Evening all,
I have to say, this is all a little upsetting, because from a majority of the posters on this thread, what's said face to face isn't valid from what’s said on here.
I'll start from the beginning.
To suggest that you will be kicked off for not sponsoring the site is absurd, I hope I have never given that impression. If I have, please let me know where I've said such a thing so I may edit it. Apologies to anyone who got that impression. As far as I'm concerned, all posters are treated equally here, regardless of whether you’re a sponsor or not.
The line must be drawn, however, at blatant advertising. If a business is benefiting at the expense of the forum, them I think it is only fair that the trader pays to support it.
Gary,
It is unfortunate that you feel you've been unfairly treated. Your sale ad had a very specific 'GT ART Parts for sale' title to it and went on to list a whole bunch of parts at + VAT prices. This was obviously a trade advert, not, as you say, a private sale. However, I have also given you plenty opportunity to have a banner on the site for free prior to launch, explaining to you in detail that I wanted you to be active in within the traders list on the forum. You never got back in touch with me after that, despite promising emails. My motives are hardly profit minded.
Peter,
As far as personal posting goes, I respect you all for your maturity and moral standings. It would be folly to expect people not to sing praises about a specific service they've received (check out my hall or shame/fame on blowdog.com if you want to see me dig into traders!). I think that's something I will leave to your judgement. But we must also respect that fact that it's unfair to a paying sponsor to have another trader advertise for free. It's a predicament I'm trying to avoid but still have no answer to. What are your opinions here? Would be interested to hear of any suggestion.
Max,
Completely agree with you. I have, and still do, allow traders to post in the trade forum. If you look now you will still see existing threads continue with enquiries. I do also agree that the community will always benefit from traders selling ex-stock parts. But, please advise, where do I draw the line? At what point can I tell when the trader is furthering his own ends at the expense of the forum?
Andy,
That's interesting, because when I spoke to you about it prior to launch, I wanted to gauge opinion on the matter. You were totally in favour of the idea, and in fact promised me 2 separate banners, one for Sumo and one for Kleer Freight. Why you then go online and say you don't agree with it is beyond me. Regardless, I won't take a nihilistic approach to the idea, I shall continue to allow posts from traders because I do agree that it would benefit everyone here. But it was your encouragement that enabled me to go ahead with this system.
Skylinekev,
I'm sorry to hear that you'd rather have Joss back than the current set up. The new site's been launched (successfully, I think), gtr.co.uk is never down, money's been pumped into it from my own pocket (I'm £10,000's down at the moment) and membership is increasing, pray, tell, where has the site deteriorated? Do you know why Joss sold the site in the first place? He had no time to spend on the site anymore, nor did he want to invest in it. Praise be to him, for he had the foresight to launch it and set the foundations. But I did believe, until tonight, that I had progressed it.
I'm interested to hear your comments (although some sadden me) so please keep them coming. It's been real hard work, but I'm always open to criticism.
I will open up the Trade Forums again, like it was before, let's see where it takes us.
Thanks all,
CemK