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blackburn mark
13-07-2012, 09:36 AM
adverts are now making it into the forum threads ?
how much can you squeeze before you squeeze the sense out of it ?

bobc
13-07-2012, 09:47 AM
adverts are now making it into the forum threads ?
how much can you squeeze before you squeeze the sense out of it ?

Did anyone else get spam PM's from a guy offering tax avoidance schemes? That I could do without.

blackburn mark
13-07-2012, 01:37 PM
This was recently listed on eBay:



Dont forget to leave feedback in the Trading Experience & Feedback (http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/201-Trading-Experience-Feedback) forum letting us know how you get on.

is there not a "classified adds" that this kind of thing can go into ?
does it really have to show up in latest activity ?
how much are you paying to clog up the latest activity list or is it a free for all ?
is it just me or is anybody else starting to feel the adds on this site are getting tad intrusive?

(iv got two chocolate single flute slot drills and an air guitar for sale if anyone is interested)

Lee Roberts
13-07-2012, 03:58 PM
Hi guys,

I have moved your post’s to this new thread so I can keep track of your questions/feedback and continue the discussion in one place. I always like to be as transparent as I feel is necessary and I hope to clear up some of your concerns and give you all a better idea of what I have done recently in regards to the eBay ads that have been showing up on the forum.


adverts are now making it into the forum threads ?
how much can you squeeze before you squeeze the sense out of it ?

Yes and no, the eBay ads are classed as new threads yes however they not private advertising arrangements in that sense between the site and a select a few sellers on eBay.

My intention here hasn’t been to “squeeze” what I can from the system; I actually hoped to integrate a cool feature that people would like and find useful when using the market place section of the forum, as this section is a recent addition to our offerings.


Did anyone else get spam PM's from a guy offering tax avoidance schemes? That I could do without.

I certainly didn’t and this concerns me greatly, at this point in time I have not investigated this but I will be very shortly. This is also the first time anyone has raised such a concern with me on this.

I would appreciate it if you could share any information with me regarding this, particularly the name of the User in question. I can look into this myself by going into your Private Messages, however if you could share the User with me it would help me greatly as I would rather not invade your privacy in that way unless I really have to.

We don’t tolerate any kind of spam and we have taken allot of time on this subject to eliminate it as best we can, sorry for any inconvenience the said user may have caused anyone and you have my word it will be dealt with.


is there not a "classified adds" that this kind of thing can go into?

There is Mark and if you look again you will see these ads are located in the MARKETPLACE (http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/196-MARKETPLACE)/Classified Ads, Buy, Sell & Swap (http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/forumdisplay.php/198-Classified-Ads-Buy-Sell-Swap)/Items On eBay UK section of the forum.


does it really have to show up in latest activity ?

I guess they don’t need to show up in the recent activity page no, however not having them show up in my opinion would defeat the point of having them in the first place. That doesn’t mean to say I am ignorant towards disrupting your user experience, the problem is I can’t please everybody all of the time.

This is the last post I need to reply to so I will give you the inside on what I have setup so you can understand how it’s working better.

Basically I thought it would be a good idea to have Newly Listed items on eBay automatically posted into the forum, I think I have done this the best way I can (ish).

Let me explain...
Obviously we don’t want any old listing/item submitted so I have setup what is known as “Rss Feeds” that are custom search’s of eBay for things like “Stepper Motors” or “Linear Rail”. For the search criteria I have specified listings/items located specifically in the UK, for both “Auction Style” and “Buy It Now” types of listing.

Originally I had hoped that I could make these submissions only come onto the forum every 72 hours with the obvious concern that I needed to also protect the user experience, the problem I ran into was the forum system only allows me to run/check each feed from every 10 minutes up to every 12 hours. So I’ve gone with every 12 hours and placed a spacing of an hour between each feed as that was the best I could do at this moment in time.

Coming back to the question of if or not these submissions need to be in the recent activity list, this is something I thought about beforehand but like I said above in my opinion the number of users who don’t partially care to see those threads is likely to be very small compared to the amount of users who would have an interest in seeing them.

Why?
Well because I’ve recently been in contact with around 3500 users who haven’t made any posts on the forum yet, I asked them briefly if they had any problems using the site and if or not there was anything I could for them to help them along with becoming more active and fixing any problems they may have run into when trying to use the site/forum.

The feedback I got back from those that did get back to me was that actually their accounts are not redundant in this way and at this stage they are collecting the gear required to build their machines and gathering as much information as they can, so browsing, reading and following along with the daily actives that go on. This didn’t include the 200+ guests we have reading the site every day!

Another thing I was hoping would happen is that every now and again a really sweet deal would pop up on a “Buy It Now” or that an auction style listing would come to light for some gear that one of our users had been waiting to see for a long time. Just a hope I guess.

Going Forward...

If I’ve got this wrong and the overall consensus is that actually a higher percentage of you would rather not see the eBay ads in the Recent Activity page and say to me “hey lee I think you got this wrong this time, any chance you could sort this out.” then I will happily hold my hands up and make the change a reality, I’m only trying to look after everybody all of the time.

So now it is all laid out on the table, fire away with your feedback or comments and I will do the best I can to look after you.

Have a Great Weekend!

.Me

Lee Roberts
13-07-2012, 04:03 PM
Sorry just another quick note: I had to lock this thread while I made my reply; you know how people like to get carried away before I can explain things. Away it’s now unlocked again.

A Note for Mark: Notice the Amazon Ads are no longer present :eagerness:

Thanks.

JAZZCNC
13-07-2012, 04:16 PM
Personaly I don't like the Ebay Ads or the recruitment wallers showing in recent activity.!! To me the point of the site is mostly for CNC/Machinist discussion not CNC sales ETC and the activity should relate to builds or information related to building.
If I want to buy stuff I know where to find the classified add's section or Ebay, same goes for if I need a Job, I don't want it poping up in front of me all the time and more annoying is it's usually the same stuff.!! . . Bob's and crappy TB based boards.!!

I don't mind the RFQ in recent activity because that's helping someone in need but the rest I can find on my own if needed.!!

JAZZCNC
13-07-2012, 04:20 PM
Sorry just another quick note: I had to lock this thread while I made my reply; you know how people like to get carried away before I can explain things. Away it’s now unlocked again.

He he . . . I'm getting used to you know Lee because when I saw the thread locked it did put my heckles up (you know how much I hate sensorship) so nearly started a protest thread but held fire hoping it wasjust being moved or something similiar to what you've done. . . Good Man.:thumsup:

blackburn mark
13-07-2012, 04:55 PM
A Note for Mark: Notice the Amazon Ads are no longer present :eagerness:


:) splendid xxx

as for the adds showing in the activity box.... my take is, the activity box is my line into what's been going on and any "extra" activity bumps the interesting stuff... "help., my hamster's wrapped around my spindle" etc :)

i don't often trawl the rest of site any more, its straight to the activity box to see if i can make any use of myself.
im assuming most of the guys who have been around for a while do the same?
(as a newcomer the activity box meant nowt... i was busy reading up on build logs)

another thing, building a cnc makes you an excellent ebay bargain hunter... iv yet to see an advert that couldn't undercut one way or another
i know this may not be the case for everyone and some people are more willing to throw money at a problem than time

im surprised how many people join and don't post !! to busy reading and hatching the master plan i guess :)

JAZZCNC
13-07-2012, 05:16 PM
im surprised how many people join and don't post !! to busy reading and hatching the master plan i guess :)

I'm not.!! . . I've had loads contact me that have only 1 or 2 posts and I've never even seen before. (I always look who's reading threads I do.!!)
Unfortunatly often they are contacting me because there brains are mushed from all the conflicting advise and more unfortunate is they have often bought stuff thats not really suitable or ideal.!! . . Usually low volt PSU's and Massive motor sizes .:sorrow:

Swarfing
13-07-2012, 05:42 PM
Lee i personally like it as i am always looking. At the end of the day jonathan came back with a better deal so at least the suppliers if they see the post will get a better idea of what people will pay?. It also helps the noobs get to the stuff that is relevent.

Jonathan
13-07-2012, 05:52 PM
It also helps the noobs get to the stuff that is relevent.

That's true, so long as the searches are done carefully to eliminate the rubbish - for instance add -TB6* to the search and most of the 'unsuitables' are gone! Although I'd prefer them not to clutter the recent threads display, since like Jazz said, if I want something on eBay I'll search for it myself and if someone asks where to get something I'll always include eBay in my reply. Random adverts might cause impulse buying...

JAZZCNC
13-07-2012, 06:27 PM
Random adverts might cause impulse buying...

Yep they most certainly do.!! . . . And I've been guilty of this on other sites and I'm sure a few of the seasoned on here have done the noob trick of impulse buying at some point on the road to working machine.?? . . And thats just with reacting to posts so if it's in your face then it's even more tempting.?

Lee Roberts
13-07-2012, 06:29 PM
Hi lads thanks for the feedback, few things I can touch on.


He he . . . I'm getting used to you know Lee because when I saw the thread locked it did put my heckles up (you know how much I hate sensorship) so nearly started a protest thread but held fire hoping it wasjust being moved or something similiar to what you've done. . . Good Man.

No problem I’m the same person I’ve always been, starting a protest just delays me even more. I actually sent mark and bob? A PM letting them know “I’m on it give me an hour” just like I always ask when something crops up. Hats off to them they gave me the courtesy I asked for, sending me a quick email asking what’s going on takes just the same amount of time as posting a protest thread but is a much better way of going about things...being in front of an audience dose funny things to people!


"help., my hamster's wrapped around my spindle", (as a newcomer the activity box meant nowt... i was busy reading up on build logs) im surprised how many people join and don't post !! to busy reading and hatching the master plan i guess :)

Hummm, but if you look at this eBay thread: 5-Axis-Breakout-Board (http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/showthread.php/4769-CNC-Router-DIY-Kit-5-Axis-Breakout-Board-3x-M542-Stepper-Motor-Driver-1-0A-4-5A) the outcome has been that jonnydeen asks:


are these breakout boards & drivers any good? the price is certainly enticing but are they going to fall apart within minutes?

He's made the same type of request for the support there that you may find in the threads you don’t mind seeing, so if you didn’t see that thread in the activity box then jonnydeen may go unanswered.


im surprised how many people join and don't post !! to busy reading and hatching the master plan i guess :)

I know, a handful of users have said they don’t feel they can ask for help because of the response they may get, I KNOW that brings us back to the whole "individual personalities" thing (and I really don’t want to open that can of worms right now in this thread) but it is still something that should be given consideration.

If what we really care about is helping people then we should also show willing to be flexible, to help aid accommodating everyone, I have to.


Unfortunatly often they are contacting me because there brains are mushed from all the conflicting advise.

I know this to be true as well, (let the cat out the bag time) I’m hoping to put together a series called "The Basics" this will be articles new comers can use as a jump off point before they going doing anything else.

The way this will work is other users like you can write up an article, screen cast or do a video (whatever floats your boat) and get paid for doing so. To fund this I’m going to reinvest the revenue generated by the site from advertising and so on, so this could mean you spend 1-2 hours writing up an article on let’s say "limit & home switches" where you cover the pros and cons of the two and the best way to implement them on a machine. I’m plucking numbers from thin air here but you could then sell that article back to the site and get £50 for it.

Where the magic happens is that article will not only be a GREAT asset to the site and its users but it will also pull in more interest, interest attracts visitors, every time a visitor reads an article they will help to generate revenue for the site in one way or another. This then pays for your next article if you so wish.

I've talked about money here obviously and I am more than aware it’s not about the money for allot of you but I think this is an acceptable to do, we all know this cnc game isn’t a cheap hobby and I think it all goes hand in hand, why shouldn’t you be able to fund your hobby by helping others who will in turn hopefully help others that come after them.

Making a part for someone because you've got a cnc machine up and running and them giving you a drink for doing it isn’t that much different to you writing up an article for them on how to implement their limit or home switches in the best way.

Dinner time!

.Me

JAZZCNC
13-07-2012, 06:49 PM
sending me a quick email asking what’s going on takes just the same amount of time as posting a protest thread but is a much better way of going about things...being in front of an audience dose funny things to people!

Ermm . . . Ye but I tried that other week and your PM's where OFF.!!

blackburn mark
13-07-2012, 07:58 PM
I know this to be true as well, (let the cat out the bag time) I’m hoping to put together a series called "The Basics" this will be articles new comers can use as a jump off point before they going doing anything else.



i like the idea... as long as they really will be kept "basic" and save the rocket science/finer points for open debate.

i spent a couple of months working out if i had the skills resorces time and gumption before i started building, a couple of simple articles on how much blood snot and cash a typical build would take would have been a winner (kind of hard to quantfy now i think about it)

Musht
13-07-2012, 08:27 PM
Its the way ebay FS ads just bump the interestiing stuff off the ticker not a big help.

Mebbe a seperate marketplace ticker entirely?

Web Goblin
14-07-2012, 01:12 AM
I think a seperate section for ebay stuff would be better. The way it looks just now is that if a few more cnc products get posted on ebay then out recent posts section will be full of ebay stuff. Is ebay limited to how much they can "advertise" ?

JAZZCNC
14-07-2012, 04:40 PM
Erm.!!! . . . . 4 Ebay Ads out of 12 recent acitivity entries is a bit much and it seems to be getting more each time.? . . .If we can't stop or people want the Ebay in recent activity can we have More entries and a limit on the Ebay ads.?

Edit: Or get rid of the Blog section and make an Ebay section.? I never read the Blogs and it doesn't look like anybody else does much because it never changes.!!

Lee Roberts
14-07-2012, 06:50 PM
Hey guys,

Thanks for all the feedback and comments, this must be one of (if not) the most successful discussions the forum has ever had when it comes to me asking you for your input. Normally I only know about when I do something you don’t like, so thank you it helps me greatly.

I’ve observed something that I think has been seriously over looked, the vBulletin forum software we use to power this forum comes with the “What’s News” navigation button/link/page as standard, while I control what gets populated into that “search” (technically what that button dose) I think we are overlooking the fact that it dose exactly what it says on the tin and that is gives you a summary of “What’s News” across the whole forum!

Now if you look, next to each forum the software allows you to “subscribe” to each and every individual forum, so if you are mostly interested in the Metal & Wood Working forums you would be accepted naturally to subscribe to the ones of most interest to you.

When doing this you are presented with a new page, this new page gives you three new options to manage your subscription:


Select how to be notified of updates. You can choose to only display the subscription in your control panel, or have updates emailed to you. Selection choices: Through my control panel only, Daily updates by email, Weekly updates by email

This would in turn customize your user experience and make use of the product the way it was intended to be used, if at all.

How many of you watch telly?

When my Mrs watch’s TV she typically go’s to the TV guide and scrolls through the “All Channels” tab, finds something she would like to watch and starts watching it. I however only really have an interest in 2-3 channels, if I’m feeling fruity ill go straight to the “Gay UK” channel (oi oi savaloy) but if I plan to do some pre bed time reading on a mobile device I will go to the “Radio Channels” tab and select the “Classic FM” choice and then in most cases jump onto the forum here.

How many of you have contacted you TV service provider to express your discomfort in seeing a particular channel listed in the “All Channels” section or is it that, like me your well rehearsed at using the TV guide how it was intended?

So I do have to ask the question, what is it we should really be discussing here? because as we know allot of times a solution to a problem is often the correction of a number of attributes that contribute to something we define as “User Error” where User Error translates to "not a problem with the product in question". I have taken everything on board you guys have been saying and made my notes don’t get me wrong, but we really should be using a product how it was intended and then hashing out our discomforts as appose to using it incorrectly and being unnecessarily uncomfortable, if indeed we are using it incorrectly.

Your thoughts,

.Me

blackburn mark
14-07-2012, 08:16 PM
So I do have to ask the question, what is it we should really be discussing here?

ill assume that is a rhetorical question which brings the "disscusion" to a close for me
twas nice while it lasted
xx

JAZZCNC
14-07-2012, 08:27 PM
So I do have to ask the question, what is it we should really be discussing here? because as we know allot of times a solution to a problem is often the correction of a number of attributes that contribute to something we define as “User Error” where User Error translates to "not a problem with the product in question". I have taken everything on board you guys have been saying and made my notes don’t get me wrong, but we really should be using a product how it was intended and then hashing out our discomforts as appose to using it incorrectly and being unnecessarily uncomfortable, if indeed we are using it incorrectly.

Get what your saying but it's not really what I think the issue is here I think.?
If I want to find a a particular interest be that Lathe, Router etc I know where to find them and I'm quite happy to go looking, same go's with looking for stuff on Ebay or other places.
But do like the quick at a glance short cut to recent activity and to me it's being spoiled or overrun with Ebay adverts when I feel it should be reserved for questions or builds etc.

I don't think the software is miss-used or incorrectly used so much has not fully utilised.? Neither do I think there's a problem to over come.?
Too me It's just a case of balance and finding a setup the majority of frequent users prefer.!! . . . Too me this down to us to request what we like or prefer from a site (you). . (which really is what were doing now.!!) but equally it's your site to layout how you feel or need.!! . . . If we don't like what you do or we find the site difficult or frustrating to use can always click on other forums.!

Other than the Ebay ads in recent activity I'm quite happy so keep up the good work.!!

John S
14-07-2012, 08:48 PM
Whist we are talking about what we want to see can i make a suggestion ?

Don't matter anyway here it is .

When I come to this site I see the main forum with the latest posts, latest blog and latest classified on the top. however the latest posts only number 11 posts and when there has been a lot of activity on a day or you come back to do a reply and the header has made no 12 or more it disappears and you have to go trolling around under 37,842 categories looking for it.

Any chance of a page 2 / down arrow / expand button [ delete as required ] so you can see enough latest posts to cover 3 or 4 days ?

Jonathan
14-07-2012, 08:55 PM
John S: If you click on the new posts (http://www.mycncuk.com/forums/search.php?do=getnew&contenttype=vBForum_Post) link (top left) the thread should be there, unless you have already viewed it since the last post. Still, an arrow/button or whatever to display more sounds good to me.

m_c
14-07-2012, 11:30 PM
I've got to say I'm getting fed-up with the ebay posts in amongst the unread topics.
If there are any, I just click the ebay forum link (not the individual thread), then mark it all as read as that way I don't contribute to the view counters for any of the ebay threads.

John S
15-07-2012, 12:57 AM
M.C.
Same here it's spoiling this forum, just turns it into another forum full of adverts that Adblock can't handle.

blackburn mark
15-07-2012, 09:29 AM
Cheers Lee

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

John S
15-07-2012, 10:03 AM
Lee, many thanks for the extended forum posts and the removal of the Ebay ads from latest posts.

JAZZCNC
15-07-2012, 02:28 PM
TOP BOSS MAN . .:applause::applause::applause::applause::beer::be er::beer:


EDIT: Can I suggest a way those that like the Ebay ads win has well.??
Remove the Blog section because I see very little activity happening there and replace with Ebay section.? . . Win win.!! . . . (Execept a few bloggers like Mocha.!! But who cares about what he's upto in his worldly escapades trying to find cheap CNC bits.!! . . Tight Twat.!! . . :joker:)

Lee Roberts
16-07-2012, 06:09 PM
Yo, Ok so an update on this!

Right as noted by John S I have now extended the TOPSTATS module above the forums on the forum home page:

Click to enlarge:
6350

Additionally I have also implemented an AJAX auto refresh; this is set to automatically refresh the top stats every 180 seconds so three minutes. If you look at the screen shot above you can see the timer highlighted in a red box to the left and on the right of the screen shot you can see a manual “Reload” button so you don’t have to wait for the timer if you don’t want to. These are at the bottom of the screen shot.

With it being AJAX based I was hoping that maybe some of you leave the page open most times while you are doing other things (waiting for a job to finish on the machine, so pottering about in the workshop), so at a glance you can easily see any updates that may have gone on since you last looked - without the need to even touch the mouse!

I can’t control how many “Latest Posts” are shown directly but what I do control is the stats on the left of the module, so I’ve set it to show 10 items for each, anything more and it outputs too many latest’s posts on the right for my liking and any less brings the list on the right down and I didn’t feel it was “enough” of a selection, so hopefully I’ve now got a happy medium that we can all live with.

I’ll come to the eBay ads in a mo everyone!


Can I suggest a way those that like the Ebay ads win has well.??
Remove the Blog section because I see very little activity happening there and replace with Ebay section.?

In light of that idea Dean I thought yea maybe, when I looked I thought well I don’t really just want a Marketplace Nav link/button because it gives too much direction to one particular section, so I thought ok ill put one in for each section we have got, I did that but didn’t like it as it made the Nav Bar to busy in my opinion so I removed them all again.

Previously admin had no direct tools to manage the Nav Bar in vB, however I updated the forum yesterday to the newest version (4.2), 4.2 is a major feature release and as such contains only feature changes and issue fixes related to those feature changes.

Here is a list of what is new:
· Activity Stream
· Navigation Manager
· Members who have Visited Today
· Cron-based Batch Email Sending
· UserCP Reputation Display
· Reputation Notification
· User Profile Reputation Display
· Who has Read a Thread
· Doublepost Prevention
· Enhanced Reputation Checks
· Updated Readme.
· Integration with Post Release

So now I can manage the Nav Bar properly, nice!

I’ve removed the “What’s New” button/link; this was only a replication of the “New Posts” link in the Nav Bar anyway:

Click to enlarge:
6351

What I have done is go on to extend the “New Posts” link, if you look at the image above you can see this is now a dropdown menu as well but also has some AJAX magic to it, those green numbers you can see are showing the number of new posts and in how many threads. This automatically updates every 15 seconds, clicking the drop down menu then gives you a list of the different sections we have on the forum that you can then see new posts for.

This should cater for anyone interested in only one section of the forum. There are some other options there as well.

Additionally while I was there I have also implemented a “Private Messages” link with a menu:

Click to enlarge:
6352

This also introduces some other PM Enhancements:

Click to enlarge:
63536354

To wrap up while I’m in this section, I also noticed on my travels that there was a permissions problem on the “Donate” system, this has now been fixed and you should be able to view the donations list and make donations like you could before:

Click to enlarge:
6355

I’m not going to remove the Blog section this time round, it was an additional feature/cost at the time and while I had doubts over whether or not it would “work” so to speak I have got an idea I may use it for in the future.

eBay Threads...

What I’ve done is condensed the 4 feeds I had into 1 feed, my eBay search now is for “CNC>In The UK>Newly listed items.

Then I’ve told my feed to only bring in 1 “feed item” that contains any of the keywords I have stated:


"stepper motor"
"linear rail"
"motor driver"
"water spindle"
"rail mount"
"power supply"
"end mill"
"milling cutters"
"spindle mount"
"coupling"
"linear bearing"
"shaft support"
"milling machine"
"cnc lathe"
"carbide"
"breakout board"
"fluted end mill"
"timing belt"
"timing pulley"
"round rail"
"supported rail"
"profile rail"
"guide way"
"kress FME"
"engraving machine"
"router"
"driver board"
"stepper board"
"board controller"
"dial indicator"
"ballscrew floating"
"ballscrew support"
"motor mount"
"lead screw"
"diy plans"
"wood working"
"metal working"

The feed is still checked every 12 hours because that is the longest duration I can choose at this moment in time, however this brings everything much closer to my original requirements of only having 1 new eBay thread every 3 days. I’m not happy removing the eBay threads from the activity streams all together, I feel I have compromised enough and what we have now is so much better then what it was before.

One of the benefits of having the eBay forum is you can submit your items on eBay and know they will be noticed by allot of people, removing them from the stream defeats the objective. I appreciate that still may not be to every ones liking but personally (and this is my own personal ask now) I feel I have given with three hands and only taken back with one, I hope you can understand that.

Cool, i think that just about covers everything, hopfully we can all live with how it is setup now, i think its allot better. There are a few other things new to the forum here and there I won’t go on about them now but may post a new thread for some of them.

Cheers,
.Me

Lee Roberts
16-07-2012, 06:32 PM
Little amendment, a sweet one though!

The “What’s New?” Nav button/link is now back on the radar for good, I didn’t realise but that button now serves a different purpose and introduces what they are calling an “Activity Stream”...

Go have a look and see what you think; one thing is for sure...there is now easily more than enough ways to find the content that most interests you!

.Me

Web Goblin
16-07-2012, 08:40 PM
I was going to say that I cant see the reload button or timer but they magically appeared when I logged in, nice one.

Lee Roberts
16-07-2012, 09:10 PM
Member features only ;-), your welcome.

blackburn mark
16-07-2012, 10:00 PM
yea some nice features lee :)
ill bite my lip on the ebay invasion :(

Jonathan
16-07-2012, 10:03 PM
Who else wants to send and receive attachments in PMs? I certainly do, here's the add-on to do it Lee:

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=284138

JAZZCNC
16-07-2012, 10:27 PM
Who else wants to send and receive attachments in PMs? I certainly do, here's the add-on to do it Lee:

http://www.vbulletin.org/forum/showthread.php?t=284138

Yes pretty pretty please. .!!!

Lee thanks for the changes, I can live with the Ebay..:calm:

Lee Roberts
17-07-2012, 12:29 AM
Np guys, its bugged up wont even install. I wanted/looked into doing this myself anyway so just have to see who gets there first.

HankMcSpank
17-07-2012, 12:54 AM
IMHO opinion the Ebay/Ads in the 'recent posts' window is just 'white noise' ...also too much white noise & even with the longer/larger window. Posts I am likely interested in iare gonna be 'cuckoo'ed' out too quick (unless I visit every 2hrs!). Whilst I realise a site has to turn a buck to survive & prosper ...such a trend is starting to get a little too 'in yer face'.

John S
21-07-2012, 12:28 AM
WTF ???????????

Thought I'd clicked on Ebay by mistake.

6400

boldford
21-07-2012, 07:57 AM
WTF ???????????

Thought I'd clicked on Ebay by mistake.

6400
Can these adverts/posts not be moderated out? Or; at least reduced in quantity.

John S
21-07-2012, 08:47 AM
I think they are in because they earn money ? However the forum was setup for like minded people to meet and get support.
Now for a generic question ? at what point does the forum become useless as the adverts force mainstream users away ?

Jonathan
21-07-2012, 09:43 AM
I think they are in because they earn money ?

They don't - the eBay listings are just an automated search, so the site does not earn from them.

phill05
21-07-2012, 10:21 AM
They don't - the eBay listings are just an automated search, so the site does not earn from them.

If thats so why make it hard for us?

Phill

m_c
21-07-2012, 11:04 AM
They don't - the eBay listings are just an automated search, so the site does not earn from them.
https://www.ebaypartnernetwork.com/
What was that about not earning money?

blackburn mark
21-07-2012, 11:27 AM
They don't - the eBay listings are just an automated search, so the site does not earn from them.

you know there must be a catch though jonathan or lee would have taken them down when the general feelings where expressed
(i can see lots of ways this can be abused to suit the few at the expense of the many)


at what point does the forum become useless as the adverts force mainstream users away ?
its getting close for me, the forum is still usable but i feel used and abused when i do so... im torn on the principle of it
its the general users that draw the traffic
i feel treated like a commodity and then im asked to be thankfull :(
not happy

blackburn mark
21-07-2012, 11:45 AM
What was that about not earning money?
now i see, it was pretty obvious there was somthing.
Lee, you said "iv given with three hands and only taken with one"
you will have to forgive me for not quite agreeing with you there

Jonathan
21-07-2012, 12:17 PM
I should have said 'as far as I know Lee doesn't earn anything from the eBay adverts.'

JAZZCNC
21-07-2012, 12:54 PM
I should have said 'as far as I know Lee doesn't earn anything from the eBay adverts.'

No you should have kept for your mouth shut untill you knew for sure.!! . . . But to be honest can't believe you where so nieve to think he didn't it was obvious from his previous comments.!!

Personally I haven't got a problem with Lee making money from the site, good luck to him.!. . But it is starting to get ridiculous the amount and piss's me off that they are taking over the recent activity section.!!

Eventually people get to the point they start clicking else where.!! . . . . It's just a matter of where folks point lies.?? . . . Must admit this last couple of weeks I've found my self back over on the Cnczone more than I have in previous months.!!

blackburn mark
21-07-2012, 01:02 PM
I've found my self back over on the Cnczone more than I have in previous months.!!
iv not joined yet, how does it compare jazz?

JAZZCNC
21-07-2012, 01:19 PM
iv not joined yet, how does it compare jazz?

It doesn't compare really mark it's huge with some much info it can/does become overwelming esp to new folks. Thats why they come over here and find it easier and more pleasant, even when numb nuts and I are butting heads. There's so meny different types of people each with there own view point that head butting is the norm.!!
Get past that and the bullshit and it's a wealth of information and you can bet your last quid it's been done or asked.?

Musht
21-07-2012, 01:29 PM
Problem had with the zone was it was divided into so many sub categories, that`s relatively not so much an issue now....

Lee has gone on about users not using the site properly, having had to deal with architects a lot , they have the same problem, people aren`t lab rats and dont behave as expected or take to conditioning particularly well, have to modify to suit how people actually react, not how would wish them to.

Appreciate hosting isn`t free and something has to pay the bills, but there are other ways of introducing ad`s and affiliate schemes that are not so intrusive.

As long as their presence is for income generating activity is clear to everyone.

At moment ,the ebay ad`s are very intrusive and shuffle recent activity off the ticker, personally don`t bother logging in unless there is a thread might want to post into, otherwise just read through from latest posts, no need to log in.

Now the latest post ticker is pretty much unuseable, have to remember myself threads that might be of interest and check for updates, through a mass of sub categories, perhaps a UK outpost on the zone would be more useable.

Cheers
Adam

blackburn mark
21-07-2012, 01:48 PM
[QUOTE=JAZZCNC;32937]Thats why they come over here and find it easier and more pleasantQUOTE]

thats why its a dilema, i like this clan here, this is where i got my help and iv done my share of trying to pay that back here (and i like metric)
each time i log on now the ebay adds are a constant reminder that to one member something Supersedes the community wellfare
this is nothing like the forum i joined a couple of years ago

it may make me sound like a dick but i cant shake it, lots of us have invested energy into this forum, its being squandered

JAZZCNC
21-07-2012, 02:00 PM
it may make me sound like a dick but i cant shake it, lots of us have invested energy into this forum, its being squandered

Nope not dick headish to me mark 100% know were your coming from.!

motoxy
21-07-2012, 02:10 PM
I do not usually get involved with these sort of posts but I have to say that the prevalence of ebay ads is getting frustrating.
I have noticed though that over 30 people have looked on the ads. There is obviously a desire for them for some but if they could be in a seperate area.
Leave the ticker box for what most of us are here for and I am sure we would be happy.

John S
21-07-2012, 03:37 PM
Why not leave the ads on Ebay where they belong.
Long Short is you are either hosting a forum or running a scam to make money - simples

This forum is ??? years old and hasn't had them before, now in the classified ads there is only 1 advert in 10 that's relevant to MEMBERS of this forum.
If Lee hadn't extended the latest posts forum on todays showing it would have been unusable.

The zone is fine, loads of information but best way to use the zone is not to read it but search it as everything is splattered all over.

blackburn mark
21-07-2012, 04:58 PM
The zone is fine, loads of information but best way to use the zone is not to read it but search it as everything is splattered all over.


There's so meny different types of people each with there own view point that head butting is the norm.!!
Get past that and the bullshit and it's a wealth of information and you can bet your last quid it's been done or asked.?

in other words, not quite as good as we used to be
maybe lee can be persuaded to calm down a bit... im kind of losing faith
lee has said somewhere that he likes to keep things transparent however, in the last discusion on this subject he gave the impression that his motive where he though it would be a "cool idea" to have the ebay adds
no mention at all about turning it into cash, not very transparent at all
i would have had more respect lee if you had said " sorry lads im skint and about to start pissing everyone off for cash" (thats transparent)
i dont much like crossing people or holding people to account, it aint fun at all but if i dont say my peice iv no right to go on bitching about it
im sure you would have prefered a PM lee but its only on an open forum that we get a feel of the community feeling on the matter
please reconsider

wilfy
21-07-2012, 06:24 PM
as a new user to this site i've already learnt more information here than my previous weeks viewing over at cnczone... while theres not many of you here at the moment and i can understand why due to the ebay add's i beg you not to leave :D i still need loads of help haha.

just out of interest the bot thats posting the links is just a user isnt it? can we personally not block all posts from that user?

EDIT: nevermind you can ignore them and not see any posts in a thread by them, but can still see thread titles

Robin Hewitt
21-07-2012, 06:49 PM
Blimey if you don't like adverts then this site is blooming fantastic compared to CNCZone :whistle:
Unless you pay for gold membership, that is, when he will kindly allow you to turn them off :joker:

JAZZCNC
21-07-2012, 07:30 PM
Blimey if you don't like adverts then this site is blooming fantastic compared to CNCZone :whistle:

Yes and no robin.?? The zone puts them were they belong which is at the top or bottom of the page or in the sides lines not pushing good threads off what is a very good feature.

My grievence and I think most others is not the adverts but the fact they are spoiling our viewing experience making it harder than it needs or used to be.!!

Surely it can't be hard to get them off the Recent activity list and into there own list.?? . . After all they are not forum activity but Bots (Albeit Management cash cows) spamming our user experience.!

wilfy
21-07-2012, 11:07 PM
i have a theory why them ads have so many views, up on the top bar there is a number that tells you how many new posts/threads there are i personally just click on then off the ebay ads to clear that number down

EDIT.. btw you can acctually change that box full of ebay stuff to display some other random usefull facts such as most viewed thread or something..

m_c
22-07-2012, 12:29 AM
I run several websites, and the sole reason you do what's been done here with ebay linking, is for monetary reasons.
If there wasn't a way to make money from it, as a website designer/programmer, you simply wouldn't normally bother.

And as wilfy has mentioned, the main reason alot of the ebay threads have view counts, is people clicking on them simply to clear them of their unread posts. The way around that is to select the ebay forum, then select "Mark this forum read" from the "Forum Tools" menu. All unread ebay posts disappear from your unread/new posts list.

mocha
22-07-2012, 12:52 AM
Right chaps, just to keep this thread informed and for the avoidance of doubt, the ebay feed is NOT implemented as a source of cash from ebay.

>EDIT; deleted "revenue stream" wrong words<

and I am opening my mouth when I'm sure, I'm not guessing -[ edit; because I asked Lee that direct question].



(please post any appropriate apologies, retractions, penances or cilice to this thread). :-)


My 2p worth? I'd like to see "guest" users have to register before they can read the content - as some other sites do. But that's a different can of worms!

PS
If you find the forum a useful resource there's always the small button at the top of the page called "Donate" that you can use too. :-)

m_c
22-07-2012, 01:10 AM
Right chaps, just to keep this thread informed and for the avoidance of doubt, the ebay feed is NOT a revenue stream and I am opening my mouth when I'm sure, I'm not guessing.

So why do all the ebay links go via Skimlinks?
Now in Skimlinks own words

Skimlinks gives you countless ways to seamlessly and automatically earn.

(oh you gotta love vB for it's formatted pasting!)

Now what was that about it not being a revenue stream?

wilfy
22-07-2012, 08:27 AM
who cares they got rid of it now... lets get back to helping us noobies out :D

JAZZCNC
22-07-2012, 11:17 AM
who cares they got rid of it now... lets get back to helping us noobies out :D

Get what you mean Wilfy.!. . BUT I care and so do some other good folks on here.!! . . . This site has become what it has off the back of people who have been good enough to take time out of there day/night to bring this site to a level by helping "us noobies" that it's possible to make money off it's advertising.

If Lee is making money off the site thats great for him and if he's doing that partly "OFF MY BACK" then I'm happy to allow that SO LONG that it doesn't impact on my Forum experience or clash with any of my principles or values.!! . . . . IT WAS .. spoiling my forum experience and NOW with this its upset my principles (if thats the right word.?)


Right chaps, just to keep this thread informed and for the avoidance of doubt, the ebay feed is NOT implemented as a source of cash from ebay.

>EDIT; deleted "revenue stream" wrong words<

and I am opening my mouth when I'm sure, I'm not guessing -[ edit; because I asked Lee that direct question].



(please post any appropriate apologies, retractions, penances or cilice to this thread). :-)


Now while I don't mind money being made I certainly don't like being treat like I'm stupid.! So playing with words to avoid telling the full truth tickles my buttons but when it comes in the form of a slightly condesending message from moderator it pushs the buttons fully. .:grumpy:

I for one don't believe for one minute there's NO finacial insentive for these Ebay Ads and Lee's own words in a previous thread "To fund this I’m going to reinvest the revenue generated by the site from advertising and so on," contridicts these words "the ebay feed is NOT implemented as a source of cash from ebay. "
So playing with words instead of saying " The ebay feed earns NO source of cash from any means" would have been a better reply.

LEE obviously knows about this thread so out RESPECT to it's main contributors, who are the one's complaining.!! He should have responded well before now saying just this.!! THEN and only then would it be acceptable for these words " (please post any appropriate apologies, retractions, penances or cilice to this thread)"

From my own perspective then my post's have been less frequent recently due to personal/work stuff but I feel they will be getting even less frequent with this lack of consideration or respect.!!

blackburn mark
22-07-2012, 11:33 AM
Right chaps, just to keep this thread informed and for the avoidance of doubt, the ebay feed is NOT implemented as a source of cash from ebay

OK?


and I am opening my mouth when I'm sure, I'm not guessing -[ edit; because I asked Lee that direct question].
i guess that makes it true


(please post any appropriate apologies, retractions, penances or cilice to this thread). :-)
my sincerest apologies go to anyone i have wronged


My 2p worth? I'd like to see "guest" users have to register before they can read the content - as some other sites do. But that's a different can of worms!

i disagree, the info/write ups i do are for who ever cares to look, no catch.... i personaly bin any forum that is on the take before iv even seen any content (2p worth)....EDIT: i can see the frustration though 200 regular member users and a couple of thousand non member readers (if i remember correctly)


PS
If you find the forum a useful resource there's always the small button at the top of the page called "Donate" that you can use too. :-)
i have no problem with the donate idea :) dont forget to ask yourself "why" or what is it that is "useful" and where that "usefulness" comes from



who cares they got rid of it now... lets get back to helping us noobies out :D


ill buy that :)

Robin Hewitt
22-07-2012, 11:54 AM
If Lee is making money off the site thats great for him and if he's doing that partly "OFF MY BACK" then I'm happy to allow that SO LONG that it doesn't impact on my Forum experience or clash with any of my principles or values.!! . . . . IT WAS .. spoiling my forum experience and NOW with this its upset my principles (if thats the right word.?)

I love it when Jazz erupts, quality ranting :joker:

blackburn mark
22-07-2012, 12:00 PM
I love it when Jazz erupts, quality ranting :joker:

jesus robin!!! dont encourage him:hopelessness:

wilfy
22-07-2012, 12:04 PM
my point was not just who cares, but who cares anymore, your points have obviously been noticed as it's now been sorted out :D chillout man


p.s. i do understand the upset, and without regular replies to posts it would seem like this site is primarily about advertising, i do understand that some of the money will go towards to upkeep of the site, i'm not sure however how much of it then turns to profit, last time i looked at things such as google adwords they didnt generate an awful lot of income

JAZZCNC
22-07-2012, 12:17 PM
jesus robin!!! dont encourage him:hopelessness:

Eh eh classic.!! . . no worries mark I've took the pills.


my point was not just who cares, but who cares anymore, your points have obviously been noticed as it's now been sorted out :D chillout man

Again no worries wilfy the pills are taken.!! . . Also In no way was I having a go at you hope you didn't think I was.?
It's not about money to me and I'm sure Lee only makes beer tokens to cover a pint or two at best.? It's the lack of reply and respect for peoples intelligence of the people who make the site what it is that push's (pushed) my buttons.!!

wilfy
22-07-2012, 12:20 PM
Eh eh classic.!! . . no worries mark I've took the pills.



Again no worries wilfy the pills are taken.!! . . Also In no way was I having a go at you hope you didn't think I was.?
It's not about money to me and I'm sure Lee only makes beer tokens to cover a pint or two at best.? It's the lack of reply and respect for peoples intelligence of the people who make the site what it is that push's (pushed) my buttons.!!


yeah that i can understand dude no problem

blackburn mark
22-07-2012, 12:27 PM
last time i looked at things such as google adwords they didnt generate an awful lot of income
thats fine wilfy, if the forum wasnt paying its keep im sure we are all open to finding ways and bending to change that fact as long as we all know "what where and why"

its very easy to be cynical when things look less than up front.
like jazz i have no problem with the sight making money but this is an open forum where we can speak our minds and have things out with each other so when people feel aggrieved we get to thrash it out... thats a good thing :)

wilfy
22-07-2012, 12:44 PM
and its great that you can be so open with each other, i read a brilliant thread recently where i saw Johnathan and jazz having a good old debate with each other which to an outsider would look very hostile, but from further readings i can see that they are very respectful of each others views but have some differing opinions