Banned from 2 forums... UGH!

[Kirahster]

So here is the deal. I just put up a new website.

This website is about a topic that I am interested in, so I thought I would join forums and put a link or 2 in my sig and discuss this topic. In reality, I put 4 links in my sig.

I read a few threads and I contributed, where I felt that I could.

One forum, I was immediately give a ban for blatant spamming.

The other forum just cancelled my account all together.

Both of these forums allow links in the sig. In both of these forums I was contributing and not just posting one line answers. I read TOS and as far as I can see, I did not break any rules.



So my question to you is:


What is the correct etiquette when posting on other forums and sigs in other forums?

[Intrepreneur]

Unfortunately you'll find a huge percentage of forums will ban you and you just gotta dig out a forum that will respect your right to have a link to your stuff in your sig.

[BlueSquares]

Make the posts first. Add your sig later. lol...

Establish yourself in the beginning. Otherwise you'll appear like a spammer...and get banned.

[AmyBrown]

Forums often have unwritten rules. As you found out you're allowed to post at their discretion. If you're genuinely interested in contributing to the forum post at least a few times without using a signature. A single link, two at the most would be more typical of a non-im forum.

Observe the culture then wade in gently.

[CDarklock]

There isn't one. Forums are private property. If the owners don't like you - for any reason, whether it's a good one or not - they'll kick you out.

If you can't resolve it, just shrug and move on to the next forum. There are several forums out there where I simply can't participate, because the owners are... well, in my opinion, jerks. It's one thing when mods and staff enforce rules fairly, but when they play adolescent games, it's just not worth it.

[HomeComputerGames]

ummmm.....you weren't writing about killing everyone in the music cd industry was you?

[George Wright]

In the "old days" we were taught that forum etiquette consisted of.

1. Lurk for a good while before joining to get the feel of the community.

2. Then lurk for a while after joining to establish a dated presence.

3. Then participate by asking questions and finally participate by giving valuable comments and answering questions.

4. Then and only then take advantage of the sig file for promoting yourself.

Maybe the forums you joined subscribe to the "old school."

I know when a few new Warriors were told this in the past, their answer was, "Hey, I'm not new to IM I'm just new here. I probably know more than 'YOU' do." (YOU not being me but whoever brought "etiquette" to their attention) This seems to be the norm now.

George Wright

[threatlevelorange]

Originally Posted by BlueSquares

Make the posts first. Add your sig later. lol...

Establish yourself in the beginning. Otherwise you'll appear like a spammer...and get banned.

Excellent advice. I instinctively do this, but I'm also a soft-seller by nature. The attitude won't always make you millions overnight, but I stay out of trouble.

[threatlevelorange]

Originally Posted by George Wright

In the "old days" we were taught that forum etiquette consisted of.

1. Lurk for a good while before joining to get the feel of the community.

2. Then lurk for a while after joining to establish a dated presence.

3. Then participate by asking questions and finally participate by giving valuable comments and answering questions.

4. Then and only then take advantage of the sig file for promoting yourself.

Maybe the forums you joined subscribe to the "old school."

I know when a few new Warriors were told this in the past, their answer was, "Hey, I'm not new to IM I'm just new here. I probably know more than 'YOU' do." (YOU not being me but whoever brought "etiquette" to their attention) This seems to be the norm now.

George Wright

That's gold right there.

[GarrieWilson]

Originally Posted by Intrepreneur

Unfortunately you'll find a huge percentage of forums will ban you and you just gotta dig out a forum that will respect your right to have a link to your stuff in your sig.

You confuse right and privilege.

If Allen wanted, he could allow everyone the privilege to have a sig but you. That would be his right.

[Killer Joe]

Originally Posted by Intrepreneur

... you just gotta dig out a forum that will respect your right to have a link to your stuff in your sig.

"Respect your right"?

Sorry, that kind of thinking seems a bit flawed. You have no rights in this area only privileges. It's only once you realize the difference that this problem goes away.

It matters little what other people 'appear' to be doing. If you cross a forum owners' line you pay the price.

As BlueSquares said...Establish yourself in the beginning.

KJ

[Online Bliss]

From what I have read in the many posts on this forum regarding
harsh commments, Allen has been very patient.
On the other side it is nice to belong to a forum where foul language
is not tolerated. Thanks Allen.

[Jillian Slack]

I agree that it's often necessary to establish yourself and become a part of the community before adding your links to your signature.

Maybe it was a bit excessive to have four links in your sig in the beginning.

Also, you've got to be careful when you start posting on a forum. You might feel like you are contributing to the conversation (and I'm not saying you weren't, because I have no idea), but sometimes the new member is posting in a way that makes it obvious that all they are after is to get people interested in their site.

For example, if the conversation is about using gel pens when making scrapbook pages, the new member to the forum might post something like, "I've got a great selection of purple gel pens for sale in my online store," thinking they are being helpful. But that's just pointing people to your sig line.

It would be different if you contributed to the conversation by talking about three different types of purple gel pens and left it at that.

Know what I mean?

[Marcel Hartmann]

Four links is too much, whether you're participating with real sincerity or not.

[Richnana]

Read the TOS of the forum

[Mark-Dickenson]

Originally Posted by mhartmann

Four links is too much, whether you're participating with real sincerity or not.

I agree...four sigs is way too much

It draws way too much attention to yourself

I say 1 is the best...but what do I know lol

-Mark

[Kirahster]

This is how I had the links posted (they are all two keywords)

link1 | link2 | link3 | link4

It was one line of links and I did not refer to them at all in any of my posts.

I think I just feel frustrated that I read the TOS and did not believe that I was breaking any rules. Maybe I feel a bit embarrassed that I may have come across as a spammer also especially when the topic is one that I am genuinely interested in.

I think, for the time being, I will open a new account and participate in the forum with no links in my sig. I may put some links in at a later time.

[Richnana]

You know I keep reading how Forum Marketing is so effective. I don't know. The moderators either wrote the books or read the books and know exactly how to keep forum marketers at bay.

[Bruce Wedding]

Originally Posted by Intrepreneur

... you just gotta dig out a forum that will respect your right to have a link to your stuff in your sig.

Did you seriously just say that? Your RIGHT to have a link in your sig on a forum. All your "rights" are conveyed by the owner of the forum. In other words, you have none.

[Paul Myers]

This is how I had the links posted (they are all two keywords)

link1 | link2 | link3 | link4

BANG! You're toast.

That looks like posting just to get the SEO/link juice. Lots of mods will nuke you for that.


Paul

[Doug Simons]

It is there property and if they were not to intervene ever it would not be a nice place.

Doug

[Paul Myers]

KJ,

"Respect your right"?

He's young. He is improving a lot, but he's still got some of those lessons to learn.

I give him props for the consistent effort lately, and remember that... he's young.


Paul

[joanpeterson]

I think that is probably a good idea that you just open up another account for the forum and don't add any url's in your sig for awhile. And then, maybe start off with just 1 link for a few posts.

As you mentioned, you were participating in the forum and therefore thought you were adding value to the forum. But obviously, the owner or moderator of the forum felt that your entries were not appropriate or perhaps spam like in nature.

I would not be too concerned that you were banned from two forums. There are plenty of forums out there so just learn from this and keep on with your IM efforts.

[Killer Joe]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

KJ,He's young. He is improving a lot, but he's still got some of those lessons to learn.

I give him props for the consistent effort lately, and remember that... he's young.


Paul

Paul,

Right on every point


KJ

[Matt M]

Originally Posted by George Wright

In the "old days" we were taught that forum etiquette consisted of.

1. Lurk for a good while...4. Then and only then take advantage of the sig file for promoting yourself.

George, I'm still working on it

Matt

[MJ Schaefer]

I hate to use an old chestnut like "value", but I cannot think of a better word.

Marketers are disliked. The best way to get anybody to take the kind of action you want is to offer value. In the case of forum signature 'spamming', perhaps an idea would be to link to a feeder site that does offer some value. That site can then funnel to your main product (if indeed the OP has one).

ps I love that 'ugh' is a tag

[tomw]

Ah...the old mistaken perception that;

rights equal license.

Some things never change...especially around here.

I feel like I've never been away.



Thomas

[JMartin]

My advice is to participate a little and go check out some of the bigger boys and girls in the forum to see what they are doing with their sigs.

See how they are formated, what they contain and see if you can't mimic that when the time is right.

And try,for goodness sakes, to look normal. Blend in, weave in, profit.

[Michael Stuart Kelly]

Kirahster,

Four links in your sig coming out the gate? I own a forum and that would give me pause in any newbie. (Newbie to the forum, that is.)

Anyway, I see another problem. Rejection hurts. And it is a major morale sucker. Don't let it get you down. My advice is just move on and keep on keeping on.

But if you really like a forum that banned you, get in contact with the owner and explain what you are doing. Then ask what is the best way to proceed so your participation is win-win. Forum owners are people after all. (Well... most of them, anyway...)

Incidentally, I got the strangest impression from your sig file here on Warrior. Seeing the words all bunched together in the URL, my mind unraveled them as follows:

Super Kungfus Kills

I know a plural kungfus is a stretch, but tell that to my subconscious.

I clicked on the link expecting to see blood and gore. Sadly, it was not to be...



Michael

[Ricky Parker]

Don't spam and you are good.

People who join a forum and day one have a sig. stuffed and are "pretending" to discuss topics are really easy to spot.

So then what is the solution?

Do the opposite.

Discuss things in a normal flow. And put 1 link in your sig. after a bit. And if you see over the course of actually interacting on a real level with other people in the forum that you can have more than one link in the sig. then add another.

[koolphoto]

There is so much spamming nowadays that a lot of forums are jumping on top of new members fast.

I think 4 links is to much to soon if you just joined. Admin will think it spam no matter what positive posts you think you are adding to the forum. Get your post count up with good solid posts that add to the forum. Then add 1 link and maybe after some more posting add another. As to the number of links I think less is more. It is better to have 1 or 2 links for the long term then doing all the work to be banned for 4 links.

[dorothydot]

When I joined a forum where I wanted to post my url in my sig... I would contact the moderators and ask them directly if I could please do this.

Sometimes it's a big fat No - your site is competitive with my site. Sometimes it's a big Sure, no problem - thank you for asking before hand, we appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Hope this helps,
Dot

[crissanteiro]

I think four links is too much, especially if you were new. I know some forums don't even allow any links in your sig until after you have a certain amount of posts.

So I would just start off with one, and take the above suggestions, to move slowly.

[kennethtang]

You have super kung fu skills, yes? But do you have the etiquette? When you walk into someone's dojo/dojang/kwan/kwoon, you don't wear a t-shirt that says "Super-killa-kungfu-dood-I-can-kick-you-@$$-in-2-sec" and start "sharing" your super-duper killer techniques.

Not if you want to become a part of that group.

You walk in. You get to know the people there: the teacher, the seniors, the juniors, even the janitor, if they have one. You observe, you listen (which is also a superb M.O. if you plan on challenging anyone of them), you learn. You leave the killer t-shirt at home and wear plain.

When I go to another dojo, I wear a white belt, even when the head instructor is a good friend of mine. It's called Respect. I once joined a forum about a certain subject in which I had some considerable experience.

No sig, nothing. Just contributory posts. And none of that "show-you-up" attitude that seems to accompany a lot of new "sharing" posts in any forum. In less than 10 posts, they knew I knew my stuff and was accorded a level of respect seldom shown to any newbie, regardless of their stature or knowledge or experience in that subject elsewhere.

Share, teach, respect. Forget the sig for now. Forget the technicalities of "I was within the rules, my sig was withinthe rules, etc" Just contribute. Nothing else. You were probably banned because you may have given the impression that you were sharing just to get your sig seen.

Not cool in a lot of circles, regardless of the "rules".

Heeeeyah!

Kenneth

[Easy Cash]

Send a message to the Administrator and ask the 'hidden' rules - they will tell you straight up usually.

[zachary0611]

Your blog is quite unique
Have you made any money from it?

[Paul Myers]

Kenneth,

Heeeeyah!

Or, as us rednecks like to say, Yeeeehah!

Probably the best comment on etiquette I've seen in years, sir. Online or off.

Thank you.


Paul

[J smith]

Imo, wait till you have a bunch of posts and then put just 1 link in your signature.
A poster with 0 posts and 4 links in a signature will just set off a red flag for both mods and users, whether they decide to ban you or not (since you did leave good posts) depends on a forum. But 4 links in a signature on your first post isn't really the way to go imo.

[drmani]

Originally Posted by Kirahster

So my question to you is:

What is the correct etiquette when posting on other forums and sigs in other forums?

I have a simple 'rule'... It's based on a question I ask myself:

"IF someone removed my signature (and won't let me include it again),
would I *still* post this message, and participate in this discussion?"

When the answer is "Yes", I take the time to do it.

The 'signature ad' is just icing on the cake.

And the "surprising" thing is that way, your 'ad' won't get deleted -
maybe even NOTICED and clicked!

Or, stated differently, give VALUE FIRST. Always.

All success
Dr.Mani

[sunny_popali]

I am new here & I am not spam, I will post here, contribute, talk, discuss, ask, help, and all that I can do in real.. no promotion nothing...

I am sure, I will not get banned here

[James Pateman]

Hi Kirahster,
Yeah…I’m with the ‘shake the dust from your sandals and move on’ camp on this.
Regards,
James Pateman

[kennethtang]

Originally Posted by Paul Myers

Kenneth,Or, as us rednecks like to say, Yeeeehah!

Probably the best comment on etiquette I've seen in years, sir. Online or off.

Thank you.


Paul

Thank you Redneck Sir. No wonder we are friends...we say the same things...only the other way round from the other LOL!

Kenneth

[Sydp]

I moderate a forum for expats in or affiliated with a (certain) European country. I banned a guy this morning who joined and made a thread about wind power with one link in it. Why?

Because it was obvious that the only reason he joined was to post his wind power article and link. We are a community of real people, most of whom know each other in real life and see each other monthly, if not weekly. We are very welcoming to outsiders who want to be part of the community. Our members are free to promote themselves and their ventures on the forum - most of us at one time or another have done so. But we don't want our forum to be an anonymous place, so if the only reason someone joins is to promote a venture that has no direct link to expats or the European country, then we ban them.

If the same post had been made by one of our longer term or more active members, it would have stood and perhaps been the basis of a conversation.

So, what I'm saying is this: sometimes it's not the content or the link, it's the feeling the community has about why you're there. Our members wouldn't thank us for letting posts like that hang about.

[Kirahster]

Originally Posted by zachary0611

Your blog is quite unique
Have you made any money from it?

No Zachary, I have not made a penny from this blog.

It was just a joke blog that I set up with a guy from work. I work as a server in a restaurant and we started to make up moves that we called "super kung fu server skills" (it gets really quiet in the restaurant during the summer ). Then we set up the site.

I put it into my sig so perhaps someone may get a laugh from it. I guess I have a weird sense of humor.

BTW, the forums that I mention above are completely unrelated to this topic.

[la dominatrix]

Try this thread

How I Made $117 Yesterday Without Even Trying

La dominatrix

[lisag]

Originally Posted by BlueSquares

Make the posts first. Add your sig later. lol...

Establish yourself in the beginning. Otherwise you'll appear like a spammer...and get banned.

I second that. Communities are wary of new folks; even here. Let the members know that you care about their community and that you're a good citizen before you start scoping out their wallets.

[dndoseller]

I always look at the sigs of lots of people with high post count in many threads to see if any of them have commercial sites in their sig. This makes it really obvious to see if I will fit in there.

[pbennett]

I had this almost happen the other day. I posted here about it and one of the warriors rescued me. He told me not to burn my bridges...

So, I emailed the guy back, sent him a private link to my research, sent him the link to my online resume, and he responded back thanking me for sending him the information and gave me some more very useful information. He's interested and has the biggest online forum in my niche.

[KimW]

Originally Posted by Kirahster

No Zachary, I have not made a penny from this blog.

It was just a joke blog that I set up with a guy from work. I work as a server in a restaurant and we started to make up moves that we called "super kung fu server skills" (it gets really quiet in the restaurant during the summer ). Then we set up the site.

I put it into my sig so perhaps someone may get a laugh from it. I guess I have a weird sense of humor.

BTW, the forums that I mention above are completely unrelated to this topic.

Actually it makes me think of Chuck Norris!

[fleetwood23]

The other day i recieved a warning from a certain forum that i was spamming.I found this very strange as the part i wrote my thread in said it could be used to advertise just about anything.ebooks,money making ideas etc.I was only advertising a free ebook?