You’d be surprised how easy the latter is. Costs no time whatsoever.
What an assholish thing to say. Jerk moderator.
Reported!
It’s a shame, I just got my first check from the forbidden source in question and I was hoping to recommend the same thing. I’m not cross with the moderators, but it seems to me OpalCat was trying to just help some folks out.
While that is very possibly/probably the case, fluiddruid, advertising is rarely free and even less so on this MB. You might suggest showing this source/thing to some IRL associates/friends/whoever, as perhaps they cound benefit as well:)
'S true, Weirddave. I was put in my place in no uncertain terms when I stepped over the line. I may have been embarrassed, but looking at it objectively, I can see why the mod acted as he did, and I feel I got off pretty light. I’m amazed someone needs to be told more than once.
Wrong. You can do what I did when I joined: just choose one of the options for “where did you hear about this” (it’s like a list of newspapers. I just chose one at random.)
Wrong. I would ONLY get paid for the men, not anything for anyone else. And it’s a trivial sum, not one that I’m foaming at the mouth to lure people in for. I certainly wasn’t expecting anyone to contact me to find out how to use me as a referral (and none did) and I didn’t care. It just seemed like a neat thing and I felt like I’d be a bit of a slug if I found out a way to make $10/pop for short phone calls and didn’t tell my friends about it. My bad.
Regarding previous accusations of spam, it’s about my t-shirts. Anyone else can make a graphic and show it to people to say “what do you think?” but if I do it I can’t because people know I made it for a shirt in my shop. Doesn’t matter if I upload the graphic to a separate site and link to the graphic itself with no mention of the store, how to get to the store, or anything… they say I’m spamming. It’s been a very long time since that has happened, btw. I had at one point linked to a shirt and they said “don’t do that, it’s spam” so the next time I linked to a graphic–because I wasn’t trying to sell anything, just get feedback on a funny picture or something (I don’t remember what graphic it was) and got accused of spamming again… so you see I tried to work with their rules, but it became clear that there was no option available for me to discuss those things within their definition of thier spam rules, so I stopped entirely. A long time ago. I have my own websites when I want to promote myself for money–I don’t do it here.
(oh and you can’t put in someone’s name, you have to have the specific numerical code to use them as a reference, so no one could have put “opalcat” as a referal.)
So am I.
I want to see if I truely grasp the understand the OP’s reference of Double Standards. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
In the OP’s thread link, Uncle Beer quoted the user statement as stating:
quote:
Do not post spam, including but not limited to advertisements, chain letters, pyramid schemes, solicitations, or other messages primarily intended to promote a cause, venture, organization, event (except Straight Dope-related events), website, or other entity or activity, whether or not money is involved. We allow exceptions for worthy causes (in our sole opinion) if you obtain prior permission from a moderator or administrator.
OK.
In this post, an Administrator clearly gives thier fees for services to someone inquiring about web sites, web hosting, etc.:
Now, since the Administrator mentioned above has an e-mail AND a web address assessable by any SDBM user, and said Administrator could stand to profit by the above mentioned posting, does that make the Administrator in violation of the “rules”??? If not, then why anyone else who has a business online that happens to make a reference to that business???
Just wanted to see if I understand all the rules before I dare post again…
(Caveat: Using different systenm so hope all quotes came out correctly…)
I think you’re taking that post out of context. For those that didn’t click the link, it’s a thread in GQ in which the OP asked how much web design and web hosting costs. Two other posters answered in the same way as Gaudere, giving their prices and other costs associated with websites.
I think you’re comparing apples and oranges.
alohaaloha, can you tell me how anyone could have answered that question (what does a website cost) without giving a price for fees and services?
Seriously, you honestly think that was anything other than a person with knowledge on that particular question, trying to give a detailed answer?
Add me to the list of people who’d hate to be a mod here. “Damned if you do, damned if you don’t” only begins to cover the amount of shit being thrown their way just now.
Yes. And 2 or 3 people replying did…the advise was to look around on the web and in your area.
Gary Kumquat, in the thread I noted, abby gave a wonderful reply as the poster gave RANGES of fees, not what one vendor (who happens to be an Admin) charges. I have a part-time business and it is a royal “no-no” to quote fees for services or charges for standard orders in message boards (i.e "What should I charge for XYZ?), as every area of the country is different and everyone’s overhead is different (i.e. mine is less because I operate from my home and have no employees…someone with a $3000+ office payment and a staff has a higher overhead, thus higher fees). In almost every business, there is a standard formula in which to determine your fees; everyone’s are not (and should not) be the same.
My point is not quoting fees; my point is generating/promoting business for oneself on the SBMB, which is apparently against the rules. I apologize if I did not make myself clear to begin with.
In the case I previously mentioned, a simple “E-mail me privately for additional information” would have been more appropriate, IMO.
And by the way, whatami, I intentionally went out of my way not to mention the Administrator by name in my post…
Don’t be daft. A poster asks how much a website costs, and a person with experience of building websites gives some information on how they charge. To somehow find anything other than a relevant response is ridiculous. Or are you claiming that only users, rather than vendors, should answer? I note your own link in that thread - how do I know you don’t work for said company, or have a friend who does? There was no case in that thread of someone touting for business.
Is that not pointlessly coy when you’ve linked to the thread?
General Questions would be a very poor place indeed if the only answer to questions was “look for the answer somewhere else.” The OP claimed to know nothing about web design. Being told a few numbers will help keep prices in perspective during any subsequent research.
Abby’s reply was excellent. But if a few web designers reply with what they charge in fees, and a few users reply with what they pay in fees, the OP will have a range of fees.
I think any definition of ‘spam’ has to include ‘unsolicited’. Opal Cat began a thread in her wide-eyed, ‘who me’ mode so what she did can readily fall into the spamming category. ‘The Administrator’ (why are we using this term . . ?), responded *in context *to a genuine OP. What The Admin wrote might be a whole bunch of things – including self-promo - but it ain’t spam in the sense I understand it cos it ain’t unsolicited and it is in context.
If you want a legal analogy, I’d suggest the burden of proof is with the OP (in this case Opal Cat) to prove it isn’t spam, and when someone is responding to a genuine OP, the burden of proof lies with whosoever is the accuser. IMHO
The terribly misunderstood Opal Cat knows how to play the SDMB game very well. That she didn’t play this one better is a surprise.
That notwithstanding, the home team played a good defensive game here. Well done Uncle Beer Monster and crew.
Question for a Mod or Admin:
So, just so I understand, say I had posted here that I knew nothing about t-shirt pricing (I live in the boonies–it could happen) and wondered what kind of prices I could charge on my website if I were to sell t-shirts displaying a logo I had invented. Now, Opal comes in and tells me that on her site in her Cafe Press store she sells her t-shirts at an average price of $19.99, sometimes more, sometimes less and that it depends on the type of shirt, etc. She also gives advice, based on what she does with her store. Would this be okay? Even though anyone reading that knows now she sells t-shirts on her site and they could easily contact her and buy one.
I’m not trying to be deliberately annoying–I think this could possibly be a fine line and I am honestly curious so I know which side to step on.
Dave, in your op you mentioned the recent charity drive for a certain poster.
that is covered by this section from the agreement.
(just a heads up for anyone unsure.)
If I may be so bold, I have an answer for this. If this was the first time she had ever posted about her ventures, it wouldn’t be a problem. If she did it after all of the warnings that she has received, it would be an issue. If I were Opal and I came accross that question, I’d send an email to you. That would be the common sense approach anyway.
As analogy, if you posted something a bit insulting in GD, you’d either get a mild warning or the Mods might even let it go but keep the post in the back of their minds. If it were someone who had been warned about their behavior a few times, they’d be harshly warned or even banned. Past history has to come into play when the Mods make a decision.
I never saw the link in question because it was deleted when I got to the thread. Now that I know more about the site I can’t see how anyone wouldn’t have gotten a warning about posting it. That link absolutely should have been deleted.
By the way, and this isn’t a slam on Opal, you’d have to be fucking nuts to sign up for that program. It just screams “if it seems too good to be true…” I’d advise anyone who did sign up for it to check their credit reports in a couple of months.
Haj
Except this is exactly what I did on the first page. I also tried it without a referral name and couldn’t get past the page. Your other option was to select from a menu, where you heard about the study - a menu with some very limited and very specific options; there was no general “internet,” or “e-mail” choice. It was only on the third page that I encountered the request for an SSN on an unencrypted form and terminated the process. And as I said, your code was easily available through several methods anyway.
Among other things.
So your claim that you didn’t make any “extra money from this” was false. I think that pretty much settles it.
Thank you, Dave.