As you know, very, very few messages get taken down or edited. And the vast majority of those are ads for various new fundraisers. In general, I think it's a good practice to keep the specific company names (and school names and person's names) out of the Forum, as it's very difficult/impossible for us to verify what things are true and who might have an unfair axe to grind, etc. Because of that -- if specific company names or certainly people's names are used -- I generally tread very carefully.
The guideline is not so much for advertising reasons as it is for accountability and fairness. I'm not a big fan of anonymous trashing. As an example -- in this case -- Entertainment has never been an advertiser.
OK, so I said board policy debates should be private and now I'm debating. Sorry.
I agree with your call, Tim.
To Ed W- you can always post your ideas regarding a company in a generic way. For instance, "before utilizing a fundraising company, please check into the following matters:___", then list some specifics... This way your concerns come across to others alerting them to potential problems. There is no need to single out specific companies. Any specific concerns can be sent to Tim directly. Most of us using the forum appreciate the fact that this website is a business & Tim relies heavily on the paid sponsors and advertisers. I express my opinions all the time here, but I do it in a generic way. Hope you get the idea & can view this as a useful website for sharing ideas without "trashing" anyone.
Thanks for your input, Edward (still unregistered). We'll keep it in mind. Debates about how the Forum is run should be held off the forum (my email is in my profile -- above).
You say this is a discussion forum, but twice information that would help a lot of schools make an informative decision when trying to choose a fundraiser has come down. I was passing along infomation that many may not know, but for some reason (maybe you have a friend or relative that works for Entertainment) you have pulled down this information that may have helped someone. My post had facts, and it seems since you do not agree with my opinions on Entertainment you have pulled my post. You can use Innsbrooke, World's Finest, Cherrydale, Entertainment or any other fundraiser you want but the best way to make that choice is to be informed on the company you decide to use. I was told about this site because it had good useful information, but it seems like if the people who run this site don't agree with your opinion, it's not wanted.
My last post came down for some reason. Here are some facts and opinions about Entertainment Publications. The facts are true and anyone that has a difference in opinion should post it. After all this IS a discussion forum, isn't it?
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From Editor: It is a discussion forum, and a really active/productive one at that. We make the calls on what stays up, and -- if in doubt -- the fact that one is unregistered is usually a tiebreaker. Please feel free to register and please feel free to help as many other parent group leaders as you can on as many topics as you have insight.
You think Entertainment has some problems right now. Fair opinion. Doesn't need to be posted 42 different ways, especially when it's your first topic. Makes one suspicious of your motivations, that's all.