[Fot] FOT: Commerical Posts - YES or NO?

[RACER BUD]

Hi Justin...I welcome info such as websites....that's one of the ways we 
help each other...Do not let yourself feel 'guilty'.
Regards..
Racer Bud..Spitfire #21
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Justin Wagner" <jmwagner at greenheart.com>
To: "Friends of Triumph" <fot at autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 12:50 PM
Subject: [Fot] FOT: Commerical Posts - YES or NO?


> FOT,
>
> In private email, I've been accused by a member of "posting trash" by 
> sharing news that this guy I met at a car show has developed a product, as 
> a result of my encouragement, for TR's.
> He also accused me of likely having a financial interest in making the 
> post.  (I do not.)
>
> He made it clear that such posts do not have a place on FOT and promised 
> to call me on any future posts of the same ilk.
>
> He was also bitter that I had not coordinated some sort of discount for 
> FOT or even some free products for members, to see if they will, indeed, 
> fit and work on their cars.   (Considering that the developer was probably 
> only able to check to see if it fit a stock car with stock wheels, and 
> probably not all of the Triumph range.)  Never mind, that all I was doing 
> was drawing members' attention to a web site and a potential product that 
> might provide a competitive edge.  I never claimed to be directly working 
> with the seller.
>
> Personally, I just saw a product that looked good and was happy to see 
> that the developer had taken my lead and is trying to make them available 
> for our small niche market.
>
> I pointed my finger at his web site and provided a means of contacting the 
> president of the company.  From my perspective, all of you were welcome to 
> evaluate the information on his web site and make direct contact with the 
> vender if you had questions or wanted some consideration for trying it out 
> on an unknown wheel size, etc.  I'm not part of that loop and I don't care 
> to be.
>
> I made no personal claims about the product other than sharing that I was 
> impressed enough by his display at a show to encourage him to make the 
> product for our cars.  Even Kas commented  "Looks like a good piece if it 
> clears everything."  upon looking at the website.  So he saw promise in 
> the product as I did.   When my TR4A is back on the road, I will give the 
> product a try.
>
> So I have some questions for the group....
>
> Was my post inappropriate?
>
> In the future, if a member comes across a cool looking product, should he 
> keep it to himself or only share it in private e-mails to friends?  (As 
> opposed to "Friends of Triumphs"???)
>
> If a member comes across a cool product, should he only bring it to the 
> attention to the group, if, in his own time, he has personally tested the 
> product and/or has managed to broker some special deal for FOT to get them 
> at a discount?  Is that the duty of a member here and the rule of the day 
> for making such posts?
>
> It has blown my mind, on the newsgroups over the years, the issues that 
> bring people to post vile responses to an innocent post or send private 
> nasty-grams in e-mail.
>
> I was always cautious about selling my gaskets on the newsgroup and have 
> always kept my posts (regarding my own products) minimal.  Unlike many, I 
> don't even put a link to my website at the bottom of my posts.   However, 
> my experience in developing those gaskets makes me particularly supportive 
> of other entrepreneurs that develop products for our cars.  It's a small 
> market with a lot of people that cry out for the development of products, 
> but then, many don't step up to the plate to make a purchase when it's 
> available.  It's difficult.  It's a small market that most don't enter to 
> become rich, but rather, to be in a position to earn earn a little money 
> from one of their favorite hobbies.  For a few, they're able to expand and 
> go somewhere with a product line.  For others, it may never have been 
> intended to be anything more than a weekend hobby business or small 
> retirement business.
>
> I would welcome a open debate on the topic in order to get a sense of some 
> guidelines.  I wonder what a group like this is for, if drawing attention 
> to a product specifically being made for our cars, is crossing some sort 
> of line.
>
> --Justin Wagner
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