Topic: Let's finally remove Locked and Self Mod topics from the Marketplace (Read 906 times)

I think no newbie should be able to lock a marketplace thread.

I don’t mind modded threads. Even by newbies.

This is my opinion on marketplace threads.

Other threads other opinions.

I would not equate using the ability to keep an active thread locked to a hospital. Even if I was, I have not been to a hospital in the last 6 months, but many other people have. Likewise, I am not asking how many times you have used this feature, I am asking how many times anyone has used this feature in the last 6 months.

If 6 months is too short a timeframe, how many people would you estimate has ever used this feature for your stated purpose?

I am merely trying to gauge the cost of removing this feature. If there is some "observable metric" that shows the cost would be high, I would gladly admit my idea is not a good one.

How many times have you been to the hospital in the past 6 months? Fuck I guess we can get rid of hospitals...

Stop trying to pass the cost of dumb shit lazy new users not doing due diligence onto the legitimate user base by stripping useful features. It is lazy, myopic, and will solve nothing.

How many people would you say have used how many locked threads to only "serve as a notice" to others in the past 6 months?

I have been using this forum just about 100 times longer than you have. Do you think I might have some insight here you do not? The result is not the same because it requires constant monitoring and post removal to achieve the same effect, therefore it does not in fact achieve the same result. Just because you don't see it or don't use it doesn't mean other users don't find it useful. Your lofty and ill defined "perceived lack of integrity" is just a creation of your own mind with no observable metric with which to even measure. Again having been trading here for nearly a decade I think I just might have some idea what I am talking about here.

You should not try to hyper regulate the marketplace, but some regulations can be good if the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, and they do not unnecessarily restrict freedoms.

The two features are different, but they serve a similar purpose. In reality most using a transnational thread are not going to have the ability to do anything they could not previously do if the ability to have an active locked transaction thread is removed.

Your explanation for the need to keep the ability to have an active locked transaction thread is that no commentary is needed, and the threads purpose is to only serve as a notice to others. A user can achieve the same result via a self moderated thread with a note to not reply to the thread, and deleting any replies they get. Frankly, I have seen very few "public notice" threads, and I cannot recall the last one I have seen.

You should care about the integrity of the marketplace because if it is perceived to lack integrity, any reputation you have earned becomes worthless, and some people who might have traded with you could decide to not trade at all because they observed many other bad experiences.   

1. Similar /= Same
2. I explained the difference between the two above.
3. You can strip useful features for legitimate users all day and all that will result is less features and the fraud will continue as it always has. Removing features just because you personally do not find them useful is not a solution and will ONLY ultimately result in detriment to the legitimate user base.

If the two features serve the same purpose, why not allow only self moderated threads, and not the locking of an active marketplace thread?

The self moderated thread would provide a warning when many posts from many people have been deleted, and the locked thread will not. Sure scammers will adopt to new methods if one is neutralized, but this does not mean known methods should not be neutralized if it would not harm any one acting legitimately.

Yes I think they are both necessary and both are a net positive. Removing either of these features would not stop fraud it would just change the tactics. A fool and his money will always be parted.

What about the option for them to "archive" the "offending posts", and people on the page will have a button to view the page with archived posts where they were supposed to be;  but with a grey background or something obvious.


Might be a way to let people do what they want, and let the rest see what they don't want you to/have to see.

Ya know... transparency.   *chuckles*

Okay, Do you see both as being necessary? Considering they can be seen to serve a similar purpose or be utilized in similar fashion.  Care to weigh in on if you consider them to be a net positive? Individually and combined.

I'm also curious to hear what people think would benefit the Marketplace most if given the choice of removing one of these features.
For me it is the toggling of a locked thread. Taking this away doesn't make the threads disappear, but it does create more work to keep these scammy threads on or near Page 1.

Locking and unlocking serves a similar purpose as the self moderated topics. Some times threads do not require any commentary from anyone and are intended to be little more than a public notice. I find both are legitimately valuable at times.

Thank you for that looks like I missed the last bump. It seems that these discussions tend to end with the idea of restringing these features to a rank as some feel they're going to be unnecessarily harassed.

Sorry you felt that was a tough go at it to make a sale. I don't see that thread as overly problematic, but I can see how you might have felt that way. The topics in that thread weren't off topic, but some may have been reportable as repetitive or redundant.

Either way it was in rereading this thread, I realize most has been stuck on the self-mod feature. It feels like people feel they are losing a right or something. On that note it seems the happy medium between the 2 camps as being revoking the "privileged" from lower ranked accounts. I thn kany step even a small one should be at least tested. This would deliver a blow to many of the problem threads we see.

No one really seems to be talking about the other feature which I feel is more problematic overall. The ability to lock and unlock a topic. Does anyone have a legitimate case use for this in the Marketplace?

This was part of why I thought whitelisting individuals through an "Application Topic" would be useful. Merited or not a newbie could gain a reputation or show a need for the ability. Whatever the metric is I still feel even a small action might make it more difficult than logging in typing 250 characters or less to lay out the bait and hope to scam someone.

If there were restrictions put in place I have no doubt that there are many members who do patrol or transact in those sections that would merit a good sales thread. There are already a lot that get dispersed in sections like collectibles.


I like this a lot, it at a minimum requires them to put in some effort and time which most aren't interested in doing. They will also be limited by the cooldown period as well at first. Having to earn the privilege to use these features seems like a good compromise.

  More likely 99.999%.   I have intentionally lost $1 or $2 on a few of those threads just to prove to myself they are scams.  And they were.  Making an official "scam accusation" is fine and good but relatively meaningless.  Digital goods & accounts section users should have extreme limitations to who are allowed locked or self-moderated threads.  It is unfortunate but there are millions of examples in the "real world" of the good having to be inconvenienced due to the activity of a few bad.  IMO it should be # of post limited somehow.  Most scammers aren't going to make 100 shit posts just to be allowed to set up a locked scam for $20.  SURE, there are myriads of ways to get around any limitation but that goes for anything people want to steal or cheat.  Right now it's a free-for-all. 

Just my opinion ... and you know what "they" say about opinions!

Just sounds like normal life, if you arent known on this forum thats the way its going to be.    Stick around a while, take an interest and do some good business and its not that long a wait I hope.   I do think there isnt enough merits available to good new members who take part in the forum properly.   They have to get like 100 to step upto the next rank?   thats like asking toddlers to hop through giant footsteps, the scale required on that part is probably incorrect but having some process new people must go through is really correct.

The merit sources thing is a little bit too exclusive, thats my view obviously its down to Thermos what his vision is but if he wants all the ranks accessible I think the merit system requires more liquidity.   Maybe loosen it up a little but allow -merit, people would probably love that tbh like its a game :p

I really want self-moderate option to be disabled for newbies and Jr. Members only (I'm referring to the marketplace scams at least). There is another reason which I'm not mentioning here.
Because if a newbie/junior account scams and get tagged then they just create another thread in seconds and continues the process every time.

I don't think it will be unfair for them because if they are a genuine trader then they will easily rank up to Member and will get the self-moderation privilege.
If they are honest, do genuine business, earns trust from the community then 11 Merits can be earned in a short time I guess. I think members here will support those genuine traders.

This is exactly my point.

You can end up with one or a hundred posts from someone who is mistaken, but intent on proving you are [insert slander or illogical nonsense here]; and when they are proved wrong;  silence from them and a huge tarnished poop stain left behind on the thread that didn't need to be there in the first place; and that kind of crap may drive people to click away without even seeing after all of those comments was information showing that poster was 100% unfounded/untrue.

A few times I have removed shitposts that seemed on topic;  but like a broken AI was trying to guess as to how to comment on the thread.......   I never regretted any of those deletions, and have never received a PM for it as well.

I was a newbie when I tried to sell my gift cards and mostly all users who posted on the thread derailed my thread and asked me to sell my genuine gift cards at a huge discount as they were getting carded gift cards for that rate. To stop all these unnecessary demotivating comments, I made all my threads self-moderated ones. Example: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=928753.5

Whitelisting is just giving privilege to one user and not to the other which is unfair. One forum had such feature for premium members and it was highly unfair to others who have not established themselves on a forum.

None of the comments I reported in my thread were considered off-topic and hence not removed. They troll you to an extent that you feel like giving your product for free. The self-moderated feature is a blessing in disguise for me.

That's because you are now in a time and era of this forum where the majority of the new accounts getting created are just the same old scammers recycling the same old concept.

If you have a problem with a self mod thread then open a scam accusation. There is and should be no excuse for laziness.

I come from a time on this forum where the majority of newbie accounts were real.

And you're talking about 99%? How about those 1%? You're essentially asking for cockblocking genuine people, those same people might just turn around and make bitcoingarden their home - and really get fucked there or head to Bitcoinpub.

But it will make it a lot harder for them, good discussion here:

https://bitcointalksearch.org/topic/scam-preventionremove-self-moderation-for-topics-within-the-marketplace-2929216