[Eriksrocks]

Originally Posted by Cookiegal

Ericksrocks,

While we do allow links to web sites in signatures, including a price is actually advertising which is against the rules. Would you please amend your signature accordingly. Thanks.

Sorry, I was not aware of this policy change. I've been away for quite awhile and before that I had my current signature for over a year.

I've amended by signature accordingly. Thanks.

Hewee, a simple explanation would have been sufficient instead of blaming me for "spamming the site."

[hewee]

It is still spam if you read the rules.

http://www.techguy.org/rules.html

Spamming/Advertising - You cannot post advertisements of any sort in any forum. This includes products, services, or web sites from which you'd directly or indirectly benefit in any way.

[throoper]

OK children, TIME-OUT.
You'll scare the OP and I'm dying to know who called it right.

[Phantom010]

Originally Posted by hewee

It is still spam if you read the rules.

http://www.techguy.org/rules.html

In that case, you'll have to tell that to hundreds of other members...

[Cookiegal]

Originally Posted by hewee

It is still spam if you read the rules.

http://www.techguy.org/rules.html

This is in the exceptions Harry:

# Signatures - When posting a useful response, you may include your own web page (or that of your company) in the signature of your message. However, this does not precede other rules. (That is to say that you can't mis-use vB Code in your link, provide links to naughty web sites, etc.)

[Cookiegal]

Originally Posted by Eriksrocks

Sorry, I was not aware of this policy change. I've been away for quite awhile and before that I had my current signature for over a year.

I've amended by signature accordingly. Thanks.

I guess we just never noticed it before but thanks for taking care of it.

[dotty999]

Originally Posted by Cookiegal

This is in the exceptions Harry:

well, that perhaps explains when I've got my "reporting head" on the sigs are still around!

I thought advertising wasn't allowed, particularly when the sites are promoting and selling goods as that would be seen as them benefiting which again I assumed wasn't allowed phew! methinks I'll give up, I was wearing the report button out anyway!

[Eriksrocks]

Glad this is cleared up. I've also shortened my signature to one line so it doesn't take up as much space.

[hewee]

Sorry if I do not understand that not to be spam because it is in the signature.

It is the very same thing that others have posted that get deleted as spam.

Note the link http://www.bluehost.com/track/eriksrocks/techguy is what takes you to http://www.bluehost.com/

That is because it is part of the "Affiliate Program" https://www.bluehost.com/cgi-bin/partner/

So that means it is there to sell and make money or is spamming.
If the Bluehost Hosting! link was only http://www.bluehost.com/ then it would not be the same as the partner link but it is still selling.

Sure do not know what is spam now when all I have seen as spam get deleted in the pass is now said to be OK.

[Eriksrocks]

The difference here is that I'm not creating a post with only the link or in any way saying, "you should buy this product." I'm recommending a hosting service I use with a small link in my signature. I happen to have an affiliate account there, so, naturally, I used that link.

Spam is defined as

a disruptive, esp. commercial message posted on a computer network or sent as e-mail.

The link is in no way disruptive and is hardly commercial compared to what is traditionally known as spam.

There are thousands of users here who have links to their websites, their company's website, 3rd party websites, etc. One could easily argue that any link in a signature to one's own website or a website they are affiliated with could be for the purpose of making money (through ad revenue, user signups, traditional products and services, whatever). Should all of those be considered spam, too?

Personally, I think that recommending a web hosting service through a single link in a signature should NOT be considered "spam." Signature links as clearly defined as an exception to the spamming/advertising rule, as long as the link is reasonable and in good taste, which I think we can all agree is the case here.

Cookiegal, I think we need a final ruling on this issue, since it seems that Hewee doesn't want to let it go.

[TechGuy]

The rules current state:

Signatures - When posting a useful response, you may include your own web page (or that of your company) in the signature of your message. However, this does not precede other rules. (That is to say that you can't mis-use vB Code in your link, provide links to naughty web sites, etc.)

I like that rule because if I were to spend my time posting in someone else's forum, I'd want to link to my own personal or possibly business site. It seems like a fair trade in most cases. So, per the current rules, I believe that Erik's signature is OK -- although I agree it's a little gray. (I doubt he actually works for Bluehost, but who's to say he doesn't? The Mods sure aren't going to call Bluehost's HR to try to find out.)

This brings up a bigger question, which I think was recently mentioned in Site Comments. Should signature links be allowed at all? I currently think they should, but I'm always open to feedback. I think the discussion of signatures is best placed in that forum, though -- not in this thread.

I just did a quick search and found what I believe is the appropriate thread for this discussion: http://forums.techguy.org/site-comme...m-threads.html

[Eriksrocks]

Thanks Mike. We can continue discussion in that thread. I'm sure the OP is long gone by now.

[hewee]

Sorry for starting something Eriksrocks.

[Eriksrocks]

Originally Posted by hewee

Sorry for starting something Eriksrocks.

Hey no problem it's a good thing to discuss.

[lisa6447]

The original original post sounds like a domestic to me guys leave them to it truth will out