Re: Can we call off this advertising before it gets out of hand?

From article <ASR.93Oct8163145_at_ketch.cis.ufl.edu>, by asr_at_ketch.cis.ufl.edu (Allen S. Rout):
> dgh> What you are referring to as ads are really usually responses to some
> dgh> thread of discussion that contain information relevant to the topic. It
> dgh> just happens that the poster thinks that a particular product will solve
> dgh> the probblem or add value to the issue. This is not advertising, and is
> dgh> germaine. I say this forum can support these types of postings.
>
> _certainly_... However, there is a significant difference between me, a
> programmer in the President's office at UF, to say "Look, PDOX40 is way cool..
> I did this with it, and that, and the other", and Joe, a Borland programmer,
> saying "Look, PDOX40 is way cool..... "

Exactly. When you post to the net suggesting your own product you *are* advertising. No exceptions. If you don't believe that, I suggest you buy a good dictionary.

The first of these ads (there have been 3 that I have noticed) wasn't even relevent to the discussion. In that case, somebody posted asking for assistance with Oracle's SQL*ReportWriter, a programmer's report writing tool. Other SQL*ReportWriter users replied with the answer to the problem.

The first ad responded to this suggesting that the poster use their report writer instead. This was not relevent or even solicited.

Even in the case where suggestions are solicited, the correct response by a vendor should be to *mail* the poster. A followup may be made by a third party, but any post by a vendor suggesting their product constitutes advertising. Again, if you don't believe that, get a good dictionary.

So far, my list has 14 different vendors of database access tools. That's without really trying. I can think of abour half a dozen of the top of my head that I missed first time around. Imagine all of them posting responses to the networkfor every question about database access tools that we get here.

• A few comments from one vendor with a touch of ethics. --

  ---

  troy_at_cbme.unsw.EDU.AU Overworked, overcommited and always multitasking. Opinions expressed are not those of the CBME or UNSW, but are my opinions only.