Another adultsite in Flippa - 14 comments - by the time they catch him it'll be sold

[3Six]

When I was moderating the marketplace, the only reason a porn site would be listed longer than fifteen minutes was if I was asleep.

Yes, I remember you used to moderate SP. If the SP marketplace could be moderated by volunteers I'm confused as to why that won't work for the Flippa marketplace.

[tke71709]

Because volunteers work 24/7, employees only work 7.5-8 hours a day.

[daveslutzkin]

Yes, I remember you used to moderate SP. If the SP marketplace could be moderated by volunteers I'm confused as to why that won't work for the Flippa marketplace.

That was before my time, but I believe the feeling here was that volunteer moderation stopped working, though I don't know why.

I'm always a little wary of giving participants in the marketplace too much power over other participants in the marketplace. Without wanting to cast any aspersions, I can imagine that if I was a moderator and saw a site that I wanted to buy, I could remove the listing and negotiate directly with the seller - it's a very tempting course of action because it removes the competition. I'd rather avoid that moral hazard if at all possible.

[benitez17]

That was before my time, but I believe the feeling here was that volunteer moderation stopped working, though I don't know why.

I'm always a little wary of giving participants in the marketplace too much power over other participants in the marketplace. Without wanting to cast any aspersions, I can imagine that if I was a moderator and saw a site that I wanted to buy, I could remove the listing and negotiate directly with the seller - it's a very tempting course of action because it removes the competition. I'd rather avoid that moral hazard if at all possible.

So you'd rather allow people to flaunt the rules? I understand where you are coming from, but I don't see why having non-Flippa staff moderate listings is unacceptable now when it was OK at Sitepoint. It's not like your current setup is working particularly well, or and you would have control over who the moderators are.

[Clinton]

I'm always a little wary of giving participants in the marketplace too much power over other participants in the marketplace.

I agree with you. But that's a severe indictment of Sitepoint.

There's of course the happy medium of having staff always on hand to take immediate action when volunteers report infringements.

[petertdavis]

That was before my time, but I believe the feeling here was that volunteer moderation stopped working, though I don't know why.

I'm always a little wary of giving participants in the marketplace too much power over other participants in the marketplace. Without wanting to cast any aspersions, I can imagine that if I was a moderator and saw a site that I wanted to buy, I could remove the listing and negotiate directly with the seller - it's a very tempting course of action because it removes the competition. I'd rather avoid that moral hazard if at all possible.

It's not really a question of volunteers or paid staff. Look at the SnapNames fiasco, for example. They had an exec at their company screwing their customers in hundreds of auctions. When I was moderating, I would always ask another mod to step in if there was even a hint of a conflict of interest on a listing. But, yea I did agree with Mark and Matt when they moved the marketplace from being a volunteer run part of the community to being a professional marketplace. It really did grow to big for volunteer staff to keep control of it, and it made perfect sense for Sitepoint to capitalize on the asset. I just don't see why Flippa couldn't have a couple of part-time staffers in different time zones to help buyers and sellers and keep the marketplace clean. Heck, that's something I'd even be willing to help out with under the right terms. Whatever happens, I think you guys all need to get behind Matt and Mark on the no-porn rule (or get them to change the rule, whatever), and stop letting sellers brake the rules, this rule or any other rule. The looser you are on one rule, the more people will try to take advantage of you on others.

[Clinton]

Whatever happens, I think you guys all need to get behind Matt and Mark on the no-porn rule (or get them to change the rule, whatever), and stop letting sellers brake the rules, this rule or any other rule. The looser you are on one rule, the more people will try to take advantage of you on others.

I agree. But how can we help? Reporting in Flippa doesn't seem to work that well.

This is an old thread and I'm bumping it to show the situation is no better today, over two years later. I regularly see hardcore porn sites in Flippa. There's this new one today (obviously NOT SAFE FOR WORK). He's not even making any secret of it. The auction title says "Adult Website Network for sale" and the accompanying thumbnail of the homepage is a collection of er, oral related shots. (and that's not the only one )

Posting it here, funnily enough, tends to get listings like these removed faster than complaining at Flippa but I don't think that's what you meant, Peter.