Here’s a spitball on collapsing EE categories…
—>FFL Required, four subcats: NFA, Rifle, Pistol, Shotgun, “Other Title 1”/Receivers
—>Components, subcats: Rifle and Rifle-Pattern Pistol, Handgun, Shotgun
—>Electronics, subcats: Lights, Lasers, Optics/NV
—>Holsters/Tactical Gear
—>Everything Else
Too simple, or a start for consideration?
Agreed. At the very least, the manufacturer subforums in there need to go away. We don’t (and never did) have enough traffic there to need, for example, an Aimpoint subforum. Just post that optic in with the other optics in the EE.
Maybe one day we’ll have enough traffic/sponsors to have an industry forum that brand-specific subforums can go in.
IMO, a good start would be a seller rating and feedback system. IIRC, that was brought up last summer. What happened?
DB and I have been discussing starting a thread with moderator-input feedback based on feedback the users post in EE threads, since EE threads can be replied to now.
We (I) just haven’t pulled the trigger yet on finalizing that.
I was hoping an admin would chime into that discussion with “oh, yeah, we can totally do something better than that through the software”.
If we don’t get anything from an admin by the end of the month, I will make such a thread and post guidance on how to get that feedback recorded, along with sifting through all the EE threads to find said feedback.
Sounds time consuming.
You and DB probably know several sellers on M4C with proven track records of being good to do business with. If or until a more sophisticated/automated system is put in place, how about a Mod-only awarded ‘Seller’ Title in User profile preference? It already exists with a drop down menu of a bunch of crap badge levels no one cares about.
Even a post count display next to the User icon would help buyers to better determine a seller’s trust level.
Below is an arrow pointing to Title. It would be a quick reference for anyone looking at an ad.
@1168, it might be better to let me be the GTL Keeper since I have experience with administering that system. 
I’d propose each list be time limited (year, quarter, or month) then at the end of the term lock it and roll all the cumulative scores into the start of the next.
Phil, it is, but Discourse was as I understand it designed for techies to collaborate on support tickets not so much for communities with marketplaces.
Whatever Discourse was originally designed for… it’s here now. Don’t let anyone buffalo you into thinking that the user exists to satisfy the software, it’s the other way around. M4C has experienced what occurs when that reality is ignored.
That said, reinventing Discourse seems unlikely to occur here. That is why I earlier suggested using badge title fields that already exist to identify trusted or high-volume sellers. That would be of some value to users (buyers) instead of displaying badges of Member, Regular, Basic and other relatively meaningless badge displays next to the member’s name. Those type of less complicated adjustments might have more success in being implemented.
In any event, it will be interesting to hear more from JC. The initial intro came across as: It’s not my fault the ship hit an iceberg, but I’ve been asked to play the violin while the last passengers jump.
No argument there, Phil, badges are quick and easy. Can also be used in tandem, badge is a quick summary and GTL viewable for deeper detail.
Then we get another problem… do we badge both positive and negative, or do we run it on Three Strikes (unresolved negatives) You’re Out?
For example, here’s the GTL from my old crowd in my Axis & Allies tournament wargaming days:
https://forumini.boards.net/thread/71/good-bad-trader-list
Thinking just taking one update a week, say Saturday night to start the next week fresh, shouldn’t be too big a bite.
“” M4C_AdminForum Admin
1
Good evening.
I am not actually Rob, so sorry if it looks like that. The backend of the site is pretty busted at the moment so I’m unable to create a new system admin account for myself.
I have been handed this. I was part of the migration team 10 months ago, but I had nothing to do with actually running the forums.
I don’t have a lot of direction from those above me as of yet, but I see how many of you are passionate and upset about the way things are going here so I figured I should check in. I have some experience running very large forums (The Donald, for instance), so once I get some more direction and hopefully feedback from the membership here, I will either make necessary corrections, work on passing the torch, and either way I will communicate things with the community as best as I’m able.
For now, just know that things are changing, I am here and I am listening, but sadly I do not know the future of the site as of yet. Chime in, I’ll respond to what I can, and hopefully we can keep M4C up and running whether we’re running it in the long term or not.
Thanks
–JC Williams""
May… June… July… August… September… October
It’s over Johnny.
It’s so sad… comically pathetic.
M4C Admin: May 8th - Chime in, I’ll respond to what I can
Never to be seen on M4C since.
Last logon by the Admin account was May 16, but I just sent a DM boot-to-the-ass making clear that The Natives Are Beyond Restless.
I hope this site can come back from the edge. Kinda doubtful at this point but fingers crossed. I don’t really do any other “social media” so I guess I will be here til the lights go out. Hell, I may have to sit in the dark by myself looking at the “site not found” message.
I’m right there with you; this is the extent of my social media usage.
It is what it is. Why bother them with a message? If the owner/site manager had even the slightest intentions of communicating with the handful of remaining forum contributors he wouldn’t require a reminder.
Mission statement:
Our goal in acquiring M4Carbine.net is to sustain an environment where both subject matter experts and newcomers can freely engage in firearms discussions, unrestricted by the limitations imposed by social media platforms.
Done. Beyond that there is obviously little interest.
At this point they might as well just sell us to Barfcom with a condition that “free email” members be treated as a grandfather-clause exemption to Arfcom’s ban on them.
Never mind my beef with Pete Brownell for siding with LaPierre in the “NRA Civil War”…
I keep it open in a browser window. I’ve picked up a lot of very useful information here over the years, and I hope that people with valuable information to share will continue to drop by and hopefully return in force, but the ease of use of FB groups as well as Telegram and Signal have really put a dent in the online bulletin board model of forum. I’ll keep checking in, but hope seems dim to see a real M4C revival.
I dumped Facebook for good over 7 years ago. I’m sad that people still willingly use such a piece of fucking shit propaganda program.
I have no idea what telegram and signal even means. I thought the Reddit gayness was where the homos all went.
