groups

When I first started The Studio, I asked for clarification from the EonsTeam about members posting links to their websites. After all, if folks are asking for help with a certain problem, if would be helpful to be able to have a link to view.

Here's are portion from a message I received in reply about posting links to business sites (posted with permission):
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". . . NO LINKS to any site are allowed in any group with the exception of those that Eons has approved (for example, Eons Marketplace or the True North Contest, where they are paying us for the link – our source of revenue to keep going). . . . "
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Simply put, a manager of a group cannot simply choose to allow links to business sites on their own. However, all is not lost. Links to your business are allowed on your Eons profile page and/or in your Eons blog according to the Eons Guidelines.

So, we can provide links to our websites by using this procedure when we need help or want to share what we've done. It may be a bit of a pain, but it should be in line with the TOU's. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

I can understand their reasoning, because otherwise Eons would turn into just another spam site like so many others.

Adding my links to my profile right now, if I haven't already.

This is a great idea.

". . . NO LINKS to any site are allowed in any group with the exception of those that Eons has approved (for example, Eons Marketplace or the True North Contest, where they are paying us for the link – our source of revenue to keep going). . . . "

Now that answer is just ridiculous. There are links to other sites in groups all over this site and it would be a lot duller without them. Embedded youtube videos, cutesy graphics, etc. are almost always also links to other sites. The answer given doesn't differentiate between links to one's own site or another site.

Well, DeanH. That was a portion of a reply sent to me in response to a query for clarification about whether folks could post a link to a business site that they created when asking for help with the design of the website. My query to the EonsTeam wasn't about any links, but was specific.

I didn't intend to cause confusion, when I posted this message, but rather was trying to explain why I chose to initiate the procedure outlined in this sticky. I certainly don't want to offend anyone, and I don't think the policy is hard to follow. It could be done as simply as this:

Hey, all. I've created a website and would like some feed back. Click on my avatar and look in the "About me" section of my profile for a link. Please let me know what you think. Thanks!

Sorry about the confusion.

I received a PM from someone with a closed profile who pointed out that the "linking Procedure" in this group and others I manage will not work for them. Since their profile is closed - only friends can see their links. Might take a bit of thinking to address this bit of a problem.

The PM also brought to my further attention that there is some confusion about the "Linking Procedure". In my effort to make things clear, LOL - I caused confusion between what is Eons rules and what are the guidelines for my groups. So, I'll be making a new sticky that (keep your fingers crossed) will not be so confusing. However, until that new sticky is in place, please follow the posted procedure. Thanks for your co-operation!

Just wanted folks to know that I'm not ignoring the confusion. But, this is the holidays and my hubby still thinks I need to do boring stuff like cook, clean and reduce the clutter. Poor fellow. He does have his dreams!

I think you can spot spam well enough so as not to be so heavy handed. Even if you don't spot spam, your members almost certainly will.
For what it's worth, all those links to helpful sites with tutorials, tools, widgets, etc. are links to business sites.
Eons already has measures in place to fight posts from spambots. One part of the multi-faceted spambot protection is that every external link is appended with a nofollow attribute. This takes away incentive for posting links for the purpose of getting link credit from google, which is what most spammers are after.
So, you'll only get the occasional spam link from a misguided human, which should be easily and quickly discerned and dealt with.
Another point is when someone posts a link to a helpful site, you don't really know whether they own it or not.
I think that whoever gave you the answer from eons was someone from management who, by nature, just doesn't understand the nature of this group or even the internet in general.
Just my 2cents.

Everyone has their own viewpoints and that can make life interesting. : ) You've made some valid points. There are measures in place to fight spam. It's also true that members can "flag as inappropriate" any message that violates the TOU's or Guidelines and Eons staff will check it out. Perhaps the linking procedure was a bit "heavy-handed" :)

However, just to be sure that we are on the same page, there is a difference between Eons posting and linking policy and the linking procedure that was in place.

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Quote from the Eons Community Guidelines:
"The only places on Eons where it’s acceptable to post about your legitimate outside business or agency are: In your Eons Profile; In your Blog; In Groups that allow this such as the Eons Marketplace; In messages to members who have explicitly asked for information"
(Emphasis is mine)
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There are a few other restrictions about what links can be posted generally dealing with advertising your business or linking to any site that may be a competitor of Eons.

Some confusion has come into the picture because I shared a response to a specific question concerning the third exception: "In Groups that allow this such as the Eons Marketplace". I wanted to know if this phrase meant that managers had the choice to allow links in their groups to a member's outside business or agency - a member's "for profit" site. The answer was, "No". The response contained further information, but didn't change the answer.

The linking procedure, on the other hand, was a brainstorm to provide a method for folks who needed help with creating or modifying a business site to have a link to the site available or us to use. The idea being that folks could post links to their sites on their Profile or a Blog where we could find a link and then post about the problem they were having. It's true that I included other personal sites as well to avoid confusion, misunderstandings and/or disputes. To me, it didn't seem as if the procedure was asking too much. :) The intention was to limit conflict rather than encourage it. However, the linking procedure has been rewritten.

I've created a new sticky. I'm going to unstick this message and close it to further replies solely to keep this post from bouncing back up under the new post with the same title, LOL.

If you have questions about Eons posting or linking policy, it might be best to contact the EonsTeam. They would be able to discuss the policy, clarify any misconceptions or address any specific inquiries. If you have questions or concerns about policies I initiate, then you are more than welcome to contact me or post a query.

The bottom line is, we are not supposed to "post about" or post links to our own legitimate business or agency sites in the groups on Eons (with a very few exceptions). Other than that (or posting links to competitors), we generally are allowed to post many various helpful links.

Of course, spam is not allowed anywhere, LOL, so don't hesitate to use the "Flag as Inappropriate" button if you find some!