OK...perfect opportunity for me to interject here on behalf of OGR. First, I want to thank ALL of you that spend so much of your time and talent as well as vast knowledge in order to help those folks that are having issues with their trains. It never ceases to amaze me and ALL of you are an asset to our forum and to the hobby as well as to the members.
Now...here is where we have a problem. It is our fiduciary duty at OGR to support and protect the advertising investment that individuals / businesses make here on the forum as well as the magazine. In most cases these folks invest hundreds if not thousands of dollars to attract business from our magazine and forum for their services and products. Those that do, we allow to promote themselves directly here on the forum within their posts including contact info and even down to asking for member's business. It is part of what we include when they are willing to support the forum and magazine financially....they help the readership have a magazine and forum in which to participate. For those folks that don't have the budget or have some other reason for not "advertising", then we ask that you do not solicit business within the body of your post. Understand that there is nothing wrong with having a "title" in your signature but we do not want direct links, phone numbers, email addresses, or requests to contact either in the body of the post or withing the signature. All of that info should be within your profile so even under those circumstances, another member can still make contact with you if they so desire.
OK...now, I suppose I need to explain why OGR feels this way and has this policy even though for most, it is obvious. Why would anyone pay to promote their products and services openly on the forum if they have to compete with others that don't do so? Doesn't seem fair does it? Well, it isn't! To try to discuss this with folks on a personal level, I made calls to several of you. Those of you that were willing to talk to me were very understanding and supportive and we have noticed that you are still willing to help individuals in need. I am sure that you are still getting a share of the business through private contact and that is just fine. A couple of folks never returned my calls or emails for perhaps their own reasons but please be on notice that we are deleting any references within threads that solicit business. This takes valuable time and so soon we may have to start moderation on those threads so that we meet the obligations we have to our service advertisers.
Finally, I want to ask that ALL of you to please take this post in the spirit it is intended. There is no malice or threat intended here and only the request of playing fairly.
All the Best,
Alan
Slow summer. G
