Affiliate Requests forum has turned messy

[Barbara]

The Affiliate Requests forum was set up so affiliates could ask designers for products that match what the affiliate is searching for, but it appears this isn't necessarily understood. I've no idea what can be done about it or even if affiliates bother with it anymore. ( I was simply inspired to remark on it. 🙄 )

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[LMGildersleeve]

I have found from experience when a long time ago I used to participate in the Show Me forum, that people don't read the first post in a thread. They just read the title and blindly post their stuff.

[Barbara]

Yes, they do post that way in the Show Me forum, but it's actually set up to be like that--a kind of benign narcissism--but it appears some of this is also going on in the Affiliate Requests. Zazzle's description of the forum might be part of the problem:

The Affiliate Request board is where Zazzle Affiliates can submit requests for products that fit a certain theme, and Zazzle Creators can share their content for a chance to be promoted.

The first part is fine, but the second half doesn't connect well with the first half. It makes it appear that in addition to requests from affiliates, people can post whatever they like to see if they can find someone to promote them.

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[Windy]

I can't even tell if the board is messy or not because when I click just on that forum, there does not seem to be any way to view just the latest posts. I check all new posts every time I come in from this link https://community.zazzle.com/t5/custom/page/page-id/Explore and have never really noticed the affiliate requests board being used as intended.

[Barbara]

Up at top right is a dropdown that defaults to Recent. You don't see this?

In the old forums, the affiliate forum was run well and was very active. Something has gone awry with it here, and I'm still wondering if part of the problem is that the description isn't specific enough.

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[Windy]

Two of the the top five posts in the "most recent" are showing 1,611 responses and 2,436 responses. So they are not the most recent and I don't know how to find the most recent other than by clicking that "most recent" button.

[KeegansCreation]

It seems to be sorting by most recent reply within a thread rather than most recent thread. So a thread that gets replied to often gets bumped to the top often. On the one hand, this keeps legit requests from affiliates from getting buried under posts that should be in Show Me. On the other hand, it also means that legit requets from the distant past keep getting bumped to the top long after the affiliate OP has likely moved on to something else.

A best case scenario would be if it sorted by most recent thread rather than post and also if Show Me posts were kept out of it. Then it might actually be usable to affiliates. 

[Roberta]

Hi @Barbara 

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. I will flag this with our Team 📝

Roberta 🌷

[Barbara]

@Roberta  Thanks!

After my last post here, I started wondering how effective the affiliates have found the forum to be. Is it possible it's deteriorating due to lack of interest for whatever reason? Have affiliates found other methods that are better for them, such as simply digging into the marketplace or scanning the Show Me forum?

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[CreativeLeahG]

I create materials for affiliates and initially had a post re this in the promotion thread and it was later moved to the affiliates thread. This and based on the description of the forum (as you note in red) is the forum one can do that, as such there is no misuse. As an affiliate myself, I reach out when I need to or I do a search for what I want. Re showme forum, I rarely look in there nowadays. I will more likely look at the affiliate forum.

[Barbara]

I spotted one of your threads that looked for all the world as if it belonged in the promotions forum. I wonder if one of the moderators moved it in error.

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[CreativeLeahG]

 I'd move all the 'self promotion, affiliates requested' to promotion.

[Barbara]

Not at all a bad idea, particularly since both are all about promoting.

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