🚀 go-pugleaf

Sundial Services skrev i meldingen
<383BFBE9.32F9@sundialservices.com>...
>I'd like to offer these suggestions for postings of a commercial
nature:
>
>(1) Make sure the subject line says "announce:" so that readers can
>easily choose whether to read one or not.  Be sure that your posting is
>not a thinly-disguised advertisement... in other words, "would you be
>recommending this if you didn't happen to sell it?"

...then your first "announce:" should be a freeware, well-featured news
reader with a checkbox dropping all "announce:" - messages.

>(2) Don't post it over and over again.

...If every manufacturer of "relevant" stuff would announce their
products in this NG even ONE time, the noise would become overwhelming.
Because - it's free. Today, I believe it could be a little stupid to
announce here. I, for one, would have my doubts about the poster's
seriousness, and I never check out those products.

>(3) Be sure the product or service you're referring to is of direct
>interest to the newsgroup readership.  We -do- work in a niche market
>here;

..It's not a niche market; all we have in common is that we all are
Delphi programmers. I find somewhat 10% of the normal postings
interesting, and if this percentage should drop substantially, I would
sign off.

>good products are to be found everywhere in the world, where the
>books and magazines we buy just don't reach.  Good products and
services
>are worth knowing about.

..the good thing about Internet is that you go for the info as you need
it. Place your products on Torry's and DSP and/or other channels, and
we'll find them. Remember, we do searches for stuff all the time. Just
see how often products and URL's are suggested...

>(4) Please don't take it upon yourself to be a one-man "bit policeman,"
>guardian of netiquette on behalf of the entire world.  If you don't
>agree with it, don't read it.  Let it slip right on by.

If, one day,  posting an announcement is perfectly fine, NG's like this
loose their effectiveness. It's like knocking at peoples doors late
saturday night to arrange Tupperware Homeparties because "they're
already there". We owe noise-free environment to the people who kindly
reply to questions, sharing their valuable knowledge for free.

>For every one
>participant here there might easily be 100,000 silent readers.  You
>really must not be the judge of what is or isn't "relevant."

The only difference between the silent readers and the active ones is
that none of the first have an ambition to answer relevant questions
every day. And - unless you know anything about them, don't claim that
they agree with you.

>Usenet newsgroups derive their greatest power from free and unfettered,
but
>always on-topic (in somebody's opinion) exchange of ideas.

That's why we don't want Borland, MS, me, you or anyone else to
advertise in this NG. To keep noise away.

--
Bjoerge Saether
Consultant / Developer
Asker, Norway
bsaether.removethis@online.no (remove the obvious)