UChicago Marketplace back up, but problematic

[Mitchell Marks]

I don't know if you're aware of this, but the UChicago Marketplace site (at marketplace.uchicago.edu) was in practice down from before Christmas. 

It is now back up, but requires a CNetID (UChicago.edu sign-in) even to view and browse.   So it will serve the University community only very narrowly construed, and not the Hyde Park or other extended communities.   The announcement on the Facebook group today in fact said it was going to be open only to current students (a condition imposed by the University on Student Government, who run it) -- but so far today my non-student CNetID worked both to browse and to post ads.  

  ==mitch

[Gregory Fairbanks]

Thanks for the info. Last time this happened I asked about getting a Hyde Park Marketplace website/classifieds going. I noticed over the Fall alot of puppies, cannabis and other "shady" ads start popping up. I guess that was the reason for these new sign in requirements.

5 reasons why Hyde Parkers need a marketplace.

1. Facebook Group require... you have to Login to FB and the people that joined groups like "Hyde Park Buy/Trade/Sell" had to be moderated just as much as anywhere else. And who is to Moderate? Not Jay.
2. Craigslist is just as problematic.
3. The HP Herald doesn't have an online classified section.
4. People will start trying to post Want Ads, stuff for sale and the like here.
5. I used the UC marketplace for everything. Finding gigs, buying and selling stuff, posting rental ads for my job,posting Help Wanted ads for my tours, etc.

[Marilyn Cavicchia]

That's really too bad. As Greg said, we lack a neighborhood-focused online marketplace that's not part of Facebook. I suppose it's small in the scheme of things, but it certainly sends a message when the university chooses to take a step toward further isolating itself from its surrounding community. I have no affiliation, myself, and certainly found the Marketplace useful over the years (and never posted any cannabis ads).

Marilyn

--
* Send group messages to: GoodNe...@googlegroups.com
 
* Hyde Park Calendar: http://tinyurl.com/HydeParkFromNowOn
 
* Archives: http://tinyurl.com/GNMessages

* To unsubscribe, change message frequency or ask questions about the group: jaymu...@gmail.com

[Gregory Fairbanks]

Thanks Marilyn. You remind me that it was also useful for Finding legit UofC and Hyde Park people to provide services like home/pet sitting, tutoring for kids, move some boxes ...the type of services you don't want to download an app for. I guess it was a good run while it lasted!

[Marilyn Cavicchia]

I can imagine, too, that a lot of the students might now find it less useful. I think they knew it was "outward facing," too -- so, now I guess they'll advertise babysitting services and tutoring and stuff only to those parents who also happen to be U of C-affiliated (or, even more restrictive -- current students!). That still leaves a big audience, but I can't imagine they wouldn't want a place to also reach the rest of the community.

On Sat, Jan 7, 2017 at 6:43 PM, Gregory Fairbanks <g.s.fai...@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Marilyn. You remind me that it was also useful for Finding legit UofC and Hyde Park people to provide services like home/pet sitting, tutoring for kids, move some boxes ...the type of services you don't want to download an app for. I guess it was a good run while it lasted!

[Mitchell Marks]

Sid Colton had something to add here, but his message went to Greg and me but apparently not the list.  

Sid says:

 

From: Sid Colton <s2...@uchicago.edu> Subject: I will try ... To: Gregory Fairbanks <g.s.fai...@gmail.com> Cc: Mitch Marks <mma...@pobox.com>

Hi Greg,

I'm not quite sure if you are a UofC alumnus ... but currently UofC alumni are also not able to use marketplace.uchicago.edu at all, either ... which seems quite ridiculous to say the least ... alumni played a large role in 1997 when the predecessor usenet group "uchi.marketplace" was founded.

Anyway, I've written to the U of C Alumni Association and will volunteer to talk them (the UofC Alumni Office) into taking over Marketplace, with me as a prime volunteer; and if they do that, I will try to extend the expanded Marketplace, once alumni can once again take part, to Hyde Parkers who are not alums of UofC.

(I believe I need to re-register to Good Neighbors with my gmail address and not my @uchicago.edu address or something, in order to reach all Good Neighbors.  However  I'm not quite sure how to do that).

Yours,

    Sid

    s2...@uchicago.edu

[sel]

was there an official statement on re for this?

sorry if i missed it....

(having trouble posting this--)

sel

[Mitchell Marks]

There may be something official somewhere, but I haven't seen it.  The announcement that I saw (and a subsequent attached discussion) was a posting by Eric Holmberg (Student Government President) on the Facebook group that sort of was meant to stand-in for Marketplace.  

Sid has been making a lot of useful followup activity in terms of continued discussion at that FB group plus contacts with the Maroon and the Alumni organization.  This is Sid's link for the FB discussion as sent to the Maroon:  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/279055445511955/permalink/943502379067255/?comment_id=1264833826934107&notif_t=group_comment_follow&notif_id=1483891147672257

The link works fine for me, but I am already a member of the subgroup it points to -- so if you are not, it may ask you to join.  (This is an example of why some of us don't consider a FB Free & for Sale group an adequate substitute for a relatively open Marketplace site.)   

   ==mitch

[sel]

in order to be part of this group, you need a uchicago email address--this is what im told when i click on the link.

i tried joining this before.......

sel

[Michael Scott]

It appears that you cannot join that Facebook group without a uchicago.edu email.

Over the years I have purchased many items from student listings on marketplace -- without haggling. I am not sure how blocking local community members from seeing student "for sale" offers benefits anyone. I can see some good arguments for restricting or simply disallowing non-student posts.

Michael Scott

[Mary Anton]

I believe you may need a secure cnetid, which is only given to registered students and employees, not just a uchicago.edu email.  I just tried accessing the Marketplace with my uchicago.edu email and was sent to a login site where I was asked for my cnetid.  I entered my uchicago email and my alumni password and was denied access.  But I went through the University website and the approach may be different via Facebook.

 

I get the sense that UC is raising more security barriers around its sites.  The access to Marketplace may be one of the symptoms of these changes.

 

Mary

[Mitchell Marks]

Sorry for introducing the FB subgroup, which proved inaccessible to many for UChicago credential-related reasons, but really is just tangential to the Marketplace.uchicago.edu access issues.  It happens to be the place where some of the almost-official statements were found, in the discussion area.  I'll copy a couple of the key entries, below.  (But access to the main items-for-sale area is probably not of much interest to GN members, who can use the similar "Hyde Park Chicago Buy/Sell/Trade/Give away" if you want to work it thru FB.)  

In that discussion area under the FB "Free & For Sale" subgroup, there were complaints about Marketplace.uchicago.edu being down, posted mid-December 2016.  (This was appropriate to the group, which originally was established as a temporary replacement during a previous disappearance of the Marketplace website in 2015.  In November 2015 there was a posting from Tyler Kissinger, then Student Government President, announcing that the Marketplace site sponsored by SG was restored, but the Facebook group would be continued alongside it.)   

There was a note posted 6 January 2017 by Eric Holmberg (the later SG President) as follows:  

 In order for us to keep the Marketplace website, the University has required that access be limited to students only. I understand that a great benefit of the Marketplace service in the past was that it fostered contact between students, faculty, staff, and community members. For these purposes, we encourage the use of Craigslist, this Facebook group, and other platforms. For current students, Marketplace will return to functionality soon--we will also post a notice on the website with updates.

 There were questions about the access policy, and Holmberg responded later Friday as follows:

The site had to be taken down temporarily to deal with illegal postings. Before we were allowed to relaunch Marketplace, the University told us that we would have to limit access to the site and require CNET login. The University also mandated stricter moderation. Their reasoning for requiring these changes seems to be that they do not want Marketplace to be a service beyond the University.

As I said, there may be more-official announcements or explanations elsewhere, but those are the closest thing I have seen.  BTW, the Marketplace site itself does not seem to yet have a notice or discussion as suggested in the first of Eric Holmberg's notes copied above -- there isn't really an "About" section.  

==mitch  

[Liz Moyer]

All -

I can bring up the marketplace issue with the UC Office of Civic Engagement; I'm on the advisory committee. It does seem silly to restrict usage; this was a useful feature for Hyde Park and is less useful to everyone if restricted to those with uchicago emails. If someone has more information about the decision and especially who made it, that would be helpful. I can't promise any action but I will at least pass on the message.

Liz

[Ginni Cook]

Thank you.  that is exactly what came to my mind as I read that even alumni are denied participation.  I, too, have purchased a number of things from students.  I didn't mind at all that I couldn't post.  i can do that elsewhere.  I hope the unniversity is not trying to build a cyber wall that only potential students can penetrate from the outside!

Ginni Cook
712 229-3825

--