Pole, please vote all Delica.ca members.

[jessef]

Proposal to create a VENDORS section.

Under the Sub Forum VENDORS heading, each vendor (dealer, service, sales, fabrication) will have their own sub-section where only the vendor can post.

Example :

VENDORS

- John's Delica Service
- Doe's Delica Sales

- Mary's Delica Parts
-- October Sale on all Delica Horn buttons ! 90% OFF !

- Jane's Pajero Custom Parts

If a vendor has a sale going on, an ongoing sale, promoting a new product, adding a detailed explanation to justify said product, introducing a new service, etc... they can post it here.

This way, the vendor has control over their own sub section and content including sales, new products, company changes, etc...

Only the said vendor (XYZ) can post under (XYZ) sub-section, thus eliminating any cross-posting, miscommunication, unfair competition, etc...

This works very well in many other internet forums and is in place specifically to allow vendors the freedom to do all of the above without encroaching the discussion forum.

http://www.delicaclub.com

http://www.mdocuk.co.uk/forums

http://www.delicaownersclub.co.uk

http://www.delicaclub.ru/forum/index.php

http://delicaclubphils.proboards.com

http://www.mitsubishidelica.com

Every delica forum out there has a section for vendors/suppliers and is very clear on separating vendors from the main forum where where regular members share and exchange information.

This makes for a family like setting where most everyone gets along as there is no pressure from a business to push/pull forum customers.

Delica forums are a wonderful thing and all of them are here for us, the owners, the enthusiasts and delica lovers. This canadian forum has always been about receiving and giving, meeting new friends and having a good time.


(courtesy of ka43 in the Phillipines)

Vendors are usually welcome in most forums but they have their place and are registered in forums for mainly business purposes, not to make friends, go to meets and discuss why my bullbar is shiner than yours or why my L300 can woop your L400's arse in a burnout. I think somewhere along the past year or two, this has been overlooked.

Some rule highlights regarding vendors and advertising in the other delica forums:

Do not attempt to contact the people who post messages on this DelicaClub with advertisements or otherwise commercially motivated

Forum areas are not designed to be used as a mechanism for operating your business or providing core information about your business.

Traders may apply for a "Sticky" in the for sale section.

delica.ca is the only forum where vendors/suppliers are able to advertise, solicit and utilize their member status as a business tool in the general forum area.

This poll was intended to see what the general delica.ca members thought about having vendors roam in the general forum and if it is a forum-healthy thing to allow vendors to have their own section.

DelicaTrader is a sales listing-platform that moved vehicle sales off the forum to a separate link. It is not a discussion forum-based platform and has no bearing on vendors operating within delica.ca forum. This suggestion is specific to forum-platform vendors.

Hope you two (Mark and Falco site administrators) would still consider it.

EDITED/ADDED OTHER EXAMPLES BELOW

[mark]

This is certainly interesting idea, and one that seems to be working quite well on the patrol4x4 site.

While this is worth considering, there are a couple of details that we would need to give some careful thought to before jumping in with both feet:

1. Potential Duplication with Delica Trader – We recently moved vehicle postings from the forum to Delica Trader (DT). If 50% of dealers now were to switch back to the forum for advertising purposes (and 50% continue to use DT), this could potentially create a “fragmented” site structure. Ideally, all commercial-related content should be located at the same spot (as opposed to spreading it across both DT and the forum).

2. Criteria for determining which “vendors” qualify for a section and which do not (most folks would agree that, “Bob’s Ringtone Store” shouldn’t qualify, but how about the local carwash service, tire shop, etc?) In addition, businesses will (understandably) be concerned over which order they appear in the list (“Hey, why is my competitor ranked first in the list, while I’m number seven”).

3. The forum list at http://www.delica.ca/forum/ is already abit lengthy, and a concern would be that adding dealer-specific forums might contribute to the clutter (or that the threads will simply go unnoticed, in which case they won’t fulfill their intended purpose).

Delica Trader (relative to the forum structure) is a very useful structure for Vehicle Sales Postings, and can potentially work well in the future (with abit of work) for Vehicle Parts. One commercial-related aspect that DT does not currently address, however, is Service. Given that other commercial-related content (Vehicle Sales, and Parts Sales) will be on DT, it may provide for a cleaner website structure if Service-related ads are also done on DT as well (as opposed to Service in the forum).

If Delica Trader were expanded to include Service (as well as vehicle sales and parts), then the individual ads can be modified once created, to announced “deals of the week”, etc.

[jessef]

Curious to see what you guys come up with.


1. Advertising is one that everyone is exposed to. The beauty and convenience with a vendors section, is that delica.ca members are not exposed to advertising unless they go into one of the vendor's area's to see any sales, promo's, service,etc...

2. Alphabetical order is standard across forums.

3. There would only be one additional section : Vendors

Within Vendors, each vendor will be listed as a subsection.

Just like Vehicles Sales. It only appears as one section (line) with the rest being subforums when you click on Vehicle Sales.

It's quite a foolproof system and is efficient.

Even with other online forums that have a similar delica-trader-esk sales. The vendor section is there for vendors that use the forum. Otherwise the vendors will use the forum as they have been aggressively in the past year which has shown to be not so helpful.

[jessef]

Have you guys given this any more thought?

This would be beneficial to people fabricating/sellings delica-related things as the Delica Trader does not support a parts/mod/fabrication structure/discussion.

[nxski]

Are you thinking that more sections should be created within delicatrader or the forum? I'm assuming you're not suggesting they will be allowed to post items for sale but simply when they have promotions etc!?

[jessef]

I've asked Mark and Falco to look into unlocking the fabrication/mod threads in the Delica Parts and Supplies subforum that is currently locked down.

If you look at the patrol4x4 forum screenshot above, you'll see in the subforum Vendor section that there are two types of 'vendors'.

Commercial and Other.

Commercial = dealers/parts/mechanical services

Other = fabrication/part modification/other (exchanges/towing/helping,etc..)

Right now, there is only Delica Trader parts section.

If you look in the parts section, you'll see that there is no stipulation for posting. IE. one retailer can post individual ad's for each part. If that continues, you'll have hundreds of single ad's for each component on a vehicle. Think of the numbers. Then add into the mix someone who fabricates something Delica-specific that is not a 'part' but an addition or modification.

Two categories and right now only one area to display.

The other thing is that 'Joe' made a Delica paper mache and wants to sell the idea but also talk about different aspects of it. The Delica Trader does not have a discussion area for fabricators and delica.ca does not allow sales. Because 'Joe' can't sell something or talk about anything related to sales on the forum, he doesn't contribute in his own way.

Having a vendors only section will greatly benefit this forum when it comes to people making things are not commercially available for Delica owners.

If there is no such area on this forum, you may see some skilled fabricators/contributors fall through the cracks.

Glenn's gorgeous vurve consoles are a prime example.

[jessef]

Any feedback on having a vendor section in this forum?

Instead of vendors (all of them) advertising in posts and people asking about where to get this part or that part, simply navigate to the vendor section and every member can see who sells what.

DelicaTrader does not achieve this as there are pages and pages of one vendor and not others.

To get all vendors equal exposure within this forum (how it should be), this is a viable and simple solution.

If you look at the past year of created threads "where do I get this X part" and the sales pitches, you'd be surprised. It's a lot of repetitive posting that can be trimmed down in the future.

This would streamline the forum quite a lot (as shown in many other vehicle global forums)

Cheers

[jaggedfish]

I think this is a great idea! It would make vendors products easier to find without having to use the search as much and keep products out of the jumble of the modifications section.

[deli1733]

now make another poll and guess who voted no...

[lopar]

Most all vendors have their own webpages for such advertising and sales, why not simply have a well placed list with links to their webpages? Even the members (most of) that make or sell just a handful of Delica items have their own webpages or simple blogs.

This should be better for vendors, not having to advertise in multiple locations.

The link would expose the member to the vendors entire site and offerings instead of just the current advertisement or sale.

[jessef]

few reasons

although this site was conceived as a free community get together, it is now a forum with paid advertising and vendors, just like most other vehicle forum on the internet.

Having a vendors only section will allow the vendors to do promotion that do not fall under a banner advertisement (although vendors signature lines are another form of free advertising so far).

The real value of this is mutual for both members and vendors alike.

Members get real use out of the main forum as they should without constant adverts and vendors get real use out of their own section under the Vendors area to create promotions, events, changes, etc...

This model is used across the globe and promotes a successful and harmonious web based community.

Each vendor has their own website link where members can link to.

The question is whether or not delica.ca will adopt this small addition.

[jessef]

daily vote TTT

[mararmeisto]

The question is whether or not delica.ca will adopt this small addition.

We've only been asking for it for about two years now.

[FalcoColumbarius]

Hmm. Well we had one but there were a few people on the site that were adamant that there should be no such thing in Delica Canada, so we removed it from the site (as was asked by Jesse and others) and created a new one called Delica Trader. Which can be accessed from the board index page or from the top of this page. Take your pick... smiles.

This subject has been discussed with Jesse. Building a web page is not something that just naturally occurs, it requires a fair amount of skill, time and dedication and I think Mark has done a wonderful job creating one for all to use.

Falco.

[jessef]

Building a web page is not something that just naturally occurs, it requires a fair amount of skill, time and dedication and I think Mark has done a wonderful job creating one for all to use.

No one is questioning this forum Falco. It's the opposite. Constant praise of how this forum is handled. This forum is a free open source BBS program that is available to anyone, not created from scratch. It required selection to begin and administrative work to make it constantly run(which you do just very well). You swerved off topic but if you guys require web coding, I can be of assistance as I was a web designer before going into a different IT field although simply adding another subforum like you have done in the tech section does not require any web design or coding.

Hmm. Well we had one

I'm sorry but there was never a section for vendors in delica.ca

What you are referring to was the Vehicle sales section where anyone, be it private member or dealer, were allowed to post vehicles for sale and is what led to it's demise due to heavy abuse by certain vendors.

Delica Trader replaced the Vehicle sales section and is in place doing it's job. It is web link with individual parts/vehicles, not a place for vendors to link their site, promotions and changes.

We are asking for a VENDORS ONLY section. By 'we', I mean the delica.ca members that make up this forum.

Will you and Mark allow a Vendors section for only vendors as suggested in the above posts?

I'm sure everyone who cast their vote would like to know when it can be implemented as it is not a website restructure, just an add on like you have done with the tech section. Thanks.