Let me try it with a different "angle" and maybe start a discussion...!

[Buz2b]

There have been too many locked posts about breaking up the FS/FT forum: For good reasons for the most part. Unfortunately, this may be another one but I must try and I hope that the "powers that be" will at least listen for a minute.
Too many "I WANNA" type threads are flooding this (FS/FT) forum. They are just posts saying something like, "I want a cheap XXX video card", for example. What is the difference between that post and one that should go to the "I WANNA" sticky? Although tonight is not as bad as it has been, there have been times where almost the entire first page, or more, has been "WTB" posts; which are essentially (or at least they have mutated to), "I WANNA" posts. That makes it frustrating and really loses the original intent of the forum, IMHO. It really needs either a rules change or something along that line. I don't really have the answer. Maybe someone else does and can start a constructive dialogue on this. I just think that, although the "I WANNA" area was a good idea at the time, it seems that some have found their way around it and have made a mess of the FS/FT forum.
Hopefully some constructive dialogue can result. Either that or give me a "ration" and tell me why I am foolish. It's late so maybe I deserve it.

 

[olds]

If you really want something constructive, you ought to provide links or screenshots to back up your claims. I hear what your saying to some degree. There have been some posts were someone was "fishing" or tryng to get something for nothing. There is also just the opposite where the price is at retail or higher. What many people don't understand is that this is not ebay. It was never intended as a place to do business. It was intended as a place to get rid of parts that one had upgraded from. A way for like minded individuals, (geeks ) in a community environment, to offer up what they were no longer using.

 

[Buz2b]

If you really want something constructive, you ought to provide links or screenshots to back up your claims

I hear what you're saying but hindsight is always 20-20. If I had thought to do this a couple of nights ago, I would only have needed to link to the first page of the FS/FT Forum I think. This was just a "gut reaction" tonight to what I have observed over the past several days.
I am hoping that others, (apparently like yourself, since you did relate to it to "some degree") would take up the discussion and perhaps we could further it to the point of constructive suggestions to the Mods. Nothing more, nothing less.
Thanks for your reply!

 

[networkman]

I believe WTB has a legitimate place here even for geeks, especially when it comes to proprietary or hard-to-find parts. Anyone who's worked with Compaq/Dell/IBM etc knows this. Finding an old game title, a particular type of video card(like a Voodoo5 6000), a CPU with a specific stepping code or any one of a zillion other things is a perfectly legitimate use for the forum and welcome to most people. If I've got an item to sell, the FIRST thing I do here is do a SEARCH of the WTB threads and see if anyone is looking for what I have; if WTB's weren't allowed, I'd have to just post my FS/T thread and hope someone finds it..whereas with WTB I can do a bit more work on my end and perhaps eliminate the need to post a thread at all.

 

[Wingznut]

Excellent points, networkman. I search "WTB" a couple of times a week.... Just in case someone is looking for something that I have (and either forgotten about it, or didn't realize anyone wanted it.)

 

[Buz2b]

Yes, I agree that the WTB does have it's place; perhaps in another place though. I guess my point is that the WTB seems to dominate the FS/FT forum so much that the original intent of For Sale/For Trade seems to get lost in a myriad of "I WANNA" type posts. I know that the mods (because of the limitations of fusetalk) will not consider a separate forum for this, so I guess what I am seeking is maybe some sort of suggestion for "streamlining" the rules a bit. I truely believe that there is quite a bit of "cross-over" from the area of "I WANNA" to WTB in the FS/FT Forum. Do you think that there is any way we can improve this?

 

[Wolfie]

One thing I do have to admit right now is I am guilty of the concern. And I guess I didn't even think about it till now. I kind of got hung up with all the other threads asking for stuff. I figured.. "What will it hurt to just add another WTB thread?"

I see good sides to both points. But the problem is how do you go about fixing it? Do you make a WTB thread and have everyone post in it? Well that would defeat the purpose... Someone posts about looking for a CDrom. Someone else posts that they want a AMD or P4. And so on. Well, by the time the 20th post is posted, the first guy looking for a CDrom has already gotten his CDrom from someone from the forums and his post is no longer needed. Soon, the thread is filled with "outdated" posts. And the poor guy on page 5 never gets looked at because people get tired of looking threw all those threads. :/ I may be completely wrong here, but how I feel about this is, if someone is WTB a system with each part in separate threads, I think that would be a little excessive.

Above I said I was guilty of Buz2bs concern. But I don't think I have posted separate threads for each part that I was looking for. And when I did it I was looking for a case in the Minnesota area. Mainly because I didn't want to pay the shipping and hoped to do a trade or sale in person.

I hope something can be worked out. The FS/FT forums have gotten a little busy the last few weeks. Let's just hope we all can get along and let the good sales/trades roll...

Wolfie

 

[Buz2b]

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully the mods will have a look-see and maybe in the future they can come up with some sort of better rules or even just streamline them a bit to tone down so much of the "crossover" posts from the "I WANNA" thread that show up in FS/FT. I do believe that legitimate WTTF or WTB posts have their place and I know that creating a separate Forum is not going to happen. I just think that this situation is in need of some attention or rules changes in order to make the FS/FT Forum work like it was designed to. We can hope..................!

EDIT:Just as an example, there is a post this AM in FS/FT (and I will not name the user; but it's not hard to find) that in the title says he wants to buy a certain item. Then the text of his post is as follows:

Please send pm with board model and price. Looking for a good deal.

Now, technically he is within the rules I guess, but wouldn't this better fit the I WANNA thread?
Maybe since the Forum is FS/FT, (emphasising the FT part right now), there should be a limitation that says you have to have a legitimate offer of trade as an option in your post if you are looking for an item. I know, who's to decide if what you are offering is "legitimate"? Perhaps that's the killer of this idea. But, it is an idea that maybe can be re-worked and made useable. Just looking for answers I guess. Stubborn to the end.

 

[bunker]

Here's where I think your argument breaks down. The IWANNA thread is in Hot Deals, meaning someone is probably looking for a good deal on a new or mfg refurbished item. People that post WTB in FS/FT are looking for used parts cheap.

I don't think there is a problem with posting WTB threads. As was mentioned above I go in there daily and do a search for WTB and see if I have anything that people want.

I think you are taking the title FS/FT too literally and only want people selling things. If it wasn't for the WTB threads I may not have sold as much as I have.

 

[Buz2b]

Bunker, your argument has it's merit but I still think that there is room for improvement that will provide the type of service/search fields you want and still streamline the FS/FT. Perhaps I am taking the title too literally, but every day you see folks getting "reminded" that their particular post belongs in another forum if it is in the wrong classification. Both mods and users alike try to keep things "within their own borders" of their particular forum. Why can't we do the same for FS/FT Forum? Why can't the effort be made to streamline it a bit so that it is truely FS and FT: Not a mildly reworded, purposely or not), "I WANNA" post.
There may be no real answer for this. I really don't know. I too am a frequent user of the FS/FT forum but unlike you, I get frustrated by all the WTB or WTTF/WTB that really are just "I WANNA" type posts. Even if you use the search function for a particular item, you still come up with a broad mix of both FS and the previously mentioned posts. It seems to be an irritation that doesn't have to be if the rules were either followed or perhaps made better and better explained for the users. Thanks for the input!

 

[bsobel]

I just want to go on the record (just in case someone actually noticing this thread) that removing the WTB posts from the FS forum would (IMHO) destroy alot of the value of the forum. I often search for WTB's to see what in my vast collection of 'retired junk', someone might be looking for.

I disagree that there is any need to split the forum up or do anything different, other than to further crack down on truely off topic posts in there and in Hot Deals.

Bill