New policy with respect to advertisements

[The Chairman]

Just a suggestion but perhaps regulating the way advertisements are posted. 30 different colors in text, blinking text gets really old after a while.

then again, perhaps it is self regulating since I know there is a ScubaPro dealer that will never get me to click on a link in their signature

You're regulating it just fine by clicking or not clicking as you see fit. This is a brave new world for lots of LDSes. Many of them simply hate ScubaBoard and won't participate at all because we're made out to be the evil Internet by entities such as DEMA. So, it makes sense to help educate the ones that do come here. After all, ignorance is curable. Look at Jim. I don't know how many times I PMed Jim to help him understand how to gain the respect of the Board. There were a number for a while, and now I can't remember when was the last time. Jim got it and changed how he interacted here: Good job, Jim! Make no doubt about it, Social Media is a learned skill. The people who have never made a mistake on Social Media are the ones who lack the guts to even try. Little do they realize that ignoring ScubaBoard is probably their biggest Social Media mistake by far.

 

[JohnN]

Dude, that's in the Hot Deals forum. Only advertisers and Business Sponsors can start a thread in there and it's all about Hot Deals. Why would we restrict that?

Sorry I wasn't more clear. The referenced post from BD started out in the General forum and was moved to Hot Deals by a moderator.

So under the new policy, would that post have been allowed in one of the General forum categories ?

 

[redacted]

The Dutch have a saying that translates to "trust comes by foot and leaves by horse".

Every entrepreneur should make this their mantra. It wouldn't be in the best interests of any business to flood the forums with advertising to the point that people started disliking them.

R..

The problem is that truth and scuba retail just don't always fit together very well. Perhaps these injected "ads" will give all of us an opportunity to explore this and other ideas about the scuba retail business.

 

[The Chairman]

Sorry I wasn't more clear. The referenced post from BD started out in the General forum and was moved to Hot Deals by a moderator.

So under the new policy, would that post have been allowed in one of the General forum categories ?

I'm not sure which forum it was in, so it's hard to tell. It looks like it would belong in the Colorado forum. That's where I would put it if I were the one to move it.

Not every moderator moderates the exact same way. It's impossible to think that could even happen without crafting an unwieldy set of rules that would rival the US tax code in terms of complexity. If you think something doesn't belong, simply report it. A moderator will take it on and it will end up in the best place they think fit. If they are unsure, the mods will talk about it and come to a consensus. The mod who claims it gets to make the final decision.

 

[redacted]

Like so many other things, I guess we'll just have to deal with the problems that occur and see what improvement are in store.

On the bright side, maybe it will foster some useful competition; something we don't often see in scuba retail.

I can see it now. Sponsor A posts an ad like:


Scubapro Package - MK17/C300, C200 Octo, SPG & LadyHawk​ B.C.


MSRP = $1502, Only $799 Free Shipping to the lower 48 states!


And sponsor B follow that with:


Scubapro Package - MK17/C300, C200 Octo, SPG & LadyHawk​ B.C.


We will meet or beat any advertised price!


And Sponsor C joins in:


Scubapro/Aqualung Package - MK17/C300, C200 Octo, SPG & Aqualung Lotus i3 BCD

MSRP = $1525, Only $749 Free Shipping to the lower 48 states!


Let the action begin. When retailer compete, customers win.

 

[The Chairman]

You know awap, I've always treated ScubaBoard as a Social Experiment. We try things out. If they work, we try to improve them. If they don't work, we change them. Very little good comes out of staying the same.

 

[redacted]

You know awap, I've always treated ScubaBoard as a Social Experiment. We try things out. If they work, we try to improve them. If they don't work, we change them. Very little good comes out of staying the same.

I am not suggesting you not change. I am unsure what will come of this new policy but see potential problems. I feel we already have too much advertising from beaverdiver but I can live with it. I have no problem with Jim's ads. They are truthful and honest. Inviting more to play bd's game is going to have some rough edges including some reprisals for excessive advertisements injected into otherwise useful discussions. How many more will try to push the silly idea that their gear is the best???

If the problems tend to be resolved in favor of the advertisers, the board may create new problems. Nothing really wrong with opening a can of worms as long as you are fishing.

Good Luck.

 

[dmoore19]

I guess some rules regarding what is not allowed will come from this, after some time.

Meanwhile, If a person asks a question about a specific product that person should expect that comments on that product be answered, good or bad.

For me, I have looked around enough to know what I am looking for. I appreciate those comments. Maybe I am more sensitive than others but if I wanted to ask if there was anything out there that was better I would appreciate that. However 3 or 4 persons saying they know something they sell is better, cheaper allows you to run faster, jump higher, dive deeper and come up dryer irritates me. There is more than 1 salesman who continuously does this. Personally those people only serve to give me reason to discount their product and move them yet further down the list.

This is why I asked the question about what is/should be considered to be not allowed. The question remains unanswered. Are the guidelines to be determined or are there already some areas considered to cross the line?

I love Scubaboard and the service it provides. I hate to see it go the way of the magazines with nothing but advertisements, glossy pictures and sales pitches.

 

[The Chairman]

Like I said, it has been this way for over a year. This is much ado about nothing. I doubt you'll see much of any change.

 

[boulderjohn]

If you read a lot of threads as I have done in the decade I have been on ScubaBoard, you will see which businesses have really mastered the art of using SB effectively to promote their businesses. The ones that I think do the best job are first and foremost positive and effective participants in threads in general. They step in and offer good advice in a friendly way. They do not disparage others or come across as insulting. They become model citizens in the SB community above all else. They do not hide their business affiliation, but they don't flaunt it, either. They are not constantly shoving it in your face, a practice that only builds resentment. When people become interested in using the services they offer, they are inclined to go to them for those services, simply because they respect the person for the general quality of their posts.

Occasionally in threads people will ask for recommendations--does anyone know a good [XXXXX] in this area? When that respected poster replies in a non-assertive way that they do offer that service, no one complains, and frequently others will chime in to support that offer.

Occasionally, but only occasionally, this respected member of the community makes an announcement about a special event being offered. No one minds.

I heartily recommend this approach for people wanting to promote themselves through this forum. Participate in SB in a way that builds the respect of the community and that respect will carry over to your business. If people think the only reason you are on SB is to push your business on them, it will be quite the opposite.