is paid for by the ads they see, but rather other forums might be making up for it. Even if that's not the case, the forums keep costing more and more to run because they keep needing to upgrade the servers and add more servers and increase the bandwidth they lease. If they could cut the traffic in half, the current setup could last years more, rather than having to be considered for more upgrades anytime soon. Aside from the bandwidth issues, the need for server power to handle the traffic is enough to make it uneconomical; they can't be getting the full value out of their purchases before it's time to upgrade again. Cut the traffic down, and suddenly the costs of hardware disappear and hosting services get cheaper, so ads can be reduced, OR can make more profit that can be used in beneficial ways, or just to make the staff some money.

Anandtech's biggest draw should NOT be that it's a place to go for hot deals and trades on anything and everything. There are other sites dedicated to that. AT is supposed to be a computer enthusiasts' site. It's changed a lot over the years. Not always in good ways.

 

[mplogic]

"the forums barely pay for themselves from ad revenue and subscriptions, they aren't making anybody rich"

Hah, sorry but you obviously haven't done any reading on Anandtech or Anand Shimpi. I don't know him personally but I respect what he's done a great deal. Anandtech brings in over 1 million $ a year. I'd guess like any business the common employees make a standard wage, but I'm sure young Mr. Shimpi has done quite well for himself.

"If they could cut the traffic in half, the current setup could last years more, rather than having to be considered for more upgrades anytime soon."

lol. When a website (any site) has so much traffic that they have to expand or upgrade or whatever, that is exactly where they want to be. To think that any website would ever want to intentionally lose half of their traffic is simply ludicrous. When a site doesn't upgrade and expand to the point that it makes using the site difficult or problematic people will just look elsewhere, look at hard forums compared to anandtech. They have a pretty nice forum but it's so laggy, problematic, and crashes so often that it greatly affects their potential.

"Anandtech's biggest draw should NOT be that it's a place to go for hot deals and trades on anything and everything."

Again, I have to laugh at this. Who are you to decide what Anandtech should or shouldn't be. I don't claim to know where anandtech gets the majority of its traffic, but looking at the forum list shows that the FS forum is the second largest one so evidently it IS a major draw of traffic to this site. For many people, including myself, it is the primary draw, as I explained above.

Anyway, I don't post often on faceless forums unless I have a specific need and this is the exact reason why. I have absolutely no desire to get into meaningless debates with people who I don't know and who really don't have any idea what they are talking about anyway. I simply noticed that the FS forum has become less effective for my needs and offered a suggestion. Just because you do not use the forum is no reason to knock it. I appreciate those that presented good feedback whether it supports my view or not.

 

[Red Dawn]

I also think the FS and HD forums ought to be subscriber only,

I agree 100%. They should also make Off Topic Subscriber only.

 

[Drakkon]

FS makes since as a subscriber only forum.
It would not only reduce the ammount of trolls but also make it 100x easier to catch the bastards...
As to reduce the load on the FS/FT forums it would be nice to split them up into a WTB and FS sections....cause when i search...about 3/4 turn up WTB threads...and that just dont help...
I did see an idea a little while back that showed promise...delete postings in fs/ft that dont have any action after a month/month and a half.. by that point in time usually the person either gave up, posted ANOTHER thread, or sold/got the item...the only reason they are sometimes good is for reference back when selling/buying but really thats what sites like froogle/pricewatch are made for :-/

 

[minendo]

did see an idea a little while back that showed promise...delete postings in fs/ft that dont have any action after a month/month and a half.. by that point in time usually the person either gave up, posted ANOTHER thread, or sold/got the item...the only reason they are sometimes good is for reference back when selling/buying but really thats what sites like froogle/pricewatch are made for :-/

They are also helpful if a trolling were to occur. Searching past threads can provide lots of valuable information.