Melvang, CLiB, those posts are not helpful...
We live in societies with rules and laws. It's the same on this forum. The rule changes will be made, so if you have a specific problem with something, please address it.
I'm in agreement with Melvang, CLiB and Damorgue -- this is a solution in search of a problem. I respect everything you've done for the community jd, but just saying that societies have rules and laws, and therefore this development is correct is a
non sequitur for me. I'm heartened to see that the restriction on posting in multiple forums is likely to be dropped, and that it was a result of people critiquing the proposed rule change. GH does not have the power (or the right!) to tell people what they can or cannot do
off the forum. To me, it seems that some people consider profit to just be
dirty, and if less of it that occurs at GH, the better. That's a really negative attitude. As for auctions being banned -- who cares? The people who want to get the most for their keyboards when they're either moving on to another hobby, or more advanced level of this hobby, will just go somewhere else -- and GH will get what it wanted --
good and hard. Less traffic, and less keyboard-related gear staying in our community. Those hobbyists will simply go elsewhere, which (in my paranoid way) is probably exactly what some people at GH would prefer.
Go away you evil money grubbers!The one rule change that I really, really do like is the requirement of a photograph of the product you're selling. That's not so hard to do and it reduces
non-fraudulent misunderstandings. I also think a heatware system baked into the forum is a good idea. It might also be a good idea to provide a basic bbcoded template for people who are putting up classified ads, listing things like: where they are willing to ship, pricing, other places where the item is listed, etc. -- to make it easier for them to comply with the new rules. Also, I like the legal language expressing caveat emptor, and the new classified posting requirement.
[sarcasm]
And I think it's so sweet that classified posters will be
required to list the other forums they are listing their items. Please keep this rule! It will provide a high incentive for people to go to those other forums, where, presumably, the market is not so strictly regulated. If we make posting to classifieds at GH a tedious, awkward process that treats you like a potential scammer, expect less people to post in classifieds. They'll just post in those other places and skip GH altogether.
[/sarcasm]