A note about advertising (again)

Don't get mad at me but what is your tag-line all about?
That's advertising ain't it?
I don't really know the offending thread was about but then I wonder why have the "buy/sell/trade" category?
I think it's fine but if someone was abusing then so be it.

Not carping, but I have seen an ad for my lil' ol' company pop up on here as a banner above the forum list. Not my doing. Is that an issue?

I believe Wendell commented on that about a month ago. As I recall Wendell's accepting that stuff from the web is a part of being hooked up with search engines.

Wendell is talking about adding blatant ads to your signature/profile.

I think Wendell pays quite enough to include those ads for is firm.

Paul in PA

> That's advertising ain't it?

Yes it is and I pay the bills. 🙂

Yes, if you advertise on Google AdWords, then there's a chance you'll show up in our Google ads here. We get Google AdSense revenue (which amounts to very little) but if your ad shows up here via Google AdSense, well that's certainly not your fault.

Also, we are talking about a company that offers surveying services to a bunch of surveyors, which probably isn't actually a lucrative audience for you anyway. The issue I'm having here is basically vendors of surveying equipment that want a surveyor audience. Most (99%) of them understand the cost of doing business and that advertising here works. The issue I have is with the 1% who thinks they are entitled to free advertising because their product helps surveyors -- which leads to the question: What surveying equipment manufacturer doesn't think their product helps surveyors? Isn't that partly why they make their product(s)?

> Don't get mad at me but what is your tag-line all about?
> That's advertising ain't it?
> I don't really know the offending thread was about but then I wonder why have the "buy/sell/trade" category?
> I think it's fine but if someone was abusing then so be it.

It sure is E, but it is his website to do with as he pleases.

Like he said he pays the bills.B-)

No problem fellers. That's why I prefaced it with "don't get mad me".
Of course I know it's his site.

> No problem fellers. That's why I prefaced it with "don't get mad me".
> Of course I know it's his site.

That don't make no sense.

Eric

> Don't get mad at me but what is your tag-line all about?
> That's advertising ain't it?
> I don't really know the offending thread was about but then I wonder why have the "buy/sell/trade" category?
> I think it's fine but if someone was abusing then so be it.

It's his website, and I feel confident that his sweat equity into this site, more than pays for whatever extrinsic costs may be associated with his "advertising" in his tag line.

> So before you send that abusive email to me about how I removed the blatant advertising in your signature line, please keep that in mind. Why are you privileged enough to get free advertising while others actually pay for it?
>

First off I agree with you Wendell, to a point.

Since this is mostly a surveyors board, a surveyor is not going to gain much business by including his information in a signature line. Yes I am sure that there are also manufacturers and distributors on this board as well, still the signature line of 'so and so, director of sales, at some great company' is still a signature. It tells about the person and where he works.

Point 2. The above posters, the ones with the signatures are the ones who really make this board what it is. So they deserve to be recognized for who they are. Obviously without them, this site wouldn't be squat.

I think you have gotten glazed vision over advertising dollars that may or may not be realized, just my observation. I think you should rethink your statement however concerning the people who are PROVIDING YOUR content, which you are collecting advertising for.

I also realize that I may have fired you up enough to ban me, delete this, or both. I am not a surveyor, I do purchase from some of your advertisers however and find good information here that I enjoy.

My question is, how do you sell advertising without content?

jeff

I think you're missing the mark completely. Allow me to explain. In marketing, the first rule is to identify your market. In the case of this website, we being surveyors, could put whatever we would want up here, relating to land surveying, and it effectively fall on deaf ears as we are not the target market, nor would I surmise that any poster receives much work from interacting with this forum.

That being said, the few posters who view the land surveyor as a target market, are, advertising, and subject to any and all fees that Wendell feels compelled to assess to that individual or company.

Kris

That is exactly as I see it.

Wendell painted with wide broom however.

I have seen some 'pretty' signature lines disappear.

jeff

I guess my biggest gripe with your antecedent statements was the idea that his vision is glazed over from advertising dollars and a not-so-thinly-veiled insinuation that Wendell is some kind of money hungry dictator of web design in the Pacific Northwest. That idea couldn't be further from the truth, nor do I think he's "rolling in it". In fact, he is probably light on his fees if I had to guess.

See it however you choose, but business 101 says identify the target market. If you sell to surveyors predominately, and you post here with contact information, then ipso-facto, you are advertising to your target market with no compensation to the host company.

jeff

> That idea couldn't be further from the truth, nor do I think he's "rolling in it". In fact, he is probably light on his fees if I had to guess.

You are correct. I wish we were "rolling in it", though. +o(

jeff

:good:

jeff

See it however you choose, but business 101 says identify the target market. If you sell to surveyors predominately, and you post here with contact information, then ipso-facto, you are advertising to your target market with no compensation to the host company.

Advertising is advertising. Whether you want to place a banner ad, write posts about your product or include a logo and/or link to your product(s) in your signature line, it's still advertising.

I removed the blatant advertising

Why do they charge you for it? Because they want to make money

If you sell to surveyors predominately, and you post here with contact information, then ipso-facto, you are advertising to your target market with no compensation to the host company

So why are the content providers, ie the people who provide the posts that are the potential buyers from the advertisers being placed in the same category?

My guess is that the number of sellers of stuff to surveyors on this board is less than a couple of handfuls, some, such as Ladd are actually helpful posters.

I (personally) just find this offensive for (to) the people who are providing the content, it's a slap in the face, imo. I don't have a signature line nor am I selling anything so it doesn't affect me in that sense.

I have seen other good boards start this type of tactic, most of them are now just dust, I'd hate to see that happen here.

No, I don't think Wendell is rolling in the money (I operate several websites)

JeffE,

I would certainly not ban or block you from the site just for stating your opinion. And I appreciate the concept that you would provide your opinion without being insulting or abusive.

jeff

> So why are the content providers, ie the people who provide the posts that are the potential buyers from the advertisers being placed in the same category?

They aren't. You seem to be missing something or I'm not explaining it well enough. If you provide surveying services, go ahead and put your company in your signature. 99% of the users here are surveyors. It's the other 1% that want to SELL TO SURVEYORS that can't advertise unless they pay for it.

I'm certainly not getting rich from this website and, in fact, I lose more time/money than I get out of it. But I keep it running out of my passion for the profession, even though I no longer practice surveying.

To be clear, I would welcome surveyors to add links to their websites in their signatures, providing they aren't trying to sell a product or service to other surveyors.

Hey Wendell, I got a good "advertising eraser" I could sell you for $9.99....you just spray it on your screen when you see an ad pop up.....(okay just making a bad joke).

BigE....Wendell has a tag line advertisement. So who should he make his payment to? It's not about him breaking the rules because it's his web site....It's about he can pay himself to advertise on his own site; and who are you to say his isn't paid for?

You all know you are advertising when you add a link or a line in your signature. Of course you want to drum up business. Why don't you email Wendell and ask him what it would cost to do just a tag-line advertisement? Maybe he would cut you a deal if it's just a tag line. Also, I don't see it as the vendors are then ones that make this web site what it is, and that it wouldn't be worth a dang if they weren't here. No. The web site is what it is because of the participants and the host. The venders are here because the site is what it is.

Personally I gain more knowledge from posts like David S. (?)'s on asking about some fundamental geodesy problems, or when the non-paid nonvendor Dave Doyle shares some wisdom. Or some of the excellent case studies that many guys provide. Or the sometimes cutting debates between John Stahl and Kent McMillimeter.

I didn't think this thread would gain legs and that Wendell's comments were relatively self-explanatory. But since it did (take legs), I thought I would throw in a couple of thoughts.