Use of signatures

[Pekka]

Signatures are meant for gear list, own gallery link, own homepage, texts etc., not commercial marketing of any kind. Linking to POTN itself is of course fine (i.e. member activity).

If you sell something in marketplace, you can not just put a text in your sig:

My 70-200 is for sale now!!!!

but you can do it if it is a LINK to your marketplace post in POTN

My 70-200 is for sale now!!!!


For companies we have strict rules, POTN policies on marketing is follows:

1. The only way to advertise on POTN is via Google Ads.
   
   
2. In Marketplace those selling photographic equipment or services may place one post, non-photography related posts are not allowed. Bumping and discussion in marketplace is prohibited and considered spamming, all communication between buyer and seller must be done by Email.
   
   
3. Marketing of products or services is not allowed in signatures. That means you can put a site link (if you are from Canon you can put canon.com), but not site link to sell a product, or have sentences which advertise products or services.
   
   Examples (when you are from Adobe):
   
   Joe Sixpack
   www.adobe.com
   
   is ok, but
   
   Joe Sixpack
   www.adobe.com
   LOOK: now 50% discount for Photoshop 5 upgrades
   
   or
   
   Joe Sixpack
   www.adobe.com/photoshop/buythis
   
   or
   
   Joe Sixpack
   www.adobe.com
   
   where "www.adobe.com" is linked to "www.adobe.com/photoshop/buythis"
   
   are not ok.
   
   
4. Buying Google Ads from Google does not give advertiser any special privileges in POTN.
   
   
5. POTN members or POTN content may not be used in marketing without written permission from both POTN admin and all members involved.*
   
   * POTN may of course market itself, its own member projects, services and goods.
   
   
   

We have seen usage of POTN as a third party support/faq forum. The right thing to do, if you sell anything, is to build support and FAQ forum/system into your own site. Your own posts, presence and attitude in this and other forum, combined with signature to your site (per our signature rules), will create interest to your services, too. But we can not allow forum to be used as marketing vessel - this eats our independence, Google Ads do not allow other ads on same page, fighting between sellers (seen that) creates more work for mods, and we want to avoid even illusion that POTN is involved in this marketing.