"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!!

[RogerDat]

Originally Posted by BCDave

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

I think one of the neatest things about this forum community is the personal attention. You post some question or problem and real people read it and start offering advice, ideas and support. Yep that Donna does tend to lead the charge and is a reference librarian of the site. (thanks Donna)


What this means is people new to FG campers don't have to know the "key words" because if it's not clear in their post someone will help them clarify what they are looking for or are having a problem with. We members are a super duper natural language search engine, take that google and bing! We look at the "search" and figure out exactly what they "really" wanted or need to know. And our top results are what works for the individual who is "searching" for an answer from all the answers provided.


I like the idea of a one stop guide to what products and techniques "work best" but that would probably need to involve a poll, otherwise all the ideas would just become a 10 page discussion (with some interesting side rabbit trails) because that is what the people here do, share a community and campfire type discussions.

If you think politics and religion are bad get people going on speed, tires or towing capacity. People have very distinct and different view points but there is a lot of knowledge floating through those discussions. So what is the best tire, is it ST or truck?


After a poll established the top products someone would have to write a clear concise documentation of the group knowledge on the topic or products. Then a moderator would probably have to manage the posts that document this info to keep it organized.


What is "not polyglow but... time will tell" up to now? is it about 20 pages? I read several pages, found a single post with a tutorial on using Red Maxx, printed it and was on my way to Lowes. I kind of like the idea of the person that originally found out about the product, was willing to test it on his camper and share the results is documented and acknowledged by all the links back to that post.

[Frederick L. Simson]

Originally Posted by BCDave

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

I will volunteer to be the moderator of that forum

Moderators work the entire website, we are short-handed and aren't set up for specialization.
Like a small business, everybody contributes as much as possible in all areas.

[BCDave]

Well - I was just trying to see if I could help by assisting the site to be an even better resource for owners of F/G trailers. As was noted several times on this and other threads, a "recommended products" thread cannot be like a "normal" thread - when something is posted as a result of research and recommendations by members, it becomes locked - right then, upon being posted.

ONLY the moderator can have the ability to put any particular product recommendation into the section. There may have to be an off-line discussion among mods about including "this product" and why, prior to posting it.

Discussions of the product, countering views etc are then held on other "open" threads, but a "recommended products" (title is not final) cannot be one where there are a zillion pages on "this one is better than that one (and as the Smothers Brothers said "Mom Always liked you best") type of thing.

It needs to be a place where a member - newbie or "old hand" can go to see a quick one or two liner on "best product(s) to shine up a glass trailer: RedMax/Zep Wet look, Poliglow Car wax

Members have recommend Red Max # 3/Zep Wet Look (link to thread on "check this out - not poliglow..."

Other members members recommend Poliglow (link to threads recommending Poliglow)

END OF DISCUSSION, thread locked

Can it be re-opened? Yes, by a moderator. Will contrary views appear IN THAT THREAD? No.

If contrary views appear in the thread, the thread has then lost its purpose as a "one-stop" source of advice and has become a discussion thread, and it should therefore be taken down, in full.

EXAMPLE
In the Best products section, there would be headings for or on:
Polish
Caulk & sealants
Batteries
tires
brake controllers
door locks/latches
silicone removers
vents
fans
fridges
etc.
More as needed


Perhaps a "best practices/ or tutorials sections, such as the excellent one happening now under "you can repair fiberglass"

A link to a how to repack wheel bearings site or thread

Links to other articles of a "how to" nature as requested by members when they ask "how do i...."

I guess for it to work, a moderator will have to ride herd on it - nearly full time, on just that one section. That's why I didn't feel it was fair to ask the existing moderators/management to add to their loads, and I said I'd volunteer

However, if what I'm hearing is that there is little interest in adding a resource to the site without increasing the workloads of anyone else, then I'll drop it

[Tim Wood]

Good idea Dave.

[CheekyTracy]

I think a products link would be a great asset. I have already purchased products that I have read about from member's threads and testimonies as to their effectiveness. There is a wealth of experience and knowledge here to share and I agree that searching for these specifics using the search tool is often a frustrating endeavour! Having info in one place is a good idea

[rabbit]

The really unique aspect of Randy Bishop's shinola thread was the 31 pages of responses from those who tried RMP on his rec. Randy added the caveat "Only time will tell . . ." and as the pages of initially happy users mounted up, time also mounted up to answer Randy's initial reservation. I doubt if any thread template or moderator oversight will produce such a happy conjunction of initial product endorsement with a long-sustained positive feedback loop. One of a kind!

jack