I would say discussion about other yoyos should be fine, Obviously if someone gets on here and says hey go buy yoyo “X” from yoyo shop “Y” and its blatantly trying to drive business away from YYE then it should be deleted.
Otherwise let the forum be a forum and let the conversation flow about ALL yoyos.
I think if stores want to be in the business of making yo-yos, they should have their own place to discuss them. If their forums are not adequate to discuss their stuff, that’s their problem, and the problem of the people who chose to buy them in the first place.
I understand the deletion of threads about Zeekio yoyos or the civility. But I think a little trouble comes in when you talk about sOmething. Isn’t that the house brand of hiroyuki’s store? But it’s also sold at YYE so is it excluded from the rule?
As many of you have noted, this is a tricky issue. The main problem is that threads about brands that are propriety to competing stores end up serving mostly as advertising for those stores and work as an invitation to go search out that other store.
For example, if someone made a thread about a special yoyo only available at the now defunct High Speed Yoyo store entitled “What do you guys think of the High Speed Yoyo SuperSpin coming out next week?”, this would compel a portion of potential YYE customers to go check out a competing store.
Thus far the moderation team is using our discretion about when to axe something. We’re discussing back channel and if we’re able to come up with a rule that’s flexible enough, we’ll certainly make an official ruling. Thanks for understanding everyone!
Also, please consider that Something is the house brand of a store that is not in the exact same market as YoyoExpert. YoyoExpert’s main consumer base is in the United States. So, there are different levels of competition, depending on where the competing store is located. For that reason, the two competing stores support each other, to an extent, from different markets. You may have noticed YYE x YYA edition yo-yos lately. It is based on the relationship with that particular store. Posts being at YoyoExpert discretion seems reasonable, especially when not in favor of stores operating primarily in the U.S. market.
I used to work as head of public relations in an industry that was fairly unique, in that even though several different organizations made products that might appear to compete with each other, they actually complemented each other. I believe yo-yos are in that unique position as well.
Video games are a great example. Just because someone buys a game from Company A, that does NOT mean they will not also buy an item from Company B. In fact, if they buy something from Company A, they actually become more likely to buy something from Company B.
Yo-yo players are going to buy several different yo-yos. Based on what I’ve been able to see (which granted, is a newbie’s perspective), a yo-yo player eventually needs, at a minimum, at least six or seven yo-yos (five of which are totally different from each other, two of which are exactly alike) to be proficient and rounded players. They’re also going to buy at least a dozen different yo-yos on their way to getting proficient. Even being a brand newbie who is not proficient in any of the styles, I have four yo-yos, and they’re all different.
Besides, yo-yo players are going to buy different yo-yos, let each other play with them, talk about them, and show them off. If they can’t do it here, they’ll do it somewhere else.
Right now, I am trying to see if a store near my house carries looping pads from Duncan, which are not carried on this site. I can probably also just use friction pads which are sold here, but I’m pretty sure my yo-yo came with looping pads, and I would prefer to stick with the stock setup.
If I wasn’t able to discuss that here, I’d get frustrated at the site and find some place I could get that information.
My thought would be that disallowing discussions of other yo-yos here doesn’t prevent people from purchasing the yo-yos on this site at all. Just because someone likes a competing yo-yo doesn’t mean they won’t encourage someone to buy one from this site too. Further, when yo-yo players want to have their conversations, they will. Do you want them having those conversations here where they see your brand, see your adds, and begin to feel that this is their “home” and thus become emotionally attached to your site, or do you want them to do those things someplace else?
Just a question (and more for thought than for an actual answer) from a guy that used to work in an industry sort of similar.
People will do what they wish, if not here, somewhere else, and I agree. But, I think people tend to forget that this site was set up for business, not for any social setting. I think the social aspects of the site are allowed as a courtesy, with rules set up, so that this social dynamic does not negatively impact business. Most stores have no forum at all. I think we all might have ideas and theories about what might negatively impact business (or not). But, YoyoExpert.com is not the site that we built, so our opinion doesn’t really matter anyway. The site is owned and operated by someone who has a personal and business interest in what goes on. It is based on the hard work and promotion of the owners. I think that those who want to discuss things that are not allowed, such as certain companies, religion, and the list goes on, can discuss those things freely in person, on the phone, email, or on some other site where it is allowed.
That rule has been in place for quite some time, and no one is running away from this forum to any other. No one who matters anyway. There is no better forum, and what makes it as good as it is? The rules in place here. Despite the rules, life and business have gone on at YoyoExpert.
If all else fails, for those who want to discuss yo-yos made by other yo-yo stores (that are not allowed), and if the rule is too confusing, here’s an easy way for them to remember from now on.
“Buy yo-yos here at YoyoExpert, and feel free to discuss the yo-yos you bought here at YoyoExpert.”
We should consider the other discussions allowed a courtesy, and be thankful for those who pay the cost to maintain the platform. I think that public relations is interesting, and your example provides some further insight to that point about why YoyoExpert has a great relationship cross promoting with some stores, and not others. But, I believe they should totally be in control of what is allowed, or not, on their own site. I do believe that sharing the same market might be a consideration in those decisions. Thank you for sharing that.
T.A., thanks for the articulate response. No response was required, but I appreciate you offering one. It was genuinely offered as food for thought, and nothing more. It wasn’t a call to action by any means, and I have no interest or fantasies of swaying anyone on this or any other issue.
I was just trying to share some food for thought that I experienced elsewhere, and that ultimately led us to even greater success in a market very similar to what I perceive the market for yo-yos to be.