New DVC Rent/Trade Board option - 4/18/11

[DVC Dude]

What about giving an active DIS member the Gold or Platinum badge (for free) based upon hitting a certain threshold of posting and that reward would last 1 year just like the paid advertisers.

My personal opinion, it that the heavy commercial renters will easily afford to join at a Platinum level ($199.95) and get the perception that they are better than a Gold ($24.95 or $49.95) level or Non-badged member (free for active users) offering their points for rent.

The question is - has anyone joined yet?

 

[Brian Noble]

Savvy DISers may well *prefer* "unbadged" posters---because they know they "earned" it, rather than just bought it.

 

[WebmasterCorey]

Thank you for your suggestions. Everything we do here evolves with the help of your input.

The icons were created to allow the Moderators a noticeable and fast way to see who has paid for this option, and nothing more. The DIS does not endorse any of these members! I’ve modified the icon area to include “Paid Membership Plan” under it in text to prevent confusion.

Unfortunately, setting up every DISboards member that meets the 50 post minimum with an icon would be a logistical nightmare. Please remember that our Moderators are volunteers. This system was not only created to allow our members another option, but also to make the moderation of the new Rent/Trade posts easier to manage.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I fully understand that approval to post is NOT an endorsement by the DIS. But it sure LOOKS LIKE ONE.

This was also my first reaction when I viewed the badge. It looks like an endorsement by the DIS boards. It seems like a lot of people looking to rent are not very active on the boards or just newbies and seeing a beautiful gold banner looks good! Maybe something like a plain black banner saying paid advertiser or something?

 

[DVCconvert]

..... I’ve modified the icon area to include “Paid Membership Plan” under it in text to prevent confusion....

I think that's a improvement for sure.
Thank you for being open to the suggestions of site members, and for all the hard work by the WM's & Mods.

 

[hroyale]

Hmmm. I like that the mods are looking for a compromise, but I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I'm a very recent DVC owner who has rented 5 times (without issue) using the R/T board prior to my purchase. I would not be an owner now if it had not been for those good experiences introducing me to DVC.

That being said, if I was coming to the board as a newbie I would probably shy away from the commercial renters, wanting to help out "legitimate" owners who couldn't use their points. I probably wouldn't realize that the paying posters were basically in the same situation as the non-paying ones. Do they have to be designated visually?

Just a thought. I'm hoping this all works out so the R/T boards will continue to be a value to Dis DVCers as well as a "gateway drug" to people like me.

Thanks,
Heather

 

[DVC Dude]

The icons were created to allow the Moderators a noticeable and fast way to see who has paid for this option, and nothing more. The DIS does not endorse any of these members! I’ve modified the icon area to include “Paid Membership Plan” under it in text to prevent confusion.

How about simply deleting the word GOLD and PREMIUM from the logo as that is what I think looks like an endorsement and could be very confusing to newbies.

You could replace the Gold and Premium words with - Advertiser. That keeps it real clean and simple. Also keep the color of the logos different for the moderators to know the difference between Gold and Premium.

Here is a mock drawing

----------------
DVC Rent/Trade
Advertiser
----------------

What do you think about that?

 

[HookdonWDW]

The icons were created to allow the Moderators a noticeable and fast way to see who has paid for this option, and nothing more. The DIS does not endorse any of these members! I’ve modified the icon area to include “Paid Membership Plan” under it in text to prevent confusion.

Hmmm... I can understand the need for this, but this creates a problem the other way around. Some of us tend to post in batches (usually around planned trips) and therefore don't meet the "50 evenly spaced posts in 6 months". But what if we paid to be on the Rent/Trade Board, and then hit the level naturally through our posting? I wouldn't want a refund, but I would want the logo removed so I didn't look like a "lesser choice".

I have no plans to rent currently... I'm just thinking about how these changes could affect some of us.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Excellent comment. As a frequent poster with some rental history, I would also like to have a designation.( Maybe the higher the post count the higher the designation).

I agree, and I'm sure that was NOT the intent. But I can certainly see a newbie looking at a poster with hundreds (or thousands) of worthwhile posts and asking, "I wonder what's wrong with them that they're not GOLD?"

I think providing a path for everyone to use the R/T Board is good. But I think the details need a bit of work.

I fully understand that approval to post is NOT an endorsement by the DIS. But it sure LOOKS LIKE ONE.

If anyone is going to be designated "Gold" or "Premier," it should be folks who contribute consistently.

Better yet, just let all authorized folks post rentals with no logos or "Premier" designations, and let the consumer sort them out.

 

[RobDoc]

Hmmm... I can understand the need for this, but this creates a problem the other way around. Some of us tend to post in batches (usually around planned trips) and therefore don't meet the "50 evenly spaced posts in 6 months". But what if we paid to be on the Rent/Trade Board, and then hit the level naturally through our posting? I wouldn't want a refund, but I would want the logo removed so I didn't look like a "lesser choice".

I have no plans to rent currently... I'm just thinking about how these changes could affect some of us.

If you have paid for a subscription and later decide you do not want the logo we will find a way to remove it.

Please recognize that the paid subscription is presently good for a year and the 6 month posting requirement changes daily since the "past 6 months" will change every day.


Anyone who feels they would rather not use the logo they have paid for can have it removed by contacting me or WebmasterCorey.

 

[fflmaster]

Just curious who gets the money on this?

Who actually owns this website? I always thought it was non profit and the advertisers were here to offset the costs to operate. Now it sounds like the idea is to make a profit.

Will we see posting or even joining this forum start to cost fees?

 

[WebmasterCorey]

Just curious who gets the money on this?

Who actually owns this website? I always thought it was non profit and the advertisers were here to offset the costs to operate. Now it sounds like the idea is to make a profit.

Will we see posting or even joining this forum start to cost fees?

The DIS is free and will remain free for your enjoyment. Nothing has changed and everyone is still allowed to post as before.

Again, this is only an option for those that do not feel like dealing with the minimum post counts, and want more flexibility with certain rent/trade restrictions. There has to be price for that privilege. Some will find value in it and others will not, but it’s an option if you want it.

Was this plan created to make money? No. Does it have the possibility to make money for the site? Sure it does, but I will not discuss or get into the operating costs of the site and how things are allocated for them.

 

[WDWorld2003]

I only have a few points to rent this year.... maybe Amount of points removed so I'm not sure paying for privilege is worth it (especially if they are not easily rented).

I do understand the reasoning but unfortunately, when I am renting my points it is because I am not going to Disney in the near future which is the reason I am not on the boards. I have used this board in the past to rent and the ability and ease of using it was one of reasons we bought DVC. Since I have not been active lately I am assuming there has been abuse and that is the reason for the change.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Amen! I have over 3000 posts, I've been on this board thru 2 or 3 previous servers, been thru 3 different names because I couldn't remember my password, and gave money when you asked for it, and now I can't even use the rent/trade board because I haven't contributed 30 posts or more SPREAD EQUALLY over the MOST RECENT SIX MONTHS???? Well, I'm mad! The thing is, I haven't yet decided what to do about it. I only have a few left-over points in each of my 4 contracts, so $24.95 wouldn't be worth it...I could rent next year's points, too, so the $24.95 would be worth it, but I don't want to rent next year's points, and paying $24.95 feels like arm-twisting. Paying the money isn't much of a protest against this policy...I could just wipe the DIS board out of my "favorites" list, and say"well, they know where they can go!!!"--but hey, I'm the only one who cares about being in my favorites, anyway! What to do??? But I'm still mad!

 

[palaemon]

Seriously though. When was the last time you had points available on the R/T board, and they just wasted away?

I look on the R/T board all the time and it's usually pages of offers for a single post.

Also, per the "issue" of renters not being aware of the "Gold" designation. Personally, I'd rather have an experienced DISer (as the renter or the member.) There always seems to be an over abundance of renters compared to members trying to rent/trade.

 

[Cruelladeville]

Maybe there aren't very many members on the rent/trade board because the stupid server wouldn't OK their post!!! I tried several times last year, and there was always something wrong with my post--I even tried copying, but it caught me! I tell you, this server is watching out for me I must have complained too much

 

[jekjones1558]

Thanks to the webmasters and/or moderators for coming up with an option. I hope to not ever need to rent out points again and I post frequently enough to not need to use this new feature, but hopefully this alternative will be a good one for others and for the R/T board in general.
When does it go live? Did I miss the date when I was reading this thread?

 

[DVC Dude]

Did anyone like/dislike my idea of simply removing the Gold and Premium words and replace it with the work "Advertiser"

Another idea - What about providing FREE access to the "DIS Supporter" members?

 

[Chuck S]

Thanks to the webmasters and/or moderators for coming up with an option. I hope to not ever need to rent out points again and I post frequently enough to not need to use this new feature, but hopefully this alternative will be a good one for others and for the R/T board in general.
When does it go live? Did I miss the date when I was reading this thread?

It was live as soon as the announcements were made.

 

[RobDoc]

Did anyone like/dislike my idea of simply removing the Gold and Premium words and replace it with the work "Advertiser"

Another idea - What about providing FREE access to the "DIS Supporter" members?

The logo includes the comment "Paid Membership" which should provide some information about the level of participation.

Those who display the "DIS Lifetime Supporter" logo in their profile or signature are included at the Gold level. They will not need the "Gold" logo as the mods will see the "Lifetime" notation.