I would really like to get some site development advice from the vast CoinTalk community. Especially the world coin "type" collectors out there. I have traded world coins over the internet with collectors around the world for over 10 years. As my collection grows, its gets more and more tedious to sort through trade lists with hundreds of coin types I already have, to find the few I still need. I've set up a database at my website, worldcoingallery.com that allows collectors to check a box next to each coin type they have and then produce a list of their collection. I'd like to recommend that collectors set up a second log-in username and use it to check the boxes next to all of their doubles. I can then write a script that will allow any two collectors to produce a list of coins one collector has available and the other collector needs, and vice versa, so they can then balance out a trade. No more wading through long doubles lists, often with country names spelled in a foreign language! The problem is that I have promised not to share any personal information about the collectors who register at my site. How will the collectors know the usernames of other collectors they might be able to trade with? And would collectors be willing to enter and keep current their check marks for doubles available for trade? Should I set up a discussion forum at my site for collectors to discuss trade interest and exchange username information? Or should I start with collectors only being able to request a trade with me. Then I can run the comparison report and continue working with them privately by email? Or could we discuss trades here? Please help me develop this idea! It could make world coin type trading so much easier. Thanks! Don
Seems to me that usernames will have to be shared so that folks can have a way to contact someone they want to trade with. If your site has the ability for the user to "pm" another user then sharing personal info becomes whatever the user is willing to share. As for updates. I've seen sites for trading and selling come and go. At first the folks keep updating but it seems to fall off quickly. Most sites, like CoinTalk have the capability for users to post what they are looking for and/or have to trade.
I just registered in your site to take a look at your system. I think it would be advantageous to have only one username per individual. What you could have is two columns on the "update your collection" pages: one for the collection itself and one for the doubles. I have no experience building websites, but from a user's point of view, it looks simpler. You could also add an option asking "Do you want your e-mail address to be accessible so that other members may contact you for trading purposes?" or something of the sort. This way, clicking the name of the user would link to outlook or something. But this would imply turning the site into a swapping hub. You might just add the second column (for doubles) for your own purposes.
Check *******.com, they have a similar system. BTW, glad to see you there, your site helped me a lot when I started my collection. I had to order the Krause catalog online, because it couldn't be obtained here; then I used your site as reference while waiting the book.
