Link Removed By Moderator

[+Sputnik 57]

Hemlock has been a very hands-off moderator in the Units and Software forum. That's why I was a bit taken aback by his removing links without explanation. I understand that the issue is under discussion. It appears, though, that in the meantime, a harder line is being taken, and least in Units and Software . It would appear that the restrictions in Garage Sale are currently being applied more broadly. That's a shame, IMHO.

 

The Garage Sale forum is a special case, to my way of thinking. GC is providing a valuable service to members who want to trade up, or get a deal. It's not much of a service if I post a link for my GPSr, and some busybody posts a competing link to Ebay in my thread. I can understand a strict no-link policy in that forum.

 

In Units and Software, Getting Started, and the Geocaching Topics forums, killing links to products seem counter-productive. I hope the final policy is more liberal in these forums.

[+Road Rabbit]

I haven't seen a lot of gratuitous links in the recent past. It seems the moderators have been doing a good job of catching the obvious commercial links.

 

Are you sure that you're not looking for a solution to a problem that simply doesn't exist?

 

"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."

~Bertrand Russell

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

What about those cachers who sell different geocaching-related items. Can they link to their store? Can they offer their merchandise without links? What is the rule on this?

Folks, time to jump in here with my own two cents worth of opinion, as a paying Premium member...

 

In my time in the geo world, I have found many great links on these forums to small shops run by other geocachers, usually selling items such as stickers, buttons, bumper stickers and cache containers (particularly nanos and micros, or customized conainers) and indeed, Sue and I have purchased items from many of these shops -- most of them run by folks who are frequent posters on these forums. For me, the ability to learn of such small shops run by fellow geocachers has been one of the great benefits of participating in the national forums. In each of the cases which I have referenced, I never felt that the cacher/poster running the shop was trying to convince me to buy anything by mentioning her/his shop (i.e., there was no "hard sell"), but rather I simply appreciated that they were lettting me know that their store existed. Having said that, I will add that impersonal and blatant marketing attempts by very large companies (we see these occasionally both on this national forum and on our Maryland Geocaching Society forum) to market their stuff leave me totally cold; one example is the recent attempt to place an REI ad on this forum. Personally, the Jeep promo stuff also leaves me cold, but to each their own, and God bless them all!

 

Personally, I never mind seeing a quick commercial link in a forum post, so long as it meets the following conditions:

• -- the link is caching-related and something that cachers might wish to know, i.e., something which obviously offers value to most cachers or to regional cachers
  -- no hard sell, and rather soft information: just a short and breif informational mention only
  -- the link or shop was mentioned by someone who regularly contributes to the forums and who has established a reputation for solid and sincere posts
  -- if the post is from a vendor, then that the shop be a small shop run by a geocacher and selling products for geocachers, rather than from a large vendor, one whose existence I am likely already aware of.
  -- if the post is from a vendor or their rep, that the vendor be a small one or regional one, which I might never have heard of via any other means, due to their small size or degree of specialization. This would automatically rule out vendors such as Jeep, REI, Duracell batteries, Eveready batteries, Chrysler, Ford, Campmor, ABC TV network, etc., because most of us already know of them via many different routes.
  -- it is not overly commercial -- i.e. a crass attempt to advertise a half-baked for-profit venture which little obvious benefit for cachers
  

Much as I stated earlier, I guess one example of the kind of commercial links I enjoy seeing here is the links which I have regularly seen here for small online shops -- run by other geocachers -- selling caching gear, or selling cache containers, where the above conditions are met. I really have no way -- other than these forums -- of learning of such small vendors and their products!

[+Clothahump]

My $0.02 worth -

 

Open up another forum on the board and let people post sales links in there to their heart's content, whether commercial or otherwise. Set the board so that those links stay active for seven days or so, then automatically vanish.

[+Renegade Knight]

Which forum was the Amazon link posted in? If it was the GPS Garage Sale Forum, then it was posted to the wrong forum. If it was the GPS Units and Software Forum then, as I have posted previously, the volunteer moderator team is currently discussing with Groundspeak how exactly they would like to see the "no commercial postings" guideline enforced in their forums.

It's worth a discussion. Nobody likes spam, everbody likes to know the current best price for a GPS.

 

I don't want Amazon.com to come here and say "hey check out our great prices" but I do want Briansnat to say "hey check out this deal..."

[+Brun]

a referral embedded in the url.

I didn't even know that was possible.

[+woodsters]

Maybe they have a referral embedded in the url. I've seen that here a few times in the past. The poster gets a commission on stuff bought through the posted link.

What I immediately thought when I read the initial posting here....

[+woodsters]

I didn't even know that was possible.

It's very possible. On Amazon you can set up your own store front on your own site and get a commission from selling stuff on Amazon. On our (wife and I) Medical Coding website, we have a bookstore that is through Amazon, where we sell stuff just on the Medical Coding and Billing subject. However, we still get a commission if you buy something entirely different, as long you through our "portal" (link) and search for something else. So if anyone wants a "GREAT" deal on a Garmin, go to our medicla coding website, then to our online bookstore and click on any of the products and then search for Garmin....lol

[+Sputnik 57]

Just to clarify, I got the link that was deleted by going to Amazon.com, searching for "Garmin Quest" and pasting the link. That's how I found the deal for my daughter's Quest (she was thrilled with it, btw). There wasn't any commission in the link.

 

I'm certainly no expert, but I assume that if a mod hovered over a link and looked at the url, they could see if there was something fishy embedded in it. A user could do the same and report it. I would expect them to delete such a link. It seems to me, though, that deleting all outside links is like doing surgery with meat cleaver. They should be able to let normal links that we've (I've) been posting for the last and a half stay.

[+JohnnyVegas]

Personally, the Jeep promo stuff also leaves me cold, but to each their own, and God bless them all!

As I understand it the Jeep promos were approved by Groundspeak as commercial events. My guess was the Jeep paid for this listeng in the geocaching website. WHich I have no problem with. Lets be real, it takes a lot of man hours and money to keep this web site going. If ground speak wants to make deal to bring in some money, so be it. THe jeep promos have not been hard core advertising and from cachers I know and from what I have read in the forums these have been very popular.

I would not like to see ad banners, but promotions like the jeep promo are just fine. Maybe Garmin, Magellan and Lowrance would be willing to pay a fee to allow links to there web sites.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Personally, the Jeep promo stuff also leaves me cold, but to each their own, and God bless them all!

As I understand it the Jeep promos were approved by Groundspeak as commercial events. My guess was the Jeep paid for this listeng in the geocaching website. WHich I have no problem with. Lets be real, it takes a lot of man hours and money to keep this web site going. If ground speak wants to make deal to bring in some money, so be it. THe jeep promos have not been hard core advertising and from cachers I know and from what I have read in the forums these have been very popular.

I would not like to see ad banners, but promotions like the jeep promo are just fine. Maybe Garmin, Magellan and Lowrance would be willing to pay a fee to allow links to there web sites.

Johnny, I agree with you entirely! That is whey, even though Jeep and Ape promotions do not float my boat (i.e,. they are "not my cup of tea"), they also do not bother me at all, and I willingly accept them. And, I appreciate that these promotions have likely helped not only geocaching.com, but also perhaps the sport of geocaching as well. Again, what I would most like to see on the forums -- even if in one dedicated thread -- would be some way of knowing of the geo-related shops run by other geocachers, particularly those who are active on the forums!