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Message: <blockquote data-quote="RangerWickett" data-source="post: 2667174" data-attributes="member: 63">Basically, Russ, it looks like you should take a moment to detail specifically what you mean. People obviously read things into your original statements that you did not intend, and, people being as they are apt to be, it simply does not work to tell them they're wrong and to re-read your earlier statements. When someone misunderstands you, the best way to respond is to try to figure out what you said that caused them to misunderstand you, and then to clarify that point.Arguing who said what only serves to muddle people's idea of what the real message is. And please Russ, don't be defensive.Now Steve, some of your language did contain a bit of invective. One statement sounded like you were saying Russ was treating the publishers and community members as 'dullards.' I think we can see there is some emotion on both sides of this issue, and we'd all benefit from stepping back for a moment and trying to figure out what the other person is trying to say and do. Russ obviously wants to make the site profitable for him since he does put a lot of time into it, and he does not want to give away what he perceives as free advertising. Steven and others seem to want to point out to Russ that he benefits more from the sense of community fostered by allowing things like the 'free advertising' in press releases and sigs, than he would profit from prohibiting those types of announcements. Now Russ, from your initial announcement and later attempts to clarify it, it seems like you're saying this:(Correct me if I'm wrong, please)[hq]EN World is a place for people to see the publishers and get to know them and their products. It is, as always, a good idea to point people to your company's own website, and once they're there you can encourage them to go wherever you want. However, from EN World's own site and messageboards, it is only polite that you post links that point toward EN World's store, rather than to the sites of competing vendors. If your product is not sold at EN World's store, we still think it'd be polite not to use EN World's messageboards and news to encourage people to shop elsewhere.EN World is still intended to be a friendly place where publishers can get out news about themselves. However, to help EN World support its server bills, we think it would be best if all links to buy products either point to EN World's own store, or point to your own site. EN World is not on unfriendly terms with vendors at other sites, but it is a plain fact that EN World needs a profitable store to keep providing a ever-better news and community site. We're just asking for publishers to help by encouraging people shop at our store.EN World certainly won't stamp out discussions of other vendors, and if people are displeased with our policies, we encourage them to discuss it openly. We want to provide the best service we can, and we don't want to create any hard feelings by seeming to stymie open discussion. However, we don't feel press releases or links in your signature are really 'discussions.' They're more like ads. If someone brings up one of your products in a thread on the boards, feel free to chime in and point to whatever vendors you think they'd like to buy from. When it comes to press releases and sigs, however, please refrain from posting links to other vendors.[/hq] Is that about right, Russ? Appropriately polite and clear about your intentions?And Steve, am I right in saying that you're just trying to offer Russ advice on what will serve the site best? Namely that publishers have gotten used to certain types of treatment, and it might seem to some that your decision is motivated by greed, rather than its actual motivation, which is good business sense.</blockquote>

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