Changes to the S&S, PowerSellers/Sponsors Forums

[Keyboard Aquatics]

I hope for this to be the last comment on behalf of Keyboard Aquatics. Although, I'm happy to check back in and respond as needed.

I’m going to avoid a number of the sniping and snarky comments addressed to us. I’m reading them from <Gasp> mods of this site. It is quite uncomfortable to me that mods of this site feel they can belittle our efforts, while we paid to support the site. Worse, posts are deleted. I have been a mod on other forums and know how tough the job can be. Never did I ever feel I was entitled to belittle a sponsor.

The one I will address was incredulous, and beyond inappropriate. Momotaro, the irony of telling us to address our concerns via pm, while dressing us down publicly was irony at its best. Likely the most unprofessional action I have seen in my years in the pet industry. We also noticed that the posts that agreed your comment was rash were deleted while your comment stayed up. Again, our posts have been deleted while your comment stays up. This doesn’t suprise us but what does is the lack of professionalism. We feel that we have been very professional and we have been treated with disrespect.

This coming from someone who knows the saying…..”The best thing about the pet industry is that it’s casual, the worst thing about the pet industry is that it’s casual.” That post was beyond casual, unusually crude, and did not represent any level of decorum.

There is a disconnect at the store level from the forum level. That one comment is quite possibly the best of the worst representation of forum attitudes.



I truly appreciate the beneficial input of users and mods on our business practices. Having a collective of over 25 years as a retailer, wholesaler, distributors, manufacture,sales reps, and industry professional, we can always use the additional advice. No matter that it comes from a hobbyist or a forum volunteer. We take pride in attending both hobbyist and industry trade shows. Our ability to learn from forum members posts keeps us current with what hobbyist concerns are and how to best handle them. It also helps when we are choosing what products to stock.

Interacting as a seller on a forum is a learning process, one that we take seriously.



We have asked the following specific questions, which we haven’t gotten an answer to. Perhaps now the point is mute.

1. What will it take for us to move into the role of a PowerSeller?


2. We feel the linking ability in our sig line is important to us. Can this be done as a Supporter?


Ed K A West

[In.a.Box]

Why not just close this right now? It time to give up and move on people. Sometime something happen for a reason this change is one of them Not for us but for the world.

Go and copy and pasted everything you sell onto notepad and wait till the new change.
A normal person will only need 1 sale thread anyways.

Title: Plant,Filter, wood, etc.

Fish
...........

Plant
..........

this isn't hard to do people.
There no max to how many letter you can type.

[Seattle_Aquarist]

Hi All,

I believe Kyle plainly stated in the original post in this thread:

Only Sponsors can have links to their classified listings in their signature

Also, speaking of ironic:

Momotaro, the irony of telling us to address our concerns via pm, while dressing us down publicly was irony at its best.

.....and yet you chose to dress down a Mod publicly is every bit as unprofessional. Certainly not the level of professionalism I would expect from someone who wanted to be a Sponsor.

I am done with this thread, if someone has any issue with my comments please send me a PM....I will be pleased to respond. I can not wait for tomorrow!!

-Roy

[audioaficionado]

I'm going to a Southern Oregon star party tonight. I hope we also have some nice aurora borealis displays from the large CME AR1520 sent our way a few days ago. It will be an awesome night and I look forward to see how all our TPT changes look live.

[Craigthor]

Originally Posted by Keyboard Aquatics

I hope for this to be the last comment on behalf of Keyboard Aquatics. Although, I'm happy to check back in and respond as needed.

I’m going to avoid a number of the sniping and snarky comments addressed to us. I’m reading them from <Gasp> mods of this site. It is quite uncomfortable to me that mods of this site feel they can belittle our efforts, while we paid to support the site. Worse, posts are deleted. I have been a mod on other forums and know how tough the job can be. Never did I ever feel I was entitled to belittle a sponsor.

The one I will address was incredulous, and beyond inappropriate. Momotaro, the irony of telling us to address our concerns via pm, while dressing us down publicly was irony at its best. Likely the most unprofessional action I have seen in my years in the pet industry. We also noticed that the posts that agreed your comment was rash were deleted while your comment stayed up. Again, our posts have been deleted while your comment stays up. This doesn’t suprise us but what does is the lack of professionalism. We feel that we have been very professional and we have been treated with disrespect.

This coming from someone who knows the saying…..”The best thing about the pet industry is that it’s casual, the worst thing about the pet industry is that it’s casual.” That post was beyond casual, unusually crude, and did not represent any level of decorum.

There is a disconnect at the store level from the forum level. That one comment is quite possibly the best of the worst representation of forum attitudes.



I truly appreciate the beneficial input of users and mods on our business practices. Having a collective of over 25 years as a retailer, wholesaler, distributors, manufacture,sales reps, and industry professional, we can always use the additional advice. No matter that it comes from a hobbyist or a forum volunteer. We take pride in attending both hobbyist and industry trade shows. Our ability to learn from forum members posts keeps us current with what hobbyist concerns are and how to best handle them. It also helps when we are choosing what products to stock.

Interacting as a seller on a forum is a learning process, one that we take seriously.



We have asked the following specific questions, which we haven’t gotten an answer to. Perhaps now the point is mute.

1. What will it take for us to move into the role of a PowerSeller?


2. We feel the linking ability in our sig line is important to us. Can this be done as a Supporter?


Ed K A West

1- Powerseller will no longer exist, you can move to a gold member with 4 sales threads a month with 10 days each thread to edit OR apply for a Sponsors spot with your own forum.

2- Linking is ONLY allowed if you are a Sponsor and has always been this way. Want to link again consider a Sponsor title.

I've been on this forum for a long time and think this will be a great update as the SnS was getting to the point of no longer being enjoyable to look at.

Oh yeah and both of your questions were answered in the first post.

[sewingalot]

Keyboard, this is your last warning. Like I requested in a PM, you need to address all further concerns via private message and allow others a chance to voice their concerns. You are breaking so many rules in that last post, I suggest you stop typing and start reading:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/sh...ad.php?t=73098 and when you are done with that, read the original post of this thread again.

The answers to your questions:
1. Nothing can be done. As of tomorrow, all power seller memberships will be removed from the site.

2. NO. Remove your signature that links, promotes or even remotely suggests the mention of sales.

[BigCountry]

I wasn't going to post because I am relatively new, but I feel compelled. I applaud the changes to Swap and Shop. When I go to swap and shop, I 'm looking for like minded members who are looking to thin out their current tanks for some sort of compensation. Sort of a classified section between members if you will. I'm sure this is why people are complaining that S&S gets more traffic than Power Sellers. I rarely go into the Power Sellers section, but that is just me.

I am hoping that I am getting close enough on my plant growth to be able to do a trimming and pay back the community with a RAOK.

I think it's great that people are able to further their businesses here if they are truly part of the community, and I commend Kyle and all of the mods for how they handle themselves and how they are running things.

Personally if this forum became an over commercialized area, I probably would not visit much. Keep up the good work guys.

[wkndracer]

Nice post BC

and the little voice say's 'don't kick the frog'

[audioaficionado]

T-minus 5 hours and counting.

[sewingalot]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

I wasn't going to post because I am relatively new, but I feel compelled. I applaud the changes to Swap and Shop. When I go to swap and shop, I 'm looking for like minded members who are looking to thin out their current tanks for some sort of compensation. Sort of a classified section between members if you will. I'm sure this is why people are complaining that S&S gets more traffic than Power Sellers. I rarely go into the Power Sellers section, but that is just me.

I am hoping that I am getting close enough on my plant growth to be able to do a trimming and pay back the community with a RAOK.

I think it's great that people are able to further their businesses here if they are truly part of the community, and I commend Kyle and all of the mods for how they handle themselves and how they are running things.

Personally if this forum became an over commercialized area, I probably would not visit much. Keep up the good work guys.

Thank you for your response, BigCountry! I am glad you posted your thoughts and hope you always feel welcome to post (new or not). These changes effect you just as much as the oldest members. It's great to see input from a new perspective as well. (By the way, I have the same view as you in terms of buying.)

[KyleT]

Originally Posted by BigCountry

I wasn't going to post because I am relatively new, but I feel compelled. I applaud the changes to Swap and Shop. When I go to swap and shop, I 'm looking for like minded members who are looking to thin out their current tanks for some sort of compensation. Sort of a classified section between members if you will. I'm sure this is why people are complaining that S&S gets more traffic than Power Sellers. I rarely go into the Power Sellers section, but that is just me.

I am hoping that I am getting close enough on my plant growth to be able to do a trimming and pay back the community with a RAOK.

I think it's great that people are able to further their businesses here if they are truly part of the community, and I commend Kyle and all of the mods for how they handle themselves and how they are running things.

Personally if this forum became an over commercialized area, I probably would not visit much. Keep up the good work guys.

We know that this is how the majority of the members feel. This is exactly why these changes are being made. I think this is a good place to put this thread to rest as very few productive comments have been made in the past couple of hours.