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Up North
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 12:40 pm: | 
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Interested in how other view things . . . where do you draw the line drawn between spamming and self-promotion? I participate in an online reading club and there are some members who are doing more of the former than the latter. And, after reading some messages on this board it appears the line has gotten even thinner. |
ABM
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 02:16 pm: |
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Up North,
News Flash: EVERYBODY is selling EVERYTHING!
In the relentlessly capitalistic society, it is pointless to concern oneself with the propriety of the current Sales & Marketing methodologies. One should simply train oneself to ignore most of the myriad marketing tools/tactics and consider the endless barrage of advertising it to be the inherent and necessary cost of one on occassion being alerted about a precious few goods/services that might be of particular interest and value to you. |
Lurker on the Loose
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, September 20, 2003 - 11:26 pm: |
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Self-promoting publicity ploys are a turn-off that are a necessary evil. |
Up North
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - 11:09 pm: |
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ABM, I am not selling a thing. I didn't join an online reading group to sell anything. I joined to discuss books with other members. Those who insist on promoting their wares or services are making it difficult for the rest of us. Sometimes it's impossible to ignore them based on the delievery of the e-mail messages. I think I write the list owner and see if we can get this matter under control.
However, thanks for your response. And, you too, Lurker on the Loose. |
Up North
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - 11:11 pm: |
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ABM, I am not selling a thing. I didn't join an online reading group to sell anything. I joined to discuss books, especially the ones we select as our monthly reading selection, with other members. Those who insist on promoting their wares or services are making it difficult for the rest of us. Sometimes it's impossible to ignore them based on the delievery of the e-mail messages. I think I write the list owner and see if we can get this matter under control.
However, thanks for your response. And, you too, Lurker on the Loose. |
ABM
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - 11:52 pm: |
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Up North,
My point is this: Everywhere you go, see and do; you are going to be sold on SOMETHING. Whether it's on your TV/Cable, radio, cinema, billboards, Internet, email, voicemail, telemarketing, door-2-door, Goodyear blimp, direct mail, et al., we live amid a endless barrage of Sales & Marketing schemes. So why trouble yourself with one particular advertising tool when we are being relentlessly bombarded with a myriad others?
If I get a commercial (either overt or "on the sly") I don't like, I ignore it or change the channel. If I get unwanted electronic or paper ads, I delete/toss them. No harm has been done to me. "No muss, no fuss." And it's funny; we never seem to decry what/how we are being sold when we happen upon a good/service that we genuinely want/need.
This is a capitalistic society! Nothing of any substantive/long-term benefit occurs here until one person sells something to another. So we should consider all of the sales tactics, even thoughs that are complete/utter dreck, to be an important part of the "cost" of productively doing business in America.
BTW: We are ALL hustling something to someone. Whether we are "selling" our wares to employers, businesses, schools, associations, clients/customers...we are ALL For Sale. The only differences are our sales tactics, which are largely dictated by who's doing the "buying". |
Lurker on the Loose
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, September 23, 2003 - 11:57 pm: |
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Does this mean you don't have a problem with telemarketers, ABM? |
ABM
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 12:32 am: |
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I LOVE telemarketers!! And I think they REALLY get a bum rap.
Hey, telemarketing is no more/less intrusive as anything else. If some one calls trying to sell me something that I am not interested in buying, I simply say, "No thank you, I am not interested.", politely hang-up the phone then promptly return to whatever else it is I was doing. I can't for the life of me understand why abating telemarketing has been made into a national issue that require commitment of precious government time/funding.
But I should concede that I may be biased. While I was in college, I did a brief stint selling magazine over the phone. To this day, it still is one of the most trying yet gratify jobs I have ever had. I learned value communications & negotiation tools from that job that benefit me to this very day. |
Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 09:27 am: |
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This sounds like a variation of the explanation you gave for wanting Kola Boof back. LOL |
ABM
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 10:27 pm: |
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Cynique,
"Oh Wise and Sagacious One", would you please explain WHATEVER it is that you mean? |
Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2003 - 11:11 pm: |
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ABM:
Your post expressing your tolerance for telemarketers and other annoying self-promoters attempting to earn a livihood sounded a little like your other post bemoaning the lack of tolerance for Kola Boof's antics. |
Tee C. Royal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, September 25, 2003 - 01:52 pm: |
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Up North asked:
Interested in how other view things . . . where do you draw the line drawn between spamming and self-promotion? I participate in an online reading club and there are some members who are doing more of the former than the latter. And, after reading some messages on this board it appears the line has gotten even thinner.
Up North, in response to your initial question, I'll explain what works for me. I have no problem with a person promoting themselves as long as they are equally as active in posting other things related to the discussions going on, sharing other information, etc. I have a problem when you ONLY hear from a person who stops through to talk about themselves, their book, their services, their blah blah blah...
It would depend on what type of group it is though. As far as book clubs go, it's VERY annoying when questions are posed as to "What are you Reading" and authors come back with the titles to THEIR books...that's tacky.
-Tee |
Troy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, September 28, 2003 - 02:15 pm: |
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Up North,
Spam is the bane of my existence. I hate spam, telemarketers, pan handlers or anyone else who will attempt to solicit anything from me anonymously and or without the expectation of such solicitation. I find people or entities that aggressively sell or self-promote in inappropriate situations a pain in the a$$. I don¡¦t care for TV commercials either. But at least when I watch TV I know to expect commercials (which I why I probably watch HBO more than network TV). The line is crossed when the situation is inappropriate or even worse when the product is bogus.
That said, if an author who regularly posts to this board does not provide information about their books that would just be plain silly. Of course let us know about your books. There are plenty of authors who never or rarely post, I encourage them to let us know about their books too! Better yet buy a AALBC.com profile or some advertising (see you can appropriately slip in a sales pitch).
My top 4 reasons for hating spam:
Email Spam
To put this in perspective I get at least 500 emails (after filters) a day, 99% of it is spam. A couple of years ago I would just delete it and go on, but because of the sheer volume it takes at least 30 minutes weed through it to make sure I don't delete a "real" email (I which I'm sure I do from time to time). Obviously people believe there is some African who needs to transfer $50 million dollars into your account or that your penis length can be increase 5 inches, or that you can lose 10 pounds a week doing nothing but sallowing a pill, etc, etc. I anxiously awaits Outlook 2003 which, according to a recent NY Times article is supposed to block spam exceptionally well.
Self Promoters at Panel Discussions
I hate people would come up to the mike at the end of the panel, during a question and answer, purportedly with a question and give a protracted commercial about themselves and never get to a question --- oooh I hate that!
Telemarketers
Especially the ones who just keep talking as if they do not understand the words "not interested". I dislike being rude, but you are forced to be rude by hanging up on these folks while they are still talking. And why is it that the same company calls 20 minutes later?
Those People with "Business Opportunities"
On more than one occasion during a book signing or related activity someone has come up to me to sell me on some get rich quick, multilevel marketing, ponzi scheme. Don't ever express an interest in what they have to sell -- otherwise you'll be harrassed for the next few months.
Sure we live in a capitalist society, but does not mean we have to live in an uncivilized one, or do we?
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Amitenejah
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, October 01, 2003 - 10:02 pm: |
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"News Flash: EVERYBODY is selling EVERYTHING!"
I am leaning a lot towards the above statment.
When someone starts a message board they must market or sell the idea that something on the board will be of interest to you. In fact, when they are creating the idea, almost always they say "I think people will like this".
When members join to lurk, they are selling themselves on the ideas, expressions, and opinions of the posters.
When members post they are not just expressing their opinion they are selling their opinion; the test for this is three fold:
a) If no one viewed the post how would they feel.
b) If they had many views but no responses how would they feel.
c) If they only got negative feed back, "shut up you stupid ..." how would they feel.
Even the very fact that the poster comes back to see if someone "listened" is a testiment that they want to know if the "spam" reached it's target and if the message 'sold'.
Notice how many people don't like spam or self- promotion, but they all want to express their views on it and want others to read and respond to their message. If we all pretty much feel the same, why discuss it -- to be 'sold' on the idea to the extent that we claim it a fact.
I think we could learn much from sales people especially those who are selling themselves.
[Well do you think you sold them, eh don't know, so I'll leave my self-promoting link out of this thread, hahahahaha :-)] |
Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, October 02, 2003 - 03:47 pm: |
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Amitenejah. Ummmm. I think I like you. You have a certain wryness. |
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