While on a break at work today I came across a thread about a doper who wanted to sell her crafts and was soliciting ideas to sell more successfully.
I think it was Amazon Floozy Goddess, and I think it was in in IMHO, but it definitely was Amerindian themed crafts including earrings made from porcupine quills.
The thing was, I didn’t have time to look at her ‘shops’ then, and now I cannot find the thread. :mad: I’ve scanned the thread titles for IMHO, Cafe, MPSIMS, and even GQ without finding the thread. I’ve searched at least six times, using various combinations of porcupine and crafts and so forth – no luck.
Where, oh where can the thread be hiding? I mean, it wasn’t the sort of think the Mod would want to vanisih, I don’t think.
I posted in that thread and it’s gone. Probably since it contained a link to her online store. She was asking for help to improve her site and be able to sell her crafts but I guess the mods felt it went over the “don’t promote your site” line.
I saw that thread too, but it was deleted just before I clicked the link, and unfortunately I never got to see it.
I think it’s very unfair that it was deleted, if indeed the reason is because it linked to the OP’s site which sold goods.
Heck, I was just participating in another thread today where a person linked to their business web site and asked for tips on how to get more traffic. What is the difference?
Ah, thank you to the wonderful Dopers who helped me out!
I’d forgotten that threads could be disappeared for reasons other than slander or language or sockhood and such, and I was sure there was no problem like that with the thread… so it was a relief to hear that the thread really did exist. I’m reaching the age when I no longer fully trust my memory.
Maybe the business site was not selling anything online? I don’t know if that’s enough but AFG’s was an online store where you could buy direct. When I posted there, it never crossed my mind about that aspect as she was asking how she could improve her product and presentation.
The thing is, Lynn, IIRC, Amazon Floozy Goddess’s post did not do any of those prohibited things listed in the registration agreement. It did not appear to be “primarily intended to promote” anything. It was asking for tips and advice, not trying to promote her business. So that is why it is unfair. It didn’t break any of your rules.
Because of this, I am wondering why you couldn’t have just left up the thread and deleted the link.
Posting a link to a retail site, even if “innocently”, is basically advertising that site. We’ve had people posting links to eBay sites, asking questions about various items which they just happened to have for sale. We’ve had people putting commercial links in their sigs, and getting pissy when they’re told to knock it off. This is not a new situation. If she really wanted feedback, she could have set up a free photo page and posted the pics there. She already had the pics, she obviously has access to the internet, and it would not have come off as an advertisement. Deleting the link would have left the post as something like “I have a problem with my shop, but I can’t show you how my pics look.” It wouldn’t be very helpful.
We have a LOT of posters on this board who have Etsy or eBay or whatever online retail shops. We’re not about to allow this message board to become a place to post links to these shops…unless we get a piece of the action, that is. Seriously, if we allowed everyone to post commercial links, our board would become nothing BUT advertising. I’ve seen it happen to other message boards when the moderation staff didn’t watch out for it. As it was, she managed to get her link and the message that she’s selling stuff out to the membership, and she’s had at least one sale.
I have to wonder, too…you bold someone else’s name, but you don’t bold mine. I rather dislike the custom of bolding names, anyway, and now I wonder if you did that deliberately, as a slam at me. I think that you should either bold both names, or neither one.
You’re reading too much into it. It would have never occurred to me to insult someone by not bolding their name. My apologies for the oversight, I meant no insult.
Well, if you’re selling the things, yes, probably so.
OK, accepted. I was just wondering why you’d bold one name, and not the other. I try to be consistent in such things, and it drives me right up the wall when I notice that I did something one way one time, and then another way another time.
I don’t know anything about the thread… but I DO know that you can get invisible thread at any fabric store! It is used for quilting, amongst other things. Hope this helps!
I prefer to use a natural or beige thread, or a color that matches one of the fabrics, myself. That invisible thread (comes in two invisible colors, clear and dark) is too stiff for my liking. If you do quilting for charity, they usually ask that you not use that stuff. The ends tend to come loose and scratch people, especially people with sensitive skin, like babies and seniors.
It is great for stringing beads, though. It’s very strong, and you can knot the ends, melt them, and let the glob slide down into a barrel clasp, for instance.
I did not post the thread to advertise anything, or I would have outright asked for people to “please please buy my stuff!” I would have liked to have put the images to a photosharing site, sure! But there’s 22 items per shop, so over 40 altogether. Something tells me I’d run out of available bandwidth before then. If I just took a snapshot of the front page, you’d only be able to see the tiny thumbnails. I wanted advice on the site layout AND the item quality, and I posted the links because that was the easiest way I saw how to do that.
I’ve been a member here for a few years now, and I’ve never been out of line for anything on here. Why would I suddenly decide, “Hey! I’m going to underhandedly try to get people to buy from my shop! Yeah!” Give me a break. I’m insulted that this would even be suggested of me, to be honest. I’m sure you’ve “seen it happen”, Lynn, but I’m not one of those people. I don’t think a person should be treated with suspicion unless they’ve given a reason to be.
And now that the thread’s gone, I can’t copy down any of the suggestions I got, either, which doesn’t help me at all.
Also, remember how a couple years back I drew a hundred or so cartoons for people FOR FREE for the “Cartoon from your anagram” threads? Yeah, I’m totally just out to get people to buy my stuff.
Seriously, if we allowed everyone to post commercial links, our board would become nothing BUT advertising. I’ve seen it happen to other message boards when the moderation staff didn’t watch out for it. As it was, she managed to get her link and the message that she’s selling stuff out to the membership, and she’s had at least one sale.