Jazz
Inactive
Agreed.
What's the deal with the Emporium?
- Thread starter Sully
- Start date
Justiciar
Elder Member
See post 57...its smelled this way since before entering the supermarket itself...
Dr Zaius
Chief Defender of the Faith
- Joined
- May 1, 2001
- Messages
- 8,902
- Reaction score
- 408
- Location
- The Forbidden Zone
- First name
- Don
- Country
-
I will make some changes to the Emporium to make it friendlier and more powerful.
- Joined
- Jul 26, 2003
- Messages
- 19,636
- Reaction score
- 5,613
- Location
- St-Légier
- First name
- Robin
- Country
-
Use the "Report" button: the moderator will be aware of the problem.
witchbottles
Forum Guru
Given that the Moderators are watching and posting in this thread regularly, I would at least give them credit enough that they are well aware of its presence, and anything posted here.
Helmseye
Member
The great thing about capitalism is that if you don't want to pay to use this site pay Ebay instead
They have done so much for the Asl community...........
They have done so much for the Asl community...........
von Marwitz
Forum Guru
Some interesting background information in this thread so far.
I had no idea about the cost of running this forum (nor the time it takes to administrate/moderate it).
What I found interesting is the ratio of total registered members (22,000) and active members (500-600).
Probably (barring the last few weeks), I can count myself among the more active of the active ones in the last couple of years. I am not representative, but as Don is interested in feedback I'll give some general feedback from my personal perspective:
- Never used the Emporium to buy/sell and hardly ever looked into it. But I am not a hard core collector, not a trader and have all the stuff I need or buy when new stuff comes out directly from the producer or resellers (rather than from 2nd hand market). As such, the Emporium in its entirety is of no matter to me.
- I really have appreciated this forum for ASL since 2010. Besides VASL and an eASLRB it has been the most valuable tool for ASL. First, for rules questions with high quality and quick answers. Second, for a more general overview on what's going on around the game (AARs, development plans of products, etc.). Third, for some of discussion of historical things (Da Paul Challenge for AFVs anyone?).
- I am not using too many forums, but altogether, the tone of the conversation here seems reasonable and civilized enough most of the time. You've got some trolls & idiots (as everywhere), some who I would term "characters with an attitude" and quite a number of altogether nice and helpful people.
- Moderation seems hardly existent (at least with regard to even the most obnoxious trolls). I'd wish for a bit more activity in this regard.
- With regard to "badges" - one reason I do not end up with BGG when I started looking for ASL forums was the "badges". All that fluff around the user-name / avatar looked simply silly to me. Personal taste maybe. I prefer the "clear picture". That said, everywhere in the net without hesitation I would use ad-busters, script-blockers, LSO-clearance etc. In that line, I preferred the previous design of GS.
- Despite having used this forum happily and regularly, I will most likely not support it with money.
- I believe the heart and core of a forum are the people posting solid content (while acknowledging, any forum is impossible without an admin, hardware, software, and internet-access. Chapeau to Don.). Klas Malmström, JRV, Paul Weir, and a number of other high quality posters are the "most valuable assets" IMHO. They spend a very significant amount of time here, and it is the content they produce (unpaid and for free, so to say), that attract others which are less refined but still able to provide their share. The type of the "services" of those people is varied: You have the hard-core rules gurus, the history-buffs, AAR-typers, VASL-support guys, "good-idea-havers" for innovative ideas, counter- and map-dreamers, people that have a moderating effect on courtesy and etiquette within the forum without being moderators, the "good-question-askers", "interesting-thread-creators", and people adding humor. The currency in which they contribute is mainly with their time and particular skill (and money by some of them on top of that). Though I do not excel in any of these categories, I hope that forumites count me somewhere on that side rather than among the trolls, haters & idiots. That would be my contribution. A non-financial one.
- Whatever way GS might develop to, I believe prime consideration should be given to conserve it as the state of the art ASL-reference. To this end, this means that the existing content needs to be preserved as best as possible (And here the loss of the picture database is a significant setback IMHO. Dunno about technics & feasability - maybe it would have been possible to keep what was there but stop it from expanding, that is allowing new stuff to be added the "new way only". No idea.). Then, the most valuable forum members that draw and inspire others need to "feel at home" around here.
- If you have a hobby in which not much money is to be earned (which applies to most, ASL among them), its community is pulled together by some that are ready to give more than they get. They inspire and attract others. Around them is a circle that at least give as much as they get. And then you have a large number of "consumers" who do not contribute anything although it would not be hard for them to do so. My experience is, that you can never force people to contribute (by money or in another way). If pushed, many would simply wander off, which is not necessarily a loss. It only becomes dangerous for the whole, if the those who "do the work" and "give the money" become irked and discontent. That has the potential to break things up big time. There is not really justice in the uneven workload, time-commitment, content- and funding-contributions. But so far I have not yet experienced that this can be overcome.
von Marwitz
I had no idea about the cost of running this forum (nor the time it takes to administrate/moderate it).
What I found interesting is the ratio of total registered members (22,000) and active members (500-600).
Probably (barring the last few weeks), I can count myself among the more active of the active ones in the last couple of years. I am not representative, but as Don is interested in feedback I'll give some general feedback from my personal perspective:
- Never used the Emporium to buy/sell and hardly ever looked into it. But I am not a hard core collector, not a trader and have all the stuff I need or buy when new stuff comes out directly from the producer or resellers (rather than from 2nd hand market). As such, the Emporium in its entirety is of no matter to me.
- I really have appreciated this forum for ASL since 2010. Besides VASL and an eASLRB it has been the most valuable tool for ASL. First, for rules questions with high quality and quick answers. Second, for a more general overview on what's going on around the game (AARs, development plans of products, etc.). Third, for some of discussion of historical things (Da Paul Challenge for AFVs anyone?).
- I am not using too many forums, but altogether, the tone of the conversation here seems reasonable and civilized enough most of the time. You've got some trolls & idiots (as everywhere), some who I would term "characters with an attitude" and quite a number of altogether nice and helpful people.
- Moderation seems hardly existent (at least with regard to even the most obnoxious trolls). I'd wish for a bit more activity in this regard.
- With regard to "badges" - one reason I do not end up with BGG when I started looking for ASL forums was the "badges". All that fluff around the user-name / avatar looked simply silly to me. Personal taste maybe. I prefer the "clear picture". That said, everywhere in the net without hesitation I would use ad-busters, script-blockers, LSO-clearance etc. In that line, I preferred the previous design of GS.
- Despite having used this forum happily and regularly, I will most likely not support it with money.
- I believe the heart and core of a forum are the people posting solid content (while acknowledging, any forum is impossible without an admin, hardware, software, and internet-access. Chapeau to Don.). Klas Malmström, JRV, Paul Weir, and a number of other high quality posters are the "most valuable assets" IMHO. They spend a very significant amount of time here, and it is the content they produce (unpaid and for free, so to say), that attract others which are less refined but still able to provide their share. The type of the "services" of those people is varied: You have the hard-core rules gurus, the history-buffs, AAR-typers, VASL-support guys, "good-idea-havers" for innovative ideas, counter- and map-dreamers, people that have a moderating effect on courtesy and etiquette within the forum without being moderators, the "good-question-askers", "interesting-thread-creators", and people adding humor. The currency in which they contribute is mainly with their time and particular skill (and money by some of them on top of that). Though I do not excel in any of these categories, I hope that forumites count me somewhere on that side rather than among the trolls, haters & idiots. That would be my contribution. A non-financial one.
- Whatever way GS might develop to, I believe prime consideration should be given to conserve it as the state of the art ASL-reference. To this end, this means that the existing content needs to be preserved as best as possible (And here the loss of the picture database is a significant setback IMHO. Dunno about technics & feasability - maybe it would have been possible to keep what was there but stop it from expanding, that is allowing new stuff to be added the "new way only". No idea.). Then, the most valuable forum members that draw and inspire others need to "feel at home" around here.
- If you have a hobby in which not much money is to be earned (which applies to most, ASL among them), its community is pulled together by some that are ready to give more than they get. They inspire and attract others. Around them is a circle that at least give as much as they get. And then you have a large number of "consumers" who do not contribute anything although it would not be hard for them to do so. My experience is, that you can never force people to contribute (by money or in another way). If pushed, many would simply wander off, which is not necessarily a loss. It only becomes dangerous for the whole, if the those who "do the work" and "give the money" become irked and discontent. That has the potential to break things up big time. There is not really justice in the uneven workload, time-commitment, content- and funding-contributions. But so far I have not yet experienced that this can be overcome.
von Marwitz
Tater
Elder Member
Neither wallyworld or Saks will charge their customers just to enter their store and look around.
I get restriction sellers to paid since they are making money of the site...but it doesn't seem reasonable or wise to restrict customer access.
If you are happy paying $20/yr are you happy with $40, $100? and the golden question, HAVE YOU DONATED in the past without being "forced" to?
Why not simply put in a $1/month PATREON subscription rate.... GET OUT OF THE STONE AGES....
There are other SIMPLER, less controversial means of "paying for the site"
Charging to buy shit...that's just a dumb idea, pure and simple.
MatrimSaric
Member
Well you have your right to set up an entirely free ASL forum that everyone will no doubt flock too. Personally I am happy to pay $20, the site has been good to me and good to the hobby and I dislike facebook and am not so keen on consimworlds format.
Old Dog
Member
I think that requiring paid membership to merely buy things does a disservice to the paid members listing things for sale by reducing their potential market.
Buying doesn't require a paid membership, they changed that already. You need to be a paid member only if you want to post an ad there.
witchbottles
Forum Guru
I would agree, but I chalked the entire post up to the "Old Dog" username.
Srynerson
Senior Member
When did they change that? I don't recall seeing it announced.
Long time ago I think. I don't think I saw any announcement either, I just noticed it at some point.
witchbottles
Forum Guru
post 83 upthread