The For Sale/ Wanted boards - update from M Towers and post your ideas/thoughts here

[JustineMumsnet]

As you may know we have in mind a complete overhaul of the For sale/ wanted boards as they seem to be making many folks' lives (ours especially) a misery.

Clearly it makes sense for us to have classified ads - why not re-cycled used stuff? That should in theory be good for buyers and sellers alike (and it's very green too). But equally clearly, at the risk of understatement, it is not functioning well at the moment.

However, complete overhaul is going to have to wait a wee while as Tech's got quite a lot on... (We are hopefully bringing you improved local listings, blogs and more in the next few weeks and months).

In the meantime do give us your ideas for how you'd ultimately like to see For sale/ wanted working. (I know some of you have already posted some sensible (and not so sensible thoughts around and abou but we'd be super grateful if you'd re-post the best of them here so everyone can see, discuss and refine.)

So... what rules would be fair/enforcable and assist in the smooth working of the thing? (nb we are never going to enforce a no huns policy I'm afraid, so do be realistic - MN is for all parents even those with poor grammar and spelling.)

Should we re-house somewhere off Talk? And will it be used/useful if we do? Can we make it work on Talk if not? What would make it easier to use/ more functional?

Should we charge and if so how. What would you pay to use and how would you like to pay it?

Which other boards do this successfully and what are the best ideas/functionality should we pinch?

To ease the pain of waiting for overhaul, next week we will introduce a couple of quick fixes that might hopefully smooth the operation a little, namely we're going to insist that everyone who posts a for sale notice pays a CAT and we'll break down the boards into categories so things are more easily searchable.

In the meantime, please hang on in there and if it all gets too much there's always the hide thread/topic option .

Thanks for your input and your patience.

Peace and love,

Mumsnet Towers

Not that this has been dragging on but I actually dremaed last night I ahd been give the job (goodness NO!) of sorting this! (FWIW I put it on a separate board with lots of heading / topics etc and a permanent sticky at the bottom of active convo's so peolpe knew it was there but not in yer face). After doing that, I then reunited bradley adn Stacey from Eastenders (Bradley having inexplicably developed a bright red afro all shiny with brill cream a la Kevin keegan circa 1988, and Stacey ahd given birth to twin boys with the same lovely hairstyle), I however could not help carly who had been locked out of her pretty garden flat in central Walford {!!) for 2 weeks and was now being evicted.

Psychiatrist, anyone?

I rarely even watch Eastenders....

ROFL peachy, that is GREAT. give this woman a job, MNHQ, she can sort out For Sale and Relationships (but not Property).

good grief Peachy

hang on, I'll get the white coat and your special medicine, hang in there...

I am losing it, am I not?

PMSL

No lovely, you are not losing it, I think it got up and went a long time ago...

pmsl though

valid point, yes I can see that.

LApin - NO. I disagree. We would be allowed to report those threads and mn would delete them. And BAN lucysmummyxxxxxx for starting the thread

hunker - WHY are you bumping a sticky?!

Straying from my more interesting adventures (!), dh pointed ot that those on benefits should beware that they go over the weekly earnings limit, as he has had several communications from ebay rcently (as a trader) reminding him that inland revenue do check these things: also that if you haev an existing job and flog stuf a lot, any income needs declaringa s income.

Fortunately DH is registered, but if they're checking Ebay, its worth a think

On another note, if its kept separate from MN perhaps (as inspired by a misspelling just now)? it shoudl be renamed E-BAT in honour of Soupy and his mates?

Noon bump

Shit, too early.

I wanted to highlight the fact that unless people are on the threads, nobody knows how often each one is bumped. So the "only having set times to bump threads" argument is weak.

ahhh i see

i just thought it was becuas eyou were bonkers

Well, that too

No, I think no bumping. ONE thread/ad, conversation by CAT/Mail.

and hunsnet.

If it stays (huuuge if) there should be space for the OP to write their advert - however MN see fit and then one space to say this item has gone. IE restrict the thread to 2 posts only inc OP

Of course that may be technically impossible for all i know!

Oy, MamaG - what's happening with my book?!!!

Never mind all these traders, schmaders - I want my book!

I think you should be allowed to place your ad once only, with a contact e-mail. All further correspondence takes place off board.

No replies on board and no bumping. And posting 'signpost' threads in other places are deleted and the poster warned.

BIWI get back to the flippin thread woman

there's no point in me shouting at kk if you do it

I don't want to shout at kk MamaG! I thought that was going rather well without anyone else getting involved, actually!

It's mazzystar who isn't sending me the book

If you read Justine's post she has made no mention of getting rid of for sale only overhauling it, so most people comenting on here seem to have missed the point.

*commenting

She asked for our comments and views, which is what is being given here in spades!

Magic dragon...what she actually says is.... "In the meantime do give us your ideas for how you'd ultimately like to see For sale/ wanted working"

Lots of ppl are of the opinion that the only way it will work is to shovel it off to ebay.

I think this thread has just added to the them and us theory, which is sad really as we're all (well supposed to be) adults and parents.
What sort of example are we setting for our kids if people are sitting here bitching and squabbling

SCREAMS

i really, really hate that because we're parents we're supposed to be nicey-nice all the time. it makes me want to puke, actually. i have no intention of teaching my daughter to sublimate her views (if they are reasonable) in order to get along with people she isn't actually disagrees with. opinion, discussion, debate, these aren't the same things as bitching and argument.