Changes to the classifieds...

[hungrymonkey]

Stangnet is moving to one national classifieds.

- Mustang Classifieds at StangNet

The regionals will cease to exist on October 15th.

 

[wythors]

The local classifieds are the main reason I visit Stangnet.

 

[WaterPog]

.....

 

[hungrymonkey]

I will try to see if the national classifieds can be searched by zip or location. As of right now, they can be searched for the content of the post.

So, if Oregon or Portland is mentioned in the ad. Then it can be found. I am not sure about the location portion of your profile.

 

[wythors]

there are classifieds at *****

Yeah, but that's got a bunch of Chevy chit mixed in with the good stuff.

Any idea what the reasoning was for the change? I'm not going to bother to wade through a bunch of chaff from all over the country to find the local stuff, nor am I going to bother advertising mine here anymore. I've done a lot of good trading here in the past, but I guess I'll just stick to Craigslist and eBay from now on.

 

[MyFordsFly]

Im with dave, this was not something that needed fixing. Stangnet was one of the first sites I remember having a regional classifieds and I thought it was brilliant. Now alot of other sites I go to are starting to get them and Stangnet is dropping it?

Did Boeing buy the site by chance?

 

[94v6GT]

The local classifieds are the main reason I visit Stangnet.

Ads listed by region was the only advantage SN had. if im wading thru national stuff, it'll be at Corral.....

 

[hungrymonkey]

Per the big guys

Redundancy. Now that everything is forum based instead of software based like the old national system, it places the same content in multiple areas on the server. This is bad both from a member perspective when trying to locate items and for a search engine optimization, too. When the bots crawl the site, it makes sense from a search engine optimization perspective to have everything in one centralized area (classified forum).

 

[Stangler]

Per the big guys

Big guys arn't car guys I take it, oh well. I came here daily to check the classified, I guess it won't mean much when I'm gone...

Nate

 

[charged9250]

Big guys arn't car guys I take it, oh well. I came here daily to check the classified, I guess it won't mean much when I'm gone...

Nate

X2

 

[BlownFiveLiter]

I'm not really the big guys here on StangNet (that's my quote above - I'm an admin elsewhere), but those are the most likely reasons behind eliminating the regional forums, since the national classifieds have been moved onto the forum itself. The change in classified systems itself is because the old system never really took off. Corral, for example has an extremely busy classified section that's based in vBulletin. Ours was a third party system that was foreign to most users, and I can only speak for myself, but I know that I've been a member at other forums that weren't based on vBulletin and I have a tendency to not stick around at them very long. Maybe I'm just lazy and unwilling to learn a new forum software, but I prefer to stick to what I know, and I'd venture to guess that our old system was looked at by others, in the same manner.

The new system can be made just as effective as the regional system if we institute some ground rules for the classified sections that include a location requirement. I've been looking around for a plugin that allows you to search by location (or similar function), after hungrymonkey mentioned it in the thread we have going on this in our staff forum. In the meanwhile, simply adding your location to the thread title at least makes weeding through them a bit easier. We're always in favor of improving the forum for the members and moving the classifieds onto here should make it better in the long run. Just give it time, we'll perfect it and it'll be like it's always been there.

 

[MyFordsFly]

Big guys arn't car guys I take it, oh well. I came here daily to check the classified, I guess it won't mean much when I'm gone...

Nate

x3

 

[Stangler]

I looked in the "Regional" forums, how come we are the only one that got this thread? I didn't see it in any other forum here....

Nate

 

[hungrymonkey]

I looked in the "Regional" forums, how come we are the only one that got this thread? I didn't see it in any other forum here....

Nate

I was Pm'd by another member, asking what was going on with the classifieds.

If you search through the regional FS sub forums. You will find that they are not used as much as the NW FS. The NE is a close second to us.

I posted this thread due to that fact. It will affect more than a handful of SN members.

 

[wythors]

I'm not really the big guys here on StangNet (that's my quote above - I'm an admin elsewhere), but those are the most likely reasons behind eliminating the regional forums, since the national classifieds have been moved onto the forum itself. The change in classified systems itself is because the old system never really took off. Corral, for example has an extremely busy classified section that's based in vBulletin. Ours was a third party system that was foreign to most users, and I can only speak for myself, but I know that I've been a member at other forums that weren't based on vBulletin and I have a tendency to not stick around at them very long. Maybe I'm just lazy and unwilling to learn a new forum software, but I prefer to stick to what I know, and I'd venture to guess that our old system was looked at by others, in the same manner.

The new system can be made just as effective as the regional system if we institute some ground rules for the classified sections that include a location requirement. I've been looking around for a plugin that allows you to search by location (or similar function), after hungrymonkey mentioned it in the thread we have going on this in our staff forum. In the meanwhile, simply adding your location to the thread title at least makes weeding through them a bit easier. We're always in favor of improving the forum for the members and moving the classifieds onto here should make it better in the long run. Just give it time, we'll perfect it and it'll be like it's always been there.

That's all fine and dandy, but it still comes down to "you now have to search for something you didn't have to before". It is a backward step and really takes away a big positive that Stangnet had over the competition. As EJ said, this was not something that needed fixing.

Sadly, the NW section lost most of it's traffic when "That Other Site" was started up and it will now lose most of the rest of it because of this.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Let it go already....the new system is better...Period!!! Despite your personal belief on the subject, the previous system was in fact flawed. You guys in the NW may have been fine with it because of the close little network you've established, but the rest of the board suffered. Now, everyone has the same opportunity to brows the classifieds, without leaving the confines of the Forum.

It’s cleaner, easier to search and easier to control. If we're able to implement the parameters Matt has suggested above, then all this bitching will be for nothing. Searching for a local items will be as easy as plugging you your zip/postal code and searching for items nearest you. If you’re not willing to ship…then state so in your ad. Are they’re going to be any bugs to work out upon start up….quite possibly, but ultimately this will be of greater benefit to everyone.


Don't be so afraid of a little change. I swear, based on some of your responses, I’d think a lot of you guys just choose to complain for the sake of doing so!?!

 

[FrankenStang]

Im with dave, this was not something that needed fixing. Stangnet was one of the first sites I remember having a regional classifieds and I thought it was brilliant. Now alot of other sites I go to are starting to get them and Stangnet is dropping it?

Did Boeing buy the site by chance?

Ouch.

<--- works at Boeing

 

[MyFordsFly]

Don't be so afraid of a little change.

Fear has nothing to do with it, we simply liked it the way it was.

I swear, based on some of your responses, I’d think a lot of you guys just choose to complain for the sake of doing so!?!

Nice approach, good to see Stangnet has Mods with great people skills. I suppose next time they make a change we dont like we'll just keep it to ourselves.

 

[Gearbanger 101]

Nice approach, good to see Stangnet has Mods with great people skills. I suppose next time they make a change we dont like we'll just keep it to ourselves.

Voicing an opinion on the subject is one thing. A little constructive criticism is always appreciated and welcomed. Feedback is an important part of what makes this site great.

The "You’d better do things the way I want them done, or I’m taking my ball and running home!!!" attitude some of you have adopted is entirely something else.

...especially from those who haven't even given it a chance to work.

The point is, that the old system wasn't being properly utilized. Like I said, the group here in the NW may have built up a nice little trading community, but the other regions were seeing little, to no traffic and thats simply not acceptable.

The new format will be easier to navigate, promote the ability to alter and bump sales threads at will and allow us to keep track of changes made and moderate the ads more effectively. The premis however will not change. Local ads can remain local and those wishing to advertise nationally may do the same.

 

[Tylerb59]

I've been a member here for a long time, most of that time it's ONLY been useful for classifieds as all the politics of advertising has driven off any actual [local] social community to other websites.

Sad.

Regional classifieds are a must. At least for the Northwest, with one of the largest Mustang gatherings each year there is a large user base looking to sell / buy various parts locally and in my opinion is now the only activity on this forum.

Regional classifieds for the Northwest are a must.

I was around before the classifieds were broken into regions and using the SNtrader was a total hassle, especially for larger parts when shipping is made much more difficult. That deters use and drops overall value of even having a glob of part listings really.

It really is nice to find local ads so you can take a same day delivery in those rush situations to get a car back on the road. I've been in that situation before many times and have been saved by the local crew so many times with my Cobra.

Please don't remove the regional classified for the NW.

(I don't even have a Mustang nor plan to for a while and I still care ...)