Thoughts On Sub-Forum...

[Sharribee]

GOG I know and it'll be a letter

how frustrated am I going to be

[Whealie]

I'll take your Transalp off your hands mate.

I am not prepared to pay for it. And I'd like you to deliver it to me for free too.

Surely this doesn't sound unreasonable to you - a man who understands the principle of not paying for things?

[japes1275]

I sympathise with baz. Obviously rules are rules but I do think this forum is a bit OTT when it comes to being 'moderated' and charging to subscribe. I am a member of about a dozen forums, all relating to cars or bikes and none of the others charge for membership.

One of the reasons I chose not to subscribe when I first started using XRV was due to some over zealous 'moderation' relating to a thread I was taking part in. It just made me think twice about paying and so now I just put up with the reminder to subscribe that keeps flashing up!! The forum I have used most over the years has virtually no 'moderation' and we have some fairly healthy threads that on here would have been closed down after the second post! And we are talking about a forum for old MG cars not some boy racer site!
What is wrong with selling things one here for free?!! There are loads of places on the net you can sell things for free. Usually on sites for enthusiasts of certain marques etc. Isn't that what we are here?!!

Anyway, thats my rant over. I'll probably be banished for life now! Having said all that it is a fantastic forum with loads of good info and members so maybe one day if I get more involved in things I will have to subscribe!

John

[DaveS]

I sympathise with baz. I'm away at the moment but I saw the email come in and started to think about a halfway house.
How about 1 months subs for £5 for just such ocassions?
Or £6 for 2 months or something like that?

[BobA]

Oh Dear! Looks like I'm in the doghouse!!

Baz

That was a nice long reply, and although I can see some of your points, you just have to face up to the fact that rules are rules! It would not be fair to all those loyal members that have supported the forum and subscribed to make an exception for you, would it?

I notice you've only posted 24 times, so perhaps you haven't really used the forum that much, but I can assure you it is a very friendly place, and there are some great people on here offering advice and help asking absolutely nothing in return. There are bikers, ex-bikers, and soon-to-be bikers on here, so the fact that you're leaving biking doesn't mean you have to leave the party.

What a lot of people don't realise is that this forum is "Self Police'ing" and a lot of the time it's actually members that pick up points and direct them to moderators to deal with.

I don't think the annual subscription is excessive (£12 a year, £1 a month, about 3p a day!) and everyone on here is a dual-sport bike enthusiast, so you are reaching your target audience I can assure you.

Dave has proposed some interesting alternatives (above) so it would be interesting to see if you find any of them attractive for selling your bike.


Bob

[baz elzebub]

Well - it's nice to see a debate start, and good that there is a modicum of support for some of my points, but to answer 'grumpyoldgit's' answer - I haven't placed an ad, have I? The system won't allow it!

Look - I wasn't looking for a free ad - the first thread did state that - but a Moderator jumped in with both feet and ASSUMED that I did. What I expected was a pop-up box stating prices (as on another forum with an identical layout design), with a scale of charges, payable by...whatever...but it didn't happen, did it, so what's the yelling about? All I was trying to do was raise a CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTION THAT MAY HELP THE FORUM'S MEMBERS - or aren't we allowed to do that, either??

What I wanted, plain & simple, was to re-home my bike with a Transalp enthusiast, who'd look after it and enjoy it - not some oik who'd picked it at random from Bike Mart or whatever. Straight & honest, there's the principal - but no access to advertising due to no sub', no cheap ad (or - dare I say it - free?)...and as I have said, I'm retiring from biking, so why would I want to linger on reading a bike-based forum, especially one that's set so rigidly in its own rules? Trust me on that - I won't be back!

I'm retiring for PRIVATE AND PERSONAL REASONS, as I have clearly stated, though I had intended to stay on bikes when I first joined this forum, but due to intense changes, I can't, and won't be able to bear any lingering hopes of return, so for crying out loud, stop poking me in the eye about your subs & members' rights and all that stuff. I, too, am also a member of many other forums, as another member has admitted also, and I have never come across this stubborn attitude of resistance to suggestions as I've made...maybe it's self-protection of the useful annual bonus some folks may be collecting from the members' subs that powers the rules? (8000+ x £12 is 96000 good reasons to resist, I reckon - IF the forum's figures are to be believed ).

Oh, well - that's me (and my Transalp NOT now for sale to forum members) out of here, before this thread gets deleted...

I dunno - just can't help some folks...

Tatty-bye, all!

[Whealie]

I knew he'd eff off, even when offered a discount (which I didn't agree with). Bloody freeloaders. Want everything for free. All take, take, take and no giving anything back.

[digitalcaptive]

Oh, well - that's me (and my Transalp NOT now for sale to forum members) out of here, before this thread gets deleted...

I dunno - just can't help some folks...

Tatty-bye, all!

You really have got a chip on your shoulder haven't you, and an air of self importance, Nobody has knocked your ideas, in fact a few have supported them, this was purely about you wanting to "place" your transalp and under current forum rules you not being able to list in the "For Placing" forum

Whatever word you use its still for sale

[DaveS]

I, too, am also a member of many other forums, as another member has admitted also, and I have never come across this stubborn attitude of resistance to suggestions as

Baz.... I'm the site owner and posted that I thought you MAY have a point... or did you miss that?
I was interested in seeing what we might do here.
I was away at the time the email came in so I didn't have chance to properly reply.

[baz elzebub]

Whealie - I found your comment about "taking my bike off my hands for free" just as offensive as you obviously found this so-called expectation of being able to place an ad - as I said, I didn't ask for a freebie, it was suggested by a moderator on my original thread. I did not want to enter into a childish feud about such things. It was a pathetic comment, and so was your equally prattish "I knew he'd eff off...blah-de-blah" (typical RAF man - shoot first, check friend-or-foe afterwards )...

DaveS, the "offered discounts" are only a hypothetical suggestion, though, aren't they? Does seem like a good idea (even though Whealie doesn't think so! ), and I would have probably gone for it, but I think the rot's set in here for me, and I reckon any ad I place now would probably be abused, etc, etc, so keep an eye in the papers (and on other forums!).

For everyone else's information, I may not have placed many postings, but that was simply because I used the "Search" facility to trace answers and information to a healthy extent, before and after registering, to save the forum getting bunged-up with unnecessary repeat queries, and I only asked two questions, both answered satisfactorily, very swiftly - much to commend the members, there. I have no doubt that there is a thriving social side to the forum (meets, rides, etc) but sadly, due to unforeseen circumstances, I couldn't attend any, and now it's too late to start. So, had I been able to stay with bikes, I would have enjoyed the forum far better.

I am not a freeloader nor a taker, but times change, needs must, and I have to go, so I sincerely hope you folks will consider the points I've raised in this thread and possibly action some (along with DaveS's compromise for short-term memberships), without rancour or spite toward me. Believe me, I was trying not to get rattled, but sometimes it just seemed that some folks couldn't/wouldn't see the wood for the trees, and I got the 'ump because my comments were getting twisted out of proportion (not unknown on free-speech forums, of course, but frustrating when you're trying to help...). Really - I haven't got a chip on my shoulder - just a baked potato!

Thanks for the moderate mediation, Dave - I appreciate it - and I hope your other members can make use of it one day.

See yers!