IMPORTANT: Spam in Collecting Tiki - Collecting Tiki

H hanford_lemoore Tiki Socialite Tiki Central Joined: Mar 23, 2002 Posts: 1899	H hanford_lemoore Posted posted on Sun, Jun 15, 2003 1:43 AM This has come up a lot recently so I thought I’d address it. There’s a been a lot of discussion about spam in the Collecting Tiki forum, and a lot of ribbing of people who post an auction or sale as their first post. In all but one case that I can remember, the announcer has left, often in a huff. So I want to clarify some things. First in a very simple form, then in a detail. The basics: Auction announcements are allowed in Collecting Tiki ,regardless of who’s posting it. Be kind to people and judge them on their auction quality, not number of posts. Announcing an eBbay auction for something that is truly Tiki-related is not Spam, no matter who the announcer is, or how many posts they have. Collecting Tiki is the appropriate forum for announcing it. The forum was started for exactly that reason. Tiki Central is about the exchange of information. It was that way from the beginning and for a long time that’s all it really was. Making friends and becoming a real community came later. And announcing a Tiki ebay auction completely fits into the mission and model of Tiki Central. I’m not saying the friendship/community part isn’t important, only that it shouldn’t stand in the way of the information exchange. If you take a look at http://www.tikicentral.com ‘s homepage, you’ll see I have a lot of Features geared at pretty basic tiki stuff. There’s a reason for that: I was once a complete Tiki novice (and still am in many aspects) and just I wanted to tell other novices about the stuff I found. I had always wished there was a place for people who don’t or can’t spend hours at flea markets, antique stores, and whatnot. I want Tiki Central to stay newbie-friendly. If someone new posts an auction, I ask that you please don’t harass them simply because they’re new. If the auction is overpriced or of horrible quality or is pseudo-tiki, definitely feel free to post about that, but be polite and stick to the facts, and assume they’re new and aren’t aware of their auction’s shortcomings. You’re not only letting the newbie know politely, but you’re also informing (thousands of) other regulars who may not be aware of price/quality/genre issues. The benefit of this is simple: seasoned members can expose the auction for what it is (either good or bad) whether it’s an honest newbie or a guy trying to make a quick buck; newer members reading will learn from the replies, and in the case the auction is posted by someone who’s truly into Tiki, then we haven’t scared them away. I am working on getting (A) better house rules for Collecting Tiki and getting them in a place that is easier to read, esp. for the newbies and (B) a “SALE” option for new posts that make it easy for people to weed out auctions from other posts. Please bear with me until I’ve gotten that added. I’m interested in what everyone has to say about this because the Spam issue is governed by emotion as much as it is logic. If I’ve missed something, let me know. If you’ve never posted to Tiki Central, here’s an invite to voice yourself. ~Hanford (and Mig)

This has come up a lot recently so I thought I’d address it.

There’s a been a lot of discussion about spam in the Collecting Tiki forum, and a lot of ribbing of people who post an auction or sale as their first post. In all but one case that I can remember, the announcer has left, often in a huff. So I want to clarify some things. First in a very simple form, then in a detail.

The basics:

Auction announcements are allowed in Collecting Tiki ,regardless of who’s posting it.
Be kind to people and judge them on their auction quality, not number of posts.

Announcing an eBbay auction for something that is truly Tiki-related is not Spam, no matter who the announcer is, or how many posts they have. Collecting Tiki is the appropriate forum for announcing it. The forum was started for exactly that reason.

Tiki Central is about the exchange of information. It was that way from the beginning and for a long time that’s all it really was. Making friends and becoming a real community came later. And announcing a Tiki ebay auction completely fits into the mission and model of Tiki Central. I’m not saying the friendship/community part isn’t important, only that it shouldn’t stand in the way of the information exchange.

If you take a look at http://www.tikicentral.com ‘s homepage, you’ll see I have a lot of Features geared at pretty basic tiki stuff. There’s a reason for that: I was once a complete Tiki novice (and still am in many aspects) and just I wanted to tell other novices about the stuff I found. I had always wished there was a place for people who don’t or can’t spend hours at flea markets, antique stores, and whatnot.

I want Tiki Central to stay newbie-friendly. If someone new posts an auction, I ask that you please don’t harass them simply because they’re new. If the auction is overpriced or of horrible quality or is pseudo-tiki, definitely feel free to post about that, but be polite and stick to the facts, and assume they’re new and aren’t aware of their auction’s shortcomings. You’re not only letting the newbie know politely, but you’re also informing (thousands of) other regulars who may not be aware of price/quality/genre issues. The benefit of this is simple: seasoned members can expose the auction for what it is (either good or bad) whether it’s an honest newbie or a guy trying to make a quick buck; newer members reading will learn from the replies, and in the case the auction is posted by someone who’s truly into Tiki, then we haven’t scared them away.

I am working on getting (A) better house rules for Collecting Tiki and getting them in a place that is easier to read, esp. for the newbies and (B) a “SALE” option for new posts that make it easy for people to weed out auctions from other posts. Please bear with me until I’ve gotten that added.

I’m interested in what everyone has to say about this because the Spam issue is governed by emotion as much as it is logic. If I’ve missed something, let me know. If you’ve never posted to Tiki Central, here’s an invite to voice yourself.

~Hanford
(and Mig)

Post #39273 by hanford_lemoore on Sun, Jun 15, 2003 1:43 AM