
WhiteStrat
Don't stare at the eye.
Seriously guys, this one's easy. And there's no reason for any of the GB folks to be getting bent out of shape over it. While this joint ain't exactly swimming in rules and/or enforcers, some are obvious. And commercial ventures are among the clearly obvious ones.
As a participant in the last two group buys, I have no problem with the idea that the GB thread belongs in the Classified section. And as for all the dealers that have sprung up around the GB with ancillary products and services, they don't really have a place. The classifieds aren't for dealers. Should there be a place for board members who are also dealers? Maybe there should be. But as of now there isn't.
But when long time contributors like mshilarious play by the rules and buy ad space here (and are painstakingly careful about not promoting themselves in posts--even when it would make sense), it's clearly not right that others should be free to do the same for no charge in the context of a long and meandering group buy thread.
I'm not saying the GB folks aren't offering something of value. I may do a mic upgrade. If my 73's exhibited problems, I might be interested in that kit. But the purveyors of those ware should have to reach me the same way mshilarious does--buy an ad.
It's safe to say that moving the group buy thread wouldn't dampen the group buy itself at all. And as for the others who stand to make a buck off of Chance's altruistic efforts, they should have to pay for that opportunity.
And for those who think Chance is making money off the group buy--and it's just a clever business model. I dunno, maybe so. But if so, that too would be unfair to the folks buying ads. I don't think he is making money, but if I found out otherwise, I'd want him to buy ads. And if he is in fact leveraging this experience into a future commercial venture, it's fair to say he'll have to change his approach as well. I'd further venture to say that Chance would agree with that.
As a participant in the last two group buys, I have no problem with the idea that the GB thread belongs in the Classified section. And as for all the dealers that have sprung up around the GB with ancillary products and services, they don't really have a place. The classifieds aren't for dealers. Should there be a place for board members who are also dealers? Maybe there should be. But as of now there isn't.
But when long time contributors like mshilarious play by the rules and buy ad space here (and are painstakingly careful about not promoting themselves in posts--even when it would make sense), it's clearly not right that others should be free to do the same for no charge in the context of a long and meandering group buy thread.
I'm not saying the GB folks aren't offering something of value. I may do a mic upgrade. If my 73's exhibited problems, I might be interested in that kit. But the purveyors of those ware should have to reach me the same way mshilarious does--buy an ad.
It's safe to say that moving the group buy thread wouldn't dampen the group buy itself at all. And as for the others who stand to make a buck off of Chance's altruistic efforts, they should have to pay for that opportunity.
And for those who think Chance is making money off the group buy--and it's just a clever business model. I dunno, maybe so. But if so, that too would be unfair to the folks buying ads. I don't think he is making money, but if I found out otherwise, I'd want him to buy ads. And if he is in fact leveraging this experience into a future commercial venture, it's fair to say he'll have to change his approach as well. I'd further venture to say that Chance would agree with that.