Define Self Promotion

[Sarah]

no problem we might have many rules but we try to be as helpful as possible

[dc dalton]

OK, I got it now ... (and I more with it today), thanks Sarah for clearing that up.

[produke]

POSTING CONTENT FROM OTHER PEOPLE OR WEBSITES
Copying any content from another person's work, or another website, is not allowed without express permission from the creater/owner of the original work. Even if you attribute the article correctly it is still copyright infringement. Do not reproduce substancial parts of articles or news items from other sites in the forums. If you don't have permission to copy something then always err on the side of caution and simply post a link to the material at its original location, or quote a short excerpt only, indicating where the quote came from. SitePoint shall not be held responsible for member-posted information that violates copyright.

That still doesnt' clarify, for me, what users are supposed to do when they are answering extremely specific questions where the answer is too long for the SP forum post. I mean, when dealing with such technical stuff you can't always just summarize an answer.. I think it is a huge disservice to those using the forum who are trying to get help. There is this HUGE elephant in the room saying Don't link to any external site, or our SP clan will bann, kick, and delete your butt.

Another question
I happen to have written several lengthy HOW-TO articles about a very particular niche, .htaccess files. I wrote these articles only to help, not as some sort of search-engine bait or whatever its called on SP.

So the question is, How am I supposed to link to my articles (which continually and repeatedly contain the solutions people are asking for)???

When I joined the forums I was really excited because your articles are so good, and my modus operandi was to totally re-format and paraphrase my articles on my blog and post them here, a lengthy-process, and then at the very bottom I would cite my own dang blog here is an example of what I would do. What SP is doing by not allowing users to link to their own how-tos and tutorials is just so that site visitors will stay on SP longer. Really its no better than spamming itself because it is hurting the user-experience just so they can make money from advertisers.

Today I got an email saying I received a new PM on sitepoint, and I was excited that someone asked me a question about one of my articles. Nope. Instead I found out that all but 1 of my posts had been removed for "Self-promotion"!!! Ridiculous!

If this post doesn't get me banned from SP I'll probably come back and edit it to be less confrontational.. but man those posts took me a long time to do and I thought I was CONTRIBUTING to the forum and helping people out.. I had no idea I was a SPAMMER spamming the forum. Ridiculous!

[stymiee]

Originally Posted by produke

That still doesnt' clarify, for me, what users are supposed to do when they are answering extremely specific questions where the answer is too long for the SP forum post. I mean, when dealing with such technical stuff you can't always just summarize an answer.. I think it is a huge disservice to those using the forum who are trying to get help. There is this HUGE elephant in the room saying Don't link to any external site, or our SP clan will bann, kick, and delete your butt.

It is very, very rare that a solution is so complex that it cannot be posted in the forums. In those rare cases it can usually be solved by breaking the problem into smaller parts and addressing them individually. I actually can't imagine a scenario where someone couldn't receive help in the forums.

Originally Posted by produke

Another question
I happen to have written several lengthy HOW-TO articles about a very particular niche, .htaccess files. I wrote these articles only to help, not as some sort of search-engine bait or whatever its called on SP.

So the question is, How am I supposed to link to my articles (which continually and repeatedly contain the solutions people are asking for)???

When I joined the forums I was really excited because your articles are so good, and my modus operandi was to totally re-format and paraphrase my articles on my blog and post them here, a lengthy-process, and then at the very bottom I would cite my own dang blog here is an example of what I would do. What SP is doing by not allowing users to link to their own how-tos and tutorials is just so that site visitors will stay on SP longer. Really its no better than spamming itself because it is hurting the user-experience just so they can make money from advertisers.

SitePoint's policy is that members cannot link to their own websites unless it is required to help them with a technical question they have (usually a design/programming issue). Otherwise, even if the content is useful and relevant, it can't be posted in a member's post. If you have content that does answer someone's question, well, post it in the thread.

They have chosen this policy to prevent members from using their forums as a place to advertise. They really want to keep the discussion in the forums without distractions. They also don't want people to abuse it and fluff post or use it as a loophole to promote themselves. On the flip side members who have truly useful content can't present it to the forums which is a shame. All-in-all the policy works, though.

Originally Posted by produke

Today I got an email saying I received a new PM on sitepoint, and I was excited that someone asked me a question about one of my articles. Nope. Instead I found out that all but 1 of my posts had been removed for "Self-promotion"!!! Ridiculous!

Wanna promote your articles? Use your signature, that's what it is there for. Just don't tell tell people to click on the links in your signature as that is just as good as linking to them in your post.

I get plenty of traffic to my sites from my signature. It's a great bonus for being an active member here.

Originally Posted by produke

If this post doesn't get me banned from SP I'll probably come back and edit it to be less confrontational.. but man those posts took me a long time to do and I thought I was CONTRIBUTING to the forum and helping people out.. I had no idea I was a SPAMMER spamming the forum. Ridiculous!

We don't ban people for complaining. We only ban people who prove they cannot follow the rules.

And we hope you keep contributing because you obviously know your stuff. Just do it within the forum guidelines so everyone can benefit and have a positive experience.

[yanavp]

A bit confusing, agree...

[bigalreturns]

This is clearly a complex issue with much confusion arising.
I actually wrote a piece about it on my site, but its too big to see here so just check out my signature...

[produke]

Originally Posted by stymiee

They have chosen this policy to prevent members from using their forums as a place to advertise. They really want to keep the discussion in the forums without distractions. They also don't want people to abuse it and fluff post or use it as a loophole to promote themselves. On the flip side members who have truly useful content can't present it to the forums which is a shame. All-in-all the policy works, though.

Am I allowed to say BS?

That is a really transparent white-lie that they get all their errand-people to perpetrate. They are obviously doing it for the money and the SEO benefits of more in links than out links. If it was a matter of keeping the spam out and the content in they would do what every single other forum does they would check to see it the linked to article was spam or "self-promotion" and filter out the bad while keeping the good.

Definately SP has enough admins to do this... but no, they want the money. So screw all of the people who use the forums, its either link to Sitepoint, or link to nothing.

I'm a member of about 15 webdev compsec forums and this is by far the strictest policy I have ever come across.

Its so hypocritical its laughable.

SP wont let us link to relevant and good and useful non-spam articles because thats called "self-promotion".

What in the heck to you call all the Popups, Ads, fees, articles, books, etc.., etc.. that are all over this place?

Thats why they won't let us link to external sites, not because of "self-promotion" but because they are self-promoting themselves... the longer they can keep visitors in this forum the more ADS they will be able to show us, etc.. My opinion of SitePoint is quickly changing.