The Forum Has Gotten a Makeover

[Kesha]

The forum serves as a great place for our community to connect, exchange ideas, and support each other. In recent months, one of our goals has been to enhance the platform so it can be more user-friendly and easy to navigate. 

We’ve recently made changes in an effort to enhance the experience, here’s what to pay attention to:

• Streamlined sections and boards- To make navigation smoother and foster a stronger sense of community, we minimized the sections and boards in the forum. Some were moved or renamed, while others were merged or altogether deleted. Sections such as “Welcome” and “Freelancer Resources” are examples of affected spaces. We also got rid of boards such as “Ranting Pot” and “Badge & Level Discussion”. We still encourage you, however, to share your thoughts and opinions on appropriate boards including any of the Feedback boards, My Fiverr Experience, or the Members Lounge. You can also ask questions concerning levels and badges in the Gig Advice board. 
• Renamed sections and added clear descriptions: For the remaining sections, we have added clearer names for each. Further, each board has been given a clear description, detailing its intended use. Please review these descriptions before posting to ensure discussions take place in the appropriate spaces. 

With that being said, the forum now consists of four main sections:

1. General- For updates and casual conversations with a place for news, member discussions, and sharing your wins. 
2. New members- Dedicated to newcomers from both our freelancers and buyers. This space is to be used for introductions and any initial questions. 
3. From the community- Where community members can exchange advice, share feedback and suggest improvements. 
4. From the Fiverr team- Where you’ll find educational content and helpful resources to help you enhance your results on Fiverr. Content is exclusively curated by the Fiverr team, ensuring information is up-to-date and reliable.

Niche sections such as Verticals, Fiverr Select and Seller Plus remain unaffected for now. However, anticipate improvements to these communities in the near future. 

Overall, our goal is for the forum to be a valuable educational resource, fostering connection, networking, and, above all, a successful Fiverr experience for you. We hope you appreciate the changes so far and we eagerly await your thoughts and feedback!

__________________________________________________________

[davydkoff]

Why is it okay for everyone to post in the "News" topic? I've subscribed to this topic to get important news about Fiverr, not spam like this. Please prohibit other members from posting anything in the News section of the forum.

[donnovan86]

Thanks for the update and great work from you and your team, @Kesha!

I do want to suggest something, maybe we can get rid of this hearts counting as engagement for leveling, because a lot of people are "serial likers", they like everything and that's why I stopped notifications for likes, they are just doing it to increase their forum level. They think it will bring them sales, but all that does is frustrate people that actually want to browse the forum and engage with others or people looking for advice.. 

[vickieito]

24 minutes ago, davydkoff said:

Why is it okay for everyone to post in the "News" topic? I've subscribed to this topic to get important news about Fiverr, not spam like this. Please prohibit other members from posting anything in the News section of the forum.

It would be nice to have the "News" category in the "From the Fiverr team" section.

Can we also have a dedicated section for buyers? Thanks!

Edited January 3 by vickieito

[vickieito]

9 minutes ago, Trisha_Fiverr said:

I'd love to hear any ideas and feedback that anyone has on this! Because, for now, most of the community members are sellers or sellers/buyers, we didn't create too many sections, but a big goal for us is to create more value for buyers on the forum!

A banner at the top that says, "Are you a buyer? Then this section is for you!" (with a link)

This can lead to a closed club or forum section where buyers can feel comfortable with asking their questions (without being spammed by sellers). If a forum section, have each post approved before making it public to ensure that it doesn't turn into another "Tips for Buyer" category. Since most buyers are looking for answers quicker than CS's response (or are trying to find out how to contact CS), these posts would need to be approved fairly quickly.

[katakatica]

12 minutes ago, Trisha_Fiverr said:

@donnovan86 seems we don't have the option, but we are going to add some more rewards pretty soon that will grant much higher levels of points for those who are creating and participating in conversations. 

I think as long as you can define participation as actually productive (no spammy one liner posts posted ten times) this is a grand idea! Otherwise however I'd worry it could get chaotic since a lot of people misunderstand what the forum is good for (and its connection to the main site.)

I think more engagement is awesome (from new and old sellers alike!) but there has to be a certain 'standard' for it, especially if it's rewarded - though maybe you've already figured some things out! 

I'm curious to see the changes in action as we go, it's always good to revamp things a bit for sure! 

 

 

[vickieito]

I really love all the changes that have happened over the past year on the forum, especially with the increased interaction and engagement with members of the Fiverr team. It makes a difference knowing that Fiverr cares about its sellers and listens to our concerns.

1 minute ago, katakatica said:

a lot of people misunderstand what the forum is good for (and its connection to the main site.)

 Agreed - some users accept advice from anyone posting on the forum, even if they have no authority or experience in what they are recommending. Others seem to think that higher forum badges equate to more success on the Fiverr platform, which is not true.

4 minutes ago, katakatica said:

think more engagement is awesome (from new and old sellers alike!) but there has to be a certain 'standard' for it, especially if it's rewarded

I like how we can see labels on the Fiverr team (e.g., "Fiverr Staffer" or "Admin"). I wonder if Seller Level would be helpful for newbies who are getting advice on the forum.

[vickiespencer]

There may need to be some changes in the forum rules as well. For example, rule #6  mentions "My Fiverr Gigs", which is no longer a category. 

 

Edited January 5 by vickiespencer

[shuvo_va]

The evaluation system of the forum should be changed. Many people think that  Forum reputation & badges helps them to get more sales. That is why they do unnecessary spamming just getting badges in forum. As a result, it is confusing to find out the right resource.

[smartdezigns]

I think there should be a separate section for Buyers too.

Sections like Tips for Buyers, News for Buyers, Buyers Lounge, Forum/Fiverr Feedback etc. should be added there. Tips for Buyers should not be in the same section with Tips for Sellers. (From the Community). 

Or From the Community can have 2 sub-sections like:

1. For Sellers 
2. For Buyers

[melanielm]

Streamlining things is always good.

I'd suggest closing threads for new comments after a reasonable amount of time (months). I find a lot of "good job" or "thanks" (or bad suggestions like staying online 24/7) meaningless posts in the Unread content section attached to original posts that are 1-2 years old. That's simply clutter and annoying.

[edc_lab]

15 hours ago, Kesha said:

Overall, our goal is for the forum to be a valuable educational resource, fostering connection, networking, and, above all, a successful Fiverr experience for you. We hope you appreciate the changes so far and we eagerly await your thoughts and feedback!

About educational resources:
I made a long post to reply to a user about thumbnails and I showed him three images. After posting it I saw a little mistake in one of the images and I tried to edit my post, but surprisingly I found that there is a 30-minute span where you can edit it and I was forced to post the same content twice.
So, if I want to create a new informative topic/post, that could require an edit, how can I update it?
Personally, I would get rid of the limit and just show revisions info such as "Last edit on xx/yy/zz - hh:mm".

[hedayetsaadi556]

20 minutes ago, melanielm said:

"good job" or "thanks"

I think the most popular comment is "Congratulations!" 😀

There should be some sort of moderation. Short posts having one sentence only or duplicating the title into the description again bear little to no value. While posting, the bot will remind to tell a little more in detail. 

[uk1000]

Why is there no general "questions" section like there used to be before for questions that might not be about your gig, and it might not be a "starter question" to go in the "starter questions" section but general questions where people can post answers to them. Surely that would be helpful.

Also why is the new Members Lounge section accessible/viewable to everyone outside of Fiverr? Shouldn't it just be viewable by those who are members?

What will happen to promotional posts like those that were in the "My Fiverr Gigs" section? Will they get deleted now? Do you not want any seller promoting their gigs anywhere on the forum now?

Edited January 4 by uk1000

[vickieito]

1 hour ago, melanielm said:

I'd suggest closing threads for new comments after a reasonable amount of time (months). I find a lot of "good job" or "thanks" (or bad suggestions like staying online 24/7) meaningless posts in the Unread content section attached to original posts that are 1-2 years old. That's simply clutter and annoying.

I think all the threads are set to close after 5 years, so it would be nicer to have a shorter timeframe. Today, I've seen @Lena lock several threads immediately after she replies to commonly asked questions, which is really nice. There's just a question and answer and the thread is closed. I also noticed Fiverr Staffers closing threads pretty quickly upon requests, especially if the responses start getting spammy.

3 minutes ago, uk1000 said:

What will happen to promotional posts like those that were in the "My Fiverr Gigs" section? Will they get deleted now? Do you not want any seller promoting their gigs anywhere on the forum now?

Even though Forum rule #6 hasn't ben updated Forum rule #1 states:

Quote

Ads, self-promotion, and posts with requests for sales or buyers are not allowed. 

Based on this, I'm flagging any self-promotional post, whether it has gig links or not (and these posts are getting removed very quickly).

[newsmike]

15 hours ago, vickieito said:

Agreed - some users accept advice from anyone posting on the forum, even if they have no authority or experience in what they are recommending. Others seem to think that higher forum badges equate to more success on the Fiverr platform, which is not true.

@Kesha @Trisha_Fiverr   This is a great point. There is so much misinformation here that the regulars have all but given up trying to explain that theories such as "stay online 24/7" and the like are bunk.  Why not a "community notes" type of response like Twitter/X has that posts an official correction to obvious nonsense which is factually incorrect? 

[uk1000]

Also can we please have the "all activity" forum section back since that made it easier to quickly see recent posts.

Also shouldn't there be a section for Fiverr Bugs like there used to be? Though they could be posted in a support ticket you might want to check with other forum users their opinions/if they are experiencing the same issue first.

Also couldn't there be forum sections that are accessible depending on a user's forum stats?

43 minutes ago, newsmike said:

such as "stay online 24/7" and the like are bunk.  Why not a "community notes" type of response like Twitter/X has that posts an official correction to obvious nonsense which is factually incorrect? 

There could be something like that, that explains what part if it may be true and what parts aren't (that being active might help in some circumstances but falsely getting something to show you're online would be against the Fiverr rules/or may be and that it's not possible for a human to go without sleep etc).

Edited January 4 by uk1000
spelling/grammar

[breals]

9 hours ago, newsmike said:

@Kesha @Trisha_Fiverr This is a great point. There is so much misinformation here that the regulars have all but given up trying to explain that theories such as "stay online 24/7" and the like are bunk.  Why not a "community notes" type of response like Twitter/X has that posts an official correction to obvious nonsense which is factually incorrect? 

Love this Mike.....☝️

This should be something that is relatively easy for Fiverr to plug into the code.   

For the serial offenders it will then become habitual that they can't post incorrect information. It will also serve as an education tool.   I guess the only issue that will need to be worked around is the language of the feedback/correction that's given.   If someone isn't fluent in English, then they will not understand why their 'cut and paste' content is being flagged?

But it will certainly be a move in the right direction. 

[Lyndsey_Fiverr]

20 hours ago, katakatica said:

I think as long as you can define participation as actually productive (no spammy one liner posts posted ten times) this is a grand idea! Otherwise however I'd worry it could get chaotic since a lot of people misunderstand what the forum is good for (and its connection to the main site.)

I think more engagement is awesome (from new and old sellers alike!) but there has to be a certain 'standard' for it, especially if it's rewarded - though maybe you've already figured some things out! 

I'm curious to see the changes in action as we go, it's always good to revamp things a bit for sure! 

 

 

These are great thoughts, we'll definitely keep them in mind as we define perimeters for new rewards! 

20 hours ago, vickieito said:

I really love all the changes that have happened over the past year on the forum, especially with the increased interaction and engagement with members of the Fiverr team. It makes a difference knowing that Fiverr cares about its sellers and listens to our concerns.

 Agreed - some users accept advice from anyone posting on the forum, even if they have no authority or experience in what they are recommending. Others seem to think that higher forum badges equate to more success on the Fiverr platform, which is not true.

I like how we can see labels on the Fiverr team (e.g., "Fiverr Staffer" or "Admin"). I wonder if Seller Level would be helpful for newbies who are getting advice on the forum.

Love the ideas! We're so happy to be engaging more with you all, and are really excited for these changes. We'll definitely look into if there is a possibility of integrating Seller levels to the platform. 

19 hours ago, vickiespencer said:

There may need to be some changes in the forum rules as well. For example, rule #  mentions "My Fiverr Gigs", which is no longer a category. 

 

Good catch! Thank you so much for letting us know, we'll get that updated shortly. 

[Lyndsey_Fiverr]

21 hours ago, vickieito said:

A banner at the top that says, "Are you a buyer? Then this section is for you!" (with a link)

This can lead to a closed club or forum section where buyers can feel comfortable with asking their questions (without being spammed by sellers). If a forum section, have each post approved before making it public to ensure that it doesn't turn into another "Tips for Buyer" category. Since most buyers are looking for answers quicker than CS's response (or are trying to find out how to contact CS), these posts would need to be approved fairly quickly.

We're exploring ways to bring engagement to the forum on the buyers end, and this feedback is fantastic! I'll pass this idea along in our next meeting, and we'll of course keep everyone updated as we make more changes! 

17 hours ago, shuvo_va said:

The evaluation system of the forum should be changed. Many people think that  Forum reputation & badges helps them to get more sales. That is why they do unnecessary spamming just getting badges in forum. As a result, it is confusing to find out the right resource.

Thank you for this feedback, we can look into updating some of the rules and channel descriptions to better explain the evaluation system. 

14 hours ago, smartdezigns said:

I think there should be a separate section for Buyers too.

Sections like Tips for Buyers, News for Buyers, Buyers Lounge, Forum/Fiverr Feedback etc. should be added there. Tips for Buyers should not be in the same section with Tips for Sellers. (From the Community). 

Or From the Community can have 2 sub-sections like:

1. For Sellers 
2. For Buyers

I love to hear this! We'll definitely work on creating more spots for buyers to share their stories, get feedback, and network that isn't linked to sellers' sections. 

[smartdezigns]

Oh one more thing:

Fiverr Forum via App is also needed to be updated. I know the direct link of Forum (Chrome) but still within App, it's also important. 

[moikchap]

9 hours ago, Lyndsey_Fiverr said:

We're exploring ways to bring engagement to the forum on the buyers end

If I had an actual "just a buyer"-only zone to go to, my engagement would go way up. I have a feeling the other just-a-buyers who show up briefly and leave would be more sticky if they had a refuge. Maybe set up a Club which auto-rejects those that have gigs, and if they have a certain amount of completed orders, they go to a manual approval queue.

[Kesha]

9 hours ago, moikchap said:

If I had an actual "just a buyer"-only zone to go to, my engagement would go way up. I have a feeling the other just-a-buyers who show up briefly and leave would be more sticky if they had a refuge. Maybe set up a Club which auto-rejects those that have gigs, and if they have a certain amount of completed orders, they go to a manual approval queue.

This is good insight, @moikchap. It's important for us to find new ways to give buyers a valuable experience on the platform and we're happy to take this into consideration!  

[Kesha]

On 1/4/2024 at 10:46 AM, newsmike said:

@Kesha @Trisha_Fiverr   This is a great point. There is so much misinformation here that the regulars have all but given up trying to explain that theories such as "stay online 24/7" and the like are bunk.  Why not a "community notes" type of response like Twitter/X has that posts an official correction to obvious nonsense which is factually incorrect? 

Thanks for this suggestion @newsmike! We want the forum to be a reliable resource for all and I agree that this would be a great way to make sure the information found on here is accurate. 

[Kesha]

12 hours ago, smartdezigns said:

Oh one more thing:

Fiverr Forum via App is also needed to be updated. I know the direct link of Forum (Chrome) but still within App, it's also important. 

Thanks for that heads-up! I will forward this suggestion to the product team.