Emporium listings vs product announcements and other sale items

[Dr Zaius]

I have been asked what the GS policies are going to be going forward concerning sale items. Specifically, the differences between posting items for sale and using the forums for product announcements.

First, let me say I do not yet have a comprehensive plan that maps out every last detail of how this is going to work. As you are aware, all of us, me included, are still learning the new forum software and what it is capable of. That said, I gather that some perceive an element of unfairness where a member has to pay for a upgrade to subscriber status in order to post classified ads, yet another member can post product announcements for free. Some see both as essentially being the same thing.

Hmmm. That's a difficult question. On the one hand, GS does have to make an effort to cover the cost of running the site. But on the other hand, it is not my intention to unduly restrict which discussions can happen on the forums and which can't.

So until we have a firm policy on this, I'm going to leave it up to the judgement of the moderators. If they feel an announcement is in the spirt of the forums and a benefit to the general membership, then it's fine. But if they feel a particular individual (or company) is taking advantage of the relaxed rules and is using the forums as a free marketing tool for their business, then posts could potentially be flagged or moved. This will suffice until GS has an official policy.

There are many different ways various game sites tackle this issue. Some require advertisers to buy some kind of access to post in an official announcement area. Others allow no product announcements at all, but do allow advertisers to pay for ads on the site. Still others give game companies the option of buying a dedicated sub-forum for their company where they can do whatever they want. And yet another option I've seen is allowing advertisers to 'sponsor' a particular forum for a period of time for a small fee. These are all valid options.

 

[Dr Zaius]

On a related note, GS will soon be getting a full-fledged marketing system. Once it's up and running, I'll have to experiement with it before I can establish what the policies and limitations are going to be. But essentially, it will be a solution which allows members to post items for sale and handle the whole process right through GS.

For example, let's say you've created a game map you want to sell, the new system will help you do that. You will be able to create listings for products for sale (maps, counters, full game systems, artwork, RPG rules, etc.) and then set the fee, and the whole transaction will be automated through the GS system. You will be able to upload images and a comprehensive description of the product so people know what they are buying prior to making a purchase.

This system is powerful enough that it will allow you to post items for digital download, or take the buyer to an off-site web page to complete the purchase. You will even be able to post physical items for sale, essentially allowing you to run your own store right on GS. There will be a variety of options, but if you so choose the whole process will be completed right through the GS system, relieving you of the burdensome chore of running your own web site and coming up with a system to automate sales. GS will do it for you!

You will be able to choose whether to share a resource for free or whether to charge a fee. The system is easy and will automatically collect your payments through PayPal (support for other systems may eventually happen). As part of the automated process, GS will collect a small percentage of the sale.

The system will be open for all members to use.