Moderators & Self-Promotion Rule Ambiguity

[Account Closed]

There seems to be a lot of ambiguity surrounding the self-promotion rule and when it justifies the removal of a post. Some clarification by moderators would be greatly appreciated.

E.g. I recently had a post removed looking to network with local fix and flip investors simply due to the mention of my current capacity as a private money lender (without any promotion whatsoever) merely because the post "may arise in deal making". If a similar standard were applied throughout the forum, you can imagine the number of posts that would be flagged.

In a similar situation, I had a post-reply flagged because I included the phrase "I lend in XYZ area" merely as a justification to my own credibility, and not as a promotion.

It's painful to have a post or reply with good content that's voted on flagged due to the inclusion of only a small phrase that may contradict forum guidelines, and I believe an alert to edit the post-reply before it's removed (or at least to provide the author the post's original content) would be a huge addition to the forums. 

It seems like the majority of the time post removal is merely open to the interpretation of the individual moderator (with regards to the self-promotion rule) vs any well-defined guideline or rule of thumb.

Thanks

[Mindy Jensen]

We consider any mention of your company or what you do to be self promotion. We remove this when we see it, as this is a violation of our rules.

A detailed Profile page will allow you to share your occupation, experiences and ambitions with anyone who wishes to view it.

The only place advertising is allowed is the Marketplace forum. You’ll need a Plus or Pro membership to post in that forum, but all members can view the forum. (edited)

We do this to keep advertising and spam out of our forums. If we did not, we would soon be overrun with ads like most unmoderated forums online.

We get on average 2500 posts every day, making it impossible to read them all. If you see something that violates our rules, please help us out by reporting the posts. The original poster can’t see that you reported them, that’s only shared with the administrative staff.

In every post, there are three green dots in the upper right corner. Hover over them and a popup window will appear, with a choice to Report Abuse.

[John Thedford]

I have had posts removed for mentioning the website of our local REIA. I was encouraging new people in our area to come network at the REIA. I never quite understood why the posts were removed. I did question one of the mods (I believe he is new..never had seen his name before) and never received an answer. Just curious about this. I was not mentioning a specific meeting..only the fact that they are here in SW Florida and to check out their website.

[Jeff B.]

This is a very touchy subject and posts do seem to be arbitrarily deleted, but I've mentioned this elsewhere.  Information is hard to censure without hard feelings.

[JD Martin]

I don't think about it too much. All in all I think the moderators around here do a hell of a job, considering the size of the forums and the potential for advertising. I would guess that if you are having posts removed on a regular basis, you are probably always treading right on the edge of self promotion. 

[Ned Carey]

@Account Closed Thank you.. Any perceived weakness in the rules is quickly exploited by people who are only here for self promotion.

[John Thedford]

@Ned Carey

Yes Ned I though removing the posts was a little heavy handed. I am aware of the forums for events. These posts were not mentioning any specific time or place, only that they are local and to check out their website. The mods have a BIG job considering the number of posts and for that I am sure most people are thankful for the job they do.

[Jeff S.]

I'm in complete agreement with the policy and only wish it would be enforced more aggressively, though I appreciate Mindy and Ned's explanation about the constraints, and I offer my thanks.

For me, the forums are about content, not sales or self-aggrandizement. How tired I am reading from those who can't stop posting about themselves or their business, with no content to add to the particular topic. If all you have is, "I'm a lender, let's have coffee," or "PM me" or "Let's network," you added nothing that tells me you know what your doing. Why should anyone listen to you? Credibility comes from content.

In the time I've been involved here, many lenders have come on strong and then disappeared. I'm guessing they figured out there is not much business to be generated by talking about themselves. That is, you're only interesting when you share. Others have had their names completely wiped out and can't even be looked up. Uncovered scammers?

If you feel you must bloviate about yourself or otherwise advertise, there are many web sites that are happy to accommodate: LinkedIn, Craigslist, Facebook, and even the BP Marketplace.

No thanks. 

[Bill Gulley]

And, the OP needs to realize he's not a private lender if he seeks out borrowers, advertises, he is a hard money lender and, depending on what kind of loans he tries to make, may need a license. 

That will be a bigger concern for the rules than forum rules!

And, when I see'm I report them, not right that others pay to advertise and others try to sneak them in. Good luck figuring it all out. :)