Site traffic

kycardkid said:

The response to this thread from a mod is reassuring but your response raises a couple of questions in my mind. Pardon my ignorance on this subject but I haven't really delved into the intricacies of this place, I just trade. When you say "present owner" does that mean there is no owner? The owner is uninvolved? Permanently? Temporarily? Also, how involved could we as members be, in recruiting new members? Could an individual or group correspond with the owner and perhaps obtain permission to help with aspects of the site such as social media? Honestly something like that would be my area of expertise, and I find it enjoyable.

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As Matt, Pat, and Dave already explained and explained well The Bench does have an owner, albeit not an active one. The mod team has and will continue to work to reach out to him to get technical access to make the changes we have needed to make for quite some time happen.

I know I speak for all the mods here when I say that we all are invested in the Bench and have been invested in it for quite some time. I myself have not been involved in the hobby for a few years due to a hectic work schedule but the Bench was and continues to be my online trading home as it has been for years. I love being a mod on this site and reading/facilitating discussion. We hate to see the state it has become and will do everything in our physical power to see it come back to the point where it needs to be.

Thank you all for your input and feel fee to continue to offer suggestions here or contact one of us directly.

Steph

Thank you team for the input. I think this helped shed a light for many of us. While I can certainly understand how life changes and family can impact time, there is a tremendous amount of support for and from fellow traders here. I think I can speak for many when I say please don't hesitate to reach out if you need assistance getting things back to the "good ol' days." Personally, While time is limited for me, I still always try and find a few minutes to check threads most days. If I can help at all, feel free to shout via pm.

Same here, I would be delighted to help in any way that I can.

thebradau said:

Thank you team for the input. I think this helped shed a light for many of us. While I can certainly understand how life changes and family can impact time, there is a tremendous amount of support for and from fellow traders here. I think I can speak for many when I say please don't hesitate to reach out if you need assistance getting things back to the "good ol' days." Personally, While time is limited for me, I still always try and find a few minutes to check threads most days. If I can help at all, feel free to shout via pm.

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thebradau said:

Can we promote Saturday's as a "display day" or something similar where people can visit as sort of an "online" card show?

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This is my favorite idea. When The Bench switched over to its "new" format - the chat room was its own entity. It was a bit bigger and allowed for more conversation. The first Tuesday of every month was trade night - some nights there were just a couple people in there, some nights there were a dozen or more.

Getting a specific night or time frame for trading with other members would be great - just about every Tuesday trade night, I was able to get at least one trade done. And while the current chat box isn't a chat room, it still allows for real time conversation, rather than sending messages to an inbox, and would work for a trade night.

It isn't re-inventing the wheel, but it would at least be a start in terms of trying to get some activity going on here.

katester44 said:

This is my favorite idea. When The Bench switched over to its "new" format - the chat room was its own entity. It was a bit bigger and allowed for more conversation. The first Tuesday of every month was trade night - some nights there were just a couple people in there, some nights there were a dozen or more.

Getting a specific night or time frame for trading with other members would be great - just about every Tuesday trade night, I was able to get at least one trade done. And while the current chat box isn't a chat room, it still allows for real time conversation, rather than sending messages to an inbox, and would work for a trade night.

It isn't re-inventing the wheel, but it would at least be a start in terms of trying to get some activity going on here.

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I didnt know that was a "thing." I'd be all for revamping Tuesday trade night. What do you think would be the best way to build that and spread the word?

thebradau said:

I didnt know that was a "thing." I'd be all for revamping Tuesday trade night. What do you think would be the best way to build that and spread the word?

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Definitely was...at one point, there was a thread started specifically for information purposes to keep everyone informed. It went away when the old chat room stopped functioning correctly.

I will start a thread and put a note in the chat box. Let's see what happens.

I thought the one and done sticky topic in the Baseball set builders room was a great idea as a way to pick up trade activity on this site. It started out like gangbusters but has since died off as there has not been a post on it in a week and a half. I'm guilty of not posting on it too as it has been 6 weeks or so since I posted and initiated a nice trade on it. I am hitting one unnamed person's one and done want lists right now so hopefully I'll be posting on that topic again soon.

I think to increase membership we should do that old "each one, teach one" philosophy where each member attempts to bring in a new member that we either know personally or from other trade groups. I guess that would be called "Each one, recruit one".

SymphonicMetal said:

I thought the one and done sticky topic in the Baseball set builders room was a great idea as a way to pick up trade activity on this site. It started out like gangbusters but has since died off as there has not been a post on it in a week and a half. I'm guilty of not posting on it too as it has been 6 weeks or so since I posted and initiated a nice trade on it. I am hitting one unnamed person's one and done want lists right now so hopefully I'll be posting on that topic again soon.

I think to increase membership we should do that old "each one, teach one" philosophy where each member attempts to bring in a new member that we either know personally or from other trade groups. I guess that would be called "Each one, recruit one".

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Also a good idea. I have recruited several new traders here. However, with the inception of new trade sites in social media, there is an increasing amount of competition. As this site has slowed lately, my "recruits" have found more action elsewhere. We must work together to get the site as attractive as possible before external folks will want to spend time here. Finding unique ways - like the one-to-go option - are excellent ways to attract. I think encouraging all active users to find one particular day to all at least TRY and post something will work. A blast PM would be my suggestion. The more activity the current members can bring, the more attractive we'll look to new "recruits."

We appreciate all the feedback, and will begin to work on some of these ideas.

THANKS!!!

I have been trading on The Bench for almost a year now and am approaching 100 points. This site has definitely rejuvenated my collection and I am more actively involved in the hobby then ever before. Is there any way to set aside space for team collectors? Possibly Super Collector status for team collectors? Just a couple of suggestions. Love the site and am glad to see the recent changes.

Thanks,
AK

gbfan said:

I have been trading on The Bench for almost a year now and am approaching 100 points. This site has definitely rejuvenated my collection and I am more actively involved in the hobby then ever before. Is there any way to set aside space for team collectors? Possibly Super Collector status for team collectors? Just a couple of suggestions. Love the site and am glad to see the recent changes.

Thanks,
AK

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We do have a collector database that can be found in the Bench Tools dropdown link up in the nav bar. It lists who collects a certain player or team. It's easier to designate a player super collector compared to a team super collector. But the database is a pretty good tool.

Thanks for pointing me in that direction.

Champs96ws said:

We do have a collector database that can be found in the Bench Tools dropdown link up in the nav bar. It lists who collects a certain player or team. It's easier to designate a player super collector compared to a team super collector. But the database is a pretty good tool.

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How would I go about getting added to the player collector database? I collect Cal Ripken, Rick Dempsey, Buster Posey, Paul Goldschmidt and Kolten Wong.


Thanks,
Dan

3greyhounds said:

How would I go about getting added to the player collector database? I collect Cal Ripken, Rick Dempsey, Buster Posey, Paul Goldschmidt and Kolten Wong.


Thanks,
Dan

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Go into the collector database page and on the left is a menu to edit your collector profile. If a player is not listed then a Help Desk ticket can be submitted requesting the addition.

When creating a HD ticket please include as much info as possible Player Name, Sport, etc.