FYI regarding deleted posts

[Tighe]

You may have noticed a few posts recently being deleted regarding sales of products.

This is not becuase of the product type being promoted. As most of you know I think all product is good.

I believe our local retailers are as much a part of our community as any of us. I have established some minimal guidelines for retailers who choose to post in Chat and in Classifieds. The reason for this is to avoid sales based recommendations or overly biased advice, among other reasons. I have followed the lead of some of the larger international forums. The majority of retailers here in the twin cities and up North have agreed to these.

In fairness to those that are adhering to these guidelines, I will delete any ad that does not follow them. I have done my best to communicate these guidelines to all retailers.

Enough said.

[rudeboysaude]

Tighe.. I understand your outlook on the subject because it can get pretty annoying, like talking to a used car salesman. But I think even someone who knows nothing about kiting knows when a person is offering to sell you a kite, that they are going to talk like it's the greatest thing in the world. It's just common sense to take it all with a grain of salt and do your own research and I bet everyone who posts here realizes that too. It is nice though that you can come to a forum like this and not be plastered with ads and propaganda like my yahoo email account! It seems like you gotta let them toot their horn a little bit though man and jump in on stuff. If people selling thier brand of kites didn't boast, then websites of manufactuers would say "our kites our good, but don't take our word for it or anything." What fun is that! Hard subject man to deal with I'd think. I know that's kinda how I got info and the kites I have now from it rock! I have faith that your the man for the job though..

[Charley]

Tighe,

When it comes to recommending which kite to buy you are obviously the most opinionated of anyone. You have the power of the bullypulpit and use it quite astonishingly. Slingshot, Airrush, Windwing over and over and over. We already know who sponsors your free kites. Show us the receipt of the last kite you actually bought from a local retailer.

This is just another case of: "Do as I say and not as I do".

Kook

[Tighe]

Good points and I agree with you on most points. The main guideline I have is to register as your store name and not as an individual, that way people understand that that advice may be business/inventory based and not just an opinion.

I also want to try and keep sales to classifieds and not fill chat with promos.

So I have no problem with a retailer tooting their horn about their gear in Chat, as long as it's about the gear and not about selling the gear and they have identified themselves as a retailer. I would love to have the retailers stream new information about new products into Chat.

The remaining guidelines are not too limiting.

All the other moderators I talked to about forums, including Toby at Kiteforum, said it's best to establish some ground rules early on.

thanks for the input...and encouragement