rec.kites Advertising Policy

This policy has no explicit authority. It has not been voted on and there is no-one to enforce it. It is just one person's (andrew@tug.com) attempt to try to write down the consensus of feeling about the issue in the group.

Abstract

We want to support the the kite trade in rec.kites, for the benefit of both traders and fliers. However, we want to avoid being swamped by commercial advertising as the net contines to expand (at around 10%/month!) Remember that people *pay* to recieve rec.kites. Commercial adverts can do your business more harm than good. Imagine how you would feel about a company that sent you junk-mail with "postage to pay"...

Policy

  1. Don't post adverts
  2. A posting announcing a NEW catalogue is fine, but *don't* post the catalogue (make it available by Email or on the web), and don't repeat the posting
  3. If there is a thread about a product that you manufacture or sell, feel free to contribute to the thread, but do so as an informed poster, not as an advertiser
  4. An announcement of a new trade service on the net (by Email or Web) is fine, but don't repeat it, and keep it to announcement only.
  5. Keep your signature to 4 lines maximum. a 4-line .sig is widely accepted as acceptable and considered to part of the normal overhead associated with each posting. If it's going to be there, then I see no reason to stop traders using it in any way that they see fit. Since the signature space would likey be filled with other low-information content stuff if it wasn't an advert, I see this as zero-cost option. However, even here, people get upset if you overdo it. The AKA's "No price based ads" policy may be appropriate but I can't find it to hand to quote from. Your signature is a good place to mention your trade, and to have a pointer to your catalogue or Web page. It is considered good form to mention your trade connection so that people can identify any bias you may have in your postings.
  6. Private ads are OK, but only do it once. Put it in your 4-line signature, if you like.
  7. The correct response to a post asking for a dealer in is to reply by Email. If you feel that a posting is appropriate, you should detail how to get the answer from the Address FAQ. Check your entry in the Address FAQ (at the time of writing, this is being updated - the latest copy is at www.kfs.org - Hawaii will be updated when we're finished)
  8. Feel free to discuss the products that you make or sell, but remember that we can tell what is advice, information and opinion and distinguish it from advertising.
  9. It is in your own long-term interest to keep to the spirit of this policy, as it's failure is likely to lead to the creation of biz.kites, to which all trade activity will be banished, but which is also likely to have a smaller audience. If you want to go ahead and create biz.kites for this purpose, then go ahead...
When the thread comes to a close, I'll include it here...