TOTV - Policy re: Non Advertisers
 

Seems to be a lot of discussion about people having posts edited or removed because they offer the name and or phone number of businesses that do not advertise on TOTV, ie., recent thread about Golf Cart Repair.

What am I missing when I see numerous referrals for Drs., Dentists, Landscape Contractors etc., many of whom advertise in the Daily Sun but are not TOTV advertisers.

It shouldn't be both ways. Either you should or should not be able to publish business names and phone numbers for folks who do not advertise on TOTV.

If non advertisers are banned in one case they should be banned in all cases. If such is not the case, as it appears to be, I'd be interested in knowing the criteria that differentiates between banned and not banned business referrals.

If indeed they should all be banned, the value of TOTV to the community would be greatly diminished.

The line should be drawn at businesses that toot their own horns to drum up business for themselves. Third party referrals and recommendations should not be edited, censored or eliminated if their only purpose is to respond to inquiries made by TOTV members.

As I understand it if a business trys to solicit customers on TOTV without advertising then there numbers and information is banned when people recommend them. If a business does not solicit or advertise and folks recommend them, that's OK.

Every day there are recommendations made for services. If a user wants to recommend a company and their services and there are no connections to this business or financial gain from it the recommendation is welcome. These recommendations are not deleted or moderated.

If someone is going to personally or financially benefit by the post it would be considered a commercial post. Advertisers pay to promote their business here and that is what supports the cost of operating the site. To commercially post without being an advertiser is stealing from the site and those contributing advertisers and sponsors here.

Only 2 businesses have a ban on the site for good reason out of the hundreds or thousands that have been posted.

I have no interest, financial or otherwise in ********. Yet, I can't recommend them or even send a member a PM with that name. Why won't you let his business be mentioned?

Yes they are 1 of the 2 businesses to ever have a ban like this.

I posted an explanation in your other post.

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...t=41793&page=2

I mentioned ******** and it was deleted. Is this the other company that was banned?

Services
 

:agree:

Yes GeorgeT that is #2.

Third party referrals and recommendations should not be edited, censored or eliminated if their only purpose is to respond to inquiries made by TOTV members.

Agree that has been and will continue to be our position outside of these 2 businesses.

Banned Businesses
 

Admin, now that you've furnished an explanation about why the first business got banned, could you please do the same for the second business?

Thanks.

I don't feel we need to know why a business is banned. That could open the owners to a defamation suit.

I am annoyed at people who post about how they like so and so's housekeeping service or dog sitting service or downspout service and THAT is all they post about and they have eight or nine posts about it.

It seems to me that person is the one that owns the business and they are trying to pull the wool over our eyes by appearing to say they like the services.

I am all for people who share when they truly have had a great experience with a contractor.

When members of the asylum get too much information, they start to go crazy.:laugh:

I think we sometimes forget that this is a free site for users ... Because businesses are advertising here. I appreciate the fact that the Admin offers TOTV to members with no charge, and I respect any decisions he makes.

I fully agree. As for the housekeeping thread, that's another place where I could see the owner using his discretion on whether to maintain someone's posting privileges.

Is that fair? Sure. This site is a business. I don't presume as a customer that I can make the rules for Macy's, nor do I presume as a poster, that I can make the rules for TOTV. In either case, if I don't feel I'm getting my money's worth, I'm free to leave. (Oh yeah, this site is FREE, thanks to admins making good business decisions.) :bigbow:

So sure, for example, the owner has a right to suspend privileges if he so chooses of someone who shows up and posts and bumps and posts about housekeeping services and nothing else. If it looks like a duck and acts like a duck and walks like a duck...

As an aside on the housekeeping thread, many of us are smart enough not to act soley upon the advice of people who's only discernable agenda is to promote a certain business. ;)

ditto that.