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View Full Version : Business Chat Why are business groups abused on social networking sites?



KirstyJay
02-08-2012, 18:28
I've accepted membership of a group for businesses on a social networking site with all good intentions to share, try and help and be helped by networking with fellow business people, but I am quickly becoming really disenfranchised with it all, as all people seem to do on it is advertise.

Am I the only one that thinks that business groups should be there for the exchange of experiences and information? However I find that these adverts are continually invading my space.

On the forum we walk a fine line regarding advertising. We have a strict policy that commercial adverts are not allowed on the forum unless in reply to genuine enquiries... so if someone asks for recommendations for a plumber, and you're a plumber, then it's ok to reply, but it's not ok to start a new thread promoting yourself. This rule applies to everyone on the main boards... including paid advertisers.

All promotion is kept in one area only, Sponsors' Announcements, so members can easily distinguish between ads and information, and logged-in members get less adsense banners than guests.

I think this makes the forum a nice place to be and promotes a comfortable community. Some ads, to fund the overheads, but not shoved down your throat all the time. I think if moderated correctly with some basic rules, these business groups could be really useful, but at present I'm seriously not interested in being advertised to all the time... regardless of whether I'd be interested in the product.

How do others feel out it?

seanocelt
02-08-2012, 19:02
To me,social networking is a blaggers dream, free advertising.

tonypub
02-08-2012, 19:13
To me,social networking is a blaggers dream, free advertising.
i was sayin the same thing last night in my pub(link below):devil2:

KirstyJay
02-08-2012, 19:36
i was sayin the same thing last night in my pub(link below):devil2:But that's your page that I can either choose, or not to subscribe to updates for. With the business groups, you subscribe to them in order to take part in interesting discussions or exchange ideas, and everytime you get a notification for a new post it turns out to be an ad for someone or something. :( It's not what I joined for and it's an abuse of the group IMO.

I would prefer to not have to leave the group, as I'd like to actually share and participate, but if the ads continue, it's really not worth the bother.