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
Well, I think you get a A+++ for this blog. Pugs you nailed it truthfully, factually and with references.
ReplyDeletethank you twysp
ReplyDeletecan someone decipher this for me ... can anyone explain it and tell me what it means.. Phaedra posted this on her thread
>>>>it is up to B to inform it’s sellers
Judy is going on a podcast as their resident Google Guru, not a representative of Bonanza in any way.<<<<<
if she is going as the resident "guru" isn't that as a bonz representative.. and in all ways, not only in just any way
and regardless, isn't her first responsibility to the community .. isn't bonz's first responsibility to the community before anyone goes on a radio show
and isn't judy the bonz google person that is suppose to inform us???
I'm so confused
ask the Unicorn for the deeper questions
ReplyDeleteI do not think you are confused at all. You have clearly stated what should be obvious to many....priorities are all wrong.
ReplyDeleteAsk the unicorn, lol!
ReplyDeleteI posted that thread in good faith - to try and help anyone needing information. However it seems all I have done is cause harm. For that I apologize to Judy, Bonanza and the Ladies of the eCom Connections podcast.
ReplyDeleteI have done nothing but try to be as nice and understanding as a person can possibly be - but I truly cannot understand negativity directed at someone.
I know Judy has spend countless "unpaid" hours helping other sellers whether it be publicly or privately. Helping others is a passion we both share.
I must say I cannot appreciate being quoted in order to harm another human being.
For those that tuned in, you know Judy did not discuss Bonanza - she merely discussed the upcoming changes themselves, so in essence she did not take the needed Bonanza information and discuss it elsewhere.
With some patience, I am sure the information the sellers on Bonanza need will be shared.
Also, I hold many consulting positions with many companies and entities across the nation, including Bonanza.
But today, right now here in this comment - I am posting as a human being - Phaedra Stockstill
Pugs I don't think you are expecting to much from Bonanza. I get a newsletter from Addoway, eBay and got one today from BooCoo so one from Bonanza (for sellers) would not be a big stretch.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if there are not enough people, to many people or maybe they are in the wrong jobs but there doesn't seem to be any one in charge at Bonanza anymore.
It appears that they throw out something and if it works great and if it doesn't work .....well they don't have time to fix it cause they are working on some other nifty-neato thing.
I went to the podcast as I usually do and I haveto say I have a better understanding now than when I went in...but I can agree that something should have been written in the thread...I might have even had a better view of what was going on before I went to the podcast...and I agree there are some that can't even get hooked up to the podcast for one reason or another..some IP's disconnect...hopefully someone will go to the thread and write into words what will be going down on May 3rd...where we will need brands, isbn, upc etc...and we have to know what to do...
ReplyDeleteThere are many things Bonanza doesn't do that should be done.
ReplyDelete1. Advertise their own web site like other venues do.
2. Post announcements of site changes or updates
3. Test and Fix problems/glitches before going live with upgrades instead of waiting for it's members to find the problems/Glitches for them.
There are other things about Bonanza that prevents it from being the ideal site to sell on.
Had it not been for the members there, Bonanza would not have grown in size because they refuse to do any advertising.
I can't pat them on the back for what they have done because the members have done just more than the site owners have to get the word out about the site being a place to buy and sell online.
It may just be my old fashioned thinking, but any business that wants to succeed will advertise their business.
Sellers should be responsible for making sure they have the product and ship it in a timely manor not going out advertising for the site owners. To me it feels like Bonanza is getting free advertising from those members who are doing their own advertising. Just not a professional way to do business.
It just rubs me the wrong way to see folks have to advertise, when it should be the site advertising for its members.
Phaedra... there was nothing wrong with your thread.. the problem is what didn't happen before it and that is not your fault but bonz and Judy
ReplyDeleteI quoted you because I do not understand your comment
Ginger, I get informative emails from every site I am signed up on both big and small.. except for bonz.. they also are the only one that didn't send out a merry Christmas one LOL
Birdie, I couldn't agree more
Brenda.. glad you got something out of it and was able to hear it
The Unicorn Speaks: The bottom line is that no one with any life experience trusts anything Bonz or anyone associated with them says or does at face value and for good reason. That is a top-down condition that the worker bees must deal with. If you choose to hitch your wagon to the entity you will be judged by the company you keep, the first impression will be suspect, rightly or wrongly. Bonz can still turn it around, in fact TRUST is todays buzzword and damage control appears to be today's priority... but I still see them throwing their most loyal supporters under the bus, and I am sorry if you cannot see it.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, it is not too late for them to turn things around.. I sincerely hope and wish they would... at the same time I am not holding my breath.. at this point only seeing will be believing.
ReplyDeleteFrom responses I have seen recently, change is not on the horizon, not sure what it will take for them to change.
Such a shame... a site with so much promise and potential ... and that had so many people willing to do so much for it to help it succeed
Mark posted to my FB link and then I guess didn't want to see my response .. he blocked me
ReplyDeletehere is what he said and my answer.. maybe since he reads my blog he will read my answer
another fine example of their communication skills
************
Mark Dorsey
We are planning on publishing the Google updates just as soon as we have made sense of it too (we are aiming for next week).
Judy is a go getter and she is very educated with Google from a sellers perspective, but not from a site owners pe...rspective. So the plan is to drain Judy of all she knows (muahahaha) and combine that with what our contacts tell us at Google and then present you with a finished product that is clear that most can understand.
I think the trouble with that is that you want this information yesterday but we (Bonanza) are not in a position to publish this information yet. However, there is nothing stopping you from doing the same thing that Judy does and that is to seek out the free information that Google publishes and educate yourself. The thread that Phaedra posted into today was an informative and free invitation to listen to a podcast from someone who took the time to go to Google and learn this information not as Bonanza but as Judy the seller. You had the opportunity to listen in and educate yourself, but you had a blog to write right?
**********
Pugs Myriad
Thank you for the post Mark
actually I can not listen to talkshoe with my computer
the last time I tried to educate myself on google Judy told me to be patient and wait and implied I should not be there both on the google forum and via bmail
...
She has every right to go an a talk show .. but with so many of us waiting to hear.. I still feel it should have been on the forum first.. and while I understand what you are saying .... I feel that if it's the case you do not want the information on the forum yet then the podcast should not have been..
Right now there is a thread going on with a bunch of confused people that listened to the podcast ... I really think there should have been nothing said before whatever you want said ... hope that made sense LOL
there really should have been some announcement from support last week when all this first came up.. the site puts so much emphasis on google shopping yet lets people flounder around the forum and the occasional post by Judy
What do you expect when Judy says on a thread that she will report back to us after she has heard from google.. then we read she has and is going to podcast it
Just seems like poor communication all the way around.
guess my plate isn't as overflowing as at bonz headquarters so I have time to blog.. as it seems to be the only way any of us can truly have our say and discuss anything
I, too, want Bonz to succeed for I wish no harm to anyone. If anything, I blame myself for getting so emotionally/time/energy/finanically involved knowing it would do well. After 2.5 yrs. with no Bonz advertising and my total sales there being less than a half a month else where...I say shame on me. Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteI entirely agree there should be announcements sent out to every seller anytime there are site changes such as changing the booth presentation, the my Bonanzle page, and omg renaming the site and completely redesigning it. It is grossly inconsiderate of Bonanzle to make such drastic changes without giving sellers reasonable notice prior to the changes so they can prepare.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as far as anything Google related I don't feel it is Bonanzle's responsibility to communicate or interpret those changes to sellers. If someone is going to have a business selling online than they need to educate themselves on what has to be done to succeed. That requires them to actually click out of the forum go to the Google forums and ask the questions themselves. Relying on others without seeking the answers for yourself is irresponsible and will ultimately only result in receiving the wrong information. So if someone intends to sell online than they better do the work for themselves.
That's my opinion and it's priceless lol
I agree with you pugs they need to send information to their customers who support them
ReplyDelete