2012 Trading Post Updates

Post Reply
admin
Rank: 2X Champion
Posts: 484
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:23 pm
Location: Starkville, Mississippi USA

2012 Trading Post Updates

Post by admin » Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:09 pm

As our efforts to improve GDF to better serve our community continue, over the past year we've been monitoring the break-out of forums in the Trading Post - BUY/SELL/TRADE/SEEK category to see how much ad 'traffic' has appeared in each of those forums during that time. As this category is an advertising section vs. a chat area, we began moving sold ads and old ads (those with no activity for a period of many months) to an ARCHIVE forum located in that same category -- the ARCHIVE provides an opportunity for a viewer to check back on an ad that is no longer current but might have information of current use.

By facilitating fresh advertisements in the TRADING POST category, we're hoping to encourage our members and visitors to check out the ads frequently - thus giving our advertisers and potential buyers a wonderful opportunity to buy and sell forum-related items in a convenient and timely way... and are FREE to post!!!

Upon review and management of ads in the TRADING POST over the past year, we're making further changes to the forums in this category. We're doing the following:

* All archived ads, whether SOLD, OLD, or WANTED will be stored in one forum: ARCHIVE - TRADING POST

* We will move ads that are edited and marked SOLD into the archive - when your item(s) sell or are no longer available, please edit your ad and write SOLD somewhere in the subject line (yes, even if the item was given away it helps us in searching ads to archive if we can look for the one word SOLD vs. many different terms). We will also move ads that haven't had activity for 6 months into the archives, and ads in the DOGS FOR SALE forum that haven't had activity for 4 months into the archives.

* We are going to merge the forums MISC and HUNTING SUPPLIES into the DOG EQUIPMENT forum and rename the forum DOG/HUNTING SUPPLIES. We will leave HORSES AND HORSE EQUIPMENT, and BIRDS AND BIRD SUPPLIES as separate forums. We will also leave DOGS FOR SALE as a separate forum.

Many of you have enjoyed being able to review more current ads in the TRADING POST forums this past year, and this came about through our ongoing effort to improve a valuable FREE (did I mention that advertising in these TRADING POST forums is *free*? <G>) service to our GDF community. Along those lines we may allow an _occasional_ ad from a commercial bird dog source such as a pro trainer, kennel, etc. offering an _item_ for sale -- however it is expected that anyone who includes advertising of a commercial name/kennel/service, link, phone, or contact info in a GDF ad will first have a reciprocal link to the Gun Dog forum on his/her business/kennel website. Note that this includes any of those references to a commercial entity in signature lines as well. Ads of this type without reciprocal links may be removed or held pending a reciprocal link being created. The TRADING POST section on GDF is *not* an outlet for commercial advertising campaigns!

We also expect that advertisers will refrain from attempts to move their ads to the top of a forum by using "bump" messages or having friends make posts such as "Nice gun!" "Cute pups!" etc. or other comments that don't add relevant information to the ad. Commentary (other than adding useful information relating to the item being advertised) and advice-seeking posts are better suited to the GENERAL CHAT category. Notes indicating something NEW or additional information about an item can be posted as needed, but using this as a frequent attempt to keep an item at the top of a forum may be cause to remove an ad.

Readers who want to know if an advertised item is still available are encouraged to send a private message (PM) to the advertiser checking on the availability of an item. As our advertisers follow our guidelines and mark items SOLD when no longer available, plus our efforts to move old ads to the ARCHIVE, will help ensure that items advertised in the active forums are still 'good to go'!

Advertisers will benefit by splitting multiple items for sale into separate ads (unless items are being sold together such as a gun and case, bird launcher and remote, etc.) - much easier to let readers know when an item has been sold rather than listing several items and marking some sold and others still for sale. Ads for litters of puppies, of course, may have notes indicating which pups are sold and which are still available.

And as always, GDF reserves the right to delete or edit a post that is considered by our moderation process to be objectionable or contrary to the best interest of the GDF community - including removal of SPAM and strictly commercial advertising (other than as noted above).

Thank you to all GDF readers and participants for your continued support!
-- ROB SNELL,
DOG TRAINING DIGITAL LLC

admin
Rank: 2X Champion
Posts: 484
Joined: Sat Jul 31, 2010 6:23 pm
Location: Starkville, Mississippi USA

Re: 2012 Trading Post Updates

Post by admin » Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:10 pm

Thanks, BDBD, for all your hard work with this! -- ROB
-- ROB SNELL,
DOG TRAINING DIGITAL LLC

Post Reply