Some Suggestions as we head into 2014

[TheUnborn]

Totally agree with you OP,Some BST services are misleading and lost some money with these services.One guy even threaten to destroy my site because I was not satisfied with his services.

 

[Diplomat]

Well, I agree with all of you points, but you are missing one.
Forum moderation!

Mods are not active enough with moderating certain forums. I'm not saying all the mods are lazy, but there are subforums that are moderated very poorly.
I have reported threads multiple times in Blackhat Forum, but threads are not getting moderated.. some threads are totally incorrect forum and then it will take few days to get it moved.
Also Blackhat Forum subforum is like a lounge.. also people are not using search at all.

Also what I have noticed is that there are many mods who are working with sellers and delete posts from hidden sales threads in general forums like.. Is xxxx (insert product name) really good? which is clearly written by the creator of the software and then all the comments that are saying that "naw this software is bs because i have used it and xxx software is better" are deleted. It has happened with me and I know people who have been banned because of the posts like that which are legit testimonials.

Lets hope BHW won't become a new DP or WF which are full of crap and low quality stuff.

 

[Wilson Grant Fisk]

EXACTLY!!!!!

Guys, chill on the $500. It was an imaginary number for discussion sake. Everyone is focusing on that and missing the point. It doesn't matter if it is $100, $250, or $3,345,345.86...the point is that something may need to be done in order to improve the QUALITY.

To those saying that the forum won't make money...I disagree. Using the IMAGINARY $500 figure even if 90% of threads went away or didn't renew the revenue would still be MORE. Also, that improves the quality, bringing more people here (and keeping people here, purchasing memberships). Afterall, this is the best fucking seo forum around so shouldn't the goal be to keep it that way?

What happens when you want to open an office? (maybe this will help some see that the imaginary $500 figure is NOTHING when you REALLY think about it)...

#1) They are going to do a credit check on you and your business - and you better be flawless
#2) They are going to require you to sign a long (24-36+ month) lease - oh, and if your business fails, they will come after you because most now require a personal guarantee
#3) Aside from regular business expenses you need an advertising budget - how else will people find your new business? Better have a BIG wad of dough for this
#4) Hope you have a huge nest egg - because sh#t will hit the fan with every new business - and most fail.
#5) They will ask for assets and verification of deposit - if you don't have a big chunk of money and assets then pound sand - they won't lease you an office

So, let me ask again - does $500 REALLY seem like a lot to have access to the biggest seo forum marketplace for 12 whole months?!

Those that think the forum will lose money are wrong, as I am sure if quality was improved, then people would spend more.
The higher quality would actually attract more buyers.
I personally would spend more and would look at more expensive services if I knew that I was getting a decent service.
At the moment it is hard to justify spending money on unquantifiable services. And we all know that any money back guarantees people offer are only good if they have the cash in their bank account to pay any refunds. It appears many sellers do not.
I want to deal with professionals, not amateurs or people doing SEO as a hobby or sideline.

 

[SkyrocketSEO]

Remove $500 from the equation and replace it with something else

No, do not replace that number. If they don't have $500 their dream is going to be to make $500 extra so they can start BST ....if the price of BST goes up at $500 I am starting BST the next day. If it stays at $30 and if anyone can get "OP sent great report, BST approved" I am not interested in wasting my time with that.
Since when the report stands for quality?

 

[CosmicSoundz]

so fucking happy netmoney1, skyrocketseo and w130sn all are on the same page as my thoughts..

ITS ABOUT QUALITY!!!..

this place lacks so much quality. Scammers come here opening multiple accounts and post every 4 min to gain post count and "trust". Then they buy jrvip and start selling in the BST section. BST section is a joke.!..

hummingbird approved? go fuck yourself!.

Then the mods accept the free BST and write... "approved"

Where is the Quality control?


Netmoney and skyrocketseo are 1000000% on point when they mentioned if the quality was 100% people would stay here. How many of the trusted big name members still post here? Hardly any. THey all left because this place is filled with scammers.

 

[offwhite]

My concern is with cr@ppy sales threads. Whilst i agree that the buyer needs to use his brain, it just gives me brainache wading through tons of cr@p.
"100% gauranteed" - trawl through to the small print to find out what the gaurantee is
"penguin safe"
"panda safe"
"100% whitehat"
"google friendly"
etc etc etc
Don't these people realise that such preposterous guff is counterproductive!

Just to say that mods should be able to reject a sales thread without having to justify it other than saying "it does not comply" and then have a clear set of guidelines.

 

[Gogol]

Awesome suggestion netmoney1. The only thing that i feel is a bit stiff is the $500. That might not be a big sum for you, but it is a big sum for many, including me ( if I had to provide a service here). That doesn't necessarily mean that they will cheat. Anyway, if this one actually happens, we might not see any BST threads anymore, not atleast for services that have less profit margins.

Other than that, awesome thread and most probably the best forum suggestion thread I have ever read here.

 

[Logician]

Damn, it seems like some of you guys are indirectly ripping on the mods. It's not their fault, that the seller gives the mod high quality packages, and then turns around scamming everyone else. Raising the price will be great for slowing down the competition, but it definitely won't stop any scammers, at least not the good ones.
I've purchased from probably some of the greatest scammers on the net, that I found in this forum, and I know they won't get banned anytime soon. It's what makes them a great scammer. No matter what is changed, you can't stop the good scammers. You might be able to weed out some of the dumb ones, but anyone with half a brain can recognize those scammers.

 

[netmoney1]

Damn, it seems like some of you guys are indirectly ripping on the mods. It's not their fault, that the seller gives the mod high quality packages, and then turns around scamming everyone else. Raising the price will be great for slowing down the competition, but it definitely won't stop any scammers, at least not the good ones.
I've purchased from probably some of the greatest scammers on the net, that I found in this forum, and I know they won't get banned anytime soon. It's what makes them a great scammer. No matter what is changed, you can't stop the good scammers. You might be able to weed out some of the dumb ones, but anyone with half a brain can recognize those scammers.

Please keep this discussion of ways to improve, as intended by the original post. No he said she said BS. This isn't directed towards you directly, but rather everyone. I just want to nip this crap in the butt before it spirals out of control. Please only discuss what is in the original post. If it isn't related to that feel free to start a new thread. I'm not going to allow this thread to go in a million directions.

Not ONCE in the OP did I relate scammers to services in the marketplace....in the hire a freelancer and dropshipping? Yeah, that those suggestions help to eliminate "scammers"

As far as the rest....it is suggested to improve QUALITY.

Also, the people that can't refund etc - it doesn't necessarily mean they wanted to "scam" - they simply don't have the funds/resources to do so...so sh#t hits the fan. Improving the standard/quality will stop a lot of that.

 

[funkybunker]

As for the refund "coverage" we could create, that makes sense.
I never understood why a responsible business owner wouldn't keep a minimum $500-$1000 in his paypal or similar account to prepare for refunds, and pay them on the spot. As for services that don't offer refunds, that just simplifies things lol.

 

[JFoulds]

I rarely get drawn into these conversations because they almost invariably wind up a total waste of my time (people don't like change) but, in the rare chance that this may actually bring about change, I'll indulge myself.

First of all, netmoney1, the OP is well thought through, logical and well explained - a true rarity in BHW, especially of recent years. I'd strongly suggest everyone ensure they've properly read through the first post before posting anything here.

I'll address the points one by one...

#1) Regulation on Market Place Thread Titles/Descriptions/Claim
Absolutely, unequivocally, 100% agree. This is becoming frankly, fucking ridiculous. Salesmanship and copywriting are one thing, utter bullshit and lies are another.

#2) Raise Market Place Thread Prices and/or Implement Security Deposits
Again, entirely in favour. There are so many absolutely terrible BSTs that something needs to be done to stem their spread. Personally, I think that security deposits are certainly the way to go. I would, however, propose a slightly alternative idea working something like the following:

An arbitrary raised market place security deposit of a value and an added multiple of your highest package, say, to use your example, $200 + 3*(Highest Package). However, this can be paid within the first month in a number of ways. Upfront, partial-upfront or percentage basis.

• Upfront would be encouraged, and would involve paying the entire sum of, say $500, entirely upfront as security.
• Partial-upfront would involve a sum upfront and the rest of the amount as a percentage basis.
• Percentage basis would involve a reasonable percentage, for instance, 50% of each sale, diverted to pay the security deposit over a period until the sum has been paid. This would allow users who don't have sufficient initial capital (past the $200 initial) to offset the security until they have sales. As to the $200 initial, I'm sorry, but anyone who is planning on launching an online business who doesn't have $200 capital to cover any issues that might arise shouldn't be in business in the first place.

After a defined period of time or a number of sales (say, 2 months or 50 sales), their deposit would be subject to a moderator review. They would look at reviews from buyers, any complaints the individual has received and the number of sales in total they have received since the BST was opened. They would then either have their funds still kept for security, partially refunded or the deposit entirely refunded once they have established that they are a secure, trustworthy supplier.

I'd be really interested to get some thoughts, specifically yours netmoney1, on the above.

#3) Hire a Freelancer ? Move To JR VIP
#4) Drop Shipping & Wholesale Hookups ? Move To JR VIP

First of all, please note that I am neither a donor nor a Jr VIP, with no plans of upgrading. However, if this will improve the quality of the forum overall and reduce the number of SL threads, then I'd say sure, it doesn't really affect me however.

 

[netmoney1]

I rarely get drawn into these conversations because they almost invariably wind up a total waste of my time (people don't like change) but, in the rare chance that this may actually bring about change, I'll indulge myself.

First of all, netmoney1, the OP is well thought through, logical and well explained - a true rarity in BHW, especially of recent years. I'd strongly suggest everyone ensure they've properly read through the first post before posting anything here.

I'll address the points one by one...

#1) Regulation on Market Place Thread Titles/Descriptions/Claim
Absolutely, unequivocally, 100% agree. This is becoming frankly, fucking ridiculous. Salesmanship and copywriting are one thing, utter bullshit and lies are another.

#2) Raise Market Place Thread Prices and/or Implement Security Deposits
Again, entirely in favour. There are so many absolutely terrible BSTs that something needs to be done to stem their spread. Personally, I think that security deposits are certainly the way to go. I would, however, propose a slightly alternative idea working something like the following:

An arbitrary raised market place security deposit of a value and an added multiple of your highest package, say, to use your example, $200 + 3*(Highest Package). However, this can be paid within the first month in a number of ways. Upfront, partial-upfront or percentage basis.

• Upfront would be encouraged, and would involve paying the entire sum of, say $500, entirely upfront as security.
• Partial-upfront would involve a sum upfront and the rest of the amount as a percentage basis.
• Percentage basis would involve a reasonable percentage, for instance, 50% of each sale, diverted to pay the security deposit over a period until the sum has been paid. This would allow users who don't have sufficient initial capital (past the $200 initial) to offset the security until they have sales. As to the $200 initial, I'm sorry, but anyone who is planning on launching an online business who doesn't have $200 capital to cover any issues that might arise shouldn't be in business in the first place.

After a defined period of time or a number of sales (say, 2 months or 50 sales), their deposit would be subject to a moderator review. They would look at reviews from buyers, any complaints the individual has received and the number of sales in total they have received since the BST was opened. They would then either have their funds still kept for security, partially refunded or the deposit entirely refunded once they have established that they are a secure, trustworthy supplier.

I'd be really interested to get some thoughts, specifically yours netmoney1, on the above.

#3) Hire a Freelancer - Move To JR VIP
#4) Drop Shipping & Wholesale Hookups - Move To JR VIP

First of all, please note that I am neither a donor nor a Jr VIP, with no plans of upgrading. However, if this will improve the quality of the forum overall and reduce the number of SL threads, then I'd say sure, it doesn't really affect me however.

I like the feedback! I think it would be tough for the forum to handle deposits, etc. Also, it brings up liability issues. I thought about something like what you laid out...but it would require someone almost full time and then the forum is financially responsible for handling all that dough. That is why I thought just a higher "entry fee" would be the way to go - and if a deposit was the way to go then it would most likely have to be through a third party, so BHW is not responsible. Heck, the third party escrow hold would probably be too much to deal with too. I'm thinking that even a third party escrow deal would be a pain in the nuts to manage. Higher price of entry is probably the easiest way.

I made the $500 number up but people seemed to react to that the most. When broken down it is not a lot of $$ considering the exposure. Or maybe a tiered fee....but at the same time I can't go into a high traffic strip mall where the rent is $5,000 a month and say, "Well, I am selling plastic forks and only make 3 cents per sale...so I want this prime real estate for 47 cents per month.

People who throw their hands up at the suggested $500 need to think about traditional business costs....I posted this before, but I will put it down again:

#1) They are going to do a credit check on you and your business - and you better be flawless
#2) They are going to require you to sign a long (24-36+ month) lease - oh, and if your business fails, they will come after you because most now require a personal guarantee
#3) Aside from regular business expenses you need an advertising budget - how else will people find your new business? Better have a BIG wad of dough for this
#4) Hope you have a huge nest egg - because sh#t will hit the fan with every new business - and most fail.
#5) They will ask for assets and verification of deposit - if you don't have a big chunk of money and assets then pound sand - they won't lease you an office

 

[JFoulds]

I like the feedback! I think it would be tough for the forum to handle deposits, etc. Also, it brings up liability issues. I thought about something like what you laid out...but it would require someone almost full time and then the forum is financially responsible for handling all that dough. That is why I thought just a higher "entry fee" would be the way to go - and if a deposit was the way to go then it would most likely have to be through a third party, so BHW is not responsible. Heck, the third party escrow hold would probably be too much to deal with too. I'm thinking that even a third party escrow deal would be a pain in the nuts to manage. Higher price of entry is probably the easiest way.

I made the $500 number up but people seemed to react to that the most. When broken down it is not a lot of $$ considering the exposure. Or maybe a tiered fee....but at the same time I can't go into a high traffic strip mall where the rent is $5,000 a month and say, "Well, I am selling plastic forks and only make 3 cents per sale...so I want this prime real estate for 47 cents per month.

People who throw their hands up at the suggested $500 need to think about traditional business costs....I posted this before, but I will put it down again:

#1) They are going to do a credit check on you and your business - and you better be flawless
#2) They are going to require you to sign a long (24-36+ month) lease - oh, and if your business fails, they will come after you because most now require a personal guarantee
#3) Aside from regular business expenses you need an advertising budget - how else will people find your new business? Better have a BIG wad of dough for this
#4) Hope you have a huge nest egg - because sh#t will hit the fan with every new business - and most fail.
#5) They will ask for assets and verification of deposit - if you don't have a big chunk of money and assets then pound sand - they won't lease you an office

Hmmmm, valid point, I hadn't considered the liability issues. Perhaps it would be possible for the increased initial payment to cover the costs that may arise due to a deposit scheme? If an increase is made in the costs of a BST, if that's in order to better the community instead of provide needed capital for the owners, then it would seem logical that this increase in cost goes towards bettering the community rather than as site revenue? This really isn't my area, I've never been on this side of organising escrow before, so I'll gladly defer to another better informed opinion, however.

I really don't understand how anyone can have a legitimate reason to be upset with $500. However, as you said, it was a fairly arbitrary decision, but any legitimate business should be able to provide that capital if they want to trade on BHW. Honestly, I don't think I'd want to trade with anyone that didn't have $500 to cover any unexpected costs - especially if you're paying for $200+ services.

Alternatively, you could apply my deposit concept to the BST pricing requirement.
The total cost payable would be an initial minimum (raised from the current), say, $200. Then the remaining payable would be 3*(Highest Package), with the amount payable either by upfront, partial-upfront or percentage based (although the initial must be paid upfront $200).This would allow service providers with less cash-flow to compete in the forums (seriously, if you don't have a $200 investment you shouldn't be running a service) but ensure that the overall quality is raised.

Another effect is that this would discourage people from pricing their packages hugely over what they are worth. If you're going to be paying 3*(Highest Package) on top of the initial payment, then if you price your highest package at $250 when it's only costing you $10 and two hours work then you're going to be paying almost $1k just to have a BST. Furthermore, this would also provide some relief for lower-cost service providers who are complaining, if the most you'll make in a sale is $25 then you'll only have to pay $275 compared to a huge SEO supplier paying upwards of $1k.

If you don't mind, there is also another 'resolution' I'd like to add to your list. I'd be interested if you don't agree, but I think it's a pretty important reform.

#5) Review Copy Requirements
Every time a new BST is opened it's traditional for them to offer 'review copies' to a number of members, typically staff or Jr VIP, at a very discounted or even free rate in order to prove the legitimacy of the service. However, I feel this system could be far, far better for the community, buyers and the seller if the structure was more formalised. I'd propose something like the following (open for discussion):

The Seller:
In addition to providing a 'review copy' for the staff in order for the BST to be approved, must also provide:

• A minimum of 3x(50% off) their highest package for Jr VIPs
• A minimum of 2x(50% off) their highest package for Regular Members with over 500 posts

The Reviewers:
(This bit is particularly important)

The reviewers must provide:

• A current SERP ranking pre-service statement (without keywords or URLs) in the thread, publicly viewable to the community.
• A current SERP ranking pre-service statement (with keywords and URLs) privately, to high level staff member (moderator+)
• A new SERP ranking statement no later than one monthafter the service date in the thread, publicly viewable to the community.
• An actual review, with a minimum criteria of something like the following rated out of 10: SERP Change, Turnaround Time, Report, Support, Quality; alongside a text explanation (minimum 50 words each) for each criteria.

Additionally, the reviewer must not have reviewed a service by the seller in the past 6 months and must not have reviewed a service by any seller in the past month.
Any refusal to provide an actual review from the reviewer will result in a ban from BHW, similarly, anyone providing a fake review will be banned.


This would bring about multiple positive changes in the BST sections, a few of which I'll outline below:

• Reviewers would have to post legitimate reviews. Any claims of SERP rises can be verified if questioned by a staff member if required.
• Reviewers would have to post an actual review of the service. I have seen countless threads where members (often, in fact, Jr VIPs) post claiming a review copy in the BST, only to never be seen or heard from again after they've claimed their free SEO.
• Sellers would be assured actual reviews of their service. Similarly, I've seen multiple BST sellers understandably irritated after the members they provided review copies to bolted from their threads as soon as they had their free SEO.
• Potential buyers would be guaranteed that they were seeing legitimate, quality, verifiable reviews from the reviewers. I've come across countless SEO threads where the 'reviews' have been something like the following - '9/10 would use again'. Great, what does that actually tell me about the service? Absolutely nothing. This system would ensure that potential buyers have something solid to go on while choosing a service.
• Everyone would be subjected to less forum drama, complaints and SLs. With legitimate reviews to go on, people would know what they're getting into with different SEO providers. If the reviewers all mention that support is slow to respond, we won't have whiny people complaining that they 'haven't heard from the supplier in 3 hours'.
• Everyone would receive a higher overall service level in the BST section. If someone's service is crap, the required reviews are going to reflect this. As review copies are frequently free, I know that some people who receive a shoddy service don't bother to post 'why should I waste more of my time?'. However, it's worth noting that the reviewers are getting a free service. It's definitely not too much to require 10 minutes of your time writing an actual review after your free service - if you don't want to do it, don't ask for review copies, simple as.

These are just a few of the huge benefits, I don't really see any issues with this change either. It's easy to implement and would have great positive effects on the forum.

I'd love to hear some feedback on this, again, specifically from netmoney1 as the OPer.
If you think this is a crap idea, please say. We want to improve the community in ways everyone thinks will benefit us, keeping quiet about a potential change will only create more problems.

EDIT: Just to add, the reason for the Jr VIP and 500 posts requirement in the reviews isn't because that makes anyone more trustworthy, but because they're less likely to risk a paid account or one where they've made over 500 posts just for the sake of being too lazy to post a short review.

 

[PrinceVisi]

No, do not replace that number. If they don't have $500 their dream is going to be to make $500 extra so they can start BST ....if the price of BST goes up at $500 I am starting BST the next day. If it stays at $30 and if anyone can get "OP sent great report, BST approved" I am not interested in wasting my time with that.
Since when the report stands for quality?

Totally agree with this one.

I really can't find a good service these days. All are the same and with one swing of google and all the websites can be buried forever.

Plus, I agree with everything OP wrote.

 

[Wilson Grant Fisk]

I really don't understand how anyone can have a legitimate reason to be upset with $500.

Agreed, there is ALWAYS a cost to doing business.
Anybody who can't budget $500 to start operating in The Marketplace is clearly not ready.
$500 should be the minimum. IMO

Part of business is taking risk and if people aren't willing to risk $500 to start their business, why should I risk letting them working on my sites.

Some people are operating threads without a proper site, no proper order forms they just request you pay them via PP then Skype,PM or email them the order. They are operating at almost zero cost. Are they reselling, who knows but I think if people do business the least they can do is invest in themselves.

 

[Tensegrity]

$500 is way too high and would probably reduce the number of BST's to 10 or 15. It turns BST into an elitist thing also, sorta going against what I thought BHW was about. I would definitely be in favor of a price increase though, as long as it's a one-time thing.

 

[netmoney1]

Hmmmm, valid point, I hadn't considered the liability issues. Perhaps it would be possible for the increased initial payment to cover the costs that may arise due to a deposit scheme? If an increase is made in the costs of a BST, if that's in order to better the community instead of provide needed capital for the owners, then it would seem logical that this increase in cost goes towards bettering the community rather than as site revenue? This really isn't my area, I've never been on this side of organising escrow before, so I'll gladly defer to another better informed opinion, however.

I really don't understand how anyone can have a legitimate reason to be upset with $500. However, as you said, it was a fairly arbitrary decision, but any legitimate business should be able to provide that capital if they want to trade on BHW. Honestly, I don't think I'd want to trade with anyone that didn't have $500 to cover any unexpected costs - especially if you're paying for $200+ services.

Alternatively, you could apply my deposit concept to the BST pricing requirement.
The total cost payable would be an initial minimum (raised from the current), say, $200. Then the remaining payable would be 3*(Highest Package), with the amount payable either by upfront, partial-upfront or percentage based (although the initial must be paid upfront $200).This would allow service providers with less cash-flow to compete in the forums (seriously, if you don't have a $200 investment you shouldn't be running a service) but ensure that the overall quality is raised.

Another effect is that this would discourage people from pricing their packages hugely over what they are worth. If you're going to be paying 3*(Highest Package) on top of the initial payment, then if you price your highest package at $250 when it's only costing you $10 and two hours work then you're going to be paying almost $1k just to have a BST. Furthermore, this would also provide some relief for lower-cost service providers who are complaining, if the most you'll make in a sale is $25 then you'll only have to pay $275 compared to a huge SEO supplier paying upwards of $1k.

If you don't mind, there is also another 'resolution' I'd like to add to your list. I'd be interested if you don't agree, but I think it's a pretty important reform.

#5) Review Copy Requirements
Every time a new BST is opened it's traditional for them to offer 'review copies' to a number of members, typically staff or Jr VIP, at a very discounted or even free rate in order to prove the legitimacy of the service. However, I feel this system could be far, far better for the community, buyers and the seller if the structure was more formalised. I'd propose something like the following (open for discussion):

The Seller:
In addition to providing a 'review copy' for the staff in order for the BST to be approved, must also provide:

• A minimum of 3x(50% off) their highest package for Jr VIPs
• A minimum of 2x(50% off) their highest package for Regular Members with over 500 posts

The Reviewers:
(This bit is particularly important)

The reviewers must provide:

• A current SERP ranking pre-service statement (without keywords or URLs) in the thread, publicly viewable to the community.
• A current SERP ranking pre-service statement (with keywords and URLs) privately, to high level staff member (moderator+)
• A new SERP ranking statement no later than one monthafter the service date in the thread, publicly viewable to the community.
• An actual review, with a minimum criteria of something like the following rated out of 10: SERP Change, Turnaround Time, Report, Support, Quality; alongside a text explanation (minimum 50 words each) for each criteria.

Additionally, the reviewer must not have reviewed a service by the seller in the past 6 months and must not have reviewed a service by any seller in the past month.
Any refusal to provide an actual review from the reviewer will result in a ban from BHW, similarly, anyone providing a fake review will be banned.


This would bring about multiple positive changes in the BST sections, a few of which I'll outline below:

• Reviewers would have to post legitimate reviews. Any claims of SERP rises can be verified if questioned by a staff member if required.
• Reviewers would have to post an actual review of the service. I have seen countless threads where members (often, in fact, Jr VIPs) post claiming a review copy in the BST, only to never be seen or heard from again after they've claimed their free SEO.
• Sellers would be assured actual reviews of their service. Similarly, I've seen multiple BST sellers understandably irritated after the members they provided review copies to bolted from their threads as soon as they had their free SEO.
• Potential buyers would be guaranteed that they were seeing legitimate, quality, verifiable reviews from the reviewers. I've come across countless SEO threads where the 'reviews' have been something like the following - '9/10 would use again'. Great, what does that actually tell me about the service? Absolutely nothing. This system would ensure that potential buyers have something solid to go on while choosing a service.
• Everyone would be subjected to less forum drama, complaints and SLs. With legitimate reviews to go on, people would know what they're getting into with different SEO providers. If the reviewers all mention that support is slow to respond, we won't have whiny people complaining that they 'haven't heard from the supplier in 3 hours'.
• Everyone would receive a higher overall service level in the BST section. If someone's service is crap, the required reviews are going to reflect this. As review copies are frequently free, I know that some people who receive a shoddy service don't bother to post 'why should I waste more of my time?'. However, it's worth noting that the reviewers are getting a free service. It's definitely not too much to require 10 minutes of your time writing an actual review after your free service - if you don't want to do it, don't ask for review copies, simple as.

These are just a few of the huge benefits, I don't really see any issues with this change either. It's easy to implement and would have great positive effects on the forum.

I'd love to hear some feedback on this, again, specifically from netmoney1 as the OPer.
If you think this is a crap idea, please say. We want to improve the community in ways everyone thinks will benefit us, keeping quiet about a potential change will only create more problems.

EDIT: Just to add, the reason for the Jr VIP and 500 posts requirement in the reviews isn't because that makes anyone more trustworthy, but because they're less likely to risk a paid account or one where they've made over 500 posts just for the sake of being too lazy to post a short review.

I like it, but then again the person giving out the work/service really should be able to give it to whomever they wish. Although I do agree that the same people pop up on every single new thread asking for a review copy - people I never actually see BUY anything. I would just think sellers should use some common sense and not give them to someone they know is just looking for free sh#t. Maybe have a Review Copy Blacklist - where sellers can post people that were given review copies and never left a review - just an idea.

 

[Barrage]

Agree with a few things tho the freelancer section should not only be usable for the big bosses but also noobs, therefore it can't be JR VIP only.

 

[Wilson Grant Fisk]

$500 is way too high and would probably reduce the number of BST's to 10 or 15. It turns BST into an elitist thing also, sorta going against what I thought BHW was about. I would definitely be in favor of a price increase though, as long as it's a one-time thing.

I like the idea of The Marketplace being full of Elite SEO'ers
The fiverr resellers can go to SEOclerks.

It would also give people something to aspire to, if The Marketplace was filled with the best of the best.

 

[Amsterdammer]

Darn, all but how the deposit should be stored I agree with now.
$500 seems a lot but 3-5 times the most expensive package makes sense and that could go way over 500 bucks. I wouldn't give it back as long as the thread is active tho.
Also like the addition on reviewer demands by JFoulds.
Just makes sense when you think about it.