I have a comment!

[Acristickid]

I think guys who buy and resale it at an inflated prices on this website are punk #OOPS#es. Totally unacceptable. If they want to do this take it to craigslist or ebay if they want to rip people off.

Hey, I know I post ridiculos things from time to time but I won't try to profit off of another poster here.

I think Dave should institute a 1% or 5% manditory donation to keep the site going off anything sold in the swap forum.

This is not the type of site I want to be part of and I think many others feel this way that is why those sellers prey upon our good nature!

Unacceptable!!!!!

 

[JackM]

Paul, it is hard to police pricing. I agree that anyone who appears to be using this site for a market for their side business should be sent the door. Most of such persons are crafty enough to occasionally post in other forums to at least raise the appearance that they aren't just merchandising on the site. If you suspect a problem in the swap forum, best to PM one of the mods or Dave as we don't necessarily see everything that gets posted.

 

[DaveKile]

If anyone notices something out of line at anytime, as Jack said, please PM us. It is hard for us to catch every detail of all the posts, but we are very happy to look into something once known.

I try to keep profiteers out of the forum conversations. There are a few areas like the swap, events and professional stream reports that the "purity" of the forum can get a little fuzzy. I hope the guidelines are clear.

The Professional Stream Reports Forum are for fly shops and guides to share specific streams reports. They are welcome to post their website and contact info in those reports.

The Events Forum is for everyone to share events and activities that pertain to fly fishing in the area. Free event are encouraged. Non-Profits can share benefit and paid fly fishing events. Commercial organizations can post for free activities. A fly shop can announce a free fly tying program for example. For profit entities cannot post fee based activities. They are encouraged and welcome to inquiry about advertising on the site.

The Swap Forum guidelines are very detailed. It is a place intended for the casual selling of used fly fishing goods. If anyone is making a side business through the site then I ask they inquiry with me about advertising on the site. Everyone please read those guidelines before offering fly fishing gear.

If you think someone is outside those boundaries let us know.

 

[JackM]

Dave, clarify your position, if you wish, on events that charge a fee. The Somerset Show got a lot of publicity here, but I think everyone enjoyed the conversation and some folks even ended up meeting, which I know is a side-effect of the site of which you are rightly proud. A similar question could arise with TU banquets promoted by TU members, raffle tickets for sportsman's clubs, FFF funraisers, etc.

I recognize you may want to be flexible in these gray areas, but if you wish to clarify, I would be interested in hearing more.

 

[JackM]

Also, now that I see what has prompted this discussion, I want to comment:

I shop craigslist a small amount and nothing gripes me more than someone who replies to a proposal publicly when the means for private communication exists. Also, posting in a thread selling something in a way that effects the value of that item is bad form. Regardless of whether the party offering a sale at a certain price is offering a good deal should be no one's business other than the seller and anyone seeking to buy. If any buyer lacks the knowledge to determine value, they should seek that advice before entering into a buy/sell agreement.

We have a gear forum, where a potential buyer can inquire about the very item being offered in swap and get information about the value, features and benefits of the item from a broader user base without interests in the transaction.

I also think that if the seller has enabled PM (which they should do), then counter-offers and proposals should be handled privately. My feeling is that except for questions about the condition or description of the item, the threads should not have unsolicited comments about the value of the item or the person's experience with the manufacturer.

Simply put: except for Dave's initial decision whether a post is from a legitimate registered user who just happens to have an item or two to sell, what occurs on that thread should be only:

The sellers proposal.
Any questions regarding the item description, pricing, etc.
Answers to the above from seller.

Everything else should be done privately.

These are just my two cents and do not necessarily represent the views of any other moderators or the site owner.

 

[DaveKile]

I'll try an answer them separately and they are open for discussion except for 1.

Events.

1. Events must be as they relate to Fly Fishing and the Pennsylvania Region. Non-negotiable.

2. Free events are fine. This would include meet-ups, seminars, shows and classes. A fly shop offer a free seminar on fly tying is good. An individual offering casting lesson and charging a fee not so good.

3. Non-profit organizations offer events for fund-raising or announcing events. A TU Chapter offering a raffle for fund-raising for stocking is okay. The local knitting club raising money for more yarn not okay. I hate needles.

4. This is where we may have some holes. A board member may suggest an event or activity that is by a commercial entity for a fee based seminar, swap, show or class is okay. Examples have been The Fly Show, Eastern Sports Show, The Drift Movie being shown seem okay to me. A fly shop announcing they are holding an event and charging that is advertising and not okay. I realize this is left for some interpretation, but it is the best I can do.

The purpose here as with all the site is about trust. People can come to this forum and in general can trust the information that they read. Individuals have to build trust with others and do so over time, but the site has to establish that trust first and foremost especially in the forums.

 

[JackM]

Thanks, Dave, that should be helpful.

 

[DaveKile]

Jack,

I am not say it is correct, just something I see is the best way to approach it. We kind of write our own book here. Feedback is always welcome.

Dave

 

[JackM]

I think it is fine. If any one person should decide how to distinguish and whether to bother distinguishing a poster promoting an event to share information versus someone with a profit motive promoting the event in order to gain free advertising to a very select demographic. It isn't a distinction that I envy you making.

My feelings. Draw the line in favor of keeping commercial interests at bay on the forums that are generally used by others for non-commercial purposes. This is why I favor the swap forum because at least there is a single place to look for the type of posts you do not want to encourage.

This morning, two new threads were started in the General Forum to promote commercial sportsman shows. I don't think either emanated from someone's desire to advance their commercial interest, but I wouldn't want to constantly scrutinize such posts either to sort out the legit from the prohibited.

 

[Acristickid]

I feel the site does a good job with fairness. Thank you for looking at my comment.

 

[Fredrick]

Jack my post is for VFTU fund raising trout day . I have nothing to gain from my post except to see who is going from SEPA .

 

[JackM]

I thought I acknowledged that, Fred. I had nothing against those threads, just pointing out the types of threads that would have to be scrutinized if the policy were too complicated. I think Dave also said your thread was legit as being a non-profit event.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

I feel the site does a good job with fairness. Thank you for looking at my comment.

This site does an excellent job with that. Thanks Mods!

 

[DaveKile]

Yup I think non-profit events that relate to fly fishing make sense. Groups like TU, Project Healing Waters and other conservation groups in our area all part of important community cause we should all know about.

Can't see that we let the groups like the Plymouth-Whitemarsh HS Soccer Boosters use our forums as a way to promote their soccer programs. I like PWHS as I graduated from there, but we are about fly fishing and not soccer.

I don't mind if people discuss commercial events as long as it is coming from an individual and not organizer. Again I realize this has holes, but it is the only way I can see encouraging people to share information.

People point to fly shops and merchants in other parts of the forum when they discuss gear or products. That is fine.