"Recommended Products Section?"

[BCDave]

Is there any interest in establishing a "Products recommended by members" section/forum?

For example - there SEEMS to be a sort of general agreement that Red Max #3 (now replaced by Zep Wet Look) is "the good stuff" for polishing and shining a trailer.

There has been a lot of discussion about TIRES

I did a test of several types of SILICONE REMOVERS (One worked VERY well, one worked quite well, and one... (lets not dwell on that!)

I will volunteer to be the moderator of that forum

Here's how it will work: I read nearly eveything that is one here anyway, so when I find a post about "Wow - I really like this little gadget", I'll "move" it to the Products recommended section, giving crdeit to the Original poster for finding this/that stuff/thing and saving every other member from having to do "trial and lots of errors"

It will NOT be a discussion thread - If others find that product X does NOT work well, post that in a separate thread and e'll discuss whether or not to post countervailing views. However, having a thread on "I recommend brand X" tires" turn into a 20 page bun-fight over "you are driving too fast - no you are driving too slow" serves no-one in terms of WHAT IS A GOOD BRAND TO BUY?

To the other moderators: I will need the ability to be able to move/copy posts to this new section

So - is anyone interested?

[Deb & Chuck]

BCDave it sounds good to have such a section, much easier to find posts instead of searching the whole forum.
Chuck

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by BCDave

For example - there SEEMS to be a sort of general agreement that Red Max #3 (now replaced by Zep Wet Look) is "the good stuff" for polishing and shining a trailer.

ROFL.... nope there isnt a general agreement just a lot of people trying it. a number of us are still waiting on the long term verdict to be determined.

So the problem on some of the product recommendations are that what may be one mans "good stuff" is another persons last resort.

[Daniel A.]

You would need to contact admin. as mods can't give you that ability.

[BCDave]

There is no general agreement on any other shine 'em up product either!

However this site is full of good advice that no-one can ever find unless they already know the answer so they can search by keyword for THAT word. (and if they knew that, they wouldn't have to search!)

To me the bottom line is:

We have a zillion members here, all of whom share their knowledge, and the results are kept as a more closely-guarded secret than most military plans
which begs the question of ' why does the site exist if its sole purpose is to keep info "secret" (or inaccessible) from other members?

[David B.]

I think it would be great to post this. I know that there are many items or products that I never knew existed, therefor I would not have been able to type a word for a search. Hope this idea takes wings and fly's.

[Daniel A.]

Originally Posted by BCDave

There is no general agreement on any other shine 'em up product either!

However this site is full of good advice that no-one can ever find unless they already know the answer so they can search by keyword for THAT word. (and if they knew that, they wouldn't have to search!)

To me the bottom line is:

We have a zillion members here, all of whom share their knowledge, and the results are kept as a more closely-guarded secret than most military plans
which begs the question of ' why does the site exist if its sole purpose is to keep info "secret" (or inaccessible) from other members?

A big part of any forum is the unique community it serves also called members many a friendship has started from forums just like this one.
Your bottom line is more than a little over stepping the line.

Dan

[Mary F]

Hi, y'all. What would Donna do without the need to help people search for stuff? She remembers just 'bout everything...

We'll ponder the suggestion and get back to you...

[rabbit]

The Google custom search is a great tool! It's on my tab line. Donna D. is a great researcher but not a tool. Internal search feature? Not so good. Pay attention to the link posted by Mary in case Donna doesn't show for 2 or 3 hrs. and you get antsy.

jack

[David Tilston]

I think that such a section would be a good idea, but it would require some planning. It should have sections on products, such as, cleaning, paint, fibreglass resins and such, appliances, kitchen essentials, LED lights, cushion supplies, tires, couplers, axles, chairs, add a room and awnings, barbecues, propane accessories, insulation and lining products,.... Basically every section that etrailer has in their catalogue.

Also recommended service suppliers, such as U-haul for hitch setup, custom cushion suppliers, ....

It seems like it would be a large job.

Maybe just a system to tag postings according to subject.

[BCDave]

Trouble is: Unless you know specifically what you are looking for, and use the correct key words, the search will either get you too few or WAY too many results.

I'll fall back on my "tires" example

If you look for "tires" you'll get a zillion threads.

If you look for "ST Rated tires" - you'll still get a zillion results.

Which brand is the one that members like or which some members find to be better than others? Good luck with THAT search, unless you already know to look for (example only - there are several brands that are good) MAXXIS and if you already know to look for THAT word......

Under Polish - you may get another zillion results, but if it also comes up with the "check this out - not Poliglow" thread, plus the recommendations for Poliglow itself, you're good.

But how many other threads will the search also bring up and will a newbie be able to sort through and make sense of them all, or will there be yet another "what should I use?" post?

In many cases, the list would just read something along the lines of:

POLISH; (and then a link to the "not poliglow", plus another link or two or three to "Poliglow recommendations" and perhaps to another one or two or three other brands/recommendations)

Ditto the "tires"
Ditto the Brake controllers
Ditto the batteries
door locks
water pumps
silicone removers
brands of (non-silicone) sealants
rivets & rivet tools (plus a link to a 'how to" tutorial

In some - perhaps many cases - it may just present pros & cons of - for example fiberglass propane tanks vs steel ones without a specific recommendation

However - it will be crucial to ensure that there is NOT a huge shopping list of a "whillion" choices - just a statement or a list of what the collective members on here have found to be something that works really well.

If someone were asking you, personally, around the campfire, drink of choice in hand, - "What would you use to...." - well what would you tell them? Can they find that answer on here easily?

[rabbit]

Dave, to take a single example, someone would have to pick the "search" words and sometimes single words fail us, as is the case with "polish." A comprehensive search categoy (or tutorial) such as "Gelcoat surfaces, maintenance and protection of" could encompass cleaners, "restorers," polishes and waxes, alleged UV resistant coatings or "preservatives," methods of correction of common surface defects.

jack

[BCDave]

Originally Posted by rabbit

Dave, to take a single example, someone would have to pick the "search" words and sometimes single words fail us, as is the case with "polish." A comprehensive search categoy (or tutorial) such as "Gelcoat surfaces, maintenance and protection of" could encompass cleaners, "restorers," polishes and waxes, alleged UV resistant coatings or "preservatives," methods of correction of common surface defects.

jack

And therein lies the problem - esp for a person who is new to fiberglass and/or to this forum

[Mary F]

Originally Posted by rabbit

The Google custom search is a great tool! It's on my tab line. Donna D. is a great researcher but not a tool. Internal search feature? Not so good. Pay attention to the link posted by Mary in case Donna doesn't show for 2 or 3 hrs. and you get antsy.

jack

Thanks, Jack. I put that Google-Search link in my signature before it was added to the bottom of our Search menu. It's no longer needed in my sig, but it's my way of saying we know the internal search function isn't the best choice.

Donna's not just good at research, she remembers things...

In fact, I figure between Donna and BC Dave, we could pull up about 90% of the important stuff discussed on here over the past 10 years!!