mshilarious
Banned
OK, I like to kid. I kid, I kid. But there is an issue regarding sales of commercial products on the Microphone board, and you need to create a policy or affirm the sorta status quo existing one.
History:
Dragon generally never allowed dealers of commercial products to promote their products anywhere on this BBS. The Free Ads board contains a prohibition against dealer posts, which has been strictly enforced by the community if not always Dragon. I mean Dragon's a nice guy and all, but he'd clean up obvious spam (cell phone ads, etc.) and not do much else. So we'd run 'em off with pitchforks and torches instead!
One time Dragon did send a very clear message regarding dealer posts when he banned guru extraordinaire Harvey Gerst for a few days. Harvey sells an inexpensive line of headphones for not too much profit, and they are loved by many. Harvey has also arguably made the best and most extensive contributions to this BBS. However, to be completely fair, he got banned for posting sales information about his products. Afterwards, Harvey said he at least understood why Dragon did that, and Harvey had never promoted his products in that manner henceforth. Harvey has a lot of class!
Fast forward to 2006 or so. Chance Pataki organized a group buy of Chinese microphones, like many group buys, this involved no profit to Chance. As such, Chance enjoyed free rein to promote his group buy. Personally, I thought it should have been on the Free Ads board, but that is a minor quibble, and otherwise it doesn't bother me much. That thread has gone on for two years and three group buys now, it's quite large and easy to find.
The latest group buy has raised some issues, because there are now ancillary products being offered to the group buy customers for profit. These include repair kits and transformer and circuit upgrades. It is not always clear whether or not these products do involve profit, because unlike the group buy purchases themselves, the cost is not being disclosed to potential customers. This activity is also not confined to Free Ads, but is mainly occurring on the Microphone board on the group buy thread.
There's more, of course. Here's an unrelated post with a gray area sort of issue:
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=274863
Michael Joly is a commercial provider of microphone modifications. Most of that post is generally useful technical information, but the bottom paragraph to me reads like a sales pitch.
As a site supporter and advertiser on this BBS, naturally I feel somewhat amiss that competitors may advertise their wares in this manner for free. In the first couple of months of my business, I did participate in product discussions until I realized that it was a really poisonous thing to do to the board, and ultimately that would not be in anyone's long term interest, mine included. From that point, I have tried very hard not to participate in product discussions at all, but I am finding that difficult in light of the above activity.
Well, I suppose my feelings are clear enough, but it would be really nice to have an official policy on this issue and a ruling on the current goings-on. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to have a Retail board where dealers are allowed to post, perhaps in exchange for a financial arrangement however you see fit. That's just one dealer's opinion though.
Regards,
Jon O'Neil
Naiant Studio
History:
Dragon generally never allowed dealers of commercial products to promote their products anywhere on this BBS. The Free Ads board contains a prohibition against dealer posts, which has been strictly enforced by the community if not always Dragon. I mean Dragon's a nice guy and all, but he'd clean up obvious spam (cell phone ads, etc.) and not do much else. So we'd run 'em off with pitchforks and torches instead!
One time Dragon did send a very clear message regarding dealer posts when he banned guru extraordinaire Harvey Gerst for a few days. Harvey sells an inexpensive line of headphones for not too much profit, and they are loved by many. Harvey has also arguably made the best and most extensive contributions to this BBS. However, to be completely fair, he got banned for posting sales information about his products. Afterwards, Harvey said he at least understood why Dragon did that, and Harvey had never promoted his products in that manner henceforth. Harvey has a lot of class!
Fast forward to 2006 or so. Chance Pataki organized a group buy of Chinese microphones, like many group buys, this involved no profit to Chance. As such, Chance enjoyed free rein to promote his group buy. Personally, I thought it should have been on the Free Ads board, but that is a minor quibble, and otherwise it doesn't bother me much. That thread has gone on for two years and three group buys now, it's quite large and easy to find.
The latest group buy has raised some issues, because there are now ancillary products being offered to the group buy customers for profit. These include repair kits and transformer and circuit upgrades. It is not always clear whether or not these products do involve profit, because unlike the group buy purchases themselves, the cost is not being disclosed to potential customers. This activity is also not confined to Free Ads, but is mainly occurring on the Microphone board on the group buy thread.
There's more, of course. Here's an unrelated post with a gray area sort of issue:
https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?t=274863
Michael Joly is a commercial provider of microphone modifications. Most of that post is generally useful technical information, but the bottom paragraph to me reads like a sales pitch.
As a site supporter and advertiser on this BBS, naturally I feel somewhat amiss that competitors may advertise their wares in this manner for free. In the first couple of months of my business, I did participate in product discussions until I realized that it was a really poisonous thing to do to the board, and ultimately that would not be in anyone's long term interest, mine included. From that point, I have tried very hard not to participate in product discussions at all, but I am finding that difficult in light of the above activity.
Well, I suppose my feelings are clear enough, but it would be really nice to have an official policy on this issue and a ruling on the current goings-on. It wouldn't be a terrible idea to have a Retail board where dealers are allowed to post, perhaps in exchange for a financial arrangement however you see fit. That's just one dealer's opinion though.
Regards,
Jon O'Neil
Naiant Studio
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