Commercial links

[oliver90owner]

No Bros, I was not thinking of you at all.
By "extreme posting" I mean posting in nearly every thread - therefore using the forum a lot but not contributing

That is likely me then.

I don't advertise but do contribute to the forum far more than you do.

Just so happens that things have slowed down somewhat - like I have not worked for the past 18 months and not so much for quite a while before that. Furthermore, I doubt that I shall work again, after the heart attack and quad bypass. Just being investigated further this week and may need more surgery, or it may be that there is little more they can do to improve things, in my particular case.

So go and stuff that in your smoker and perhaps cut the snide remarks.

Added: just like your post at 7.11

 

[Winker]

Should we have a vote on that?

I didn't say you have to agree with MHO, if you want/feel the need to hold a vote on it feel free to do so, you don't need to ask my permission to do it.

 

[BKF Admin]

Weather is warming up so we should all be able to reduce the bee fever this week

 

[tonybloke]

Weather is warming up so we should all be able to reduce the bee fever this week

 

[oliver90owner]

Weather is warming up

Yep, supposedly 17 degrees Celsius forecast for tomorrow. I'm still not sure they will be right, judging by today, but there will be some out there using it as an excuse to disturb the peace, no doubt.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Should we have a vote on that?

And who would be allowed to vote?

 

[REDWOOD]

Look at it this way, would you rather watch a programe on the BBC or ITV, or Sky that makes a 40 minute programe in to an hour, I suggest that a tab on the top of the page where adverts can be posted for a small charge

 

[Winker]

Weather is warming up so we should all be able to reduce the bee fever this week

After chasing a farmer yesterday who was spraying chemicals all over my hives, which were extremely active at the time. I got my foot caught in a rabbit hole and broke my ankle, so its cabin fever for me for a few weeks!

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

There was and advert, i mean thread, posted about a company who was having a sale at the time. The thread had the company name in the header, saying ****** sale now on (or something to that effect). For 3 weeks it sat in the top 15 postings. It may not have been posted as an advert, it was in fact posted as a discussion thread. But it sure gave that one company a hell of a lot of viewers from forum readers, which we have quite a few of. It was probably the best none paid for advert they could have ever hoped for. Striking straight at the heart of the community you want to sell your wares to.

I understand that that's its the software doing the staring out, and its not cleaver enough to know if its an advert or a discussion about beekeeping with a genuine link. so as humans we have to make a decision, allow the company names to be spoken out loud or not and star them out. So while you may think this only affects links it has much broader implications.

Why was that thread at the top? Because there was a lot of discussion on it. Assuming we are talking about the same thread (and I can think its one of two) the company concerned had just introduced to market a fairly unique piece of kit that others had promised for years and not delivered, and several people wanted to know if it was any good.

So there was a swapping of ideas and opinions from those that had seen the product and those that were interested in buying it. Nothing wrong with that.

And the quantity of attention paid to a thread doesn't necessarily mean good advertising - remember WPF?

 

[Winker]

Why was that thread at the top? Because there was a lot of discussion on it. Assuming we are talking about the same thread (and I can think its one of two) the company concerned had just introduced to market a fairly unique piece of kit that others had promised for years and not delivered, and several people wanted to know if it was any good.

So there was a swapping of ideas and opinions from those that had seen the product and those that were interested in buying it. Nothing wrong with that.

And the quantity of attention paid to a thread doesn't necessarily mean good advertising - remember WPF?

Simple question to you all.

Do people on these boards pay donations to help with the upkeep and running of the board so that we don't have to see any type of commercial advert?

Simple question with a simple yes or no answer.

 

[JamezF]

I donated because I benefit from taking part in the discussions here. I rent quite a few (somewhere around thirty to forty) servers myself for my business and manage far more than that, so I have a good idea what the costs are and felt I should contribute. The issue of commercial advertising didn't even come into consideration.

Either way, there's a difference between commercial advertising and links to commercial websites.

James

 

[The Cumbrian]

I donated because I benefit from taking part in the discussions here.

Either way, there's a difference between commercial advertising and links to commercial websites.
James

Incidentally I voted undecided.

 

[Headnavigator]

Simple question to you all.

Do people on these boards pay donations to help with the upkeep and running of the board so that we don't have to see any type of commercial advert?

Simple question with a simple yes or no answer.

Partly 'Yes', I simply wouldn't bother to read the forum if I felt the info on it was prejudiced by commercial interests.

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Simple question to you all.

Do people on these boards pay donations to help with the upkeep and running of the board so that we don't have to see any type of commercial advert?

Simple question with a simple yes or no answer.

Not a simple question. There are two questions there:

Do people on these boards pay donations to help with the upkeep and running of the board

Answer yes

Do people on these boards pay donations so that we don't have to see any type of commercial advert?

Answer No, thats not why I pay though its a good side benefit. If there was an abundance of commercial advertising I wouldnt be here.

But even more simply, I dont believe that threads discussing the merits or otherwise of products or suppliers is advertising. Its free speech.

I donated because I benefit from taking part in the discussions here. I rent quite a few (somewhere around thirty to forty) servers myself for my business and manage far more than that, so I have a good idea what the costs are and felt I should contribute. The issue of commercial advertising didn't even come into consideration.

Either way, there's a difference between commercial advertising and links to commercial websites.

James

and

 

[AnotherNewBee]

No worries. I blame my OH. She was asking me about something while I was typing, and being a mere bloke trying to concentrate on two things at the same time proved difficult. If one female can confuse me, I dread to think what I'll be like when I'm surrounded by up to 60,000...

I appreciate what you're saying, but don't agree with it. The spammers can be filtered out, the regular - well-meaning - 'questionable' link posters might need a little education, and the obvious in-context links need no attention. As I've said before, the directory isn't complete, or even - in some respects - easy to use. Something needs to be done to make entry to beekeeping easier for newbies. That starts with information about associations, courses and where (and when) to buy equipment wisely and economically. Certainly not an easy task but, perhaps, a necessary one.

If a thread about a sale at company ********** stays in the top 20 for so long, why is that? Is it because members find it a popular thread, or because someone's posting to keep it bumped? Anyway, the right place for that would be in a separate subforum which could easily ignored by those who don't want to see it.

Perhaps the way to go is for proper commercial ads/banners (not just in-context links) for members who haven't made a contribution? There might be some revenue to be raised that way.

 

[Winker]

Hey, i am one of the 59 who voted for the option "Yes but only if the poster does not own/or is in no way connected with the business"

So your preaching to the converted I was pointing out that people like me help contrabute/donate to the site up-keep so that we dont have to put up with comercial links/adverts/etc. So if thats what were paying for, we should have bigger say in whether or not the site should or should not allow these.



I never once said i was anginst any option in the poll!

Monsieur i'm Gussing you never read what i said prevous. I am all for links in posts.

Dont confuse the isue.

I want and voted for links in posts. Thats not been my isue here at all.

Now if you want to just talk about my issue i was pointing out that's fine but anything else is just wandering away from my issue.

Which is:

I pay to help the running cost of the board so that there is no need for commercial advertising to pay the board running costs. I see this vote being put out to everyone including those who choose to use these boards but not put there hand in their pocked to help towards the running costs.

There are not many places in the world where you would be able to have your say on how something is run, when you make no financial contribution to the every day running costs.

If you fail to see my point of view, well I cant change that and nothing I type will make a difference. You may not like the idea that’s those who invest in something should have a bigger say on how its run, but that’s how it is in life! Like it or not.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

There are not many places in the world where you would be able to have your say on how something is run, when you make no financial contribution to the every day running costs.

Great Britain?

 

[roche]

I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the hilt your right to say it...
Now who was it that said that?

 

[Monsieur Abeille]

Monsieur i'm Gussing you never read what i said prevous. I am all for links in posts.

I pay to help the running cost of the board so that there is no need for commercial advertising to pay the board running costs. I see this vote being put out to everyone including those who choose to use these boards but not put there hand in their pocked to help towards the running costs.

There are not many places in the world where you would be able to have your say on how something is run, when you make no financial contribution to the every day running costs.

If you fail to see my point of view, well I cant change that and nothing I type will make a difference. You may not like the idea that’s those who invest in something should have a bigger say on how its run, but that’s how it is in life! Like it or not.

No, I saw that. You are arguing why you sub the board, I do it for different reasons (and to clarify I have contributed this year although not yet got my badge).

I fundamentally disagree that only those paying should get a vote, just as I disagree that commercial users should be barred from voting or only those with 14x12 polyhives.

Soppy old democrat that I am.

 

[AnotherNewBee]

I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the hilt your right to say it...
Now who was it that said that?

Voltaire