By Golly Bonanza !!!

Bonanza just can not handle anyone that does not agree with everything they do. They want to whitewash their forums. This includes no discussions of serious issues. We see it time and time again.

Just so everyone is aware and never surprised (I know I wasn't). Do not disagree with anything on bonz or say anything that is not all "I love bonz, they do everything right", and don't blog either .

Remember when they want to get you they will. They will go back days, they will get as many as they need. You can be nice, polite, it doesn't matter, if its an honest answer but you are not waving pompoms ... look out. Agree with the powers that be and talk about how wonderful Bonanza is or they will bet you. It doesn't matter if someone else is wrong and you are right, if you point it out.. they will get you.

And, they do not DVM and let you know as they happen, so you can not post for awhile to avoid suspension, they wait and hit you will a bunch at one time.

One month forum suspension for 5 posts .. posted below, none are bad, I have seen much worse on the forum, as have all of you. But, this is really more about my blogs than it is about what I post on the forum.

Why do we blog this stuff?? Because we can not speak openly, honestly and freely on the forum !!!!!!!!

 As you can all see, there was nothing to cause these posts to be DMVed.. this was personal, against me.

>>>It is for these reasons I simply dont understand why it is taking SO long for the rest of the world to discover Bonanza.<<< easy answer.. no advertising by Bonanza itself members can only do so much as you say, you have done all you can and can only do so much wishing you all the best

The moderator also added the following note: Expressing negative viewpoints in a non-constructive manner. This applies to negative viewpoints about Bonanza, or negative viewpoints about life in general. There is more than enough unrequited bad news to go around, just check your local newspaper. If what you feel is unrequited dreariness, the Bonanza forums are not a good place to explore the depths of your feelings. Keeping subject matter upbeat is essential to making buyers feel positively when they arrive at Bonanza. More positive feelings for buyers means more sales for sellers, and by golly, that's what picks up everybody's mood.

but, this is bonz related.. these are the answers we have all been waiting for... has judy posted this elsewhere on the fourm? did I miss it? we have all been waiting to find out what she learned from her contacting google if it were on the forum first then people would have a better idea what questions to ask many are concerned and waiting for this info on the forum.. any idea when she will post it here.. many can not attend that broadcast this really needs to be on the forum where everyone will know to look for it

what she is talking about is bonz related and people here have been waiting a week for her to post what she apparently will be saying on that podcast I have no issue with the podcast.. that is ya'lls business but, I do feel the info should be here first.. where people are looking for it not on a podcast or someones blog juday said she would report back and answer all questions .. she said that on the forum and this is where people are waiting and where that important info for all bonz sellers should be .. and first as I stated, if for nothing else so people will better know what to ask I guess I'm crazy thinking this should be the first place for all members to receive this very important information... especially when we have been asking and awaiting her conversations with google

well, it does upset me.. a lot.. it is not your fault Phaedra, I feel Judy should have returned to the waiting people here with this info first instead of it appearing in the middle of the day with a few hours notice on a podcast.. and then going to a blog that many do not know about but, that isn't your fault and maybe I just expect too much

I'll try but the podcast isnt' that far off I guess I am more personally upset since when I recently went to google to get answers myself I was told, by Judy, I need to wait fro her to get answers she was expecting from google and she would report here so, I am not suppose to get answers on my own, am waiting here and by chance saw your thread it is confusing and upsetting I do not think blog links are the answer.... posting pertinent information directly to the forum is... have a great podcast

 

The moderator also added the following note: Attacking or bullying any user in any way for any reason. It's impossible to expect everyone to get along with everyone else, but regardless of your feeling toward another user, civility is a guarantee that every Bonanza user is entitled to and will receive. Expressing negative viewpoints in a non-constructive manner. This applies to negative viewpoints about Bonanza, or negative viewpoints about life in general. There is more than enough unrequited bad news to go around, just check your local newspaper. If what you feel is unrequited dreariness, the Bonanza forums are not a good place to explore the depths of your feelings. Keeping subject matter upbeat is essential to making buyers feel positively when they arrive at Bonanza. More positive feelings for buyers means more sales for sellers, and by golly, that's what picks up everybody's mood. Invoking drama. There are one thousand and one beginnings to a drama. This is great news for soap opera writers, but bad news for marketplace forums. Rule of thumb: if it is an emotional topic that people could even conceivably disagree about, it's quite possibly destined to become a drama. Other conduct unbecoming a good community member: expressing polictical or religious viewpoints, asking for donations, using foul language, engaging in threads of adult nature (drugs, drinking, etc.), threatening to talk to lawyers or file lawsuits, stalking, booth chat hijacking, starting topics about topics that have been reclassified, unnecessarily assuming the worst in others or Bonanza, spam.  

Expecting Too Much of Bonanza Staff ??? Learning Google Changes the Hard Way!

I would say I expect too much, too much logic, too much professionalism, too much everything. But, my expectations are based on years of experience with many people and many companies. Seeing how others do things I don't think my expectations are too high.

I feel Bonanza should put informing members of any changes and updates as a priority. Information is vital to the businesses of their customers, the sellers.Those of you who know me know I have been saying for a long time that Bonanza needs to send out informative emails about updates and changes. Not everyone goes to the forum, many do not even know there is a blog, and often times meaningful, informative information and discussions are deleted from the forum.

About a week ago a thread was started on the forum about new changes to google shopping and required attributes. This naturally caused a lot of questions and concerns. It would have been nice if before this Bonanza management would have issued an announcement and that once they verified some the details with google they would give us all the information we need to make changes, how to do listings in the future and so on.

Well, the official google staff member, Judy Oglesby,  answered questions on the thread, stated that she needed to clarify some things with google and would get back to everyone when she heard from them.

During that thread the subject came up of exemptions and an exemption form that could be submitted to google, Judy even said she was going to send one to someone. Naturally everyone else wanted one. After a friend emailed me a link to the forum, it dawned on me that we do not submit our own feed, the site does so we would not be able to submit individual exemption forms, the site would have to do something. I went to that thread and asked Judy about it and sent her a bmail asking her to go to the thread. I saw her on the site and responding on numerous other threads. I went to the google forum to ask for myself.  I found out we could not, meanwhile, Judy found me on the google thread. She responded on the thread and to my earlier bmail. I was suppose to be patient and let her get all the answers from google and she would let everyone know everything when she found out.

Meanwhile, she now knows she gave incorrect info about the exemption forms, I knew people were looking into this and thinking they could do it, I waited for her to go to the tread to let people know they couldn't do it.... after some time I made a simple announcement that individuals would not be able to submit them.

We have heard nothing official about these new requirements since.. not from judy or the boyz... so, we all sit patiently waiting...... then this morning

Phedra posts this on the forum ....
Today at 230 EST, 130 CST our very own Judy Oglesby will be on a special edition of the eCom Connections podcast.
Judy will be clarifying the new Google Product feed changes and requirements. Judy has been in communication with Google and is prepared to bring you the real scoop and info.

So if you have been concerned about the upcoming changes – Tune in. Find out clearly for yourself what if anything will need to be done to comply.
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=92253&cmd=tc

WTH

I have no problem with her doing a talk show that will benefit more than just Bonanza Sellers.. but, I would think her priority as a bonz staff member in charge of google would be to tell us first and someplace we can all see it and discuss it. Especially since we are all waiting .. .... and waiting.....

Not only that, this time of this show.. and with 4 hours notice.. when we bring that up...well, it's going to be on the blog and you can listen to the show anytime you want ..so what

for one thing had the info been on the forum first.. the questions would be better because people would know better what to ask ... many on dial up and with older computers have issues viewing podcasts

that show and that blog is not Bonanza... why can we not get the info we need on the site we sell on by the person who is supposed to give it to us and has us waiting

this is info that needs to be taught to bonz sellers not discussed first on some radio show.. do that at some point but talk to us straight up on the forum first

Judy works for Bonanza.. shouldn't her priority be to the site and to us.. not to someones podcast and that persons offsite blog... and what about those of us who try to help others...are we suppose to send them to someones podcast or blog.. I know I wont.

Considering the emphasis bonz puts on google shopping and the stress it causes many sellers, you would think they would want to put  this  on the forum ASAP.

I heard just yesterday from a different staff member how they are all so overworked.... sigh.. funny how we seemed to get more done and be more informed before there were so many people working there.. or am I imagining that?

is it too much to ask that we get this information first and get it on site or via email from management

so, what are your thoughts on this ???

LINKS TO THINGS I REFERENCED
thread about changes on bonz forum
http://www.bonanza.com/forums/4/topics/155412 
to Phaedra's thread
http://www.bonanza.com/forums/1/topics/156445?page=1#posts-2198043 
to the google forum thread
http://www.google.com/support/forum/p/base/thread?tid=015b7c2f58a32994&hl=en 

Bonanza Memberships Are they a Bargain?

Sparking this blog is todays announcement of a paid membership revamp and new tier at Bonanza.

You will find the announcement and comments here
http://www.bonanza.com/blog/main/Upgrades_to_subscribing_member_programs

I am doing this blog in order to sort out the various membership tiers and see if they are beneficial, the pros and cons of each and to see if they are a bit misleading as presently advertised

Also to give a public place for those who wish to be able to comment  as not all are comfortable doing so on bonz.

*******************

Silver $10 monthly
1 - For small sellers
2 - Get a pro member badge on your profile
3 - Track customers with Google Analytics
4 - Eligibility to be a featured booth
5 - Control how Amazon reviews appear for your items
6 - Customize the item sorting in your booth
7 - Add booth panels to show special promotions to buyers
8 - View and print inventory sheets for easy inventory tracking
9 - Compared to non-members...
 2x more page views on average-
 3x more sales on average

1 -I personally think there is a better term
2 - nice badge but wont get me any sales
3 - nice
4 - that is good but I do have to wonder how many come and actually go to the buy page... most hit the home page and check out the HPLs and or do a search
5 - good
6 - some like this.. I feel buyers sort as they want to when they get there I do LOL but nice if you like it
7 - very nice to have
8 - convenient for some
9-  as pointed out on the blog, and  I wont bother to repeat it all here.. there is no real data to prove this


My personal conclusion, this is the best bang for your buck .. why, it's $10 and the booth panels are nice to have .. some benefit from the item sort

 COULD BE MISLEADING 
 Eligibility to be a featured booth

so, you are eligible .. does that mean it rotates and all silver members show up there .. or you may if they decide to put you there... are the booths featured by a fair means of doing this or are you just eligible for a chance

Compared to non-members...
 2x more page views on average-
 3x more sales on average

there is nothing to back this up and we constantly see people who think they will get sales if they get a membership and then are upset if they do not

as we tell them.. get the membership to support the site but do not expect sales because of it.. too many other factors and non of us have seen the proof in this one


******
 Gold $24 monthly
★ Best value ★
1-All Bonanza Silver features
2-Organize custom category hierarchies
3-See your items prominently featured on the home page
4-Get your items promoted in search
5-Get detailed information about where your sales are coming from
6-Promote your items with markdowns
7-Collect email addresses from buyers
8-Compared to non-members...
5x more page views on average
5x more sales on average

2- this should be available to all sellers IMO as it helps the sellers and if sellers do well so does the site and personally wouldnt' pay just to get this feature as we have all learned a work around to give us subcategories .. but this would be a lot easier and I think has a way to move them around.. nice but not worth the money a small perk that everyone should have
3- well now, unless someone puts them on a HPL that can't happen
4- they get that side slot .. more exposure.. I guess
5- thought that was provide with # 3 in the silver membership
6- this should be offered to all sellers .. again, it helps sellers with sales and helps the site
7 - a convenience but you can get them with PP and GC payments and GC even asks the buyer if they want to receive future info from you
8-  same as 9 above

COULD BE MISLEADING 
 3 -- many do not realize that to get on the homepage you have to first be on a HPL
4 -- Many think you get higher rankings in search
5-- Isn't that google analytics you get with the silver membership
8 .. same as the silver .. this will not necessarily get you sales.. on average or not and they have no real facts to support this

*******
Platinum $50 monthly
For power sellers
1- All Bonanza Gold features
2- No fees when your items sell. Period.
3- Get support from a dedicated sales consultant  

the term power seller has been removed or change.. again, they didn't think before acting or they would have realized the knee jerk reaction this would get from their customers

they also removed the 5X sales boost they had there since it was obvious they have no data to support that this being the first day and all

now, the only thing this is good for are sellers who are averaging $50 or more a month in FVF .. I dont' think there are that many at bonz right now ... more power to those who are .. congrats

but, they should just call it a flat rate FVF option and not a membership .. cause this is the only thing this membership has

consultation??? these sellers do not need a lot of help and Alex stated they consultants would help other people too that the platinum members would get priority .. well who is paying $50 in FVF a month that has an urgent issue about how to do their listings
********************************

IN CONCLUSION

If you would like to support the site and have custom banners get a silver membership.. do not have expectations of more sales

If you will benefit from the gold .. go for it but don't expect more sales

If you average $50 or more a month in FVF then go for the platinum.. but don't expect it to get you more sales

the way they have them set up and advertised now I find to be misleading to those who are not familiar with the site or online selling

Once again, they have done all this.. made changes that have messed up the site.. today all those with custom categories have non.. it's a glitch .. like always... something big to us is messed up and the improvements that Bonanza's customers are looking for are nowhere in sight.

Now, if they want to start doing REAL advertising.. I bet people would be happy to pay for that.

these are my personal observations... what are yours???

From the Depths of My Feelings

Well, I seem to have acquired a forum violation this morning. Though these days you are never quite sure what will get you one and what wont. So, the only way to avoid one is to say nothing. Or, just do the best you can and be prepared. Amazing how ludicrous can be so entertaining.

this is the thread

http://www.bonanza.com/forums/4/topics/149166

this was my post that got the DMV

now, thinking, I guess if I won the bag, I could sell it cheap and come out ahead... but, with my luck it would get pulled as not authentic cause I was selling it cheap or didn't have proof or something or other

then there was this in the formal violation email

The moderator also added the following note: Expressing negative viewpoints in a non-constructive manner. This applies to negative viewpoints about Bonanza, or negative viewpoints about life in general. There is more than enough unrequited bad news to go around, just check your local newspaper. If what you feel is unrequited dreariness, the Bonanza forums are not a good place to explore the depths of your feelings. Keeping subject matter upbeat is essential to making buyers feel positively when they arrive at Bonanza. More positive feelings for buyers means more sales for sellers, and by golly, that's what picks up everybody's mood.

***************************

By golly, I had no idea I was exploring the depths of my feelings, I must not be as deep as I had thought. 

What was that he said once the we didn't always have to be happy ... you don't have to be happy, but be upbeat at all times by golly.

??More Info and Opinions Bonz Doesn't Want You To Hear ???

I have no idea why this thread would have vanished. Don't know why the OP would have done so or if she did. I would not be surprised if management zapped it... as they are known to do at times of late.

All I know is a few more people posted, and agreed with me, I went to the store and when I came back it was gone. ...unless it really went down hill after I left I see no reason for it's removal.

Regardless of why  it is gone,  I feel the info provided from both sides and all opinions of this discussion are important for people to read.... so, here you are... all but a few comments that I know of and whatever happened after I left.

So, decide for yourselves if you want to read it or not :)

******************

Someone from Bonanza PLEASE help

 

21 post(s), 11 voice(s)
	Posted by casaxrowenna, Orlando, FL. 38 total posts | Posted about 13 hours ago | Report this I have had no sales since I joined Bonanza except one that was not paid through the automatic system. Now I got this message from a buyer: Buyer message: PayPal won’t let me pay; it says “The seller accepts encrypted website payments only. You cannot pay the seller through un-encrypted buttons." I wonder what is happening. This buyer persevere because as he said “he needs the book for a class” and I wonder how many others have just given up on the purchase because of this… PekesBooks's booth
	Posted by johngermaine, Topanga, CA. 1,727 total posts | Posted about 13 hours ago | Report this How odd, I have seen lately that there have been problems paying with PayPal for others. This must be yet one more of their glitches. Did you call PayPal yet to see what they can tell you? Don’t try emailing them, it takes too long to get an answer. G's New-N-Used
	Posted by LoisCollis, Lignum, VA. 1,442 total posts | Posted about 13 hours ago | Report this Have you emailed support hun? I don’t know what could cause that. Maybe someone will come along that this has happened to and could better help. I would email support and explain what is going on. They will be able to help. SassyMelonDesigns
	Posted by leezamaries10, Osage, MN. 10 total posts | Posted about 12 hours ago | Report this I don’t know if this will help but if you go into paypal, Then go to profile, Then in the far right column there is a setting for Encrypted Payment Settings. Mine is Blank. Maybe check and see if you have something there that can be deleted. I really hope that helps. Lisa Alyssa's Wish
	Posted by abbysattic, NJ. 4,743 total posts | Posted about 12 hours ago | Report this Please email support, support@bonanza.com, if you haven’t already done so. I’ve had this happen a time or two. Ask the buyer for his/her email address and bill him/her directly via PP. Then come back to bonz and just mark the item as paid. Abby's Attic
	Posted by techlover, Tustin, CA. 320 total posts | Posted about 12 hours ago | Report this It’s not Bonanza. It’s a paypal setting. Login to your paypal account. Go to > Profiles Click> account Click> Seller preferences (on the bottom, right hand side) And make sure to uncheck the box that says “require encrypted transaction” or something like that. This should fix it. Bear with me as I am doing this from memory Bargain Gifts
	Posted by momspennies, Lusby, MD. 17,765 total posts | Posted about 4 hours ago | Report this What Techlover says is correct. There was another seller who reported the same issue and Judy came on to advise the same thing had to be done on the sellers PayPal account. Moms Pennies From Heaven
	Posted by rod3955, Broken Arrow, OK. 2,020 total posts | Posted about 4 hours ago | Report this Think the above is correct……it’s a PP setting……… Collectible Stamps
	Posted by momspennies, Lusby, MD. 17,765 total posts | Posted about 4 hours ago | Report this Yep, from this thread: http://www.bonanza.com/forums/9/topics/148859 Miss Judy Said: Ask the seller to contact support the issue is with the encryption settings in their account. What the seller should do is log in to PayPal, go to Seller Preferences > Website Payment Preferences and uncheck the box titled "Block Non-Encrypted That will fix the encryption error.. Judy/blue bluepennylady Moms Pennies From Heaven
	Posted by casaxrowenna, Orlando, FL. 38 total posts | Posted about 2 hours ago | Report this It may be the buyer’s paypal account because mine is not showing anything like that in seller preferences and usually all my transactions are paid via PP. Thanks everyone – I hope other buyers will not have this problem. PekesBooks's booth
	Posted by pugs, Baton Rouge, LA. 18,256 total posts | Posted about 1 hour ago | Report this pardon, if you unblock unencrypted pages, that leaves you with a security risk, doesn’t it ?? I personally wonder if these checkout issues we have seen lately have more to do with Bill and crew working on a new checkout system. if the problem was on PP end then why are these people not having issues with payments on other selling sites. are you really going to ask buyers to change their settings at PP… good luck with that… and how many will even bother to tell you they have issues… most will just move on personally I will not be changing any PP settings that have been just fine for 8 years or more Edit post pugs' myriad
	Posted by techlover, Tustin, CA. 320 total posts | Posted 41 minutes ago | Report this The encryption they refer to is from the button used, not the transaction itself. According to PP some sites don’t use encrypted checkout buttons. And if you have the encryption checked in PP, it won’t allow purchase made from non-encrypted buttons… so they say Bargain Gifts
	Posted by pugs, Baton Rouge, LA. 18,256 total posts | Posted 35 minutes ago | Report this so why only on bonz is this happening and why are their buttons not encrypted …. and that does not solve the problem of buyers feeling uncomfortable if asked to do this or not bothering to tell you they have a problem for that matter it does not make some sellers feel confidence in a site where this is necessary Edit post pugs' myriad
	Posted by pugs, Baton Rouge, LA. 18,256 total posts | Posted 29 minutes ago | Report this Think of it this way …What if you, as a buyer, were asked to do this on some other site you were not familiar with, after buying on line for years without this ever happening, would you feel safe Edit post pugs' myriad
	Posted by pugs, Baton Rouge, LA. 18,256 total posts | Posted 23 minutes ago | Report this this is an interesting article that you may find of value http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20022889-245.html Edit post pugs' myriad
	Posted by techlover, Tustin, CA. 320 total posts | Posted 21 minutes ago | Report this Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just relaying the message. First off, lets clear up the misconception. The button is not encrypted, however the link to login to pay pal, etc is encrypted. The transaction is encrypted… It’s only the button to get there, that is not. So no need to cause a panic attack. We need more people here, not less. lol Bargain Gifts
	Posted by pugs, Baton Rouge, LA. 18,256 total posts | Posted 16 minutes ago | Report this sorry, didn’t mean it to sound like I was shooting at you tech LOL and not trying to cause a panic, questions and concerns do not make a panic, or shouldn’t LOL, but people should also be informed … I know I don’t like flying in the dark and you are missing my point once a buyer sees that message chances are they will leave without ever letting anyone know and that many sellers are not going to let their guard down and change their settings in PP here is another good article http://www.yoursecurityresource.com/eBay/articles/Understanding_Encryption%20/index.html Edit post pugs' myriad
	Posted by bookbrowzers, Dallas, OR. 7,025 total posts | Posted 8 minutes ago | Report this “Think of it this way …What if you, as a buyer, were asked to do this on some other site you were not familiar with, after buying on line for years without this ever happening, would you feel safe” Excellent point, pugs. No one should have to change their settings just to use a site or make a purchase. I, for one, would turn and run the moment I was informed that I needed to do something like that. BookbrowZers BaZaar
	Posted by pugs, Baton Rouge, LA. 18,256 total posts | Posted 5 minutes ago | Report this I would think the best solution is for the boyz to fix the button that tech talks about… apparently it is fine on other sites since no one is experiencing this elsewhere seems that would be the best solution for buyers, sellers and bonz Edit post pugs' myriad
	Posted by CritterCreekRanch, TX. 6,530 total posts | Posted 4 minutes ago | Report this I just purchased a book for granddaughter from your booth via paypal and had no problem, so either bonz has a glitch or the buyer did, no problems checking out for me CritterCreekRanch's booth
	Posted by pugs, Baton Rouge, LA. 18,256 total posts | Posted less than a minute ago | Report this as with most glitches around here critter, it doesn’t happen to all buyers or all sellers but, as with all checkout issues, the problem is that we do not know how many sales we have lost by those who experience a problem and just move on without a word… and we also do not know how many have experienced this problem since many would never report it Edit post pugs' m

Bonanza Social Media or How Many Times Can You Fumble the Ball

This is in reference to the newly hired social media person for Bonanza and the way he recently responded to a friend request on Facebook.

First let me say to sofy... I know this was between you and him.. but, you brought it out into the public and rightfully so... what happens with  Bonanza and it's employees affects us all who sell there. You requested that when Jeremy apologized on your FB thread that no one comment after that about his apology. I went along with your request, however,  even though you probably didn't mean it this way ... the way it made me think was 


>>>I want you to be nice, cause, when he finally drags himself here for an apology he is too much of a coward to be able to handle any criticism and we should all just accept what he says<<<<


again, I am sure you didn't mean it that way .. but that was what it made me feel like... I said I would not have my say on your thread.. so here it is.

Not only was what this young did outrageous but the way it was handled after the fact is as bad if not worse IMO.

I find it astounding that Bill and Mark can find the time to read our blogs and post to them at will yet when a serious issue arises and they are asked and expected to comment they are no where. IMO this was up to them to say something. Instead they sent in Alex. I sure hope Alex, that you are comfortable in the role of sacrificial lamb as I am sure this will not be the last time. It seems no one wanted to step up to the plate.  I can understand Bill not wanting Bonanza's dirty laundry hanging out on his FB wall and his deleting comments. However, there was no response to FB comments, emails, bmail or anything else to Bill, Mark or Jeremy... at least the only one I know of is the one from Mark to sofy about her forum thread and finally the apology to her from Jeremy.

I have no idea why this surprises me, as Bonz has increasingly not taken responsibility for things for awhile now. From glitches to anything else. Things are always our fault, our computers fault, and if you do finally prove it was them there is no apology. So, this behavior should not surprise me. Disappointing though, yes, it is.

HIRING JEREMY

this was for the social media positon
here is his intro to Bonanza
http://www.bonanza.com/blog/main/Introducing_Jeremy

His website page .. he calls himself a "specialist"
http://www.jeremiahmattocks.com/

= online media specialist
+ super cool guy

Now we may ask, just what qualifies someone to be a media specialist?  These days with cell phones, texting, twitter and Facebook,  I guess that could be anyone over the age of 12.

the young man writes an online comic book.. if you take a look at the context of this... one may ask .. is he a good fit for an online shopping venue???
http://itgetsworser.com/

two things I see are obvious, he has a youthful quirky, not always professional or appropriate,  sense of humor and likes computer games.... that may be a good fit for Bill, but, is it a good fit for Bonanza or for this specific position?

You might say it isn't my business who they hire. It is a concern and should be to all of us that management hire the right people for the right jobs. Their choices, good or bad,  affect us all and our businesses. 

THE APOLOGY

OK, yes, I know some of you will say that I'm a real "B" and should not pick apart someones apology .. after all, they did apologize and we should forgive.. yada yada, yeah, ah huh... but... it's how an apology is given and the way, and what is said and how.. and it is only human nature that we take those things and it's those things that instantly put a feeling in us as to how we handle this (or any) apology. Do we forgive instantly, do we accept it but not feel good about it, do we feel it is sincere.

Granted we all apologize differently and accept and forgive differently .. that being said... this is my personal take on the apology. Granted good mostly for my own opinion only.

I think what we have here is a generational issue.... this was  a typical apology of the young

"I just wanted to sleep on it first."

WTH was there to sleep on ... get in there and say you are sorry ... how tough is that to figure out

first 2 paragraphs

"For all the anger, hurt, frustration, and loss of trust I’ve caused, I am very sorry. Your anger with me is expected. But the thing I’m most ashamed of is how I’ve damaged your relationship with Bonanza. Not content to hold me personally responsible for my own private, stupid actions, I’ve seen Bonanza’s name dragged through the mud; I couldn’t feel more terrible about this than I already do.

When Bonanza hired me, they did so not because I was an expert, but because they saw potential. I’ll be the first to say I’m not an expert. I’m learning, I’m human, and I made a big mistake. This is, without a doubt, the biggest and stupidest mistake I’ve made. But that is exactly what it was: a mistake. This was not me being malicious or callous or knowingly disrespecting a Bonanza seller. This was an honest, albeit idiotic, mistake. But I promise you this: I won’t make this mistake again. No matter where I find myself in the future, I’ve learned a valuable lesson that I’ll never forget."

I don't see this about sofy, or us or Bonanza.. I see this as me me me. I see >>my butt is in a bind and I need to cover it. Since my job may be in danger let me go their first. Let me tell the boss how sorry I am I did this to his company.<<

now, lets see "expert" "specialist" ....hummmm

then he moves on

"Since my message has already been made public, I owe you all more than just an apology—I owe you an explanation."   (and then the explanation that I wont bother to post here)

again, we needed the apology way more than the reason.... but, here is the generation thing again... let me put my excuse out there first instead of sucking it up, saying I'm sorry and I hope I can make it up to you.

and it's funny cause he ends that part with "This is not intended to be an excuse at all. I accept full responsibility for the mess I made. This is just an explanation."  But it was so important to get his excuse...sorry, explanation out there that he put it between covering his butt with the boss and the apology.

Oh, yeah that came next.. again I will not waste space here .. if you want to read it in it's entirety here is the link   http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=180531435300228&comments

and if you are interested in listening to Phaedra and Colderice discuss this  http://soundcloud.com/colderice/john-and-pheadra-talk-social-media-mistep-at-bonaza


And finally

It is not so much that I do not accept his apology, I am quite certain he is very sorry, if he really understands and if the sorry is for the right reasons ... who is to say. I personally think the young man had no alternative at the point he posted that.

I think we have a huge generation gap .... in the way we see professionalism, how companies should be run, how people should "man up", in humor, in those we would hire for what positions, in how apologies are given.


This may also be me as the older generation looking at it but, those who represent a site should have a public persona that is friendly but professional. How can we expect more from an employee than what we see from the top, both of which have made some very unprofessional comments on and off site. ... .. that however, is enough to do another blog on LOL


I can always hope that they have all learned something about public perception.


thanks for reading :)

Dreary Day at the Ranch

This is about the lamest attempt yet to control what people say on the forum at Bonanza.

I thought we were adults and knew how to communicate our thoughts, or at least I am and do ... apparently not

Earlier someone started this thread

http://www.bonanza.com/forums/1/topics/137274  it's about the Rushes, no one knows when they are going to start. We were told mid Oct but nothing happened. Meanwhile people are saying there has been one or one is scheduled, no body really knows what is going on and no announcements from management.

I find it all a tad funny... and somewhat typical of things lately

so I made a post that said “I just love communication around here”

so then I get this Bmail from Mark

*************************************

“I just love communication around here”

Hey Crystal,

I wanted to let you know that we have removed your forum post (copied above). We removed it because it is kinda dreary and will only serve to spread dreariness in the community. Maybe a better way to make your point in the future is something like this;

“I have not heard of that yet, wondering of they are going to make an announcement soon” or something like that.

Thanks,
Mark
Bonanza

**************************************

WTH

Just what is his definition of dreary.... anything that isn't "I love this place" I guess and these days I find those words a tad dreary

So, now we have gone from DMVing, deleting, locking threads, taking them out of the main stream, to deleting to actually suggesting how you should say things.

Can't say they do not go above and beyond, just not with the things they should.

Had a bit of conversation with him over this, didn't say what was on my mind :) but I'm guessing that the next time I am dreary and considering this blog I will get another vacation.

Someone started an however many hours to Christmas thread... I wanted to post my usual "bah humbug" or "bah humpug"  that everyone expects from me but good golly miss molly lets not be funny, it might be dreary humor.

So, how can he be surprised that people are afraid to post to the forum. We will all soon be down to "good morning, hot here, roast beef for dinner, rah rah".