After a couple of PM's politely requesting that discussion continue I see no harm in doing so.
Thanks
e.
I disagree. The marketplace is no more a "privilege" than the normal discussion forums, where non-mod and admin members provide the vast majority of the content and value. But I digress.
It isn't really about content or value, but about the work that goes into maintenance. The mods have to do a lot of work to keep the Marketplace free from violations. If they decided to tell
Arn and the other gods how difficult it was getting, they could very well just abandon the MP altogether and you'd be forced to go to ebay or Craigslist. So, in that regard, the MP is very much a privilege, just like being able to participate on these forums.
I fail to see how someone who has posted 70 trivial replies more than me is has proven himself to be more trustworthy.
It isn't always about specifics. It's about generalities. Go back to my lottery example (or any example where you need a certain minimum to participate). The rule won't work all the time, but it will work enough of the time where it's still useful.
Considering what
e told you about vB software, you should also understand that it's a real pain in the arse to make an exception (and thereby many, many future exceptions).
And I think expecting 100 substantial posts from a member merely to allow marketplace posting is a bit over the top.
What's over the top about it? It's a requirement like any other.
As you'll see in
this thread, many people felt that it was too low of a requirement.
Treating everyone the same does not magically justify the treatment nor make it fair. If this situation somehow only applied to myself, it would be a different matter, but I'm sure it applies to a much larger number of members, certainly larger than "a handful".
What's unfair about having consistent and evenly applied rules?
I can't comment on the nature of "handful" or not, but given how most people accept and understand the rules as they are, I think it's fair to say that only a handful feel strongly enough to object to the rules.
Nevertheless, If this is truly the board consensus, then so be it.
Remember, it doesn't matter what all of us say; it matters only what the mods/gods say. It's their choice (and most of all
Arn's). It isn't up to popular referendum; MR is an autocracy through and through.
There are other places besides MR to sell stuff. I don't understand the sense of entitlement people sometimes feel over this. It's a perk, (albeit for the regulars) not a right.
I would say it's because they're all youngins, but I'm young and I don't know the age of anyone else.
But yes, I agree completely with your post Blue.
Another option used on forums is the reputation option where you can award points to helpful members so everyone knows who is constructive and makes useful posts, regardless of number of posts.
Eh...there has been plenty of discussion on reputation systems too, and we all know why they go south. I like MR without them (no wars started). Besides, I'm not sure they'd really be all that useful for MP.
