New Small Business Thread Area

[ArowanaLover1902]

I understand that the point of this community isn't to allow big businesses to scream advertisements in our faces, taking us away from our discussions on our hobby and turning it instead to talks of purchase. I'm 100% against big businesses being able to jump into a thread on (example) breeding blennies and advertise their brand new filter media, but I think the forum should be more inclusive of the little guy trying to advertise products from a one person, generally unnamed, business. I believe this would encourage innovation as well as the growth of new companies that will serve their customers better. My suggestion is that a new thread be created in the sales section, here small businesses could set up threads where they could post on their products and direct their customers to a place they would take orders. I have also prepared a few suggestions to help keep this under control:
- Limit on posts per week
- Can't reply to others, only post information and look at questions, answer only by PM
- Links to the thread in the signature would be fine but mentioning it in an unrelated discussion would be a major no no

I think that small businesses better connect the community and add to the forum's ability to help to its community rather than take from its user's experience.

 

[Crabs McJones]

I understand that the point of this community isn't to allow big businesses to scream advertisements in our faces, taking us away from our discussions on our hobby and turning it instead to talks of purchase. I'm 100% against big businesses being able to jump into a thread on (example) breeding blennies and advertise their brand new filter media, but I think the forum should be more inclusive of the little guy trying to advertise products from a one person, generally unnamed, business. I believe this would encourage innovation as well as the growth of new companies that will serve their customers better. My suggestion is that a new thread be created in the sales section, here small businesses could set up threads where they could post on their products and direct their customers to a place they would take orders. I have also prepared a few suggestions to help keep this under control:
- Limit on posts per week
- Can't reply to others, only post information and look at questions, answer only by PM
- Links to the thread in the signature would be fine but mentioning it in an unrelated discussion would be a major no no

I think that small businesses better connect the community and add to the forum's ability to help to its community rather than take from its user's experience.

The forum currently has something similar. It's called the sponsor forum
https://www.reef2reef.com/categories/sponsors.5/
Small businesses and larger businesses become sponsors of the forum and are allowed to advertise specials, group buys, and new products as well as interact with the community regarding questions, comments, concerns as well as issues :)

 

[KJAG]

Are you referring to your interest-fishing thread that just got deleted yesterday?

 

[ArowanaLover1902]

Yeah I was, I realize it was in the wrong place now, I had never intended to mine for info, but I do think there should be a place to do that type of thing. I'm trying to provide a good service that people are interested in because there are few options and I feel like the market is a bit controlling on it, surely it can be done for cheaper and the way people want.

 

[revhtree]

Thanks for the suggestion. We have plans to add some options in the near future with our new market place. But we're still a few months out.

 

[evolved]

My suggestion is that a new thread be created in the sales section, here small businesses could set up threads where they could post on their products and direct their customers to a place they would take orders.

Ultimately, that is unfair to the "big" companies who are paying their sponsorship dues to advertise/sell on the website.

It is not that we are here to "protect" sponsors, but we do have an obligation to level the playing field for those that wish to sell in a commercial fashion on R2R.
As they say, you've got to "pay to play".