Good ideas for the future of this forum anyone?

[Mr.P]

Hello there, I'm posting this in the interest of thinking positively about ways to make the best of this community we have here. We are kind of at a point where some reorganization is likely to happen so it's a good opportunity, should there be interest, for us to put our heads together about things that can help this community continue and progress.

If you have any, please share your thoughts on ways that we could re-organize this site or features that you think could be added to encourage membership and collegial engagement, etc..

Obviously it's easier to come up with ideas than to implement them but it is probably a good idea just to brainstorm things that might be good without worrying too much about practicality for now, just to get the ideas out.

I know Nadeem/Ouddict is truly interested in our ideas - in fact it was a conversation with him that inspired me to post this.

So granted that some of these might be more practical than others, what ideas have you had?

Here is one that came up recently. I will add more later:

Having a selection of sticky threads or topics that answer commonly asked questions in a convenient way.

**I love the idea of discussing some of these ideas in detail, but in the spirit of this brainstorming thread I suggest maybe holding off on debating each idea as it's presented, just keep this as a place to gather the ideas themselves, and instead start a different topic for discussing the pros and cons of particular ideas.

 

[DubOudh]

Allow anyone who becomes a member to Ouddict to sell their oils or woods without having to wait years. Allow people to be responsible and as soon as they sign up with a informed consent and signature saying that if they do not pay with PayPal "goods and services" that Ouddict will NOT in any way be responsible for any backlash. This way people can have that freedom we once did to build a more happy community. a happy ouddict is a free ouddict. other than that ouddict should organize trips where we can all (whoever wants and can) can meet up and travel to vietnam for example or something somewhere and see meet people, places and things.

Ah this is news. So can people not sell oils anymore here? I didn't realize that. I have bought from many private sellers on here yourself included Koz.

 

[language scent]

Ah this is news. So can people not sell oils anymore here? I didn't realize that. I have bought from many private sellers on here yourself included Koz.

Personally I cant buy or sell. the sales section is closed for me. new members cant sell i think they can buy. i believe a year or two of being an active member activates your allowance to sell on the forum. i could be wrong with the details but yea. something like that. when i first signed up i was instantly allowed to list some oils or woods for sale and this led to me having the capability to explore more in general. privately i know people sell all the time but i was talking about the sales section and not privately. i believe last time you got something from me was 2021.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Ah this is news. So can people not sell oils anymore here? I didn't realize that. I have bought from many private sellers on here yourself included Koz.

That rule only applies to new members. Such as those who sign up and their very first post is an oil they wish to sell. You need to be more involved than that and for a length of time to meet the guidelines for selling. I don't believe this also applies for buying but I could be wrong. These rules are set out pretty clearly in the Buy/Sell market section. Probably something that should also be included in the "sticky" section.

 

[Mr.P]

That rule only applies to new members. Such as those who sign up and their very first post is an oil they wish to sell. You need to be more involved than that and for a length of time to meet the guidelines for selling. I don't believe this also applies for buying but I could be wrong. These rules are set out pretty clearly in the Buy/Sell market section. Probably something that should also be included in the "sticky" section.

That and also members can have that privilege taken away if they are using the marketplace as a way to operate as a vendor without registering like other vendors.

Here's a good idea for something that the forum could offer: GCMS reports.

It is revealing, and it blows my mind that in all the years I've been paying attention basically no one has managed to generate and find a way to share any data on this. Such a big blind spot that the only way I can interpret it is that nobody really wants to know.

as a community of collectors, this keeps us in a very immature state as I see it.

I almost think it's deliberate ignorance, you know... ignorance being bliss and all as they say… "just shut up and let me enjoy my good smelling oil in peace" 🙂

Maybe something like everyone chips in a little bit to take some particular product and get it tested, and every time this is done, the results are posted in a place where we can all view it.

(And anything presented would include a clear explanation of what a GCMS is and is not capable of doing, it's just one piece of data and not a silver bullet of course)

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

That and also members can have that privilege taken away if they are using the marketplace as a way to operate as a vendor without registering like other vendors.

Here's a good idea for something that the forum could offer: GCMS reports.

It is revealing, and it blows my mind that in all the years I've been paying attention basically no one has managed to generate and find a way to share any data on this. Such a big blind spot that the only way I can interpret it is that nobody really wants to know.

as a community of collectors, this keeps us in a very immature state as I see it.

I almost think it's deliberate ignorance, you know... ignorance being bliss and all as they say… "just shut up and let me enjoy my good smelling oil in peace" 🙂

Maybe something like everyone chips in a little bit to take some particular product and get it tested, and every time this is done, the results are posted in a place where we can all view it.

(And anything presented would include a clear explanation of what a GCMS is and is not capable of doing, it's just one piece of data and not a silver bullet of course)

That's totally fair. Re the GCMS report, I guess in our little bubble of Ouddict vendors, it's taken for granted because of the relationship we have with the distillers and the information they share that we inherintly trust their oils on face value of them being unadulterated. Of course they're not. Anything purchased outside of the forum does not fall into this catagory and could/should be analysed if anyone so desired. I think it's a great idea. With enough information a graph could be made at some point? I'm not really sure how the report works.

 

[Mr.P]

That's totally fair. Re the GCMS report, I guess in our little bubble of Ouddict vendors, it's taken for granted because of the relationship we have with the distillers and the information they share that we inherintly trust their oils on face value of them being unadulterated. Of course they're not. Anything purchased outside of the forum does not fall into this catagory and could/should be analysed if anyone so desired. I think it's a great idea. With enough information a graph could be made at some point? I'm not really sure how the report works.

indeed trust and personal relationships have been the bread and butter of the oud business!

I'd be interested to know what's in agarwood regardless of who it's coming from. I would be as fascinated to have a database of the constituents of 100% pure oud as I would be to have as a sense for how likely adulteration is and what the common adulterants are, etc.

in the spirit of identifying what's good for the forum I think only testing the products of people who are not registered here as vendors would not be a good look...

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

It's probably more common than we realise.

 

[Mr.P]

It's probably more common than we realise.

I suspect it will show both good and bad: that in fact pure oud is obtainable from a variety of respected sources and that if you're not careful you will certainly end up with adulterated oils in your collection.

Another thing I would love to get information on is to what degree is there truth behind the idea that endocrine disrupting phthalates and things like that are used as diluents because of their low cost and availability

 

[language scent]

That and also members can have that privilege taken away if they are using the marketplace as a way to operate as a vendor without registering like other vendors.

Here's a good idea for something that the forum could offer: GCMS reports.

It is revealing, and it blows my mind that in all the years I've been paying attention basically no one has managed to generate and find a way to share any data on this. Such a big blind spot that the only way I can interpret it is that nobody really wants to know.

as a community of collectors, this keeps us in a very immature state as I see it.

I almost think it's deliberate ignorance, you know... ignorance being bliss and all as they say… "just shut up and let me enjoy my good smelling oil in peace" 🙂

Maybe something like everyone chips in a little bit to take some particular product and get it tested, and every time this is done, the results are posted in a place where we can all view it.

(And anything presented would include a clear explanation of what a GCMS is and is not capable of doing, it's just one piece of data and not a silver bullet of course)

the funny part is that countless people are guilty of "selling as vendors" if you could see how many oils they resold, but they were deleting their sales, hiding their traces as if they had something to fear, THAT is how you sell secretly as a vendor mass sales, sell and delete your sales so they don't catch up to you.. smart. while i and i believe i am the only one who was accused, had nothing to hide and was leaving the sales up and well some people got offended that these people like me, were not having a problem selling the things they were listing because truly high caliber wood is not easy to find. so boom labelled as a vendor. super fair. i did delete a lot of sales posts because i was in super need of cash to increase budget fast for new woods that were being offered to me so i would be selling DIRT cheap and knew if people knew how low i went in the past they would play that game haha and they did. but anyway. i am past all that and i am done finished collecting wood so i do not need to sell portions of my gems any more so that i can discover new ones, even tho the spectrum is endless. i'm tired of the economic bankrupting weekly, but even more so the waiting of the delivery weekly.

last time we talked about GCMS if i remember correctly, all hell broke loose LOL or am i mixing that up with something else? third party tested would be best but some people dont care and wouldnt pay the extra cash.

 

[matchasmoke]

Allow anyone who becomes a member to Ouddict to sell their oils or woods without having to wait years. Allow people to be responsible and as soon as they sign up with a informed consent and signature saying that if they do not pay with PayPal "goods and services" that Ouddict will NOT in any way be responsible for any backlash. This way people can have that freedom we once did to build a more happy community. a happy ouddict is a free ouddict. other than that ouddict should organize trips where we can all (whoever wants and can) can meet up and travel to vietnam for example or something somewhere and see meet people, places and things.

This I think could really boost the site.

If someone is trying to pass off low grade for high grade they will be called out and their reputation will suffer. It also Encourages more time on the platform for people to read and research.

The Luxarti platform is the screened and solid choice. Having the Ouddict “choice” only make the screened choices more appealing.

The trips idea is like the scent expo ?? Sounds nice.

 

[matchasmoke]

Just read some more post after I just responded to the one above.

I wasn’t aware of many of these nuances…

But, I remember first joining this platform and listing some woods I put up
For sale on eBay , with a link, only to be told I couldn’t do that. I was new on the block, and many let
Me
Know 🙂

I wound up selling them off both platforms, privately . Actually wish I had them back. I didn’t know at that point the rarity, I was letting go for just my ROI.

Maybe now that I have been here for some time I can offer some of my collection…. As per the rules….

 

[matchasmoke]

Problem is I love all my woods for what they are and it’s hard to part with any of them. I am doing my best to control the ouddiction by limiting my purchases lately, and availability seems to be getting more and more difficult as well, ,,,,but the world of scents is endless and I would sell only to be doing so to gather funds for more woods.

——————
Maybe for each member a dedicated file, under bookmarks , their info page , or something like that, for items for sale or wanted. This way prospective buyers and sellers can gauge the quality of the poster vs the price, item etc.

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

Problem is I love all my woods for what they are and it’s hard to part with any of them. I am doing my best to control the ouddiction by limiting my purchases lately, and availability seems to be getting more and more difficult as well, ,,,,but the world of scents is endless and I would sell only to be doing so to gather funds for more woods.

——————
Maybe for each member a dedicated file, under bookmarks , their info page , or something like that, for items for sale or wanted. This way prospective buyers and sellers can gauge the quality of the poster vs the price, item etc.

I know what you mean about not wanting to get rid of any. In saying that, I'd be keen to see what you have one day. Even just to admire.😁

 

[matchasmoke]

I know what you mean about not wanting to get rid of any. In saying that, I'd be keen to see what you have one day. Even just to admire.😁

Someday I will put some up for sale. Not just to increase my collection but being here in Japan gives me an opportunity to possibly make some money of my hobby…
Speaking of that,,, how could we as sellers and buyers make it worthwhile for the administration… something like a %5 tax?!?

 

[matchasmoke]

Look at this piece I found yesterday in an antique store in Osaka.

The worker said he thinks it’s from Hainan. Almost 1kg.

I spotted it in the corner of the shop the other day. Still waiting to hear back from them on a price. But stuff like this pops up all over Japan. It would be great to have a place where I would feel comfortable buying woods I don’t need so others can add to or start a collection.

 

[DubOudh]

Look at this piece I found yesterday in an antique store in Osaka.

The worker said he thinks it’s from Hainan. Almost 1kg.

I spotted it in the corner of the shop the other day. Still waiting to hear back from them on a price. But stuff like this pops up all over Japan. It would be great to have a place where I would feel comfortable buying woods I don’t need so others can add to or start a collection.

That is a big piece. Would be interested to know what the price for that is. Looks superb, if it is real and authentic.

 

[mobyus]

Personally I cant buy or sell. the sales section is closed for me. new members cant sell i think they can buy. i believe a year or two of being an active member activates your allowance to sell on the forum. i could be wrong with the details but yea. something like that. when i first signed up i was instantly allowed to list some oils or woods for sale and this led to me having the capability to explore more in general. privately i know people sell all the time but i was talking about the sales section and not privately. i believe last time you got something from me was 2021.

I believe the length of time needed as a member to sell is 6 months.

 

[Mr.P]

Someday I will put some up for sale. Not just to increase my collection but being here in Japan gives me an opportunity to possibly make some money of my hobby…
Speaking of that,,, how could we as sellers and buyers make it worthwhile for the administration… something like a %5 tax?!?

you can register as a vendor and there is a fee for that; this is the current system for making sure the administration is being helped out by people profiting from the platform. Contact Nadeem (@Ouddict ) for details...

 

[Olfactory Nomad]

That is a big piece. Would be interested to know what the price for that is. Looks superb, if it is real and authentic.

I agree! What a find! Approaching a reputable incense maker is a thing for private commision. Someone could make some very nice incense for you out of that chunk.

 

[Mr.P]

Nice looking piece of wood but folks this is getting way off-topic. The subject of this thread is suggested modifications to the forum for the new iteration of ouddict. If you want to discuss your personal stash create a thread for that please.