Talk to me.

[Janice]

Hey you!

Okay, so I've been getting alot of emails lately about the tone of the forum being different. I talked to these people a little, and I felt that if those few were motivated enough to send me a email then maybe there are more of you out there who feel the same way.

I've been away from the forum quite a bit over the past few months due to my personal life taking a nose dive. Basically I've only been able to take care of administrative tasks lately, so I don't really have a pulse on the people so to speak right now.

Is there something different that the general population is having a hard time adjusting to? Has our policy of being able to talk openly somehow changed? Are people feeling alot of pressure from certain individuals? Talk to me, let's see if I can help.

Feel free to send me a PM or email, you can even call me or just post your feelings here. I ask that if you are going to point fingers, please send me a private message so that things don't get bent out of shape.

I can't promise I can change things overnight, but I want to at least understand what's going on here. When I can understand the problem, maybe I can help work things out.

Let's talk.

 

[gildedangel]

I haven't noticed a difference in the tone of the forum, but then again I am oblivious to a lot of things! I don't feel that anyone is acting differently, but perhaps there was a different tone to the forum before I joined. I still feel as though I can talk openly and share my feelings and opinions without being judged or hated, in fact I get great advice. Perhaps I am being oblivious to the problem?

 

[panda0410]

Not really sure? I cant say I've seen a huge change in the forum tone

What I have noticed, however, is a lot of people (myself included) have been absent for a period/s, and that there have been a few *holes* in the regular community. I'm not sure if thats made a difference or not to the way things flow in general, I really cant see why it would. But perhaps that might be contributing to the way other users view the forums?

 

[TISH1124]

^^ I agree with both of the above...I too have noticed not as much activity from past "anchor" members, mods, advisors etc....But the flow seems to be generally the same IMO. There will never be any group of people that will agree on everything but I think there are great opinions and point of views voiced on the forum at even given time.

 

[Vixxan]

I have seen a big change in parts of the forum since I joined. I spend most of my time here in the recycle bin and it's a different breed of seller posting now. Before there was not a lot of bad deal (stealing) but now there seems to be a lot more theft going, it almost feels like the Wild West in there. There are a lot of sellers that post items and don't respond to the buyers. There are sellers posting items and selling the same items multiple times. Also, there are sellers taking money for items then shipping the items weeks later without telling the buyer that they won’t be getting their items for weeks. The downside to this is the buyer doesn’t feel they are going to get the item so the buyer files a PayPal claim.

Here is an example of what it’s been like. Three weeks ago I did 3 deals in recycle bin.
1. The sellers said this one got lost in the mail and I still don't have the item or my money.
2. This one the seller out right stole from me. Has not responded to any of my pm’s or message left in her for post since she got paid.
3. This one I actually got the product.

Those are real bad odds (1 out of 3) and it seems to be happening more and more. I have been thinking about what can be done to clean it up. A few ideas:

1. Listing must state the location of the product, USA, China, etc.
2. Ask buyers to post what items they purchased from the seller in the seller's sale post to prevent the seller from selling the same items multiple times.
3. Seller must post when they plan to ship the items once they are paid for.
4. If the seller fails to complete a (one) sale after you have been given proof that the seller has been paid then the seller’s sale post is locked. It is my understanding that a sale post is locked after 3 bad Itrader remarks if that is the case then this is allowing a thief to create two additional victims.
5. If you have a PayPal account you can print shipping labels through PayPal with deliver confirmation for 20 cents extra. I don't think you can make this mandatory but it would be nice for both buyer and seller to have this.

Last but not least. There have been a few sellers that have stole a lot of money from our members and it really bothers me that they can steal from us and still be active members on this forum. I think if they are going to steal from the members here they should be kicked off this forum. It’s a slap in the face to see them log on everyday as if nothing ever happened.

I don’t think you can protect the members here from thieves but I do think that we can do a few things to try to protect ourselves. A few more rules may make is less appealing to try to pull a fast one.

 

[franimal]

I definitely think the tone has changed over the years. I have seen a lot of the older members participating less because they feel ignored and there are really cliquey groups here, though I don't think that is something you can really change. I think some people are also really rude, to the point of attacking new members who have honest questions about collections. I don't think you can change that, I think it is just a matter of the personalities on the forum, but it is noticeable. A lot of these same people seem to come and go, the vibe here seems to change often.

 

[nunu]

I have actually been thinking about this lately. The "tone" has changed quite a bit, especially in the past year. It's isn't as friendly as it used to be. I have to agree with the above, lately the rudeness level has increased.

 

[TISH1124]

Quote:

Originally Posted by franimal I definitely think the tone has changed over the years. I have seen a lot of the older members participating less because they feel ignored and there are really cliquey groups here, though I don't think that is something you can really change. I think some people are also really rude, to the point of attacking new members who have honest questions about collections. I don't think you can change that, I think it is just a matter of the personalities on the forum, but it is noticeable. A lot of these same people seem to come and go, the vibe here seems to change often.

What some members don't seem to understand is that all of us don't have time to read every single page of every single collection....I mean I say Great for those who do ... But for those of us who don't...expect repeat questions...If you don't want to answer then don't let someone else who doesn't mind answer...But the rudeness can be toned down I agree

 

[RedRibbon]

I haven't been here for that long really so I can't say if the tone is changing and as gildedangel said, I too would be oblivious to any ongoing change in tone.

I have noticed however that there have been one or two posters who simply stuck around to antagonise people and then bugger off. I can't remember names but there was that one user who was going off on one in the MJ tribute thread and in the thread about hitting other people's kids. I never noticed anyone being purposly antagonistic before that and haven't noticed anyone being so rude since it.

I haven't personally faced a "rude" person on here but I'd just ignore them if they tried to be rude because although their input is not productive, arguing back is stupid and just as unproductive IMO.

 

[gildedangel]

In response to Vixxan's post about the recycle bin forum; I think that perhaps it is time to up the requirements for participating in buying and selling here. Posting 20 times doesn't take that long and it doesn't seem to be enough to deter bad sellers. Maybe the posting needs to be upped, or you have to have a certain number of thank yous or something. Something that would deter a bad seller from just creating a new account. We should also force all transactions through paypal so that if something goes wrong it can be filed through them. I also agree on the point of suspending an account if they have maybe 2 locked posts until both issues are resolved. Thoughts?

 

[RedRibbon]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gildedangel In response to Vixxan's post about the recycle bin forum; I think that perhaps it is time to up the requirements for participating in buying and selling here. Posting 20 times doesn't take that long and it doesn't seem to be enough to deter bad sellers. Maybe the posting needs to be upped, or you have to have a certain number of thank yous or something. Something that would deter a bad seller from just creating a new account. We should also force all transactions through paypal so that if something goes wrong it can be filed through them. I also agree on the point of suspending an account if they have maybe 2 locked posts until both issues are resolved. Thoughts?

I think these are all good ideas, I was thinking maybe an IP ban or something? Unless that's too harsh because I know some people can share IP addresses.

Maybe it should be something like you have to be a member for a month or something and you have to have been thanked for a certain amount of posts? That would stop fly by night merchants. They won't be able to make one post and sell and they will have to contribute and get themselve known (via the thanks).

 

[TISH1124]

I think the Clearance Bin is kind of a "luck of the draw" to be honest...all new sellers are not dishonest and some old sellers go bad...I try to buy from established members only because I have learned my lesson by being duped and sold fake items....Not to discriminate against newer honest sellers...But I would rather just be more selective and know I am dealing with a honest seller than get hit over the wallet by someone who may not be. You can normally tell when a person is coming on just to sell..they get their 20 posts in by posting generic nothings and then their sales thread goes up. It would be hard to moderate or control a Sales Forum IMO because you can't control dishonest people...My advice is ...If the deal sounds too good to be true it probably is...and if you really want true MAC items and want to know you are getting what you pay for go to MAC or the CCO, get a CP from a trusted seller and don't depend on the Clearance Bin. That is just IMO based on my Clearance Bin shopping experience

 

[Vixxan]

There have been a lot more established members ripping people off than new members. Two of worst cases of theft that I have seen in the recycle bin have been from long time members (bloodmittens and smith). I think the recyle bin is a good option for those of us that do not have a MAC or CCO store available to us. The recycle bin has been my only option for getting discontinued items from long pasted collections.

 

[cazgh]

Hey I'm new this year and just thought I'd say I really like it here - I like joining in discussions and the advice that you can tap into.

I have no complaints and am really happy to have found Specktra...

 

[MACATTAK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TISH1124 What some members don't seem to understand is that all of us don't have time to read every single page of every single collection....I mean I say Great for those who do ... But for those of us who don't...expect repeat questions...If you don't want to answer then don't let someone else who doesn't mind answer...But the rudeness can be toned down I agree

I agree. I also have seen this in other threads such as The B2M thread. Some seem to get very upset with having to repeat answers. Maybe those who get irritated with the thread should take some away from it.

 

[MACATTAK]

Quote:

Originally Posted by gildedangel In response to Vixxan's post about the recycle bin forum; I think that perhaps it is time to up the requirements for participating in buying and selling here. Posting 20 times doesn't take that long and it doesn't seem to be enough to deter bad sellers. Maybe the posting needs to be upped, or you have to have a certain number of thank yous or something. Something that would deter a bad seller from just creating a new account. We should also force all transactions through paypal so that if something goes wrong it can be filed through them. I also agree on the point of suspending an account if they have maybe 2 locked posts until both issues are resolved. Thoughts?

There are some really good new sellers, as well as new bad sellers. Just because someone is an experienced seller does not mean that they are all good. I've been surprised a few times this year by experienced sellers ripping multiple people off. I think that it's not just limited to a new seller, and I think that if people want to do bad they will find a way no matter how many posts they need. I don't know what the solution is, but I don't think this problem is only limited to new sellers. I do agree with suspending people that are ripping people off though.


Just read Vixxan's post....I definitely agree with you!

 

[nichollecaren]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MACATTAK I agree. I also have seen this in other threads such as The B2M thread. Some seem to get very upset with having to repeat answers. Maybe those who get irritated with the thread should take some away from it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TISH1124 What some members don't seem to understand is that all of us don't have time to read every single page of every single collection....I mean I say Great for those who do ... But for those of us who don't...expect repeat questions...If you don't want to answer then don't let someone else who doesn't mind answer...But the rudeness can be toned down I agree

I agree with this...I dont bother to ask questions in these threads, because I've seen how some ppl are answered and I really dont have time to go back when the thread is in excess of 50 pages.

I've noticed a trend in the FOTD pages also, where people just compliment and hardly offer CC. I understand that its because the CC isnt taken well sometimes. I was saddened by this, because I would love some, but I have learnt not to expect it. Its bad that a few people have changed the tone for some of us that just want to learn.

All in all though I have found Specktra to be an awesome resource of information. I believe the swatch threads are invaulable, and there are a lot of members who do a LOT to contribute. It reallly is to be commended, because swatching is HARD.

 

[rei181]

Quote:

Originally Posted by TISH1124 What some members don't seem to understand is that all of us don't have time to read every single page of every single collection....I mean I say Great for those who do ... But for those of us who don't...expect repeat questions...If you don't want to answer then don't let someone else who doesn't mind answer...But the rudeness can be toned down I agree

Thank you Tish. I am new and have been hesitant to ask questions because I haven't had time to read back 15 pages. I have read some posts where individuals have been lashed out at because of repeat questions, which is cause for my hesitation. I know not everyone on specktra is rude and it is only a few, so as you said let someone else answer!

 

[nunu]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nichollecaren I agree with this...I dont bother to ask questions in these threads, because I've seen how some ppl are answered and I really dont have time to go back when the thread is in excess of 50 pages. I've noticed a trend in the FOTD pages also, where people just compliment and hardly offer CC. I understand that its because the CC isnt taken well sometimes. I was saddened by this, because I would love some, but I have learnt not to expect it. Its bad that a few people have changed the tone for some of us that just want to learn. All in all though I have found Specktra to be an awesome resource of information. I believe the swatch threads are invaulable, and there are a lot of members who do a LOT to contribute. It reallly is to be commended, because swatching is HARD.

I agree with you on the first part. I myself have been recently scared to ask questions in colour collection threads because i know someone is going to bite my head off. I've seen it happen to a few memebers and i felt bad for them. It never used to be like this before.
Now, one would reply rudely by saying "i've answered this a few pages back and won't answer again". Well since you replied then you might as well just answer or just ignore it and let someone else answer.

Also, i dread going to collection threads since sometimes the thread explodes over off topic convo's and you have like 8 pages over night. I try to read what i can since i don't want to miss out on any poissible dupes or a way of using a new product etc...

About the FOTD part, some people don't like to see and CC, even if they do ask for it and that's why I mostly refrain from it.

 

[Susanne]

I am still daily on specktra, most of the time in the colour discussion threads. You can find a single rude post sometimes, yes, but that is not new I guess.

I do read every post of a discussion thread, even if it has 150 pages, but I agree that it is hard to keep the overview, especially on product reviews. And I see the tone can change if members ask questions about a product again and again.

I thought today:

Could we give some of our MAC MAs like Erin more space for her opinion and reviews? Then she doesn't have to answer a question 20 times in a discussion thread and members don't have to ask if they can not find what they want. We all love her swatches after an update, her comparison pics and thoughts. Could we collect them at one place?

I will try to explain to you my idea:

Every colour story has three threads here:

The official color story threads, closed for posts. The discussion thread and the swatch thread.

The official color story thread is parted into three posts:
product names and descriptions, face charts and product pics, all posted by Jenn.
Could we include a fourth part? In which a MA like Erin writes her reviews on the products? Comparisons, thoughts? Maybe she sends a PM to a mod who can post it there?

Can you understand what I want to say? I think that would be a great overview for all members in just one post, not everywhere in 200 pages in the discussion thread.

Sorry, my English is not the best tonight.