In an effort to streamline the process and create a closed LoGE group in which all members can post without going through a wait list, I am seriously considering moving this blog to Facebook. There are both benefits and disadvantages to this format (not a huge fan of FB in general), so I would appreciate feedback in the comments.
A few things that have concerned me lately:
Non-payers
Repeat posts of same item before listing has ended
Items that do not fit with what I assume to be our shared aesthetic (i.e. fast fashion, major mall chain stores)
My lack of free time to manage the site effectively
A closed FB group would have the benefit of an unlimited number of members who can post and comment as they please. The site does move very quickly, however, so the problem of listings being buried would continue.
Please let me know what you think!
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40 comments:
I know I'm a luddite, but I'm not on facebook. Don't do it!
I'm with Anne, I'm not on Facebook, please no!
I'm not sure this is the best idea. FB would solve the waitlist problem and might be lower maintenance, but you'd still be facing all the same issues that you outlined above. Like Ilana and Anne have mentioned, not everyone is on FB, and perhaps those who are on FB would rather not combine those two internet worlds.
Maybe instead of moving to FB some members could share the responsibility of managing the blogger site (taking shifts that last weeks or months at a time), working down the waitlist, and keeping an eye on repeat posts before the listing has ended. It wouldn't solve all the problems, but it might help take the burden off your shoulders.
carissa is already helping edit the listings, but the wait list is almost impossible to deal with because very few people are willing to give up their spots as blog authors.
if FB isn't the answer, perhaps making this blog private is a better option? i really can't come up with a good solution.
I vote for not going on fb as well. Is the concern that if you let everyone off the waitlist there will simply be too many posts to handle? If that's the case, perhaps there could be a maximum per day and/or a maximum each person could post in a week.
Sadly, I also am no longer on Facebook. I'd hate to have to go back.
I agree with Jennifer about the problem. I think maybe there are a few solutions
1. Writing more specific guidelines about aesthetic, designers, etc.
2. More intense monitoring of posts/dates. Perhaps automatic removal of posts once they're flagged by the community?
3. More than, perhaps, 3, removed posts means removal as a poster, thus opening a spot on the waiting list.
what about a flickr group, people can post comments easily, and it is easy to view numerous photos,it could be sorted by designer, type of item or by author
Thanks so much for working on the new ideas Erica. I'm so with you on a lot of your recent concerns and I wish I had a good idea of how to fix them. I've had so many non-payers/non-responders but I suppose that's just the way the internet is. I hope though with the recent note at the top a lot of the H&M, etc posts have slowed down. I appreciate the curatorial presence!
I got rid of my FB account a while ago because it's not my thing and I know I probably wouldn't keep up with Loge if it moved there. I agree with Jennifer that maybe if we could take turns with managing the site then it wouldn't just fall to one or two people. I'm happy to help in anyway with this. Is there a way to set up one or two open blogger IDs that could be used by multiple people?
I don't understand what you mean by "very few people are willing to give up their spots as blog authors." Just delete everyone but the moderators, add a bunch of new people. They get two weeks to post then everyone's deleted again. And so on...
How can people be so unwilling to share when they're gaining all the benefit but not bearing any of the burden of running the blog?
the main problem with blogger is that only 100 people are allowed to be authors.
honestly, my initial idea was to provide a forum for my blog readers and others who share a similar aesthetic to swap or sell (at a loss) desirable pieces that are otherwise hard to find.
allowing 300+ people post makes me nervous because of the recurrence of non-payers or people treating LoGE like eBay.
Sara--
as much as i like the idea of flickr, i know that you're not supposed to sell or buy things using that site.
Julia--
interesting idea about creating a few open IDs. i'm going to have to think about that one, but it might be a workable solution.
would it be terribly crass to include a running list of non-payers that blog authors can check before randomly selecting someone from the comments? it's so hard keeping a handle on everything considering how busy this site can become.
in cahoots--
i thought about doing something similar in the past, but not on a clean-slate model like you're proposing. i think that your idea would be easier to implement.
is 2 weeks too short? what about 4 weeks? thoughts?
The clean slate idea sounds great in theory but that does seem like a lot of work. What about offering blog authors the opportunity to post for other people in order to keep their spot? For ex: they have to post an X amount of posts for non-authors per week or per month to stay active. If they don't want to, then they get deleted.
I keep FB for connecting with friends only. So I don't link to other groups or businesses. Thus, I would be really sad to see LOGE move over to a venue where I could not longer view all the great stuff that gets posted here. Though I have only won one item, I still read the site daily on an RSS feed.
I don't think it would be crass to keep a list of non-paying buyers - I think it would be good because it would keep us all in check/honest.
I could see a clean slate or partial clean slate being an interesting idea. Maybe you could bring it down being removed as an author to if you haven't posted anything in 1 month instead of 2? Maybe that would free up some spaces.
I feel like deleting and renewing the author list every month or so is a frightful lot of work for the admins. And then you have to deal with nonresponders again on that front, every month. Maybe open IDs would be good, as Julia suggests, though I don't know how that works.
I do like the idea of a public nonpayers list, though the question arises as to how people on that list could make amends and no longer be on the wall of shame.
I'm also happy to help if you decide some of us authors should take turns being admin.
i am also really not for the facebook idea, as i really hate that interface, and feel that quality control would *really* go downhill!
i think asking people to give up their spot if they haven't posted in a month is perhaps an option. also, a public list of non-payers would be great.
would it be possible to start another site, and have someone else manage it? like LoGE II or something?
making the site private might control quality, but i think the number of interested buyers might decrease.
i wouldn't mind posting for other sellers at all. i also would be okay with having my account deleted if i haven't posted in 1 month, especially IF i were allowed to post with the help of a blog author.
i am with others on no facebook, i'm not on facebook either. the posts have certainly become more streamlined now that the fast fashion has been edited out, a forum could work as well...
another idea- have a separate blog for pieces dated say, ten years or more, and keep this one for contemporary fashion?
i would be happy to help out in any way possible.
i think it is a great idea to have authors post for others who are on the waiting list, i recently struck up a conversation with someone on the waiting list who has purchased a couple of things from me, and i will be listing two isabel marant sweaters for her.
I also like the idea of a public list of people who have not paid. I think the Open ID idea that Julia proposed is feasible. Caroline's suggestion is also good, we could work out a system where member/authors post items on behalf of non-members/authors. I can't speak for everyone, but I'd be happy to do some courtesy posts for people who were selling items that fit the guidelines.
what if i create 1 open-ID for people who have posted in the past but are giving up their spot for someone on the wait list?
i am thinking NO on FB, and YES on a list of non-payers, maybe password protected for privacy?
jade: i actually started a new blog of my own a couple months ago because i have waited so very long on the waiting list to post and i eventually gave up. it is similar to loge but i incorporated the option to list designer children's clothing and toys (which i love) but no vintage.
http://thecycleofrebirth.blogspot.com/
As someone who was not able to pay once (since I missed the e-mail in my cluttered inbox), I would be aggravated to be added to the list, as the rest of the time that has not been the case (and since I have purchased many items off of this blog recently). What would the criteria be for the non-payers list?
--Zoë
I wish I had a helpful answer to these problems.
Like many others, I'm not on Facebook.
I have heard, however, that there are Yahoo groups that do selling and trading. I don't have any experience with these, so I'm not sure how they work.
zoe--
good question. i would think that if you were able to resolve the issue with the seller, then you would be less likely to be added to the list. i would probably want the seller to forward me emails that demonstrate a genuine attempt to contact the buyer before putting up the list.
i don't think there's a solution that's fair to everyone. even ebay with its supposedly transparent feedback system doesn't guarantee smooth transactions.
perhaps an alternative would be to have a site-wide policy that if you don't pay within 2 days, the seller has the right to offer the item to someone else.
I'm with Caroline--as a poster, I could be a post host for others on the waiting list.
As for non-payers, I've offered a 24-48 grace period for people to get back to me who expressed interest, but I'll repost with a warning saying I'm looking for the "winner" of the listing. Also I've found that a lot of people don't have an e-mail that links to their Blogger account so I find as a seller that I am always hunting people down with their e-mail.
I truly appreciate this forum and supported it from the get-go, I hope there's a solution that can be found!
I meant a message board type thing like proboards might be a viable option.
Like some of the others I am not on FB and would sorely the opportunity to buy clothes that hard to find in the UK. So its a no from me
i'm with jennifer and others on not moving this to FB. i've also had some issues with nonpayers and i think a list along with a clear blurb (like the "serious buyers only") with the listings would help.
also erica - not sure what you mean by password protection. are you thinking of making the list of nonpayers pword only or the entire blog password protected?
sorry i'm not able to come up with any better suggestions...
I'd have to drop off if you moved to FB. Please don't do it.
I'm also one of the few people in the world who are not on Facebook so I implore you not to move this there.
Hi Erica,
It sounds like the FB issue has been resolved - so thank you for not moving the site there. I have loved being able to use this site to share clothing with others that I didn't want to sell on ebay.
As far as non-payers go - I usually offer at least a 24 hour period before offering the item to someone else, more if over a weekend or holiday (because I lost out as a buyer once when the seller emailed me on a holiday and I didn't see the email until the next day, and she had already moved on). In cases people have contacted me asking for more time to pay and that has always worked out well. I find that there are quite a few good relationships I have established through the blog. There have been cases though where people comment and then don't pay - and don't even respond to say that they no longer wish to have the item. There are a few names that have come up repeatedly for me in the past six months. I'm not sure how to handle the situation since it is an open forum for people to comment, other than to keep a password protected list.
Like others, I am happy to do courtesy posts and to help edit or moderate in any way that I can.
It also seems that we need to remind people to leave an email address to contact them because I have spent a lot of time contacting buyers and trying to track down their email addresses.
Erica - please let me know how I can help to lighten the burden. And thank you for continuing this after so long - it has been a wonderful place and I appreciate what you have put into it.
hi erica - in the spirit of brainstorming...i wonder if there is a way to make membership less anonymous, so that contact info is available plus it stays more community oriented. BTW, i saw a little article about LOGE in april/may Readymade magazine.
I am also not on facebook!
Great feedback so far!
Here are my thoughts right now:
1. NO facebook. We're staying put.
2. 1 Open ID for people who are willing to give up their blog author spot.
3. A list on the sidebar of sellers who are willing to post 1-3 items for other people.
4. If the buyer doesn't leave contact info, they're disqualified.
5. 2 business days to pay or work out an arrangement before the seller offers it to someone else.
To facilitate these new changes, I can add some of the rules to the post template (e.g. Only serious bidders, you have 2 business days to pay or work out an arrangement, and contact info is mandatory).
A mention on ReadyMade, how exciting! Thanks for sharing, Amy T. It would have been nice if they had contacted me, though. Oh well!
i don't really have a suggestion to make LOGE more managable. But if some of the authors are able to list occasionally for others, that would be great for someone like me since I never have many things to sell, just 1 or 2 things now and then. Right now i have a new with tags United Bamboo skirt purchased from Totokaelo to sell (on behalf of Pam McGehee). Thanks. romaine at prtcpugin@gmail.com
Those all sound great! And awesome about readymade - I'm going to go check that out at the bookstore! :)
Really admire how you're trying to maintain the integrity of the site. The only suggestion I have that may make admin easier is to start a posterous blog.
Administrators can edit all posts.
Contributors can post.
Advantages over blogger:
- Post by email, so if sellers email over pictures and text to an admin, the admin would just have to forward the email to the posterous email for it to be posted. (it also auto creates slideshows of pics etc). So it would be less work to curate the posts as there would be no copying and pasting. You could potentially have one email admin address and rotate between a few people. I would be happy to help.
- they don't state a maximum no. of contributors (but may need to confirm explicitly that there isn't one). So rather then using admins you could just add any seller as a contributor (by adding their email address) and just remove posts if they are inappropriate.
- you can push the posts to the existing blogger blog automatically but this may be an issue if some people comment on the posterous blog and some on the blogger blog.
Erica--thanks for maintaining this blog for so long and allowing the opportunity for us to sell and buy clothes, and I'm glad you're nixing the facebook idea (I too am not on FB). Just a question, have you thought about creating/setting up a message board for LOGE instead of a blog, so anyone with a username could be able to post (and a trust system be established by moderators banning users and buyers commenting on the thread if anything goes wrong)? I have long thought of LOGE as a female-centric alternative to selling forums like Superfuture and Style Zeitgeist (different aesthetic and male dominated), and it would be fantastic to finally have a good message board for the kinds of clothes offered here. Maybe I'm just being naive and this already exists, unbeknownst to me..
Hi there, I'm brand new here and think the blog and social business model is brilliant! I'd be happy to contribute in any way -- just ask. I really like what you've done with this blog and I do understand the limitations as well. Look forward to buying (and hopefully selling!) in the coming months. All the best and yes, it was me who posted twice on the first item I wanted to buy. I'll get the hang of it. jenn
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