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What happened to the "club atmosphere" of Audiogon?

Hi Goners!

After 12 years as a member hear i have developed some questions based on my observations of Audiogon in the last four to five years...

When i joined it was a fledgling group of "music lovers" who now brand themselves, quite often it seems, as "audiophiles"! [ whatever that REALLY is...:-)
The boards were helpful, very helpful and almost never negative but like a brother [be it older or younger] discussing the finer points of a product,company, design etc...

It was known that you could score wonderful, WELL MAINTAINED audio and video products sold at a fair price and with confidence that the person who sold you that item would stand behind it!!

It was the CULTURE of Audiogon that made it so very special to me, in fact it has been on my radar every day since i joined!

I have been a seller, buyer, trader, cartridge seller and have noticed disturbing trends:
Seems if anything is mark "USED", even 5 minuted old, it should, at best, garner only 50%
Lowball offering has become rampant here,trying to then add insult to injury by asking the seller to pay shipping!
Nasty,curt e-mails without any simple courtesy and professionalism...Now i am painting with a broad brush BUT all of these negatives , and more i will not go into from this vein, have reduced this site to a "virtual close out Wharehouse" of close out merchandise or find your ads not even getting a question about your ad!!

I for one enjoy the banter with long time posters, some of who have earned my respect with they're
 witty yet insightful comments...

Has anyone else felt Audiogon's best days have come and gone if we follow the present template?
Thanks and keep the responses civil and helpful please!

128x128azjake
mitch2
4,007 posts
 
The sky is not falling....Blaming this site and/or the moderators for a perceived deterioration of the culture, or sense of community, here is IMO simply a cop-out...Audiogon has not victimized anyone.   A culture is made from the behaviors, beliefs, values and habits of the people participating in a group.  If we want a great culture here, then we each need to do our part to behave in a manner that mirrors how we would like others here to behave.  Outliers will stand out as not being a cultural fit.  I honestly don't see that things are so different than they were in 1999 when I signed on here.


jond's avatar
jond
5,847 posts
 
I love this place and come here every day to buy and sell gear and read and post in the forums. All things change, but Audiogon seems to have survived pretty nicely all things considered.
sbank's avatar
sbank
3,379 posts
 
Think of Audiogon Forum as a pub. Not quite everybody knows your name, but there's a handful of faces that you are comfortable seeing and you are happy to drop in on their conversations.

When I see Jmcgrogan2, I know some helpful knowledge is being shared. If EBM pops in, I am sure to find a laugh from his brevity and candor. If I need a technical education to go with a strong coffee, almarg and atmasphere will be sure to make sure I understand the details.

Yeah, there's often that d-bag in the corner, shouting at some girl who lost interest after his second witticism. But that's the price of entering a public house. You never know who will stop in, and some will add more to the flavor of the place than others.
Perhaps the OP is correct and I should make sure my wallet is in my front pocket, but that's a concern everywhere these days. I'd still rather hang here than most of the other joints. The music's better here. Cheers,
Spencer 
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
Compared to other areas in life, society, politics (!) and commerce since I joined in Oct, 2003, while Audiogon has welcomed more into the tent inclusive of diversity, curiosity and alternative views, perhaps with some rubbernecking here and there, overall, it still promotes most of what invited me in and that has kept my interest.  Things always change, sometimes not for the better or in ways that preserve the original charter.  I still learn a great deal from this site and most members are thoughtful and dedicated to promoting and supporting the interests of the group.  I too have bought and sold here and for the most part, have had nothing but great exchanges and transactions with fellow musicoaudiobuds. There used to be a couple of people that would routinely bash anything about anything, but they know who they are, are after awhile their poison lost its potency.  The good thing about this is that more listeners have been welcomed into the house, at least out of curiosity, which is what we want, at least hypothetically, right?
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,555 posts
 
Great posts by akg_ca and asp307.  

This is still a great site, many of us here care enough to share their experiences and wisdom.  I learned a great deal here and been able to put together an awesome HT/2ch setup.  I couldn't have done it without our A'gon community support. 

I sell a lot here and bought some gear over the years. My motto always been, if you like something, pay the damn price and enjoy it.  Life is just too short to mull over saving few dollars. 

Being passionate about something is not always easy. But that's what elevates it from being merely a hobby.  
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