Progress Reports - CONSOLIDATE IN ONE THREAD! Please bump your master pages :)

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I'm a bit puzzled about how to comply with Forum rules on Vendor threads. We post one thread a month in conjunction with our newsletter. Last weekend someone bumped a year-old Koni sale thread and Nick pinged Corey (wrong person as it was my thread) to consolidate or delete the second thread on the front page. Maybe I'm missing something but I'm not sure how to do that. Also, we have no control over members bumping old (and long forgotten) threads. I wrote Nick about this yesterday, no reply yet.

Today we're sending our February newsletter. Since we already have two threads on the front page (both obsolete) I don't feel I can post this month's newsletter.

This old not very internet savvy guy needs some direction here.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Peter, my understanding is that vendors can only have one active thread. Have you decided which of your threads you want to be "your thread?" Or would you prefer to start a new thread each month and abandon the previous month's thread?

Sorry if I'm speaking out of turn - just trying to help you get some info on this.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
We'd like to post a new thread each month and have any existing thread(s) locked or deleted. We want the title to be specific to that month so we don't want a single ongoing thread. This is important to us for SEO.
 

GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
No problem to do it that way. Send Nick or myself a PM with precise, engineering-type instructions e.g. "Delete this thread - and here is the link to it" and then start the new thread. Co-ordinate with him about whether he wants you to wait for a confirmation that the old thread has been deleted before starting the new one ... or will tolerate a short period of having both threads open.

If an old thread gets bumped so that you accidentally have two threads open ... we're not THAT rigid. It will quite likely prompt a question over what to do about it, but it's not like we don't understand that these things will happen from time to time.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
One suggestion I have is to lock all old threads that have essentially been abandoned. That will prevent new people from bumping old threads that no longer serve a purpose. Old threads will still be available for research and review.
 

cevans

TDIClub Enthusiast, TDI Parts Ninja Vendor , w/Bus
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
Hingham, MA
TDI
2015 Beetle Conv. TDI 6-Speed & 2006 E320 CDI
...been deleted before starting the new one ... or will tolerate a short period of having both threads open.

If an old thread gets bumped so that you accidentally have two threads open ... we're not THAT rigid. It will quite likely prompt a question over what to do about it, but it's not like we don't understand that these things will happen from time to time.
I think VeeDub's suggestion is much better for the Vendors and members - locking, rather than deleting the thread. Deleting a thread also means that any reference information that was in the thread is also no longer accessible for people who are searching for information. Vendor threads are not just "FOR SALE" threads, but places where members can ask the specific vendor a question about a product and that answer is shared with the club.

My recommendation is:
Each vendor one new thread every 30 days. Every vendor thread is locked 60 days after its creation, so at any given time a vendor can only have two threads ongoing.

(I at first thought a 30 day expiration period, but having a small overlap period seems more natural. After 60 days most threads are dead anyhow)

The "one thread per vendor" thing really kills the idea of the Vendor section as a forum - it becomes just a directory of vendors rather than a list of topic-specific conversations. As a consumer, I'm not going to react well to a thread that is 6 months old and 20 pages long, especially if I'm on the hunt "shopping around" for the newest stuff.
 
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GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
Hang in there and keep the suggestions coming. The current rule and enforcement thereof was necessary to stop a situation that was spiraling out of control. It's not the be-all and end-all.

Another forum that I'm a member of, uses a sub-forum per vendor (paid, in that case) and it works pretty well.
 
Joined
Nov 14, 2004
Location
just out of north east philadelphia
TDI
2015 Porsche Cayenne diesel, 2005 Audi allroad 6spd, 2007 WCM ultralite (super 7)
i dont think we have so many vendors that we need to have subsections. i think is we even break the vendor section into new and used parts it will be a huge help. many people go into the vendor section and cant differentiate new and used parts sellers without clicking each and reading the entire post. this is time consuming and people just stick to the regular classifieds.
 

79TA7.6

Veteran Member
Joined
May 8, 2006
Location
Live: Wilbur/Creston; Work: Moses Lake Washington
TDI
2003 TDI Jetta, 2002 TDI Golf, 2005 TDI Golf
I am not sure if this is possible or not, but can you give the vendor who originated the thread power to control that thread? This way they could delete their own stuff, add new stuff, and so forth. If this was possible then my suggestion to the vendors is to either lock your threads when you are done with them, maybe leaving the last post as a note to PM for more info, or to keep one long running thread. In the long running thread I would suggest that you insert a post to the top with your new items so they do not get lost in the shuffle and add a post to the bottom indicating that there are new products available.

This is just a thought from a customer's point of view.
 

GoFaster

Moderator at Large
Joined
Jun 16, 1999
Location
Brampton, Ontario, Canada
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI
There are limitations to what the VBulletin software will allow, which we have to operate within.

The sub-forum per vendor system works OK when you have a comparatively small number of vendors (i.e. only those who pay). TDIclub has literally hundreds of vendors on the approved list - only a fraction of whom are active. Keep in mind that from our point of view, everyone has to be treated the same (and right now, everyone is being treated the same by only allowing one active thread per!!). If we want to go the sub-forum per vendor route, do we want hundreds of new forum sub-sections???

The amount of effort that it takes for moderators (read: unpaid) to manage whatever structure we come up with, is a consideration.
 
Joined
Nov 14, 2004
Location
just out of north east philadelphia
TDI
2015 Porsche Cayenne diesel, 2005 Audi allroad 6spd, 2007 WCM ultralite (super 7)
PARDON THE LONG REPLY, and any grammar errors :)


i think you may be onto something. we have a lot of inactive vendors here, and the few mods we have are trying to cater to ALL (active or not) of them. we really should be concentrating on the fraction, as you put it, that are active. looking in the vendor thread now, it really does not seem like that many.

that being said i really would like to bring up my idea about breaking the classifieds into 2 additional sections. FS/WTB cars, FS new parts vendor, FS used parts vendor, FS services vendor, FS/WTB private classifieds.

this would actually decrease the workload on current mods because the vendors would have proper room to work without trying to cram everything into one horrifically long post, or having to bump their thread multiple times a day.

i imagine the following:

vendor: bobs big brakes

new parts vendor section: bobs would advertise (only) new brake kits, and brake parts. oem, aftermarket, etc. as long as kits are NEW.

used parts vendor section: bobs would advertise (only) used brake parts. these could be the good oem brakes removed when upgrading a customer to big brakes. also any other used parts they have.

services vendor section: bobs would advertise (only) services. these could be brake jobs, repairs on brake systems, diagnostic work, or even other repair work not brake related that bobs offers.

bob can link in his signature to all three threads so a customer viewing any post of his will also see he has others. this ways bobs will not be in a race with many other vendors to keep bumping their threads to stay on the first page.

now, look at it from a customers point of view. Currently someone needing brake calipers to do a repair themselves will not necessarily look to bobs thread because bobs looks to be a new parts vendor, or a service vendor. also if the customer does make it to bobs thread, bobs may not want to list EVERYTHING they offer because it would massively clutter one thread. also the casual customer will not look at the new parts vendors for services or used parts. this means no matter how often bobs updates their used parts list there will never be enough eyes on the items catch the customers passing by.

i understand this type of setup will initially take some time and manpower. im willing to give up some of my time by helping as a mod or temp mod to see improvements.
 
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nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
I may be busy these days, but I still check here. Several members with multiple threads cluttering this section again. PM warnings sent 5 minutes ago.



Fix them by Noon 14 Apr PST.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
Yeah there are a few people who are testing their limits again.
 

IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
I have to speak up here. We've abided by the new Vendor Thread rules, yet our once monthly thread has now been locked twice. The only other thread we have that appears on the front page (in part because it was left unlocked in error) is now locked. As cevans writes, we are not in violation, yet the thread is locked anyway. And shortysclimbing has two open and active threads on the first page.

Whether or not I agree with the new rules, I do think it's only reasonable that you follow what we've agreed to regarding our monthly threads (lock the previous month's thread and leave the new thread open when posted), and that you apply the rules to all vendors consistently.

Having to monitor and ask repeatedly for this to be corrected is disappointing, and not what I'm used to from TDIClub.
 
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IndigoBlueWagon

TDIClub Enthusiast, Principal IDParts, Vendor , w/
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Location
South of Boston
TDI
'97 Passat, '99.5 Golf, '02 Jetta Wagon, '15 GSW
No. This thread was put up on 03 April, and the March newsletter thread should have been locked then. You locked the wrong thread on the 3rd, and locked it again yesterday or today. Please unlock it.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Fred is circulating a vendor questionairre. This thread's sticky purpose may have passed. I'm going to unsticky it for now.
 

Scott_DeWitt

Vendor
Joined
Apr 7, 2004
Location
Texas USA
TDI
2000 Audi A4 1.9TDI quattro
I vote for the locking of old threads. I've had threads 2-3 years old bumped and received nastygrams from mods to "Cut it Out" when I had no control over necro-bumping.

Looking at the vendor section I see another vendor's old thread bumped with an active thread already in the main section.
 

Whitbread

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Jan 21, 2007
Location
Johannesburg, MI
TDI
Several
I vote for the locking of old threads. I've had threads 2-3 years old bumped and received nastygrams from mods to "Cut it Out" when I had no control over necro-bumping.
Looking at the vendor section I see another vendor's old thread bumped with an active thread already in the main section.
Agreed. I asked for all my old threads to be locked after I made my in progress "master" 10lbs of $h!t in a 5 lb bag thread. Obviously there's at least one still unlocked that I was not involved in :rolleyes:.
 

bhtooefr

TDIClub Enthusiast, ToofTek Inventor
Joined
Oct 16, 2005
Location
Newark, OH
TDI
None
The other thing is, maybe an "Archived Vendor/Groupbuy" forum, move everything but the one threads to it, and lock that whole forum?
 

cevans

TDIClub Enthusiast, TDI Parts Ninja Vendor , w/Bus
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
Hingham, MA
TDI
2015 Beetle Conv. TDI 6-Speed & 2006 E320 CDI
Good idea toof, but, then again, why bother? If the thread is locked it will die a slow death to the depths of the Vendor Section. I really, really like the idea of locked old threads. Each vendor gets one active thread at a time, lock the old ones. Easy.

What I have tried to do is put a link to the "newest" thread at the top of the old thread, therefore when/if someone comes upon the old thread they at least have a breadcrumb trail to follow.
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
I just did a little more housekeeping and locked some old threads that were on page one (in cases where there was a newer thread also on page one).
 

A5INKY

Vendor , w/Business number
Joined
Sep 4, 2007
Location
Louisville, KY
TDI
2006 Jetta TDI, 2002 Eurovan Westphalia VR6
I get why this thread limitation to one per vendor was done.

However, it would be helpful if vendors could change their thread's title from time to time. If it is technically feasible, it seems it would satisfy the goal of eliminating vendor spamming up the section while still allowing us to feature changes and new offerings.

Can this be done?
 

VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
I'll check with Fred to see if it's possible to allow vendors to change their thread titles in this section, or if it would require a forum-wide setting change.

In the mean time, moderators can change thread titles for you, so if you want your title changed, click report post
on the first post of the thread that you want modified and we will take care of it as quickly as possible (within 24 hours would be typical).
 
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VeeDubTDI

Wanderluster, Traveler, TDIClub Enthusiast
Joined
Jul 2, 2000
Location
Springfield, VA
TDI
‘18 Tesla Model 3D+, ‘14 Cadillac ELR, ‘13 Fiat 500e
This is a bump to remind folks that you may only have one active thread at a time.

  • If you would like to start a new thread and abandon your old one, please click the report post icon
    and let the moderator know that you wish to have your old thread locked.
  • If you would like to change the title of an existing thread, please click the report post icon
    and let the moderator know that you wish to change your existing thread title.
  • If you wish to combine several threads into one master thread, please click the report post icon
    and let the moderator know which threads you would like to have combined.
  • If you have any other requests or questions about a thread in the Vendor forum, please click the report post icon
    in the thread/post in question.

You'll notice that many thread maintenance actions center around the report post icon
. There are several of us who monitor this forum and most requests will be completed within 24 hours. Simply starting multiple threads without following the above procedures will result in unhappy moderators and arbitrary thread moves/mergers/locks and title changes.

Thanks! :)
 
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cevans

TDIClub Enthusiast, TDI Parts Ninja Vendor , w/Bus
Joined
Sep 24, 2002
Location
Hingham, MA
TDI
2015 Beetle Conv. TDI 6-Speed & 2006 E320 CDI
Simply starting multiple threads without following the above procedures will result in unhappy moderators and arbitrary thread moves/mergers/locks and title changes.

Thanks! :)
Sorry :(
 
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