Commercial posting (anti-spam) guidelines

[jpatokal]

In celebration of the New Year, the Moderators' Cabal has come up with new guidelines for what's OK and what's not when it comes to commercial posting and advertising. The purpose of publishing this is to ensure maximum information with minimal disruption and so we all know where the edges of the sandbox are, mmmkay?

* No identical or near-identical copies of postings.

This also includes dredging up umpteen old threads and posting messages advertising the same business, even if their contents are marginally different.

* Personal recommendations are welcome.

If somebody else asks about a product or service that you have personal experience (good or bad) with, you can give a capsule review, including name, links or other contact information. Exception: As this website is also targeting customers which are real estate related, discussion of real estate services is generally not appropriate. It's a free forum because they're paying the bills for it, so please respect the owners' rice bowl.

* Posts and reply threads should not include any photos of products

Self-explanatory, I hope?

* No off-topic links in the body of posts.

That is, commercial links are OK if they directly answer the original poster's question, but not otherwise.

Example question: Where, oh where, in Singapore could I possibly find some tofu?
Good answer: They have it in my local NTUC Fairprice for 70 cents a block.
Bad answer: Forget tofu! Try the magical Cabbage Soup Diet instead! Results guaranteed!

* Keep any and all signatures limited to one line or one icon, no blatant selling allowed.

Good: Wikitravel -- the free, complete, up-to-date and reliable world-wide travel guide
Bad: CABBAGE SOUP OMG
CABBAGE SOUP TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS
CABBAGE SOUP
WTF BUY IT NOW!!!!!111!1!!!11

Borderline or first-time cases will be edited with a warning, repeat or blatant offenders will have the offending posts unceremoniously deleted. I'd also like to underline that the moderators will enforce the spirit of these rules, not the letter, so creative ways to circumvent them (e.g. huge blinky letters in your "one-line" sig) will be stomped on.

Feel free to post comments or questions here if you're unsure about something, and as usual, if you disagree with a moderator's actions please take it up with the admins Pal and joop.

Enough bureaucracy -- here's to a great year ahead!

[sundaymorningstaple]

Recommendations of a company you have had good or bad dealings with are fine and are not considered advertising if they are in reply to a query posed by our readers. Threads started with a posting of a recommendation and not in answer to any query will be looked at hard and most probably axed as there is usually no reason for doing so unless it's a disguised attempt at advertising.

HOWEVER

The Recommendation of your own company, is a well known no-no on this forum. We allow you to put your business link in your signature as long as no further reference to that business is made by you in the body of the message. This also goes for posting advertising in the free Classified Section, you are not allow to refer to it here in the forum.

Please abide by the forum's policies. I will repeat, from JP's excellent post above, Moderators will enforce according to the spirit of the rules so creative attempts to circumvent the rules will be summarily stomped on.

Thanks

[carpuff]

Fair enough. Thanks for this :

[Strong Eagle]

Fair enough. Thanks for this :

Why am I thinking that carpuff may soon be history?