I think the main issue is that some folks go there looking for something specific and others just like to browse and see if anything catches their eye.
I suspect most of the former would like to see it split or categorized somehow (by year / type of parts / whatever) so they can more easily find what they are looking for. The browsers will tend to prefer the everything-in-one-big-list format.
I do not have a good handle on how many of each there are, or which format best serves the sellers either. The regular browsers will tend to be more frequent users who are on the site regularly.
Several people made various suggestions about how they think it could or should be configured. The reality is that the software only works a couple ways, and I don't write the software. There is, however, an option that I think provides much of the functionality of what people have proposed.
The vBulletin software has a feature called "Thread Prefixes." Please take a look at this page from the vBulletin documentation to understand what that would look like:
http://www.vbulletin.com/docs/html/thread_prefixes
Instead of their example of "for sale" and "wanted" I could set up prefixes mirroring the subcategories that are currently in place.
Under such a setup, I would move all the threads in one Parts For Sale forum and discontinue the subforums. When someone posted an ad in the t Parts For Sale forum to the left of the subject they would see an additional drop-down menu from which they could select a prefix is they wanted.
One key benefit to using prefixes is that you can filter the thread list in the forum based on prefix. This provides pretty much the same functionality most folks were proposing.
I envision that the prefixes would largely mirror the current subforum names (e.g. "Exhaust," "Wheels.") Alternatively, some folks have suggested breaking things down by year model year group (e.g. "1991 - 1994") but I am concerned that it is too messy because different parts have different model year breaks. I don't know that it would be practical to do both (the prefix list would be huge!). So I ask: What prefix system makes the most sense?
In our discussion one of the moderators noted that the M5 Board uses prefixes, so you can see it in action on their
classified ad section. If you scroll down toward the bottom you can see the place to filter by prefix under "Display Options."
I believe this option may give us the best of both worlds. Feedback is welcome. Please don't wait until after another change change to voice your opinion this time!
