At 07:41 AM 1/14/2000 -0700, Larry Barnes wrote:
>When I see someone advertise on this server I make a note of it and make
>sure I
>don't include them in any bids I put out.

And then

At 08:52 AM 1/14/2000 -0600, ALBERT KARMAN wrote:
 >I thoroughly agree with Larry.....the abuse of this forum by 'vendors'
 >seems to have no end in sight!

It is quite likely you may then miss an opportunity to look at some solution
a vendor has developed that may be a result of a discussion on this list that
perhaps even involved yourself.  Notes on defect repairs, enhancements in
support
of changes to HP products, etc., or even any mention of a product is a form
of advertisement.  There are also press releases which Interex posts which
include product info that is a form of advertising.  Given this, there must
be a lot of HP and 3rd party products you don't look at (or use) when
looking for
business solutions.....

This subject arises periodically and there will probably be a lot of notes
on it today.  But if I recall correctly, we on the list basically established
a 'norm' which was pretty much accepted by folks which long-time list member
vendors try to follow.  In a nutshell its"

      1) Product related information that the poster has some level of
         financial interest or benefit from should be wrapped in
         <plug></plug> brackets.  Others talking about a specific product
         don't have to as they have no financial benefit.  I don't recall
         if placing a <plug> in the subject was part of this norm or not,
         but it is a good idea.

      2) The posting itself is to be limited.  It should refer any interested
         parties to either a web or e-mail address for additional information.
         The list had been getting vendor posting that were several pages in
         length and it was felt this was way too much noise for those not
         interested.  The ideal size was a single page, with up to 2 pages
         being pretty much the max, in terms of how some folks felt.

I think Neal's posting is a fine example of what would be an acceptable
vendor announcement for this list.  It was short, contained enough info
to describe the basic product and instructed the interested person how
to obtain further information.  It also was wrapped with appropriate
<plug></plug> to signal his interest in it.

Also, let's not forget all the information and help the various vendors
and consultant on this list provide to the users.  I've seen where
vendors have also provided their products to help users in trouble at
no charge and with no strings attached.  So what is so bad about a vendor
providing information on something they've added/done to help fill a
need in the user community and get this information to the user the
fastest way available today (trade articles/ads take 1-2 months)?

 From a personal perspective, I and other vendors don't always insert
<plug></plug> markers if responding to a posting from another user which
has incorrect or missing information.  My view is that I am correcting
or expanding on information given by someone else and not trying to market
a product.  I hold a very strong believe in providing accurate information.
However, I can not and will not speak for any competitor's products (I used
Adager for many, many years before taking over <plug>DBGeneral</plug>).
I simply defer to the competitor to speak for their product.



/jf
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                          Friday, January 14th

           Today in 1784 - Continental Congress ratified the treaty with
                           Great Britain that ended the Revolutionary War.

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