What happened to the Free to new home thread

[Matt_01]

Hello Admins and Moderators.

Although I am aware that it is against the rules to question Admin/ Moderator and at the risk of getting suspended for a period of time or banned I would like to question the removal of the 'Free to Good Home' Thread.

I understand that web sites evolve, change and make improvements. As someone who gives a fair bit of stuff away on this site and prior to joining AFF when MrsM insisted I clean out my hoard most of it when to charities or sold on ebay. The ebay selling used to do my head in, due to the fact as soon as an item is sold and paid for the purchaser expects it to sent immediately and my travel schedule does not allow for this.

When I found the free to good home thread it was an easy way for me to give away stuff knowing that the receiver was unlikely to complain if their goods were not sent immediately. With digital lounge passes J and F these used to go to waste or expire. Just in F lounge access passes, I have given away:

• x2 QF F lounge passes last year,
• I have x2 F at the moment but I am waiting for my parents to give me their travel plans before giving away here so may be at short notice, and
• x2 that will be given post my QF roll over and after parents travel.

QF given away x4 J lounge this year and I already have a couple more. From memory I gave away some last year (2018) and in 2017 but would need to check.

As for VA I will also have the gold gifting thing that happens at an extra 500 SC.

With the removal of the free to good home thread am I now expected to list:

• QF PJs and Amenity kits on the QF thread,
• EK PJs and Amenity kits on the EK thread,
• QR PJs and Amenity kits on the QR thread,
• SQ PJs and Amenity kits on the SQ thread. Etc.

Where would I list NH, DL, JL or MU product there is no thread for these, then there is stuff like headphones, old stuff (relics) from the AN years that collectors like and in this years clean out there may also be a camera or 2 plus and some luggage.

With arrival or departure card I noticed my post was moved to some thread called customs, visas and a few other words in the title, I did not even know that thread existed and would not have even contemplated looking at, let alone post free stuff there.

@Danger may or may not agree but doing a mass clean out is time consuming when considering listing, photography waiting for satchels to arrive, cross checking and sending the correct items to the right right person. I commend @Danger for running 3 mega giveaways, I only did one and will not do it again.

I hope that with this recent change that the admins and mods will monitor how much free stuff is labeled and given away and if there is a decline maybe this decision could be reviewed.

I still plan on listing my free stuff posts but maybe not at the level I planned. It is likely to be just dumped in the general discussion thread and just let mods move as required.

Regards

Matt

PS I did you your drop down prefix 'question'

 

[deejo77]

^Ditto but with the $30 Qantas hotel credits^

 

[support]

The Free to a Good Home "forum" was removed to make way for exciting new changes, as mentioned in the recent community announcement (Introducing a new Drop Down Category for "Classifieds").

All members should now note that when creating a thread they can use the prefix "Question" if they have a question and "Free" if they want to give something away for free. In the future, some members may also see other prefixes, allowing them to sell items, however this is yet to be implemented and is merely 'coming soon'.

Regarding the main question of 'where' items should be posted, this is an important consideration and perhaps one that we haven't completely fleshed out yet, but will no doubt make sense over time.

It was actually me that moved your express card giveaway thread, and I chose the Visa, Immigration & Customs forum as express cards are used in this area of the airport. However, I am open to discussion on where they might be better placed?

Lounge passes would best be placed in the Airport Lounges (sub)forum under Travel Insider Tips. Again though, we are all open to discussion on why members might think this is not the best place?

Importantly, I think the fear by some is that with the Free to a Good Home forum no longer open, these giveaways will not be as visible. I counter this view by pointing out the access to every "Free" thread is now at the top of the Community forum homepage and is more visible than before. The link shows threads site wide.



Finally, your question is where would your giveaways of pyjamas go? That's tricky. It could go in "Travel Gear", as there is already a thread on clothing in this forum. Otherwise, you could simply post in Open Discussion.

Certainly, we shall be reviewing how well users take to the new system, but believe they should find it easier when the broader idea of buying/swapping/selling rolls out in the future. We see giveaways as a vital part of this.

 

[Himeno]

On the subject of threads getting moved...
When the airline delay forum got moved, I thought it had been removed for some reason. I didn't even see it had "only" been moved into a different category for a number of weeks. I rarely even scroll past the Airline program category with ~80% of the threads I look at in open discussion, travel news and Qantas.
The move of the delay forum cut my viewing of it from every time I visited AFF to maybe once or twice a fortnight.

 

[Matt_01]

The Free to a Good Home "forum".....

Response removed however your insights, comments and honesty is appreciated. I am not an AV geek and to be honest actually dislike flying however it is just part of my life that I have to endure.

What may seem as a vent was not the intention, I have more sets of airline PJs than I need to see out my life time, more amenity kits than I know what to do with, luggage of all brands that just take up space.

AFF was just a great way way via the "Free to good home" thread to keep MrsM in check, as I could convince her that my hoard was being reduced and absolutely selfish on my behalf for giveaways. What I have learnt chatting with the wider community has far exceeded my exceptions since joining.

 

[support]

On the subject of threads getting moved...

Noted.

I've counted the forums and we have 99, but to the bottom of the Airline Programs category is only a third of that total, so by not scrolling any further you miss out on two thirds of what we have. I realise that most of our content may be skewed to Open Discussion and Qantas, but you have raised an interesting point. The prefixes are meant to help identify threads that are hidden further down the list, and I believe are working well.

In under 3 months we have only 38 open questions (currently), and you're welcome to answer them so they can join the 387 answered threads.

AFF was just a great way way via the "Free to good home" thread

This feature remains available, just not limited to one particular forum on AFF. You can post a thread anywhere that makes sense to the topic, and mark it as "Free". I fear you are missing the point and believe that we are saying you cannot post these threads anymore, which is not true.

 

[PLANT]

Bring back Free thread....... Simple and easy!
Can we have a poll on this..... Vote please?

 

[get me outta here]

I thought the previous ‘free to a good home,’ system worked well, was comprehensible and efficient.

 

[mrsterryn]

I did have a giggle as I am actually hoping someone post what I need lol
That is why I was actively looking for it
I did think it was much easier with the one thread

 

[PLANT]

Spent 10 minutes trying to follow instructions posted here to find Free stuff.....
It's a bloody treasure hunt and still cant find the lounge passes anymore?
Has Malcolm Turnbull or some MTM NBN twit gained access to AFF board?
Please return to OLD system and thread please please!

 

[Matt_01]

In under 3 months we have only 38 open questions (currently), and you're welcome to answer them so they can join the 387 answered threads.

Out of curiosity what is the basis for closing a question, is it the OPs decision that his/her question has been satisfactorily answered to his/her satisfaction or is it an admin/moderator call, just asking.

 

[Matt_01]

I did have a giggle as I am actually hoping someone post what I need lol
That is why I was actively looking for it
I did think it was much easier with the one thread

What is it you need is it actually a 'need' or a 'want' either way if you send me a PM and I have what you 'need' we can work something out. It was only week or so back when I was repacking the hoard from one bag to another MrsM looked at me and went Hmmmm, its growing again response .

 

[Denali]

 

[support]

Bring back Free thread....... Simple and easy!
Can we have a poll on this..... Vote please?

No, AFF is not run by public opinion or with elected members.

I have started a conversation with you and invite others to start a conversation with me if they would like to discuss, but I am making a directive to stop with this topic in this manner.

I thought the previous ‘free to a good home,’ system worked well, was comprehensible and efficient.

I thought it served its purpose very well for the just over 6 years it operated, but the prefix system that has been slowly rolling out across the site can highlight threads site wide easier than one forum could and did. Threads can be placed in the forum that is most relevant to what they are.

Spent 10 minutes trying to follow instructions posted here to find Free stuff.....

1. Load www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community
2. At the top of this page (below the first advert – if you see ads – and above the first category/forum "Community Connections/Introductions") you will see 4 drop down menus:
   1. Classifieds
   2. Question Threads
   3. Promo Threads
   4. Wiki Threads
3. Hover your mouse over "Classifieds" or click if on a mobile device and you will see "Free"
4. Click this and you will be taken to a list of every thread (on the whole website) that has the prefix "Free"

Out of curiosity what is the basis for closing a question, is it the OPs decision that his/her question has been satisfactorily answered to his/her satisfaction or is it an admin/moderator call, just asking.

Ideally, any member will report the post (some have been doing so) to say that the thread has been answered. Moderators don't just blindly follow reports, we do check if what has been reported is correct. If it is, we change it to answered.

A lot of threads have been changed without any prompting by myself though, every Saturday I make an effort to go through anything open and see if things have been answered.

I will also add the prefix to threads that are questions and haven't been answered, or threads that have been answered but were never marked as such. This way if a member one day has the same question and searches, they will feel more confident that – admittedly somewhere unknown in the thread – the answer is available.

Additionally, threads that are "Answered" don't mean that discussion can't continue, it just means the original query has been resolved. This is why we would encourage members to start their own threads for their own questions rather than jump into a thread that might be about something else.

 

[Matt_01]

.....Ideally, any member will report the post (some have been doing so) to say that the thread has been answered. Moderators don't just blindly follow reports, we do check if what has been reported is correct. If it is, we change it to answered.
.....
Additionally, threads that are "Answered" don't mean that discussion can't continue, it just means the original query has been resolved. This is why we would encourage members to start their own threads for their own questions rather than jump into a thread that might be about something else.

Admin/ Support/ Mods. As the OP - I asked a question and for full disclosure to the wider AFF community, Admin/Support/Moderators have been proactive in sending PMs and follow up calls in regard to this post which is something that I appreciate given the size of the member base.

It was never my intention for this post to become a channel to vent or question the site owners decisions, I was quite clear in the OP that web sites need to evolve, they will loose relevance if they do not.

As the OP I plan on reporting this post with a request to close it, it is is the hands of the Admin/ Support/ Mods to manage, my question has been answered.