Commercial members usernames

[The Cumbrian]

Beekeepers often buy honey from each other if they have commitments they can't fulfill any other way - sometimes you just have a poor season.

So for me then that fits into the helping each other out. Also thinking about it, it is (for me) different going to a section headed "Bees and Honey for sale" to finding a thread which is clearly an advert in other sections.

Having said that one of the other forums I read has a section for traders adverts and for members adverts. There are very few of either and as they are in their own section easily avoided.

 

[BKF Admin]

I know I carefully avoided reference to that because I have opposing views about it.

I see bees for sale as being in many ways the helping members out type of advert. If you need bees and can get them from a reliable friendly source i.e. a forum member then as I said I see that as helping out. Honey for sale I have never understood as I suspect most members have enough. However I suppose it could still come into the helping each other out category but probably not.

I also have viewed it as helping out beekeepers that needed bees.
Thats why the last two seasons I have not forced members who advertised to make a forum donation.

 

[wightbees]

I have not read all this thread But..It would make sence to use the forum for sale tabs to go straight to the Auction site and let that side of things deal with sales.If trade would like to use that side of your site no probs but use strict rules advertise on the forum and your out.

 

[Chris B]

Mark, you don't need to make it complicated. If somebody is plainly attempting to exploit other beekeepers, don't allow it. Otherwise why not allow things. There is not usually much of a grey area.

 

[Headnavigator]

This tickles me, I reckon most of the regulars on the forum are far too fly to get hooked in by the occasional opportunist seller, and will probably be pretty sharp with anyone who is much of a 'tryer', or block them. Whereas we soon get to know which forum members are well thought of generally and can be relied on as suppliers - amateur or professional, and they're a great resource for us all.
Maybe best let alone, with a note in the stickies to new forum members to bear in mind that not all potential suppliers are endorsed by the rest of us. They can always ask, after all.

 

[Andy Coleman]

I would prefer to know if someone is a professional keeper/breeder, or has something to sell - their views are still of interest, and probably well-informed, but at least we can know what their bias might be. So if someone calls themselves "plastic-hive", and tends to be in favour of a particular type of hive, then that seems quite honest to me, and we can take a balanced look at the different views, that's what a good forum is all about. I certainly don't want to be blatantly sold to, or advertised at, in this forum. I haven't noticed much of this personally, and hopefully if enough complain if it does happen then that user can be removed.

 

[Norton]

Helping out was mentioned several times in previous posts.
A lot of useful advice for beginners and amateur has come from commercial beekeepers who have years of experience - experience often gained at much personal cost in time and money. It helps novices to not make any serious mistakes. Commercial companies receive a lot of FREE advertising on this forum - they do not contribute in any way to it, not financially or with advice/information. Commercial beekeepers are not allowed to advertise on the forum, but amateurs are. But the amateurs do not produce much in the way of useful advice. It is in no ones interest or the forum's interest to drive commercial beekeepers away. At the end of the day it is in both the forum's and commercial beekeepers interests for the amateurs to be successful beekeepers.
I do not understand why there cannot be a commercial section, members that do not want to see adverts should not enter the section - simple really.

 

[wightbees]

Helping out was mentioned several times in previous posts.
A lot of useful advice for beginners and amateur has come from commercial beekeepers who have years of experience - experience often gained at much personal cost in time and money. It helps novices to not make any serious mistakes. Commercial companies receive a lot of FREE advertising on this forum - they do not contribute in any way to it, not financially or with advice/information. Commercial beekeepers are not allowed to advertise on the forum, but amateurs are. But the amateurs do not produce much in the way of useful advice. It is in no ones interest or the forum's interest to drive commercial beekeepers away. At the end of the day it is in both the forum's and commercial beekeepers interests for the amateurs to be successful beekeepers.
I do not understand why there cannot be a commercial section, members that do not want to see adverts should not enter the section - simple really.

This is where the auction site should come into use.

 

[jakethedog]

Maybe best let alone, with a note in the stickies to new forum members to bear in mind that not all potential suppliers are endorsed by the rest of us. They can always ask, after all.

Sounds like a fine plan. Sometimes we can over manage things when there's no need to.

In general although I'm sure that it wouldn't effect my decision as to whether to deal with an individual or not I do think that I'd prefer to know that someone is a professional seller if that's what they are.

 

[Norton]

Speaking for myself - it appears that I have been blocked from listing items if I wanted to!

 

[tonybloke]

drstitson, where can I post my sausages please? Cumberland or Newmarket? Ta. x

are you referring to 'Musks' sausages from Newmarket?
if so, the recipe they sold on when the original company ceased to trade ain't the true original 'Musks' recipe!!
my uncle Len( he runs the egg stall on Newmarket market place on a Saturday) used to work there when he was a lad, in the High St shop, and wrote down the original recipe, copied from on the wall in the sausage making room!!
rgds, Tony (born in Newmarket, raised in Fordham)

 

[wightbees]

Speaking for myself - it appears that I have been blocked from listing items if I wanted to!

I think thats a bit unfair unless a tech prob?

 

[johnandyrob]

I have had some great advise from some of the commercial beekeepers through pm's flash chat and the open forum that I could not have got any where else. I believe that most of the best advise on this forum comes from members who are commercial or semi commercial beekeepers and the forum would bee a worse place without them. I don't believe its broken so why fix it.

 

[DorsetB]

I don't think they should be forced to change their name, but perhaps they could have an additional "tag" below their name showing they are commercial resellers of some sort.

Furthermore, I know there is a section specifically for nucs etc for sale, but I think that for some operators, it might be more beneficial to have a "sponsor" or "commercial" (with an appropriate contribution if required) section where professional sellers can advertise. This has the dual benefit of having a specific part of the site cordoned off for them, but also means that those who oppose having the forum littered with ads or worse, attempted ads, can avoid the commercial section if they so wish.

You will always have people complaining about blatant advertising, (although it seems impossible to load any page on the web nowadays without seeing some form of advertising), and you will always have one post wonders selling their wares.

There is also a problem with where the dividing line lies between a hobbyist who sells the odd nuc, queen, etc, and an individual or company who sells them in some considerable volume.

If you factor in the possibility that the same person may be in the first camp this year, and in the second camp next year, and admin has to step in to ask them to take on the "commercial" mantle, then there is going to be much gnashing of teeth and I really don't envy your job... been there, done that.

Admin, you get contributions which help defray the cost of running the site every month, why not offer the commercials the option of paying to be in the business section, with further options for a banner ONLY in that section etc.

I for one would welcome a section where I could see different sections for M*B, T***, Mai**** , etc etc, where you can look for announcements, sale dates, special offers etc, and also tick a box choosing to receive pms from them when relevant.

Let's face it, everyone talks about the sales, the best price they can get for equipment, etc etc, so a section where the big boys competed for your business could only improve the pricing we are all keen to get.

I realise a lot of people on here don't want the forum "sullied" by ads, but in everyday life, advertising is here to stay, so why not create a section for it, which you can CHOOSE to visit or not - anyone advertising on any other part of the forum gets banned, end of.

 

[Black Comb]

I think we are making a mountain out of a molehill here.

 

[johnandyrob]

 

[bellabee]

tonybloke, absolutely referring to Musks they are great sausages. I might have to go find you Uncle Len... Does he make sausages? They are still good sausages at Musks now days.

You are in Norfolk now? Yes? My family are mostly from Norfolk... You live near my Nana what took you to Norfolk?

 

[tonybloke]

yep, Newmarket Sausages are good, but the recipe has changed slightly from the original.
Len doesn't make sausages, but my dad has made some up to the original recipe, MMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmm

you'll see Len on the market every saturday

 

[itma]

Its a wisdom of Solomon job this, for sure.


As a newcomer, I'd like to know more about who's who.

But the combination of a username that is also a google-able businessname AND pro-actively posting (let alone actually starting a thread) about one's commercial offerings really doesn't seem to respect the spirit of the forum.


Perhaps there is no perfect way to 'square' the no-advertising policy with allowing usernames which when Googled lead directly to the business.

Personally, I'd rather have things up-front, so casual forum readers can tell "what's what". Sadly 'astroturf' is becoming all too common.


Would it be worth having a specific "warning" policy? You can use that name ONLY as long as you don't appear to spam the forum and give offence. Yellow card, then red card and you've lost that username that means so much to you.
And the standard of behaviour expected of a trade-username would actually be higher than for 'ordinary' users. To the extent that they should be trying to avoid mentioning their products. No advertising your products and services - or is that what you are here for?
Worth a try?


I think there ought to be some other more flexible alternatives beyond the rigid options in the poll, so I haven't yet voted.
There's room for human judgement, I hope.

 

[bellabee]

tonybloke,