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This topic has moved here: Subject: The Classifieds - do they really work?
  • Subject: The Classifieds - do they really work?
Subject: The Classifieds - do they really work?
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Seems to me that The Classifieds is more like a landfill than an actual forum. If you check the front page (or all the other pages for that matter), you'll probably see something like the following:

Join ____! 0 posts
Join ____! 1 post
Join ____! 0 posts
Join ____! 2 posts

People know about the Classifieds; they see it as a place to get the name of their group out into the open. What they forget is that everyone else has the exact same idea. They simply go into the Classifieds, make a new topic about their group, and leave. They don't bother to look at everyone else's advertisements, and as a result you get the ads without the audience. People dump their ads in there, leave it to react with God-knows-what's inside, and hope that their member count is boosted as a result. What's more realistic is that you might get one or even two more members if you're lucky. That, coupled with the fact that nobody really posts in the ads but simply create them, leaves your ad off the front page in a flash. This forum probably has the lowest topic-to-post ratio around. Seriously, if you're looking for groups to join, why would you check the Classifieds? Without the forum search, it would be useless. The group search is much more effective.

As I said before, the Classifieds is more like a landfill than a forum. Nobody wants twenty ads for your clan or group clogging up the front page in Zanzibar, so a forum was created for the very purpose of making those ads. When it comes down to it though, what's the point?

  • 03.20.2006 5:51 PM PDT

"It's like a cake filled with pies." -Pete "Mango" Parsons

Seventh Column Contests

In my opinion, it doesn't work. People only go there to advertise and not join.

  • 03.20.2006 5:53 PM PDT
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"Whatever exists, whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent. These anonymous creatures may seem little or nothing in the world. Yet the smallest crumb can devour us. Any smallest thing beneath yon rock out of men's knowing. Only nature can enslave man and only when the existence of each last entity is routed out and made to stand naked before him will he be properly suzerain of the earth."

Here's your choice:

Get a chance to advertise your clan/group/tournament on Bungie.net.

Don't get any chance whatsoever.

Which would you prefer? Sure, the Classifieds hardly work (just ask most of the members who make ads anywhere else), but at least they exist. Plus the main problem with clogging is that no one really cares about the rules (once again, any other forum proves that), so a member could make several threads about their group/clan/tournament in order to get attention (only to get the attention they didn't want later on).

At least think of what they do for the other forums. Without the Classifieds, the other forums would be more flooded with ads than they already are.

  • 03.20.2006 5:59 PM PDT
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Eh... my post there was more of a rant than an argument.

I would rather have the Classifieds than not. The thing is, most of the people scroll down the forum list, and this is what they see:

The Underground

The Septagon

New Mombasa

Zanzibar

Optimatch

The Maw

The Library

*large blank space*

The Flood (sometimes)

It seems that most of the little forums in white aren't getting a whole lot of attention, much like not a whole lot of people read the stories that aren't under the 'top stories' heading.

Maybe make the Classifieds into one of the main forums or something. I don't know.

Oh yeah, and for advertising, signatures are definitely the best.

[Edited on 3/20/2006]

  • 03.20.2006 6:08 PM PDT

It is the soldier, not the reporter, who has given us freedom of the press. It is the soldier, not the poet, who has given us freedom of speech. It is the soldier, not the campus organizer, who has given us the freedom to demonstrate. It is the soldier, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to a fair trial. And it is the soldier who salutes the flag, who serves the flag, whose coffin is draped in the flag that allows the protester to burn the flag.Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC

In my opinion

They dont work anymore,

Back in the Prime days they did a lil bit, but now id say no.

  • 03.20.2006 7:05 PM PDT

The Classifieds are about as useful as installing smoke detectors in hell. I see the good intention but fail to see the purposeful outcome of the forum.

  • 03.20.2006 7:35 PM PDT

[sarcasm] they work great i've gotten a person to joing my group [/sarcasm]

  • 03.20.2006 8:06 PM PDT

OMG
Master Chief w/o his Helmet!


Stosh <3's me vicariously... at least someone does...

I have to PM a mod once a day about modders advertising their uses in there. Not even they care about it...

  • 03.20.2006 8:32 PM PDT
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"Whatever exists, whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent. These anonymous creatures may seem little or nothing in the world. Yet the smallest crumb can devour us. Any smallest thing beneath yon rock out of men's knowing. Only nature can enslave man and only when the existence of each last entity is routed out and made to stand naked before him will he be properly suzerain of the earth."

Here are the choices:

Remove the Classifieds. Everyone makes advertisements in all of the forums. Not to say there aren't many now, but think about the current number increased tenfold. Even if Bungie says no ads in the forums, no one will care (and many just won't read it anyways).

Keep the Classifieds. They don't work, but at least there isn't as much spam...

[Edited on 3/20/2006]

  • 03.20.2006 9:26 PM PDT
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Back in the day, about a year ago, it worked well for me when I started my clan. I recruited almost all of my members through The Classifieds or via someone I recruited in The Classifieds. The trick is to keep yourself easy to contact, give e-mails, tell them to message you, visit the clan forum, etc.

  • 03.21.2006 11:52 AM PDT
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"Whatever exists, whatever in creation exists without my knowledge exists without my consent. These anonymous creatures may seem little or nothing in the world. Yet the smallest crumb can devour us. Any smallest thing beneath yon rock out of men's knowing. Only nature can enslave man and only when the existence of each last entity is routed out and made to stand naked before him will he be properly suzerain of the earth."

Posted by: Recon Number 54
But it is there and it should be used. I don't think that I should change my assumption that people who make ads are just unaware.... should I?


Probably not. Like you said, most people are unaware of the rules when they first do it, so it would be a bit mean to blacklist them. There are a few who know the rules, understand them, and choose to blatantly ignore them because they believe they will get better results that way, but I don't think I have seen a single member who states that in their original post. If they did, it would be a lot easier for the mods to know who is being bad and who forgot to read the rules.

When I now think about it, the Classifieds do work, but only when they are used the correct way. When you post saying "Join! Join!," you will most likely get very few replies, and even less members. If you post something that could be interesting to someone, such as "A group for members who enjoy ______," you actually give members a reason to look at the group, and possibly join it. They do work, but like the methods for reporting cheaters, they fail to help because people think they don't, then the same people stop using them.

  • 03.21.2006 12:37 PM PDT