Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

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

1002 replies

JustineMumsnet · 23/01/2008 11:49

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

OP posts:
MissyTheFlouncer · 30/01/2008 16:23

here

Whizzz · 30/01/2008 16:28

ARGH - I politely with a suggested that 3 posters last night who WANTED an 'XYZ' posted their WANTS on the WANTED topic rather than For Sale. I was asked was I the MN Police
Here's my defence

Wolfgirl · 30/01/2008 16:30

Whizz, I agree with you. It doesnt help matters does it!

ZippiBabes · 30/01/2008 17:20

mumsell.com by parents for parents

LIZS · 30/01/2008 18:08

Products type post in For Sale Sorry chaps, this self discipline/ try using the rest of the board thing isn't working.

Whizzz · 30/01/2008 18:43

and so much for the plea to stop using asterisks !

Whizzz · 30/01/2008 18:49

and here's another example of people buying stuff to sell on here hmm

Stayce · 30/01/2008 19:31

lizs...Wandered how long it would be before someone bitched about that lol.. How amusing that it annoys you so much, I was specifically looking for a person whom i know knows a lot about bugaboos and maxi cosis, whom i have not seen post in any other area of mumsnet other than the for sale board, therefore to post anywhere other than the for sale boards would have been slightly self defeatest.

However..i have apologised,....and my posting where i did prooves my point and was sucsessful as i got my answers..

LIZS · 30/01/2008 19:38

Honestly, there's no helping some people, hey ho...

Hnybnch · 30/01/2008 19:45

Ok never thought I would say this BUT I actually understand what you are saying about the following....(Whizz)

Wanted Should be used to ASK for specific items!
ForSale Should be used to SELL items!
Purchasing items deliberately to sell for double the retail price IMO NOT Acceptable!

QuintessentialShadow · 30/01/2008 19:50

Gosh, you would think that the crowd who hang out in sales either

a) are morons or;
b)dont care whether they lose their freebie board
c) are sheep that needs continous herding and a good sheepdog too

LIZS · 30/01/2008 19:55

Bit strong perhaps QS but they certainly don't help the case for it staying .

QuintessentialShadow · 30/01/2008 19:59

Yeah I am sorry about that, but when you look at the links given further down, and the attitudes of the people on the threads, and on the boards, you gotta think there is a large amount of cotton. I came into this discussion far back down wanting to find away to keep the boards, and find a solution, but when the very people who are using it most are those who care the least, and have absolutely NO interest, it just irritates me a tad.... so Scrap IT!

QuintessentialShadow · 30/01/2008 20:00

and by "scrap it" I mean the For Sales Boards and Wanted boards.

Whizzz · 30/01/2008 20:01

stayce re : "specifically looking for a person whom i know knows a lot about bugaboos and maxi cosis, whom i have not seen post in any other area of mumsnet other than the for sale board" - well maybe try the CAT (contact another Mumsnetter) facility, it's ideal for things like that
And I'm not sure if you saw the reasons why putting loads of asterisks (ie *) in every thread title annoys people - ie it messes up the readers that they have to read out whats on the screen (if they are visually impaired)

I'm not rising to the "How amusing that it annoys you so much"

QuintessentialShadow · 30/01/2008 20:10

Maybe Stayce simply does not understand what "visually impaired" means.

controlfreakygobshite · 30/01/2008 20:23

am tempted to say more likely stone deaf..... fingers in ears and whistling loudly.... (but i won't).....

MagicDragon4 · 30/01/2008 20:27

Very patronising

controlfreakygobshite · 30/01/2008 20:29
controlfreakygobshite · 30/01/2008 20:31

ffs. www.mumsnet.com/Talk/1910/467912?ts=1201724870934&msgid=9456986

yummylittlelapin · 30/01/2008 20:35

MagicDragon, why is it patronising? It has been explained to stayce repeatedly that the use of asterisks etc in titles is difficult for people with screen readers. For example, I gather that it will read &&*&~~ literally as "ASTERISK AMPERSAND ASTERISK AMPERSAND ASTERISK AMPERSAND TILDE TILDE" - and that's before there are even any words! How would you like to have to wade through that when you were skimming down a board?

Since stayce still uses asterisks etc in ALL her thread titles, we can only conclude that a) she doesn't understand what visually impaired means, or b) she just couldn't give a flying fuck.

I know which one I'd put my money on.

Interesting attitude from someone who fosters children with special needs, no?

libEL · 30/01/2008 20:35

I'm sure that link was already posted on this thread - worth posting twice though I is an utter piss take

libEL · 30/01/2008 20:37

not 'I' is an utter piss take (although some would agree )

controlfreakygobshite · 30/01/2008 20:38

... and there i was thinking you'd come all over ali g libel

ZippiBabes · 30/01/2008 20:39

lets open a book on when this thread gets to a 1000 posts

are mnhq going to get in that phone box and eat it hten

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.

This thread is closed and is no longer accepting replies. Click here to start a new thread.