Poll & Discussion - What is your impression of the MDC Diapering board? - Page 3

[Rising Sun]

Well, now I am starting to wonder if what I post is spam.

I like to find new wahms and try their products... it's an obsession of mine. I also give them feedback about what I thought of their products....

So, I have recommended their products here too. Of course, I like the wahm... I have given them feedback, so we have emailed back and forth. And, my intention of posting about them is usually for two reasons... so that others can find other products out there, and to help my fellow wahms get their name seen. If I like their products, should I not mention their name?

I'm not making any money doing this... or friends for that manner. I don't gain anything but the satisfaction of knowing that I am supporting the "small guy".

I've also pointed out a couple of auctions. They weren't mine... I can assure you. If there is ever a doubt about an auction being mine, please tell me... I have never spammed one of mine.... and won't for that manner.

Now I'm all worried, though. I want to crawl back in to my cave.... I just hope that nobody has thought of anything I said as spam.

I come to this board as an advocate of using cloth diapers for the benefit of the environment and our babies. I am here while nursing, because my little pumpkin nurses every hour... for about 45 minutes, and a 2 hour stretch during the afternoon. :bf It's something I can do while nursing, that gives me a break from business.



nak - Teri

[Matanuska Motherlode]

I'm a WAHM and I love to support other WAHMs. If someone is in need of a certain product, I would hate to think that I couldn't post a link in hopes of helping that person find what she's looking for.

If I have tried another WAHMs product and I like it, why in the world wouldn't I want to tell everyone else what a great experience I had?

I am a bargin shopper and LOVE checking the eBay links. I think it's too bad you can't spam your own auctions, because sometimes there are well over 1000 diaper listings! It's hard to get your stuff noticed when there are so many auctions to wade through...

I think the spam/posting rules are a little too harsh, but you can't please everyone all the time. If I want to spam a board about my business, I'll find another one

[reeseccup]

Originally posted by penny31
"announcing my wonderful new amazing self cleaning diaper, yours for just $29.99" or whatever

xoxo

WHERE'D YA SEE THIS, tell me now, neeed to know SPAM ME SPAM ME

[IslandMamma]

Nak...

I like things as they are. I just posted a link to a WAHM site on another thread, b/c I use her dipes and genuinely love them. Hope that's not seen as spam. Don't even know her.

I look to the Daily Diaper if I want to see direct from the WAHM promotion.

If it weren't for the threads of "so and so is stocking", I wouldn't have some of the awesome dipes I have! I love those threads, and I love hearing about new finds from people.

Don't like sneaky spam; love genuine raves and enthusiasm though.

nakety nak nak....

[SpiralWoman]

i wanted to add...
Spam to me is something unsolicited. If I say: "who makes the best side snap diapers for boys, absorbant & cute" I want to get 20 responses with links & why they like 'em, so I can go shopping. I think diapering is 75% a shoppers board 25% a how to board. Also, you can't go to target & get this stuff, so where/how to shop is part of the how to. Mamas come here to network, connect with mamas selling diapers & other stuff. that is the nature of it & in this case, buying diapers is advocating for diapers, kwim? So "spam" is part of that. Daily diaper is for sellers to directly introduce, plus I think if I knew a response was from a seller, I would be happy.

[mamamoo]

I occasionally see posts that I suspect of spam, but usually I just ignore them(though I have been guilty of a : here and there ). I like the way diapering is, I hope it stays the same. Now the thing that bugs me is people who only post once in a great while on other forums, just so they can use the trading post!! Grrr....

[Aherne]

Originally posted by lifetapestry
A couple of weeks ago or so, I thought that a post in response to "favorite diapers" was a SPAM, because the author was naming her own products but not identifying herself as the former or current maker of those products. This kind of blatent self-promotion is what the moderators of this board should be most concerned about.

Karla

Okay... I dont think this was me so I think I can comment.

I make diapers and I sell my diapers. I also happen to use and really like my diapers. Not *just* cuz I make them. I abide by having my hands tied and not saying "hey everyone... isnt this adorable" but since it is part of my stash am I not allowed to talk about my own diapers so long as I dont say "oh and here is a link"

I think I should be allowed to say what products I used, even if they happen to be mine. Though I choose to say "I really like the diapers I make" I would think that falls under the rules since I dont say "I really like ______ diapers"

am I not reading the rules correctly?

[mommytomy4kids]

Hmmm

I have typed up a few repsonses to this and keep just not posting it the chicken poop I am. But here it goes.

I see MDC sometimes as very cliqueish (however you spell it) to me. I have been trying my darndest to post and fit in and I do genuinely in hopes of becoming more of a member and getting to know everyone. I don't do it as a plug for my business. I donated to MDC because it is a place I like to come and chat even though I don't have any baby in diapers anymore I do have cloth diapering under my mothering belt. But yet I feel like an outsider most of the time. I can spam my groups and never has a mom come here to say so and so has stuff in stock. Which is FINE but sometimes I see these posts and have to go hmmm. I believe great service and great products will in time help spread the word. BUT if you can't reach people how can that happen??? I would love to be able to reply to a post asking for spam about a product that I do make or sell. But then again I see the point of having to pay for a sig and then wondering about those that do not but will still post to those spam requests. Kinda not right for those that have paid for the sig package. So I am kida torn. I love the lack of spam but also at times I think for buyers and consumers it would benefit for a bit of rule tweaking...

Ugh sorry for my typos. My 4yo wants to play a game so he is sitting here making this very hard to see what I am doing...

[tuffykenwell]

Personally I think the MDC spamming guidelines are pretty harsh already. I have seen people jumped on and pulled to pieces for making a single mistake. I think that making the spamming guidelines even more stringent would probably cause a lot of people to find other places to post.

I appreciate not having to wade through 6 feet of "check out my auction" or "I'm having a sale" to get to some real posts....but....I think what you are talking about is a seriously grey issue and I wonder how on earth you would police it.

Part of giving great customer service is building relationships with your customers so often someone BECOMES a friend through the customer WAHM relationship. You send chatty emails back and forth discussing preferences blah blah blah. They try and love your work...they want everyone in the world to know about your products because they want you to be successful (cause if you quit they won't have any more diaper x LOL).

How do you determine who is spamming friends and who is being honest...I seriously think this is a pandora's box and it could get really messy...and ugly.

JMHO

Steph

[mamamoo]

Re: Hmmm

I just wanted to say I hear ya on the cliche thing. I also see you're point about the advertising...
On a fifferent note...I remember the first auction of your covers I ever saw. I posted it on MDC. I think they are beautiful, and wish I could afford one.

Originally posted by mommytomy4kids

I see MDC sometimes as very cliqueish (however you spell it) to me. I have been trying my darndest to post and fit in and I do genuinely in hopes of becoming more of a member and getting to know everyone. I don't do it as a plug for my business. I donated to MDC because it is a place I like to come and chat even though I don't have any baby in diapers anymore I do have cloth diapering under my mothering belt. But yet I feel like an outsider most of the time. I can spam my groups and never has a mom come here to say so and so has stuff in stock. Which is FINE but sometimes I see these posts and have to go hmmm. I believe great service and great products will in time help spread the word. BUT if you can't reach people how can that happen??? I would love to be able to reply to a post asking for spam about a product that I do make or sell. But then again I see the point of having to pay for a sig and then wondering about those that do not but will still post to those spam requests. Kinda not right for those that have paid for the sig package. So I am kida torn. I love the lack of spam but also at times I think for buyers and consumers it would benefit for a bit of rule tweaking...

[DreamingMama]

I love this place

and I hope it does not change in a way where people are afraid to post about other wahms products. I sometimes feel I cannot say what I would like to but then such is life offline too. You cannot always say what is on your mind without hurting others. We are all human and imperfect. I think as long as everyone tries to follow the rules already set forth I do not see the need to go beneath the surface and start pointing fingers and making people feel badly for posting something that might be totally innocent but be misconstrude <-bad spelling. I like this place and I think we should all be free to post without fears.

[DreamingMama]

Re: Re: Hmmm

Originally posted by mamamoo
I just wanted to say I hear ya on the cliche thing. I also see you're point about the advertising...
On a fifferent note...I remember the first auction of your covers I ever saw. I posted it on MDC. I think they are beautiful, and wish I could afford one.

Yes, I agree that there is a cliche but not just one, there are various ones here. IT is part of all communities online or otherwise. I like spam but I dislike the same individuals constantly spaming groups too. There must be a happy medium somewhere and I thought it was here already. LOL!

[mommytomy4kids]

Re: Re: Re: Hmmm

Originally posted by DreamingMama
Yes, I agree that there is a cliche but not just one, there are various ones here. IT is part of all communities online or otherwise. I like spam but I dislike the same individuals constantly spaming groups too. There must be a happy medium somewhere and I thought it was here already. LOL!

Very true!!!

[mamamoo]

Re: Re: Re: Hmmm

I agree Kathleen. MDC is, by far, the best online community I have found. I think generally we are all pretty considerate of each other, and the rules(we all have an off day here and there). I think you are right though when you say that we do have it here!

Originally posted by DreamingMama
Yes, I agree that there is a cliche but not just one, there are various ones here. IT is part of all communities online or otherwise. I like spam but I dislike the same individuals constantly spaming groups too. There must be a happy medium somewhere and I thought it was here already. LOL!

[MamaMonica]

I agree that this is a nice community.

[mommytomy4kids]

mee toooo

Originally posted by MamaMonica
I agree that this is a nice community.

[mamamoo]

Re: mee toooo

Originally posted by mommytomy4kids

Mee threee!! :LOL

[tnrsmom]

OK I would like to address a few issues here and dispel some myths.

Many of you have mentioned posting links to auctions on Ebay(not your own) and mentioning WAHM stockings (that sounds cute, doesn't it?) and are concerned about it being considered spam. We (the moderators and administrators) do NOT view this as spam.
What we consider spam is
a.) a WAHM posting links to her store/auctions.
b.) a WAHM blatantly drawing attention to her product (see below).
c.) a WAHM posting with the sole purpose of gaining revenue from the members here(without wanting to be part of the community). This is not to say that WAHMs are not allowed to post. We LOVE the WAHMs here, you are a huge important part of the community.

I agree with the posters who have stated that this board is partially about shopping. I have been posting on this board a lot longer than I have been a mod and I am first and foremost, a member of the community. I enjoy seeing the reviews of new dipes and have fun *running* when a store is stocked.

As for WAHMs being able to name their own dipes in "What's in your stash?" threads or favorite diapers threads. It would be OK if MamaA maker of XYZ Dipes said, "I have ABC Dipes, TUV Dipes and XYZ Dipes." It would NOT be OK to say, " I only use XYZ dipes, which I make." Do you see the difference? I understand that it is a fine line but I think that most people can see the difference.

A tip for the WAHMs about getting your name out. When you have a customer express happiness with your product, ask them to tell their friends. There is no more honest way to get the Hyenas here to check out new dipes than from a good review.

I have seen many of you post that you are concerned that we are talking about you. Don't be so paranoid!! LOL This is an issue we keep revisiting to make sure we are doing the best possible job we can to keep this board the way our members want it. If you are concerned or confused about any of the rules or are questioning whether it is OK to post something, PM me. I am more than happy to clarify things for you. Do nat take this poll personally.

[Bugga]

Thumbs up to you Kathleen. I agree also.


You always have insightful things to say. I think you are a gentle voice of reason and a wonderful member of this group.

[penny31]

Originally posted by reeseccup
WHERE'D YA SEE THIS, tell me now, neeed to know SPAM ME SPAM ME

:LOL :LOL :LOL :LOL