Trade member participation - more, less or about right?

[Texas Leaguer]

I am curious to understand what the general view on the forum is regarding trade member participation. I consider pricescope primarily a place for consumers to share their understanding and experiences about products and companies. In this way visitors can get unbiased feedback and recommendations from real customers like themselves.

So, too much participation from trade members might detract from that making the forum feel overly ‘commercial’. On the other hand, visitors are also coming for technical information that experts in the trade can provide. And having trade members willing to participate, produce educational content, and answer questions, is seen as a good thing by many.

I guess the question is where that balance lies.

Whiteflash has been a fairly active participant for a long time. We feel there are significant benefits for companies willing to devote some resources to participating here. For one thing, the commentary on the forum about products and policies helps us to understand better what the educated consumer is expecting from their merchants, so we consider pricescope to be a ‘focus group’ of sorts helping us to improve our performance.

It is my personal opinion that the forum would likewise benefit from an increased and wider range of trade involvement. But I may be wrong about that.

I imagine that some visitors can be put off by seeing vendors posting in threads where active shopping is taking place – even if the vendor is abiding by the forum rules. I wonder if visitors ever feel like they are being surveilled by the vendors they are considering or working with, rather than feeling like this is a place to get anonymized and unvarnished peer review of those very same vendors.

What are your thoughts on the role of trades people, how much and what kind of participation is ideal, and if you think pricescope would be better off with more or less vendor participation (or if it is currently about right)?

I will hang up and listen.

 

[Lorelei]

Great thread Bryan.

For me, I've always found trade member input invaluable and it keeps things real for those of us here, there's always something new to learn. So personally, I welcome expert participation and feel all would benefit from it.

It keeps things fresh and helps us improve our knowledge and understanding to help others, that can only be a good thing. Plus, it's great to see the ' human' side of companies such as yours which I think consumers might find reassuring.

So a yes from me, more of it!

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Great thread Bryan.

For me, I've always found trade member input invaluable and it keeps things real for those of us here, there's always something new to learn. So personally, I welcome expert participation and feel all would benefit from it.

It keeps things fresh and helps us improve our knowledge and understanding to help others, that can only be a good thing. Plus, it's great to see the ' human' side of companies such as yours which I think consumers might find reassuring.

So a yes from me, more of it!

Agreed! The more expert info we can get, the better! I'm always interested to hear what trade members think. The pros often bring insights that I've found to be invaluable. I really appreciate hearing from all of you!

 

[natasha-cupcake]

When I first visited these boards around October/November of last year, I was impressed with the friendliness and helpfulness of both regular and trade members. I was not at all put off by anyone's input. It's all good. I think the balance is just fine. I do like that trade members are clearly identified. No real reason, it's just feels seemly and appropriate.

I have noticed a few posts here and there where the poster mentions being a member of the trade, but doesn't have the trade member badge. Maybe new people who don't know the rules??

 

[BlingDreams]

I really like when trade members chime in with their expertise, and I appreciate the rules that are in place to keep vendors from commenting on offerings of other vendors; that keeps things from being seen as personal attacks or ulterior motives.

Depending on the topic, I’d probably like to see a bit more participation. Actually, it would be really helpful if we could have an “Ask the experts” sub forum where people could pose questions directly to trade members. That way it could easily be referenced in the future and you guys wouldn’t have to answer the same questions over and over

 

[Karl_K]

About right most days, to much some days.
The prosumers are using @<name> to alert us if they need help.

When a thread gets over 50% trade it is to much trade and not enough consumer a lot of the time.
There are times that it is needed, and others its just a bunch of me too posts.

 

[HappyNewLife]

I love the trade's input. I may not understand many of the concepts being explained, but I find it fascinating/

 

[Shinybaubles]

I am largely a lurker, but want to chime in to say that I find trade member input to be useful/interesting in any discussion that involves/requires expertise.

That said, if I were considering buying from an active participant (or if I wanted to post anything other than praise for a popular vendor), I would feel like I was "being surveilled." That's totally my trip though, not yours.

 

[bmfang]

I think it’s about right Bryan. Maybe I’d love even more participation when we are talking about some of the “technical” aspects that have to do with inclusions, durability, cutting, angle combos, etc.

I’ve learnt more in the past year and a bit of contributing on PS (to threads that trade and consumers have posted) than I did in the previous 5-6 years as a lurker. Trade members input is invaluable to helping me become more educated about these little beautiful pieces of compressed carbon.

 

[AprilBaby]

Trade member input gives another dimension to the discussion. There used to be lots of trade members posting, not so much anymore. sad

 

[MissGotRocks]

I find the participation from the trade invaluable. Consumer experience with gems is primarily limited to their own gems and/or their buying experiences. I feel there is always truth in numbers so trade members that handle diamonds every day and have done so for a number of years have a more practiced and analyzed point of reference.

I think we could all give a big round of thanks to those trade members who give of their time freely to PS! It rounds out the educational aspect and frankly, these trade members are just wonderful folks to have around as well.

 

[metall]

@Texas Leaguer: You pose an interesting question and I think your question could be applied in quite a few different scenarios.

For example....when posting a technical question. I like its wonderful to hear from trade members. Especially those who are as well versed as yourself, karl k, rockdiamond and numerous others who've taught us all so much!

I quite like PS's rule that trade people shouldnt comment on others stones. It makes the selection process less biased, as i do think trade member opinions and words are held in much higher regard. Sometimes even factual responses from a trade person ie....there is a inclusion at blah, could have the potential to turn a buyer off what could be a great stone. Again trade people are held at higher standards and their words mean more.

Heck this is even true for prosumers....i find that i would trust a certain regular members comments more just because i know they are prosumers and i actually sometimes find myself actively looking for their opinions after evaluating a stone to see if my eval is the same as theirs. Then i try to 'see' what they see if its not the same opinion and learn from it. (Which is why as a newbie i dont often post on evaluate this diamond type thread....just lurking for now)

Where i sometimes feel a little uncomfortable, is when a consumer is buying from a trade person and suddenly the trade person is alerted that the consumer is on PS...whether discussing a negative or positive experience. Very much like when a business responds to a yelpers comments. I always cring when the company replies...it feels very much like uncle sam is watching you...

Another scenario and one which i have alread run into once...are trade members who lurk only but don't announce themselves. I'd prefer that if a trade member sees a post that seems to refer to themselves...and just comes out and say hi i see you said x....please let me know why. Rather than using that information to make things uncomfortable later on.

Anyway that was a SUPER long winded way of saying....i think the trade postings are just right....for now.

I do agree that eventually starting a sub forum for 'ask the experts' where trade members can post to their hearts content on technical issues is a fabulous idea. And would be the best way to open more discussion from trade members

 

[Lookinagain]

I wonder if visitors ever feel like they are being surveilled by the vendors they are considering or working with, rather than feeling like this is a place to get anonymized and unvarnished peer review of those very same vendors.

I'm not a "pro" anything other than perhaps at my job (some may question that), so I will say that as a person who found this site just seeking information and then ended up doing business with some of the recommended vendors, I have never felt "surveilled" and often wondered actually if I should mention PS, but I never do. It has certainly never been mentioned to me by a vendor when discussing a project nor have I ever felt like they were aware that I was on on PS. Every PS recommended vendor has always come through for me, regardless of the fact that I contact them as just the normal person on the street who might contact them by chance. I've never been disappointed in any of them be it in product or customer service. Maybe I'm just lucky but I've purchased a lot of diamonds and completed pieces over the last several years, and I have no complaints nor have I felt that any one was "watching" me.

As far as the commentary from the Trade, my only comment is that I love the idea of "Ask the Expert". I do like to read the trade comments on the posts but sometimes they seem to get segwayed into super technical discussions that are way over my head or even my interests. Ask the Expert might be the perfect place for these discussions.

 

[bludiva]

+1 on the idea of the "Ask an Expert" thread and I may be in the minority but I find it entertaining when the experts start debating so even the really wonky technical threads are interesting

 

[cflutist]

I would like to see more posts from the techies, always something to learn.

 

[MonkeysInk]

I’m in the not-enough to just-right camp. I love reading the technical discussions that y’all have, and it’s interesting to see the different areas that each of you focus in on when you are considering a topic. I wish there was more of that discussion for consumers to listen in on, not necessarily “ask the expert” but in the style of the articles that get posted and discussed.

 

[blueMA]

Without expert trade members participating adequately here, Pricescope would NOT be Pricescope.

I don't learn much by reading pages and pages of overly positive sentiments and supportive comments, and rather see more technical discussions and real answers to what I'm researching for.

I personally love it especially when trade members butt heads with their experiences and expert opinions, and that's when I learn the most.

 

[PintoBean]

I think that participation in general is now significantly lower than ever. The amount of trade participation seems proportional to the decline.

A decade ago RT, smtb and CS had me so busy trying to catch up with the posts that I didn't even know there was a cafe or hangout.

 

[blueMA]

I think that participation in general is now significantly lower than ever. The amount of trade participation seems proportional to the decline.

A decade ago RT, smtb and CS had me so busy trying to catch up with the posts that I didn't even know there was a cafe or hangout.

I agree, some of the best threads on Pricescope are from over decade ago, and thank goodness we can still learn from them. It could also be because of lurkers like myself finding answers on my own and many topics have been hashed out already over the years.

 

[Polished]

I love the techies input but then again I love learning more about diamonds and what they say may influence me at some time to contemplate an upgrade. I like the more personal participation when websites may be useful but a bit impersonal. How is it though for a person who comes here for impartial opinion, over a one-off diamond purchase, and finds their thread has contributions from those in the trade? I can't answer that question. Do they happily ignore it? Are they influenced by it?
Perhaps people would trust the input from trade if they see that something really useful and relevant to them has been added by the trade input. They get a clarification or an obvious gap has been filled. From what I read this is what usually happens.

 

[Serg]

I am curious to understand what the general view on the forum is regarding trade member participation. I consider pricescope primarily a place for consumers to share their understanding and experiences about products and companies. In this way visitors can get unbiased feedback and recommendations from real customers like themselves.

So, too much participation from trade members might detract from that making the forum feel overly ‘commercial’. On the other hand, visitors are also coming for technical information that experts in the trade can provide. And having trade members willing to participate, produce educational content, and answer questions, is seen as a good thing by many.



I will hang up and listen.

Brayn,

There is not more any real motivation for independent experts and researchers to spend time for PS.
Such motivation was 10-15 years ago, but it is absent in recent years. Only trade members who sale diamonds here have such motivation.

 

[Queenie60]

I appreciate all of the input from the trade.

 

[foxinsox]

I love the input from the trade members - if anything I’d happily see more because it’s so darn interesting. I’ll add a vote for the Ask An Expert sub-forum, that would be amazing!

 

[missy]

I always appreciate info from trade members and the gracious sharing of their time and knowledge and expertise.

 

[Lorelei]

I just wanted to mention, if there is a poster who would like to see a particular diamond related topic or issue addressed, feel free to start a thread in Rocky Talk and mention you'd particularly like the experts to contribute! We can all only benefit from this, so don't be shy - go ahead.

There also might be some old threads on a particular topic we can link to also, there's a wealth of superb threads in the archives.

 

[arkieb1]

I think there could be more of it, the only negative comment I have to make is that some vendors seem allowed to comment more on a wider variety of things and others not so much. So I'm not sure it has ever been an entirely fair/even playing field, other than that some of the best advice on here IMHO has come from trade members.

 

[Maggiemeans]

I definitely love the trade input!

Love the idea of Ask the experts.. but not sure if that would become more of a "job" than they already have.
I love the debates too..... that has taught me alot.. but I wish they would move out of the consumer OP post somehow.... as there have been a few times in the past months I think they have taken away from the OP who is just trying to figure out what they are doing.

Not in regards to the stones... but with the settings, I often wonder if the trade making the rings go and read all the comments on the CAD reviews... to see what the feedback is... etc... and I wonder how they feel about all that feedback with their artistic integrity..

 

[sledge]

I'd like to see more participation. I've been a part of some really great forums where I've seen first hand how vendor participation can make the forum much, much better. Some things I think needs to be obvious:

- Trade members are clearly marked as such, and we know what company they represent
- It's okay to comment in any of the threads, but please keep on topic and don't make your threads a sales pitch
- Obviously don't bash other vendors to make yourself look good
- Have sub-forums for each vendor where they can market their products, run specials, offer PS discounts, and more unrestricted to do their sales work, handle customer service issues, etc.
- Have sub-forums were vendors are encouraged to participate in technical talk -- not just articles but a thread where interactive feedback & questions and happen
- Stay out of the for sale threads by members, unless you are selling a PERSONAL item

Overall, I enjoy hearing from a trade member but maybe I am comfortable with that because I've been a part of other forums where I know and discuss subjects with many of the owners of the companies I choose to support (and some I don't support as well). I like that interaction and having the ability to gain their knowledge and have their ear if there is an issue or I see something that needs fixed.

On some of the racing forums I've been a part of, some of the crude feedback by members like myself allowed vendors to jump in and create and/or refine products to fix real issues. That is cool to see that come to fruition, and builds a sense of community in the forums that is different and unique than many other generic forums. Because of all this, I've met some of those people in real life that are still good friends and I talk to frequently.

 

[WinkHPD]

Actually, it would be really helpful if we could have an “Ask the experts” sub forum where people could pose questions directly to trade members. That way it could easily be referenced in the future and you guys wouldn’t have to answer the same questions over and over

I saw this theme repeated many times in the first 29 posts in the thread.

As a Trade Member, I actually like being asked the same questions again and again. It is important for us in the trade to remember that many of the people who visit Pricescope never ever sign up and post and they will not know how to find those old posts.

It is important for those of us in the trade to remember that those who do sign up and post are new to this whole diamond and jewelry "thing" and need those fresh answers to fresh questions from their side of the fence.

Also, if I am fielding a question that I have answered a dozen times, I may be answering with fresh information as this field is in no way finished with the research and knowledge that changes those older answers. Not only that, but answering questions over and over really drives that knowledge further into the brain cells and often, while contemplating an answer to a frequent question it pairs up with information about another question to create a new way of looking at a frequent question.

Thus I do not think it would be beneficial to have a sub forum for people to look up old questions. I think there are so many new people who come and ask and way more who come and watch but never ask that we would be depriving ourselves of keeping things fresh and vibrant for both new and old members. Heck, if answered properly and the reader gets enough satisfaction from the answers received, that reader may one day become one of the prosumers who sticks around to share answers.

Wink

 

[BlingDreams]

I saw this theme repeated many times in the first 29 posts in the thread.

As a Trade Member, I actually like being asked the same questions again and again. It is important for us in the trade to remember that many of the people who visit Pricescope never ever sign up and post and they will not know how to find those old posts.

It is important for those of us in the trade to remember that those who do sign up and post are new to this whole diamond and jewelry "thing" and need those fresh answers to fresh questions from their side of the fence.

Also, if I am fielding a question that I have answered a dozen times, I may be answering with fresh information as this field is in no way finished with the research and knowledge that changes those older answers. Not only that, but answering questions over and over really drives that knowledge further into the brain cells and often, while contemplating an answer to a frequent question it pairs up with information about another question to create a new way of looking at a frequent question.

Thus I do not think it would be beneficial to have a sub forum for people to look up old questions. I think there are so many new people who come and ask and way more who come and watch but never ask that we would be depriving ourselves of keeping things fresh and vibrant for both new and old members. Heck, if answered properly and the reader gets enough satisfaction from the answers received, that reader may one day become one of the prosumers who sticks around to share answers.

Wink

Interesting perspective Wink. Thanks for sharing