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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 47
sbi Offline OP
Member
OK, I have an Idea that I want to share. I was thinking that it would be a good ideal to take this business form private. Make this form one where EC could come and chat about prices, laborlaws, customer relations, marketing , basically anything biz related.We would be able to do this with the average person reading the post. This would be like a private post. I cannot really explain it that good but another site that I go to has this and it is awesome.
Well I will be around here alot so lets hear all the ideals you guys have

thanks

Tom


when in doubt jump it out
I happily work for slumlords
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Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 5,445
Likes: 2
Cat Servant
Member
I'm not sure there's any advantage to having a 'private' discussion of such matters.

The first objections are ones of principle ... free speach, the open discussion of ideas, etc.

The very idea of a 'private' forum feeds every assertion of collusion, paranoia, and distrust there is out there. While I can't speak for others, my 'business model' is totally dependent on the trust my customers have in mt.

In a practical manner, anyone can be anything on the internet. It wasn't so long ago, on this very forum, that a 'multi million dollar a year contractor' was exposed as a paycheck collector, with a revoked license. Oops. That didn't stop that gent from asserting all manner of business expertise.
We also had another guy, a few years back, asserting to have great legal expertise .... while also advocating patently illegal practices.

So what of the new guy, wanting to learn the ropes? This is precisely the guy who would be excluded from the forum.

Finally, I question the value of keeping such discussions away from the eyes of customers. IMO, there's just too much 'confidentiality.' I suspect that a lot of consumer complaints would have been avoided, and hack work prevented, if only the consumer had the facts available, had some appreciation of how a business operates.

Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 7,381
Likes: 7
Member
Tom:
In addition to what Reno said, I have the following comments.

A 'private' forum can and probably could lead to more bad situations than good ones. Also, keeping it private could be a hassle.

I am not a regular at any of the 'chat' areas here, as mytime is limited. The chat areas require a log-in, so the average 'joe' would have to register. Yes, that can be skirted; a lot of 'us' really don't know who we are conversing with.

Please don't think that I'm being harsh, or trying to deter you from participating here, but going 'private' sounds like a wrong move.

PS: You can reach me via e-mail, it's posted in my profile, or send me a PM here.


If you want, why don't you use e-mail to carry on any discussions that you may deem 'private'?



John
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 9,923
Likes: 32
G
Member
It might actually open the customer's eyes a little if they did see an honest discussion of how you price things and what your overhead actually is.
They see receptacles in a barrel at the home store for a half a buck each and wonder why it costs over a hundred to get one installed.


Greg Fretwell
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 47
sbi Offline OP
Member
wow after reading a few threads today, I not sure how i fill about this idea myself now. I hope we can atleast educate the general public on what we go thru.
.


when in doubt jump it out
I happily work for slumlords

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