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Thursday was a busy day here on the list. Many of you have written to me
offlist about this subject, so I am posting my response onlist so everyone
can read it.
The first post was an ad, plain and simple. It says specifically in the
posting rules
(http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/abouttechwhirl/noadspolicy.html), "A
posting that reads, in it's entirety, 'Check out www.example.com for more
information about the TechCenter's new Dallas location' posted out of the
blue would be an ad and, therefore, NOT appropriate." In addition to that,
the person who posted that message had a vested interest in the site that
he posted about. He has been suspended from the list until he pays the $50
advertising fee, at which point the ad will run for a week, and his
posting privileges will be reinstated.
The second suspension was for taking administrative questions and comments
to the list instead of to me. This is another posting rule, and one which
I recently reinforced on the list. His posting privileges were suspended
until he contacted me offlist, which he did. He has been reinstated.
Perhaps you can imagine that by the time I read John's ad posting, I was a
bit irritated by this rush of inappropriate activity on the list. There is
a fuzzy line in this case, but it is not "What Constitutes and Ad"
(because yes, posting one's availability in that way is unequivocally an
ad) but how such an ad posting is handled. John is a long-time,
well-respected member of this community, and I should have contacted him
offlist instead of publicly. His posting privileges have been reinstated.
John, please accept my apology for overreacting.
There are ways to get the word out to the list if you are unemployed and
seeking a job. Yesterday, I mentioned the Employment Services page on
TECHWR-L (http://www.techwr-l.com/techwhirl/employment/). Another way is
to constructively respond to questions on the list with a sigline
mentioning your availability for employment.
If you have questions about whether or not a post is appropriate, please
email me privately, first.
I wish you a good weekend,
Lisa B.
TECHWR-L Administrator
lisa -at- techwr-l -dot- com
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