Things are somehow Quiet! We need some Fire-Ups!!

[laurels_glow]

Hello leaders,

I believe things are somehow quite here.... could we get some fire-ups for our community plans please?

 

Thanks

Edited July 21, 2022 by laurels_glow

[smashradio]

The forum has been rather dead for ages. The main reason:

If Fiverr expects the forum to be a place of meaningful conversation, where skilled individuals can help each other improve, have interesting exchanges of opinions, and be productive members of the community, you don't do it by having a forum filled to the brim with pointless, repetitive, meaningless and utterly useless posts like this. The above is from the last few days alone. 

This useless content and entitlement contest doesn't encourage activity from people with real talent. The few genuinely skilled people that are left are tired of sifting through hundreds of "gig rank" posts, reading about how unskilled individuals can't seem to become millionaires on Fiverr and how depressed they are because Fiverr doesn't love them enough. 

So yes, the forum is dying. It has been on its deathbed for a long time.

If Fiverr wants to build a strong community of truly skilled freelancers, give them a place to flourish. The forum, as it stands today, is not it. 

“No one gets ahead by striving for mediocrity.”
― Glenn C. Stewart

Edited July 21, 2022 by smashradio

[fiveroptic1]

...just happened to see this post @smashradio, as I very rarely visit anymore - for the very reasons you've highlighted. There are so many better places online to visit about all things 5r than this 'official' forum.  To be honest, I admire those of you who stick around and put up with it.... 

[smashradio]

2 hours ago, fiveroptic1 said:

...just happened to see this post @smashradio, as I very rarely visit anymore - for the very reasons you've highlighted. There are so many better places online to visit about all things 5r than this 'official' forum.  To be honest, I admire those of you who stick around and put up with it.... 

Yeah, it's sad, really. Imagine how much potential the forum could have, if all of that crap was gone. So many productive and awesome people have left because of the bottom-feeding going on. 

[katakatica]

I do feel like we've been trying to get things going, though obviously on smaller levels than what actual staff could do. Loads of posts about fun stuff (or at least, stuff that I consider fun) get buried by spam within seconds - and so does actual advice many people spend actual time writing (and not just copy-pasting stuff like crazy.) Now, I do think there's hope because I know that there's quite a few people on here who genuinely enjoy talking to each other/helping newcomers who actually WANT help or just rant about pesky buyers.

However, I don't think just the 'forum regulars' (or whatever you want to call the few people who still try to post actually decent posts)  can save stuff. We can post fun debates, off-topic questions (like all the topics about games/movies/etc.) but after a while they all just kind of disappear because the same 5-6 questions bury them.

I'm not sure what the solution would be because I do believe that technically, everyone DOES have a right to post on the forum (even if it's nonsense) but... I feel like there's ways to solve things. 

(post not really proofread, so please bear with it, still haven't found my glasses yet.)

[smashradio]

8 hours ago, katakatica said:

I do feel like we've been trying to get things going, though obviously on smaller levels than what actual staff could do. Loads of posts about fun stuff (or at least, stuff that I consider fun) get buried by spam within seconds - and so does actual advice many people spend actual time writing (and not just copy-pasting stuff like crazy.) Now, I do think there's hope because I know that there's quite a few people on here who genuinely enjoy talking to each other/helping newcomers who actually WANT help or just rant about pesky buyers.

However, I don't think just the 'forum regulars' (or whatever you want to call the few people who still try to post actually decent posts)  can save stuff. We can post fun debates, off-topic questions (like all the topics about games/movies/etc.) but after a while they all just kind of disappear because the same 5-6 questions bury them.

I'm not sure what the solution would be because I do believe that technically, everyone DOES have a right to post on the forum (even if it's nonsense) but... I feel like there's ways to solve things. 

(post not really proofread, so please bear with it, still haven't found my glasses yet.)

I know. I've been trying; you've been trying; we've all been trying. But spending an hour writing a good post, only to see it get five views, a single like, and 20 "thank you for vallububble advice"-comments... It's disheartening. 

I believe the solution is simple: Make Fiverr a Pay-2-Play platform. Charge every single buyer an amount per month. Perhaps that amount could be lowered as you move up the ranks, given that you're earning more for Fiverr through commissions. Make it harder to get started. Require the english test for every single seller. If you fail, you're out. Make misrepresenting your skills a suspendable offense. 

Edited July 22, 2022 by smashradio

[pradeepcep]

5 hours ago, smashradio said:

I know. I've been trying; you've been trying; we've all been trying. But spending an hour writing a good post, only to see it get five views, a single like, and 20 "thank you for vallububble advice"-comments... It's disheartening. 

I believe the solution is simple: Make Fiverr a Pay-2-Play platform. Charge every single buyer an amount per month. Perhaps that amount could be lowered as you move up the ranks, given that you're earning more for Fiverr through commissions. Make it harder to get started. Require the english test for every single seller. If you fail, you're out. Make misrepresenting your skills a suspendable offense. 

I think two things will help:

1. The community should aggresively move out-of-topic questions.

If someone asks for "gig rank" advice on a forum topic that's meant for, say, new user introductions, then it should be moved as soon as possible to the relevant topic while notifying the poster that their post was off-topic. Or better yet, close the post down if it's off-topic. If you've been on StackOverflow, you'll see how effectively this removes low-quality content.

Users can then only follow or click on topics that they actually want to read or contribute to.

2. Have a more thorough screening process.

While I can see the point and advantage in making it pay-to-play, I think there's novelty in the fact that "anyone with the skills can make it" here on Fiverr. Even if it's just ten dollars, there's value in having people get in just because of their skills. And it sounds definitely less spammy when you don't ask new sellers for money. Not to mention, there are people here from parts of the world where ten dollars is a lot of money.

I think the answer lies in the screening / vetting process. I've been through Toptal's screening process, and it's remarkable how this translated to the quality of the community. If you enforce and always expect a level of quality, and screen based on that, then you will end up with a quality community.

I don't know if I feel this way because I am new here, and yet to experience all that you veterans have gone through — but it's definitely going to be interesting to watch 🙂

[smashradio]

15 minutes ago, pradeepcep said:

I think two things will help:

1. The community should aggresively move out-of-topic questions.

If someone asks for "gig rank" advice on a forum topic that's meant for, say, new user introductions, then it should be moved as soon as possible to the relevant topic while notifying the poster that their post was off-topic. Or better yet, close the post down if it's off-topic. If you've been on StackOverflow, you'll see how effectively this removes low-quality content.

 

It can help, but most users don't hop into specific categories. These posts should be deleted. But to have a team constantly doing so would require a lot of people. It could help to remove the topics, but then there are all the stupid and pointless replies to topics. With the community involved in the m 0 d-side of things, it has gotten better, but it's nowhere near aggressive enough. 

17 minutes ago, pradeepcep said:

 

While I can see the point and advantage in making it pay-to-play, I think there's novelty in the fact that "anyone with the skills can make it" here on Fiverr. Even if it's just ten dollars, there's value in having people get in just because of their skills.

No, it doesn't add value. Fiverr is a business. We – the successful sellers – are business people. I'm not at all convinced that just ten dollars qualify as value. Granted, it's not just about the money but also the productive contributions people make to the community. Earnings are an excellent indicator of success. Being able to invest in your business depends on more than skills. Mediocrity has no place in a professional environment. But that's just my opinion. 

20 minutes ago, pradeepcep said:

Not to mention, there are people here from parts of the world where ten dollars is a lot of money.

That is true, but it is also part of the problem: far too many sellers from third-world countries come to this platform without skills, thinking Fiverr is easy money. It is understandable, given their situation, but it doesn't make for a productive environment for people with real skills, no matter where they come from. Raising the bar by charging for access would avoid that. 

23 minutes ago, pradeepcep said:

I think the answer lies in the screening / vetting process. I've been through Toptal's screening process, and it's remarkable how this translated to the quality of the community. If you enforce and always expect a level of quality, and screen based on that, then you will end up with a quality community.

I don't know if I feel this way because I am new here, and yet to experience all that you veterans have gone through — but it's definitely going to be interesting to watch 🙂

I agree with you about the screening and vetting process. But doing that would require lots of resources when a simple "$29 per month" would do something similar. I've been through Toptals screening process as well. It does work. 

You have a fresh perspective, and I like your ideas, though I think your opinion is influenced by being new. Being one of the "veterans" (now I feel old) has certainly influenced my take on this. 

I've seen Fiverr go from a laughable "I will sing Happy Birthday out of tune while wearing a cowboy costume for five dollars" marketplace to an industry leader in freelancing to being swamped with new sellers with little to no talent. The pandemic certainly didn't help. When they fail, they come here whining about it. 

Your ideas might work. Preferably, I'd like to see them in combination with a price tag for selling on Fiverr. As a business environment, Fiverr should support real talent, not pander to the masses of unskilled labor. 

 

[fiveroptic1]

...I certainly think that the $10 mentioned here, or any nominal amount, is a bit of a red herring. It costs a lot more than that to purchase a laptop & pay for internet access etc! To be honest, the amount of time some people spend spamming this forum, they could probably have gone out, got a job and earned that! 

As @smashradiohas said, this is a business and it needs to be treated seriously. The vast majority of forum members who post banal, repetitive stuff with such regularity, I truly wonder if they treat it as such - or as just a game.

Sorry to be harsh, but I doubt other user forums 'owned' by massive corporations worldwide operate like this one. 

[newsmike]

2 hours ago, pradeepcep said:

I think there's novelty in the fact that "anyone with the skills can make it" here on Fiverr. Even if it's just ten dollars

But it is that hobby, lark mentality that hurts those of us that are trying to run legitimate businesses in an environment where people are playing around, and don't care about quality or service. Plus there's the many here that claim to have skills but don't. 

[katakatica]

17 hours ago, smashradio said:

I know. I've been trying; you've been trying; we've all been trying. But spending an hour writing a good post, only to see it get five views, a single like, and 20 "thank you for vallububble advice"-comments... It's disheartening. 

I have to agree. I don't write loads of advice-heavy posts, mostly because my journey to (now TRS) has been a bit 'odd', but I also like sharing the fact that you CAN be 0 and build yourself up to someone, etc. However, when the people who SHOULD read them ignore them.... it gets icky. 

My only concern with Fiverr becoming P2P would be that the FEW newbies who genuinely can't afford to pay BUT are amazing at what they do wouldn't get a chance. Obviously, the platform would change a lot (in theory) and so would the forum, but I feel like that's a bit of a risk, though... I'm sure there'd be ways to figure that out. Honestly, I'm at the point where I'd rather pay myself than see what's going on on the 'rough side'. 

 

[smashradio]

2 hours ago, katakatica said:

My only concern with Fiverr becoming P2P would be that the FEW newbies who genuinely can't afford to pay BUT are amazing at what they do wouldn't get a chance. Obviously, the platform would change a lot (in theory) and so would the forum, but I feel like that's a bit of a risk, though... I'm sure there'd be ways to figure that out. Honestly, I'm at the point where I'd rather pay myself than see what's going on on the 'rough side'. 

I can understand this argument, but I honestly believe that if people of such talent want to start a business, they can. Money is and will always be a good measure of skill. If you look at some of the best talents on Fiverr, they come from a background of doing this before they started on Fiverr. If you're not willing or able to invest a small monthly sum into your business, I don't think you deserve to have a business. 

Outside of Fiverr, we expect people to have their own house in order before we trust them with our business. You don't open a design agency or a shop without the funds to do so. If you do, you're doomed to failure. Why should Fiverr be any different? Why should Fiverr pander to people who aren't willing or able to invest in their business when the rest of the business world requires it? 

I think it would take Fiverr in the right direction. Currently, the platform is a giant example of the paradox of choice. It becomes difficult to choose when you're presented with too many options. 100.000+ sellers in a single category? I'd call that a disaster, not a success. 99% of the sellers will never land enough sales to defend their existence on the platform, and the buyer will become confused by the sheer amount of options. 

We can see how Fiverr tries to mitigate that by using Fiverr Business and "wizards," where a buyer inputs their information and gets presented with a single seller Fiverr recommends. They are constantly trying to tweak the algorithm, and the whole idea is to limit the number of options by offering up the best sellers first. 
It's illogical to have a platform with so many sellers, when most of them are just noise that Fiverr constantly works to hide. It's a band-aid on a broken leg. 

  

11 hours ago, newsmike said:

But it is that hobby, lark mentality that hurts those of us that are trying to run legitimate businesses in an environment where people are playing around, and don't care about quality or service. Plus there's the many here that claim to have skills but don't. 

That's exactly it. Is Fiverr a business platform, or a hobby platform? Rarely have the two gone hand in hand. For some reason, Fiverr still tries to hold on to that mentality, but combine it with business. It used to be what Fiverr was. Perhaps someone has difficulty letting go of it. 

Side note: Have you heard about the ESG score from BlackRock? I call it the Woke-o-meter, but it's basically a score on how eco-friendly and woke a company is. The woker they are, the higher the score. And this ESG score is used by investors when deciding where to invest. Many companies who want to grow via investment work to get a high ESG score. It's all about inclusiveness. It starts hurting the business at some point because the consumer isn't onboard with BlackRock's little game. They just want good services. I believe that this mentality and fear of a lower ESG rating causes companies to be afraid of making tough decisions needed to keep a business viable. 

Edited July 23, 2022 by smashradio

[hamid_ur]

I'm not entirely sure what you're asking for, but if you're looking for ways to get more people involved in the Fiverr forums, here are a few ideas:

-Post in relevant threads and offer helpful advice
-Start new threads on topics that you think would be of interest to others
-Be active in the Fiverr forums
-Help moderate the forums by reporting any spam or inappropriate behavior

[smashradio]

On 7/26/2022 at 10:52 AM, shakibhusaindms said:

thanks

Thank you for providing a great example to prove my points above. 

On 7/31/2022 at 3:14 PM, mizankhan12 said:

Thanks

Thanks for what? 

[smashradio]

See what I mean? 🤣

There's a community plan for you guys. Remove every member who goes into every post to say "Thank you" without contributing anything else. 

Edited August 1, 2022 by smashradio

[ozan_erdi]

Couple hours ago i was just writting a huge answer to a guy who posted a topic about 22 impressions he has. Altough he had no orders or whatsoever, he has his wretched ideas written down as guidance to the new people. Not only his post was a nonsense spam, it was actually harmful to new people who genuenly wanted to learn. Before i finish the fire i was setting for him, post was deleted.

I have an idea, it does not require money from the users. Altough you might argue it is discriminatory.

Have an "elite" forum inside this huge mess. In this one, you actually have to attach your buyer or seller profile. Only ranked people can post and comment(I dont know which rank). But of course everybody can read and maybe put some reactions. Call it Colosseum.

Newcomers can read and learn, veterans can discuss. All healthy communications can be made within its boundries. And regulars who want to help can still go to the vanilla forum and answer people there.

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by ozan_erdi

[anniejenkinson]

On 7/22/2022 at 7:26 PM, newsmike said:

But it is that hobby, lark mentality that hurts those of us that are trying to run legitimate businesses in an environment where people are playing around, and don't care about quality or service. Plus there's the many here that claim to have skills but don't. 

Absolutely. I keep seeing copy editors who offer 'profreading' and 'proffesional' services. I don't want to share a platform with these numpties. Let us pay to escape the creche.

I can't agree more with what you say too, about getting rid of those who habitually just post one-word replies. I felt quite nauseous when in response to Frank's post about 'let's welcome new mods', this post also inspired a long following of 'congratulations' messages. Kind of ironic. So now, by having more mods, we get more junk posts!

I mean, for goodness' sake, what do those contribute? When even a post about welcoming mods inspires numpties to leave one-word replies, all is lost.  

I keep trying to take part in this forum but it's like a kiddies' playground sometimes.
 

On 8/1/2022 at 10:20 AM, smashradio said:

See what I mean? 🤣

There's a community plan for you guys. Remove every member who goes into every post to say "Thank you" without contributing anything else. 

And remove all those who just say 'congratulations'. These useless posts make me want to smash a brick through my screen now. They're definitely keeping me away from the forum.

Edited August 4, 2022 by anniejenkinson

[meldawn9]

I couldn't have said it better than the O.P. It's funny how people are so entitled. If it were that easy, we'd all be millionaires! I'm also so tired of the scammers and spammers messaging me. The only reason I have been staying on Fiverr is so I can fill up a few hours of my time each week. So yes, Fiverr is a hobby site. I would never direct my real clients here!

[smashradio]

16 hours ago, anniejenkinson said:

And remove all those who just say 'congratulations'. These useless posts make me want to smash a brick through my screen now. They're definitely keeping me away from the forum.

It's so annoying when I write a guide or helpful post, and I keep getting notifications about replies. 99% of them are "thanks" "eficient post" "good post" and so on. Completely useless. It has gotten to a point where I no longer check notifications unless I recognize the username. 

[williambryan392]

2 minutes ago, smashradio said:

It's so annoying when I write a guide or helpful post, and I keep getting notifications about replies. 99% of them are "thanks" "eficient post" "good post" and so on. Completely useless. It has gotten to a point where I no longer check notifications unless I recognize the username. 

Completely agree.

Think we’re going to look at either locking posts when the topic isn’t open to debate, e.g. announcements, or require post approval.

I think people do it for forum points, which aside from being rather sad, is just utterly pointless and unhelpful to everyone.

[smashradio]

3 hours ago, williambryan392 said:

Completely agree.

Think we’re going to look at either locking posts when the topic isn’t open to debate, e.g. announcements, or require post approval.

I think people do it for forum points, which aside from being rather sad, is just utterly pointless and unhelpful to everyone.

Yeah it is. The problem with locking posts is that it stops all discussion about a subject. One good thing about all the pointless posts, is that guides and so on gets pulled out of the dark from time to time. If it gets locked, it will just disappear. I think it would be more helpful to issue warnings/remove points if users do this. But I wish the forum was less gamified. I get why it is like that, but it didn't really solve the spam problem we had before. It might have improved it a bit, but it just caused the bottom-feeders to look for other ways to spam the forum. 😂