11-05-2022 07:16 AM
As many here know, the Mods occasionally move what they consider non-ebay related threads to the Soap Box Board, where people are free to continue the discussion. Just a heads up: The Soap Box board will cease to exist as of Nov 16th...it will become an Invitation Only Private Group. I do not really spend time on the Soap Box Board, so this doesn't really effect me, but I'm not sure how that will impact the removal from this Board of "non-ebay" threads---where will they go? devon@ebay , can you get us an answer?
Here's the Announcement:
We’re moving the Soapbox board on November 16, 2022. The content of the board is more appropriate in a private group because it isn’t eBay related. Therefore, we’re giving you the option to join an invite only group that one or more of you can manage. If you’d like to host this private group, you can reach out to us via email: askcommunity@ebay.com and we can provide you with the new Soapbox link.
Please take the time to wrap up your conversations in this forum before November 16th. Older content in the current Soapbox will not be moved to the new private group, but we will move the most recent 2 months of conversations over.
-Community team
11-05-2022 08:11 AM
I don't do " Invitation Only Private Group", despite invitations. Gotta wonder how many Invitation Only Private Group's you're NOT worthy of being "invited" to.
11-05-2022 08:19 AM
Sometimes the moderators move threads to The eBay Cafe, so maybe they'll continue to use that board...?
https://community.ebay.com/t5/eBay-Cafe/bd-p/25200000018
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11-05-2022 08:22 AM
@tdrake wrote:I don't do " Invitation Only Private Group", despite invitations. Gotta wonder how many Invitation Only Private Group's you're NOT worthy of being "invited" to.
What was that Groucho Marx quip? Something like, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." 😄
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11-05-2022 08:24 AM
11-05-2022 08:40 AM
An invitation only group that someone else has to host? lol ebay's way of getting rid of discussions they do not like.
11-05-2022 09:18 AM
I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member.
11-05-2022 09:25 AM
Maybe the board became too time intensive, and expensive to manage manpower-wise.
And since it had nothing to do with ebay, why spend money on it?
11-05-2022 09:33 AM
I think it's a good idea - short of dumping the board altogether. This is an ecommerce site, not a venue for dueling Truth Squads, but if Khoros just got rid of egregious political threads and political hooks disguised as so-called "business" (which seems to be mostly what gets banished there) there would be tear-choked cries of cancel culture!!!!!!!!!!!! Just fun stuff could go to eBay cafe which is a sort of water cooler.
11-05-2022 09:36 AM
Maybe you can get your own personal chat room now.
11-05-2022 09:38 AM
Absolutely. 👍 I've read a few threads and topics there. Personal issues and current topics don't belong on a site who's platform is "business." Just my opinion.
11-05-2022 09:42 AM
@maxine*j wrote:
@tdrake wrote:I don't do " Invitation Only Private Group", despite invitations. Gotta wonder how many Invitation Only Private Group's you're NOT worthy of being "invited" to.
What was that Groucho Marx quip? Something like, "I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member." 😄
LOL - Yup! 🤣
11-05-2022 09:49 AM
I doubt the group will be 'exclusive' or in any way a 'club' - if one wants to pursue such topics, it's easy to join and follow the topics there. This is how many forums work.
11-05-2022 09:54 AM
As a minority woman, with a minority owned business, my language here on the 'Community' has been policed, altered, regulated, censored and deleted. The mod/censors are heavy handed, capricious, moody, distant, and have ZERO justification or accountability. They're just plain bullies.
I've never been to the SoapBox, as I've been suspended so quickly and often as to never even have the chance to look around. My next strike will probably be The Death Penalty, so I won't even bother going to take a look.
11-05-2022 10:32 AM
@krazzykats wrote:Maybe the board became too time intensive, and expensive to manage manpower-wise.
And since it had nothing to do with ebay, why spend money on it?
Yes, I find it surprising that the Soapbox has lasted so long, frankly, and that eBay will continue to give resources to it in any guise.
There's nothing wrong with a place where people go to rant and rave about partisan politics, discuss theior opinions about societal changes or the criminal justice system or whatever, criticize the news media, or, well, you-name-it. I just find it surprising that an e-commerce site would spend one minute or one nickel to provide it.
I'm not sure when the discussion forums were added to eBay, but I know it was before MySpace (2003), then Facebook, Twitter, et al, came into being so I suppose it stems from a time when eBay was unusual in having what we now call "social media" as a feature and that doubtless drove some traffic to the site.
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