What's happened to so many excellent forum contributors?

[english_voice]

In recent months I’ve noticed that many knowledgable forum contributors have simply disappeared. I’d like to think they’re still successfully selling on Fiverr, but their expertise, judgement and wit is much missed. Some new names have come along to fill the void, and I also appreciate reading their good counsel and wisdom.

However - and this is why I’ve posted in the ‘ranting pot’ - I’m wondering if all the old names simply got tired of the increasingly low standard of posts in the forum? I too have taken a back seat in recent weeks for this very reason. Whereas a year ago I used to read the majority of topics, I now might click on one in every 20 that looks interesting. If I respond to one post a day now, then that’s good going.

I’ve always been a believer in democracy and ‘let the market decide’ - meaning sellers with talent will naturally rise to the top, while those who simply don’t have what it takes will fall by the wayside. But it strikes me that the forum has become overrun with sellers who simply have no clue about common sense, business, English, morals or the rules of the Fiverr marketplace. Yes, there was always a certain element of this demonstrated - but now, it’s gone through the roof. The tools, guidelines and support to allow people to succeed are already in place - so I can only deduce that the majority of posters on the forum are simply lazy or desperate. I’m just not interested in helping lazy people, and sadly desperation often leads to poor results.

So what point am I making? Poor quality posts will, over time, only attract more and more poor quality responses. It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. With such a state of affairs you eventually reach a point where there is no going back. In other words, most of the talent will have left the building. This would be a sad state of affairs, but I can see it nudging this way. Sad really.

[marinapomorac]

@english_voice

if all the old names simply got tired

Tired and/or banned.

If @lloydsolutions would be willing to sell the secret on how to keep calm maybe they would stick around longer on the forum.

Maybe we need to resort to old FBI/CIA trick and every time we see the new topic on tips how to make sales, orders or the usual where is this how to get this find this to have a nail in the shoe and before typing what we really want to type stick our heel in to nail to keep it together.

[psykkopatte]

Tired, i would say too, topics in this forum are always the same:
-“pray for me i got my first order”
-“how to get my first order”
-“no impression and click yes”
-“how to get customers”
-"“why are my gigs not working”

…

The first things I did was watching tutorials on youtube.

[mariashtelle1]

@english_voice

I’m wondering if all the old names simply got tired of the increasingly low standard of posts in the forum?

I think it was around a year ago when we were all waiting for a positive change on a forum when big news came that we have to be more tolerant to those stupid questions and more inclusive.
After that some people were banned permanently, some banned for a short period of time, some were getting flagged on their every message.
So of course when all regulars started spending less time here we got more of this “how to get sells”.

I personally flag every new topic with “stay online 24/7 tips and tricks” because I’m tired of those. So if more people flag those maybe just maybe they will be removed

[uk1000]

@mariashtelle1

I personally flag every new topic with tips and tricks because I’m tired of those. So if more people flag those maybe just maybe they will be removed

You could select the option to mute the “tips for sellers” and “tips for buyers” categories (or just the whole “Fiverr Tips” section) if you don’t like those and you should see less of them. Some people probably like the tips threads. Though if they’re very bad tips (eg. that could get an account banned) they could be flagged.

[mariashtelle1]

@uk1000

You could select the option to mute the “tips for sellers” and “tips for buyers” categories

Why would I? I like seeing good tips for both sellers and buyers but why should we tolerate the same “stay only 24/7 and attractive image” advices popping up every day?

If somebody made a mess in your kitchen would you want to clean the kitchen or will you just avoid coming to the kitchen ever again just because you need to be tolerant to that person that made a mess there?

[uk1000]

@mariashtelle1

Why would I? I like seeing good tips for both sellers and buyers

Because you said you flag every new topic with tips and tricks. Maybe it was the tricks part of that that makes you flag every one (like if it’s somehow breaking some rule).

[mariashtelle1]

@uk1000

Because you said you flag every new topic with tips and tricks

Yes I flag all this topics with tips and tricks that advise others to “stay online 24/7, eye catch thumbnails, 10 br every day” etc.

@uk1000

like if it’s somehow breaking some rule

They are breaking rules.
One of the rules of the forum is not to create duplicated topics. So they are breaking forum rules by posting and duplicating those bogus tips and tricks.

[catwriter]

Sometimes I respond… And then catch myself thinking “Why am I doing this, why not just read a book or watch the new episode of The Stand?”

@english_voice

The tools, guidelines and support to allow people to succeed are already in place - so I can only deduce that the majority of posters on the forum are simply lazy or desperate.

Or overwhelmed. They’re new to freelancing, they’ve never seen a forum before, they don’t speak English well (or barely speak it at all), so it’s understandable if they’re feeling overwhelmed, especially when you combine it with the desperate need to earn something. And with so many of them on the forum, I end up feeling overwhelmed, and decide not to bother.

Matt seemed proud of the number of new users and new topics. I suppose that a big number of users and topics on the forum can have some meaning for the shareholders and help convince them that they’ve invested well (or something), but if that’s the focus now, (big huge) quantity over quality, I think I’ll just check the forum for official announcements and let the nonsense-makers keep creating nonsense and clutter. And if they get each other banned with bad advice and then cry on the forum about being banned without reason… Well, whatever.

[melanielm]

I’m not a frequent forum poster, but I like to think I’m an intelligent one. The forum has been a mess forever, but I do agree that fewer high-quality posters are around anymore. I think they (we?) just get tired of the never-ending onslaught of worthless posts and bad information.

Even with Mariashtelle1 flagging all the 24/7 bad advice posts, to use an example here, does anything really happen to the number of new ones that appear? I don’t see any change, though I certainly applaud your efforts!

It’s like erosion. It’s tough to come here and get buffetted with the same stuff all the time, I think.

Back when they spoke of changing the forum and making it better, I suggested ONE thread for introductions and congratulations (I made my first sell! posts). That would declutter quite a bit. I don’t really know what they changed then, but I didn’t notice anything getting better really. I just don’t come here much anymore.

[psykkopatte]

The “stay online 24/7” and “10 jungle (BR) per day” are the most stupid advices
People contact you anyway if they are really interested by your services whatever you’re online or not, and jungle is full of unprofessionnal and delusional “buyers” if we can consider them like this, who are looking for “pro only don’t waste my time, budget: 5€”

[zreine]

Those who are still here are saints. I’ve only been here for a couple of month and I find it tiring. When I joined I wanted to genuinely participate and help. I have enough experience on forums to spot trust worthy members (to me it’s obvious, but apparently to others, not so much) I thought I could help by sharing good advices from those members, as well as using some common sens. But when those advices keep falling into deaf ears, what’s the point? I don’t think they really want help they just want to attract attention to their gig or get money by making no efforts.

If I didn’t know any better, I could easily think that this forum is abandoned and being over run by bots. The amount of spam thread and messages that are being left here, when they would get deleted on most well kept forums is baffling to me. This is not an attack on moderators, they are probably just doing what they are being told to do,or what they can with what they have, but this reflects on the main site. The amount of scammers selling fake services that still have their account active despite being flagged and obviously fake send a really bad message to the type of platform Fiverr wants to be. Quantity over quality.

[psykkopatte]

Blockquotethey just want to attract attention to their gig or get money by making no efforts.

It’s funny cause it’s what I feel everytime I’m reading them

[enunciator]

It’s the predictable process of helpful users gradually becoming jaded or completely disconnected from an online community due to the flood of barely comprehensible posts from new sellers who repeatedly ask the same five to ten questions every day…

[krheate]

@english_voice

if all the old names simply got tired

Honestly if this was the case, I wouldn’t be too surprised.

The amount of spam and repetitive posts in the Forum has heavily increased in the past few weeks/months.

There’s tons of people asking “how to get this…” or “how to do that…”

And then there’s the people who constantly go and repeat fake advice, which the excellent Forum members have to go and tell people that those advices are fake.

I think we need to be truly appreciative of what they main Forum members are doing! Thanks!

[mariashtelle1]

@melanielm

though I certainly applaud your efforts!

Though not really my efforts mods still have to look at that and it’s more work for them. And we definitely see an improvement in judgment however even new mods have to run with fiverr agenda.

[frank_d]

I’m trying my best to respond whenever I can help.

But if I am being honest no matter what I post it gets lost in the noise.

When someone asks “how to succeed” and I respond truthfully and based on my experience, the majority doesn’t even engage.

If the immediately following reply is something like “stay online 24/7 and reply on the forum 5 times a day” it gets a heart and a thank you from the OP.

So that tells me people -most of the time- are looking to confirm their bias.

I just got a PM yesterday by someone who read one of my older posts, thanked me for my contribution and then sort of demanded for me to reply to his specific problem, just because they were a TRS too.

I didn’t like that last part.

Anyway, I digress.

From what I understand Matt has 99% landed on a platform to host the new forum, so hopefully things will change to the better when we have a brand new platform with new tools.

Edit: just because it needs to be said more often, @lloydsolutions is a hero.

[enunciator]

@frank_d

sort of demanded for me to reply to his specific problem, just because they were a TRS too.

Hmm, trying to see the logic behind their inquiry. How do they think one’s level plays any part in necessitating a response from another forum member?

Or, they were just initially buttering you up with praise in hopes that you would then be willing to guide them through their issue.

[frank_d]

Well to be honest, I understand their POV.

They feel like I only share my small to medium secrets on the forum for the pleb.

And that I must be reserving the really good stuff for my peers, aka TRS and/or PROs.

The fact that they PMd me vs starting a thread and mentioning me or replied to my original post, tells me a lot.

Why would they do that?

They feel like I have to respond and solve their problem.

[vickiespencer]

@english_voice

I’ve noticed that many knowledgable forum contributors have simply disappeared.

They have, as @marinapomorac said, gotten tired/banned. However, I see another reason. I have noticed that users who are still here but are now pretty much silent have been flagged into that silence. If I say anymore I fear being flagged myself, so…

But I see @mariashtelle1 touched on what I have observed when she said

@mariashtelle1

I think it was around a year ago when we were all waiting for a positive change on a forum when big news came that we have to be more tolerant to those stupid questions and more inclusive.
After that some people were banned permanently, some banned for a short period of time, some were getting flagged on their every message.

@catwriter

Sometimes I respond… And then catch myself thinking “Why am I doing this, why not just read a book or watch the new episode of The Stand ?”

Me to, @catwriter, me too.

@catwriter

Or overwhelmed. They’re new to freelancing, they’ve never seen a forum before, they don’t speak English well (or barely speak it at all), so it’s understandable if they’re feeling overwhelmed, especially when you combine it with the desperate need to earn something . And with so many of them on the forum, I end up feeling overwhelmed, and decide not to bother.

This spoke volumes to me. I do feel sorry for them. But as @melanielm said

@melanielm

It’s like erosion. It’s tough to come here and get buffetted with the same stuff all the time, I think.

That is so true. This “stuff” wears on a person.

@melanielm

I suggested ONE thread for introductions and congratulations (I made my first sell! posts).

It is a good idea, but I would bet that the category would be ignored.

@zreine

Those who are still here are saints. I’ve only been here for a couple of month and I find it tiring.

Thank you. I have been here going on 4 years and have seen many Forum friends leave and I do not visit as often or post as much as I once did.

@zreine

The amount of spam thread and messages that are being left here, when they would get deleted on most well kept forums is baffling to me.

This is the only forum I have ever belonged to, so I find that information interesting and some thing on which to think. Hopefully, those in charge will contemplate it too.

@frank_d

So that tells me people -most of the time- are looking to confirm their bias.

BINGO!

@frank_d

From what I understand Matt has 99% landed on a platform to host the new forum, so hopefully things will change to the better when we have a brand new platform with new tools.

I hope and pray it will be more successful than the last forum roll out.

@psykkopatte

The first things I did was watching tutorials on youtube.

I hope you found valuable ones and not those with misinformation.