What's up with that?

I miss the ability to e-mail other members as well. I've had the pleasure of corresponding with quite a few people here outside of the forum in private. I hope they bring it back but I doubt it. As for paying a yearly membership. I'd consider it but it would depend on what is offered. Ability to contact other members. Discounts on listings/commissions. Access to Bluebook for a couple of months.

Swampwalker nailed it right on the head! Oh for the "old" Audiogon to come back!

I am just surprised this conversation has continued with the changes we all have observed on this site. Input and feedback has seemed to be censored greatly. Google audiogon lately and look down at about the fifth item. :-) I don't hear or read too much positive feedback on the changes, and find that the amount of listings seems fewer for items I am in the market for. Definitely have the same feeling of nostalgia for what was such a vibrant community. I won't even discuss the inability to bookmark items. :-)
Best regards all,
Brian

I have no problem with Audiogon charging a percentage of a sale, they provide a valuable service to the audio community. However, it would be very desirable to regain the ability to email members as we could in the past. The sense of community among audiophiles is vital to maintain in the audio world's evolving retail landscape. I for one one do not like posting email addresses on an open forum page for the simple reason that harvest bots are a PITA. Yeah, we can alter the address to foil the lazy bots, but I still don't care for doing it.

Mitch2, this isn't just about contacting people about ads. I don't even look at the ads anymore (too much temptation :)). I remember being able to take a discussion offline with a member, to go into more details or to warn them of other's agendas (there are sharks in the water). 90% of my contacting members was for discussion threads, not sales ads.

That's the part I miss, when reading the forums I used to be able to just click on a members name and send them an note offline.