# Mods: Is this legit? **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [April 13, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593 "2006-04-13T22:53:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/1 "2006-04-13T22:53:22Z")
Mods, I’ve got a quandry. I want to announce a tour my band & I are going on, maybe offer a doper or two a free ticket, since, well, meeting dopers in the flesh sounds pretty interesting to me. I’ve really kept from advertising our product on the board because a) I got too much respect for this place to come anywhere near SPAMing it and b) because when I mentioned once, long ago, about a new website we’d done, asking for some troubleshooting, I was told I was kind of in a gray area. If you wouldn’t mind letting me know what’s kosher & what’s traif (trafe?), I’d be mighty obliged. ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/2 "2006-04-13T23:01:11Z")
IANAmod, but FWIW, I would not be offended by a simple, single post (e.g. in MPSIMS) announcing the tour dates, offering a link to the band website, and/or inviting interested Dopers to PM you for passes to a show. IMO. But if TPTB think that would put us on the slippery slope to everyone and his or her grandma hawking The Greatest Vitamin In The World or Amway or whatever, then I can understand that, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/3 "2006-04-13T23:02:57Z")
Your best bet is to e-mail an admin - probably **Tuba** is the best person to ask - directly, let 'em know exactly what you have in mind, and ask permission nicely beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/4 "2006-04-13T23:05:48Z")
Wait—you have the world’s greatest vitamin & you aren’t _sharing_ it? BAN ONECENTSTAMP!!! I agree with your thinking here, but, I wanted a “Go ahead” from the ol’ Moderators. ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/5 "2006-04-13T23:07:08Z")
> [@OneCentStamp](#): > > IANAmod, but FWIW, I would not be offended by a simple, single post (e.g. in MPSIMS) announcing the tour dates, offering a link to the band website, and/or inviting interested Dopers to PM you for passes to a show. IANAM either, but The Powers That Be like to be asked about any kind of venture of this nature, rather than having to shut down a thread because it’s in breach of the “commercial venture” guidelines: they may well be more likely to give the thumbs-up to supporting the arts than to peddling penis enlargers. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2006, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/6 "2006-04-13T23:33:47Z")
We are tough on attempts for commercial uses of the board – because if we did not that’s likely all you’d ever see – but there is some exception made for the performing arts, especially struggling performing artists (since so many of us are one in some form). There’s quite a few writers and such on the board and we try to encourage them in every way, that policy comes right from the top, Cecil supports the arts. Please send me an email with your information (a website link is fine) and let’s see what we can do for you. [TubaDiva@aol.com](mailto:TubaDiva@aol.com) ---
**Author:** ![Birdmonster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/71e660/32.png) [@Birdmonster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Birdmonster)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2006, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/7 "2006-04-14T16:14:37Z")
**TubaDiva** : Much obliged. I’ll send you a link and a quasi-finalized version of a post I’d want to make in a few days (I’m planning ahead!) and you can let me know if anything in there is…not so allowed. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mods-is-this-legit/352593/8 "2006-04-15T03:33:16Z")
You are allowed. Hope you meet a lot of Dopers on your tour. I’m thinking about calling this policy “Artistic License.” So to speak. TubaDiva Don’t hit!