"Ben Atkins" wrote in message
...
snip for clarity
Well, I did look for the forum rules before posting and did not find
them. I understand the rules now and I make it a point not to spam
boards with useless sales info. However, I do see a mutually
beneficial relationship that has developed on other boards between
vendor and casual poster. By drawing the line between useful industry
knowledge that all everybody can use and cluttering up the group with
relentless spam, I receive exposure and the reinforcement of our
abilities and you receive my experiences and said useful knowledge.
What do people think about that?


I think on some level it's a matter of the style of the posting. In your
original post, it seemed to be more of an info-mercial rather than a call
for comments. For example, you said you have a great reputation, then the
next poster pointed out a problem. Instead, you could have posted something
like... we do thus-and-such, has anyone experienced good, bad, or
indifferent with our product? Then, assuming Jeff posted the same thing, you
could followed up publically about how you have or will remedy the
situation. The discussion would then be focused on your products and/or
willingness to accept criticism, try to deal with the problem, etc., vs.
lack of nettiquette.

There's a lot to be said about a vender/potential customer relationship
developing on Usenet. I've seen this happen many times on other sailing
forums, but you can't just take some marketing language and cut and paste.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com