Hi thegroutch,
Leaving 'Taken' items serves two purposes:
1. If we removed all the Taken items, some forums would be empty, and we know from emails we receive that a lot of new members enjoy looking back through previously Taken posts. It's also educational, as it allows new members to 'see' the giving and taking process.
2. The Google Ads are the only source of regular income for JumbleTown -- more page views (even Taken items) equals more revenue, so the Taken items are a financial necessity.
Admin also "prunes" the Board about regularly to reduce the "Christmas Tree Effect" caused by seeing items marked as "Available" (Green), "Reserved" (Orange) and "Taken" (Red). We try to bunch Available items together. We also remove threads/ads that have received responses from potential Takers but no updates from the Giver; also removed are items that have been "Reserved" for more than a week.
Finally, and most importantly, every forum has a search option that allows you to filter out Taken items. You can also click on the "Status" button beneath the "Search Forum" button on the top right of each forum to view all "Available" items together.
Overall, we feel that the "nuisance" of the Taken items is a small price to pay for a free service.
Regards
Dave Hagan
Admin
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