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We've had a lot of people pushing the limits on posting
"announcements" that are pretty much ads. We've been
trying to be understanding, but I suspect we're about
to have to return to the draconian "send an invoice,
remove from the list, ask questions later" process we'd
followed previously, as it's apparently more effective than
expecting people to follow the rules without threat of
harsh penalties.
Eric
ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com
TECHWR-L Listowner
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Advertising Policy
Several people have asked for clarification about what an ad
is, particularly with respect to the "no ads" policy on the
TECHWR-L list. Following is a brief explanation:
Ads are advertisements, announcements, job postings, specific
job solicitations, and anything else that's not directly
related to a discussion thread. Joe's TechCenter may not post
ads directly to the TECHWR-L list, nor may Jane
Subscriber forward an ad from Joe's TechCenter that was
posted elsewhere.
By way of analogy, consider a newspaper:
* Ads are clearly marked as ads through boxes, different
typefaces, and "Advertorial" or the like at the top of
ad material.
* You must pay a newspaper to run an ad, but they'll run a
story with or without your approval.
* A newspaper might contain references to "Joe's
TechCenter, located at 150 East Main," but almost certainly
only in the context of a news story.
* You can submit a press release to a newspaper, but it's
only in the cases of exceptional press releases or
copy-hungry newspapers that run them verbatim. If you
want to ensure that a newspaper runs your press
release as is, you have to buy ad space for it.
On TECHWR-L:
* Ads are clearly marked by their inclusion in the Premium
Announcement Posting, as opposed to in the
regular mail of the day.
* You must pay to run ads, but references to products and
services will happen with or without your
approval.
* A posting can certainly contain references to specific
services, products, or Web sites, but only in the
context of on-topic discussions. For example:
- A posting that reads, in it's entirety, "Check out
www.example.com for more information about
the TechCenter's new Dallas location" posted out of
the blue would be an ad and, therefore, NOT
appropriate.
- The same text posted as a reply to a question on the
list that might read, for example, "Does
anyone know of a good training center in Dallas"
would be absolutely APPROPRIATE.
* A posting that says, "I came across the TechCenter's
Web site and am interested in their Frame
course. Has anyone taken their Frame course or other
training courses from them?" which
introduces a technical writing related topic for
discussion, would also be APPROPRIATE.
* A posting that says, "I came across ThusAndSo
article at the TechCenter's Web site and think the
information is ill-advised. As technical writers,
what has been your experience in having this
clause in your contracts?" which introduces a
technical writing related topic for discussion, would
also be APPROPRIATE.
* A posting that says, "Regarding the recent
discussion about ThusAndSo, I just found the
example.com site, which has some useful information
about...," which relates to a recent or
ongoing discussion on TECHWR-L, would also be
APPROPRIATE.
* You can submit a press release to TECHWR-L, but it would
be appropriate for direct posting to the list
only in exceptional cases. That said, a press release
could run as an ad without problems.
We don't want to restrict the flow of useful information, and
certainly understand that recommendations of specific
products, services, and sites are a large part of the value
of this list. The determination of appropriateness (or not) is
based on the context of the posting, rather than on the
topic, company, poster, or recommendation. As such, the policy
does allow for recommendations and sharing of information, as
long as it relates to (or initiates) an on-topic
discussion.
Why this complex policy?
* Ads support this list. Without ads, the list would not
continue. Advertisers who pay the nominal
$50/week charge for ads expect, justifiably, that their
competitors or other people don't get to run ads for
free.
* Keeping ads separate from the list traffic seems to be a
good solution for most people. Feedback has
indicated that subscribers like have list traffic focused
on content and not littered with ads and
announcements. Plus, advertisers can be confident that
their messages aren't lost in the sea of TECHWR-L
postings.
* We provide s number of free forums for advertisers to get
their word out. In particular, the TECHWR-L
Calendar lets advertisers get the word out about events,
courses, conferences, or other activities related to
technical writing; Employment Central lets people who are
hiring technical writers post job ads and
descriptions; the Resources Directory provides a home for
links to companies, products, services, and other
information of interest to tech writers. (Hint, hint: If
you find a resource, event, company, job listing, or
other information that you think TECHWR-Lers would find
useful, submit it to be included in one of
these resources!)
Certainly, we would rather not need such a complex policy and
know that people will use the Daily Premium mailing
or other appropriate TECHWR-L forums to provide information
to the TECHWR-L community. Unfortunately,
though, genuine recommendations can be (and have been)
diluted through the actions of shills who post their
"recommendations" for products and services in which they
have a vested, if often unacknowledged, interest in.
If you have a question about the appropriateness of a message
that you'd like to send to the list, just email
ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com and ask. There are no penalties for asking.
Eric
ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com
**************************************************
TECHWR-L: Empowering Technical Writers Since 1993 http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/
Eric -- Listowner Deborah -- Webmaster/Editor
**************************************************
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