So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

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scotty
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So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby scotty » Wed Aug 02, 2017 2:39 pm

But the screen is populated by Google ads selling me Marbella Property etc etc ........... Why dont we have a for sale and wanted forum here ? Either a subscription based system or a "toal number of posts based system" ? At least regulars here would have an idea who they were dealing with .

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby El Cid » Wed Aug 02, 2017 4:30 pm

We have considered this many times before and we don't allow any form of advertising and that rule is unlikely to change.

There are plenty of other online opportunities for buying and selling - this forum is not one of them.

Please read the site rules for more detailed information.

Sid

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby Pamela1 » Wed Aug 02, 2017 7:04 pm

Scotty.i guess most of the ads you see on here will be paid for ads...On line ads are big business and most help to pay for the upkeep of websites...The prob with a sales or wanted column is it can be taken advantage of and even if its only a simple under 100 euros rule there are ways around that too...

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby TorreDelAguila » Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:32 am

More than happy not have have For Sale items here - plenty of other space for them.

Pamela, you could install AdBlock on your device, which will prevent most pop-up from appearing on web pages.
For the few sites which won't function with AdBlock operating, there's a button at the top 'Pause Adblock' which lets them through. It works well.
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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby swerve » Thu Aug 03, 2017 12:12 pm

At least they would be something else to read. As this forum seems to have not many active contributors.
Back to the expat forum for me.
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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby wembason420 » Thu Aug 03, 2017 12:48 pm

Swerve, I was thinking the same regarding very few active posters here of late, even though I'm a very new member when i joined there were far more daily posts. Seeing as you're a long term member may I ask what you think may be the cause of this decline?

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby IreneD » Thu Aug 03, 2017 1:51 pm

I'm not Swerve but I'll tell you what I think (and the reason I don't post here much, these days)

When I joined, back in 2008, facebook was not such a behemoth and information about Spain hard to find. These days, there are countless group pages, information pages etc etc about all areas of Spain on facebook. I do still come here of course - I'm fond of A.Com as I got so much helpful info about all sorts, back when I needed it and I feel I have got to know many of the member, I've even met some in Real Life :) . But for my area in Spain, the likes of Axarquia Info on facebook gets pretty much instant response to queries and plenty of them. I'm sure other areas of Andalucia have similar group pages.

Of course, many people wouldn't touch facebook with a barge pole which (IMO) is why forums like this still tick over and are extremely helpful. Also, being moderated by truly knowledgeable people is a big plus. You pretty much know the info you will be getting here is correct whereas facebook threads often descend into chaos with lots of conflicting advice. Citizens Advice Bureau is about the only one ( as far as I know) that works hard at correcting members and quoting the law about lots of things. El Cid and Beachcomber dive in quickly if they see misleading info.

O.K. that's my twopennorth. Swerve, over to you ;)

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby Devils Advocate » Thu Aug 03, 2017 2:35 pm

Irene's on the money there. Some huge car forums that were the very busy 5 years ago are now ghost towns due to the acceptance by a lot more people that Facebook is here to stay.

As she says, answers are almost instant to a query too with notifications dinging your mobile if you are out and about.
Property owner in Andalucia since 2002. How time flies.

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby BENIDORM » Thu Aug 03, 2017 3:30 pm

I actually agree with Scotty,and times have changed and it is necessary to keep up with trends to survive, having been in business for many years I'm well aware of this.

I also do believe that if a Sales and Wanted section was added it should really only be available to members who have contributed with a good number of posts, maybe 50 plus.
This would certainly generate more members and more interest and deter the advertisers from the Far East Etc.
And I would also suggest that a different moderator be appointed who could solely administer this section, Sid has enough to do and Beachcomber only makes 'Guest 'appearances , I guess that he is really busy with other matters.
The forum would be a much better if everyone made occasional comments or requests for info.or passed on their own experiences, and also many ask for help and then don't even have the decency to say thank you.!
I would hate the forum to become another 'chat room' but there is so much more to write about and it really doesn't matter how trivial the topic is, it will be of interest to someone.
Anyway I hope that Administration is reading this ....
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Gordon

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby scotty » Thu Aug 03, 2017 4:39 pm

I think Gordon is correct. If A.com doesn't keep up it wont attract new members and then traffic falls and it dies. A for sale/wanted sub forum could be easily managed and moderated.

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby El Cid » Thu Aug 03, 2017 4:53 pm

We tried restricting access to some areas like the Amigos Lounge but it is a real pain to administer the access so we gave it up and now everyone has access.

As I said before there is no way we are going to have a for sale section as there are plenty of good alternatives elsewhere.

As for trivial posts where is doesn't matter what the topic is about, that's what the Lounge is for and trivial posts that have nothing to do with the main topics get moved there.

This forum was created to provide information to people who either live in or are thinking of moving to Andalucia. It is not intended to be another chat forum and it has always been that way and that is the way the forum owners wish it to stay. Like advertising sites, there are plenty of social media sites that offer as much trivial chat as you like. The Lounge is a popular venue and we have had some really good threads in there - both contentious ones and funny and chatty ones - long may that continue.

Sid

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby El Cid » Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:01 pm

scotty wrote:I think Gordon is correct. If A.com doesn't keep up it won't attract new members and then traffic falls and it dies. A for sale/wanted sub forum could be easily managed and moderated.
This forum is a very small non revenue making part of the Andalucia.com website which is a very well established, award winning site about Andalucia.

It is very easy to forget that as the majority of members just setup direct access to the forum and never actually look at the main site which is a huge mine of information about Andalucia. The traffic through the forum has very little commercial significance, so the forum success or otherwise is hardly likely to affect the profitability of the main site - they have become two very separate entities.

It's very easy to say that a for sale subforum would be easy to manage and moderate if you are not actually doing it. Sadly, it is nowhere near as easy as you might think.

Sid

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby BENIDORM » Thu Aug 03, 2017 5:22 pm

Sid,
Like I stated ,'I would hate the forum to become a chat room'.

And when I try to encourage posters to ask or talk about trivial items I mean that they should not be embarrassed to ask or offer information on something like 'Where can I buy a Wedding hat'.
I've been in business for over 50 years and run 3 limited companies,including 1 in Spain and I've always made a point of listening to my customers and adapting and changing to keep up with trends, successfully for most I must add.

If you don't think 'Outside the Box'..you will end up in one quicker than expected.
Have a Good Evening.
Regards,
Gordon

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby El Cid » Thu Aug 03, 2017 6:58 pm

I am more than happy to think outside the box, but this particular box is not mine.

Sid

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby BENIDORM » Thu Aug 03, 2017 7:13 pm

Sid,
I'm rather disenchanted with your statement about how unimportant the forum is in comparison to the main site, I've spent many years contributing to the forum under the impression that it actually did help the main site gain traffic.

Perhaps it's time I hung up my hat.

Regards,
Gordon

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby gerryh » Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:19 pm

Sorry to but in but where did Sid say the above statement?
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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby Lyric » Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:21 pm

4 posts up

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby gerryh » Thu Aug 03, 2017 8:30 pm

I don't want this to turn into a slanging match.
I can see where Sid said "The traffic through the forum has very little commercial significance, so the forum success or otherwise is hardly likely to affect the profitability of the main site - they have become two very separate entities."
To my mind that is not the same as saying that is is unimportant.
There are plenty of things in my life which have "very little commercial significance" but they are definitely not unimportant to me.
Cheers
Gerry
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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby wembason420 » Thu Aug 03, 2017 9:46 pm

I am most surprised, I have always been of the understanding that a site with an advertised supported information area coupled with a free blog/Forum section complimented one another. I personally found the Forum first as the word forum was in my search criteria and from there went on to the discover the delights of the other sections of "Andalucia.com". From my point of view I certainly don't see them as "two separate entities". I would be very surprised if someone searched and found the Forum didn't visit all other areas the site offers.

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Re: So "For Sale Ads" are not allowed here . . . . .

Postby El Cid » Fri Aug 04, 2017 9:15 am

wembason420 wrote:I would be very surprised if someone searched and found the Forum didn't visit all other areas the site offers.
One would hope that was the case, but experience suggests otherwise. There are many occasions where forum members ask for information and we give them a link to the info on the main site, so clearly some members are not availing themselves of that facility as much as we would like.

Any suggestions as to how that could be improved would be welcome.

Maybe we should only allow daily access to the forum after 5 pages on the site have been visited!!

I guess one element is just how you encounter the forum in the first place. All posts are picked up by Google and often a Google search leads straight to a thread in the forum. Once you have visited via this route the chances are that you won't even know the main site even exists. I have lost count of the number of times I have Googled something and found the answer directly on a forum and in some cases I have ended up joining or at least visiting regularly.

Sid


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