Discussions in advertising areas

Just thinking out loud here. Wondering what others thought about discussion in the Classified area. I guess if there's no fee for placing a classified, then someone else posting in it is no big deal.

But I think if someone takes the time to advertise their product, event, whatever, and someone else wants to advertise something, no matter how similar, shouldn't they start their own thread?

Please help me with this one. I'm having a moral dilemna here and I am in dire need of forum guidance.

April Firefly

No one ever seems to complain if someone posts a nice thing about the product advertised.

If the intent of the advertising forums is merely to list and not respond, it would be made to work like Hotline to Lindens.

So if I post an alternative to Posecubes that I think is much better in your Posecube thread, it's okay?

Sure.

It'd also be cool if you posted something that you thought would aid people using my PoseCubes.

Sorry I couldn't disagree more! If someone creates a post advertising their service or creations for sale in classifieds, competitors shouldn't be posting their own in the same thread, thats just crzy! If they want to advertise, they should create their own thread.

I think posting about a competing product in another persons classified ad is tacky and rude. I think of it no differently than if you were to walk into someone's shop in world and start telling their customers that you have a similar item but blah blah blah.

I think responding to someone's work and saying it looks good, or asking questions (like when I asked someone if a build was two stories because I couldn't tell from the picture) is fine. But if someone thinks they have a better and/or similar product to someone else, then they can always freely start their own classified thread.

Competition is fine and it drives people to do better. But advertising your own products in someone else's forum classified listing is just wrong. And I personally would boycott any person who did this.

My thoughts.

Oh, I agree as far as other people go. I completely agree that it's tacky and rude.

I would not post a competitive statement in anyone's either.

But -- if someone did it to me, I would use it as an opportunity to prove that my product is superior. That's just me

How about I log in as an ALT or have a friend post unfair criticism about your pose cube?

Would that be OK?

Plugging your own product in someone else's thread is rude. Discussion should remain about the product the thread was started for.

I think there should not be any discussions in classifieds.

If there is any discussion at all, then it isn't "classifieds", its something else.

If I am browsing classifieds, I just want to see classifieds. If you junk it up with discussion, I won't bother. Its just clutter.

In RL, I like to browse the newspaper classifieds BECAUSE they are brief and dense. I think everybody knows what classifieds are, and everybody knows what to expect from a classified ad. Its an ad. Everybody knows that already.

Buster

I agree with this. A competitors posting in a thread is tacky and therefore counts against them. In addition, all the testimonies and love thrown at a product by friends of the creator usually come off as cloying and contrived which results in my viewing the product less favorably.

The ads in the classified here can be displayed in several different ways, none of which correspond to the "sequential, full body of the ad" way that classifieds appear in printed papers.

The presence of discussion following the ad doesn't clutter a list of complete ads because their isn't a list of complete ads like what one sees in a printed newspaper.

I can't emphasize more how the Classifieds are NOT places to have discussions.

I am remembering a particular Classified ad where some girl posted her availability as an escort. She added some details about her appearance and how she was very nice, and included some rates.

Predictably, someone took it upon themselves to make a thinly veiled joke of her entire post.

This is NOT THE PLACE TO DO IT, PEOPLE. If you have issues about other folks selling their virtual avatar in SL, then start a group or something. Or, like, a thread in General or Off-Topic.

At the same time: someone makes X product. Customer sees picture of X product and has a question. Customer is well within their rights to inquire within the Classified ad thread.

Another issue: someone makes Y product. Y product looks exactly like X product. Friend of the person who made X product comes in and accuses the other person of copying. NOT THE PLACE TO DO IT. Start a different thread (and prepare yourself for shit hitting the fan) or take it in-world.

Basically common sense Respect everyone.

PS. Oh and yes: hijacking someone else's product thread by posting about a different, competing product is incredibly bad form, and will reflect more on you than anyone else.

Classifieds should be post only, like the hotline.

The classifieds actually used to be original post only. But many complained about the fact that in doing so, people were no longer able to ask questions about a product that was listed.

So there are good reasons to have them able to have discussion in them. It just sucks they can also be abused.

People should have the ability to moderate their own threads.

I completely agree, though I don't really care. If I see someone do that I think it makes them look like such an ass that I'd never consider buying anything from that person in the future. If people want to send the message "Hi, I'm an ass. Don't buy my stuff." they're more than welcome

I agree, it's a red flag to me. Gives me bad rippleshock... infact, "Hi, I'm an ass. Don't buy my stuff." is an understatement since I'm so polar.

On top of that, I find it to be rather insecure and desperate. I want to buy products from nice people who are confident enough in their creations and don't have to go out of their way to dog the "competition" (often perceived, a psychologically lowminded construct) like barnacles on a pirate ship.

Hehe, indeed. Glad you're back, Torley. I missed your always colorful way of looking at things

Why thanxies Chip. ^_^

New signature line, anyone?

Yes, including an ad for you own stuff in someone else's ad thread is really tacky. It can even be a pleasant ad with no disparaging remarks about the thread starters product; doesn't matter, it's still tacky.

It might be nice to have the option to see the initial posts, in order, with no replies visible and a link to the complete thread for those that seem worth looking at further.

lol

coco