Good point about the inactivity of some members in the forum, I must admit I have always found that a little unusual, but am no longer surprised by it. I remember when we launched the first Salehoo investors group. We used Skype to network with each other and keep our fingers on the pulse, and out of about 30 odd investors, there was only about 15 people who even bothered to be a part of it, we never did hear from the others.
Remembering of course that those people even had cash invested and they wouldn't participate.....lol
In think the main reason is that forums are platforms for people with a shared interest, so everyone usually likes to get in amongst it. Here, while we have a shared interest, most seem to be just wanting information, and if they can find that information without having to post in the forum then they are happy to do that and stay on the side lines.
As for dwindling numbers in the supplier directories should there ever be a shake up My own opinion would be that I would rather pay a membership fee for quality, not quantity, however I have been involved in marketing for long enough to know that wouldn't play out really well amongst most.
Unfortunately most put too much value in quantity believing that the bigger the database, the more chances they have of finding a supplier for themselves.
I would love to see the actual numbers of members using suppliers, my best guess would be that most members do their research well, and if so, would all end up using a core group of suppliers only anyway.
Of course I'm not really advocating dropping any suppliers really, more just getting them sorted into categories that offer members clarity. The one thing that always amazes me is when member have to ask in the forum if a supplier they have found in the directory is either legit, or are their products authentic.
It's not the members fault, it's the fact that it is at the point where we have so much garbage in amongst good solid suppliers that no one seems to have a clue anymore, and has to relay on the forum for assistance from other members who have used them.
I've always believed that the Forum was where the real value lay here in Salehoo because you could get real assistance with your questions, but seriously, the site is marketed on the suppliers in the database, not the forum where we are relying on each other, and that database should be brought up to spec for everyone.
At the end of the day we didn't join Salehoo to just be a part of a forum, so come one guys, put your heads down and do the right for us all, and clean up the database!
I don't think Salehoo has much of a choice in this situation, it has to evolve or it will outlive it's usefulness and struggle for traction in the market place. I'm just wondering what would happen if all of a sudden those members that do their bit and assist others were all too busy to chip in, my bet is a lot more requests for refunds!
Salehoo as a whole has to stand alone as value, and not just rely on others participating in the forum to ad value to its service, because that road is made out of broken bricks, and could collapse at any time should peoples circumstances change.
Of course the owners of Salehoo may have a very different opinion of how things are with the site, but for me....if the site was mine I would be making some serious changes to ensure the sites relevance for the future.
