BB FAQ

ADVERTISING FAQ

WHAT IS CONSIDERED ADVERTISING?

Hi. Everyone knows (or should know) that there is no advertising allowed here, but not everyone is clear on what advertising is.

As stated on our Terms of Use, EVENTS are okay! However, we want them under the topic for events, "Local Event Hookup". If they are scattered all around it becomes advertising, so please try to keep your posts where they belong. Arena rentals are not considered events. An Open House is considered an event, but not if they are on-going, like every weekend.  Posts about an instructor/trainer's availability are not considered events, unless it is a one-time deal, like a clinic.  Websites are only allowed if they specifically give info about the event.  Furthermore, we ask that the link go directly to the page of your site with the event info.

There have been a lot of posts about Hay for sale lately. Now, we have always allowed people to post a quick note if they were looking for someone to split a trailer load from Canada.. asking people to contact them if interested, but of course, people are pushing the boundaries on that now. You may not sell hay on the board! The BB is not intended to promote or generate business. Those who follow the rules are getting really annoyed by those who are not. So please, use the Classifieds.

Posts seeking something are okay. Looking for answers, recommendations, help, etc. These are okay, but we don't want to see them posted in every category. We do have categories in the Classifieds for various things wanted, such as horses, employment, tack, equipment and more. Also, keep in mind that responses to posts of this nature are not going to be very detailed, as people who have a service or product you need must be careful not to advertise.   So it is my recommendation that you try the Classifieds.

Free is fine. You must state that it is free in the post or it will be deleted. It must be 100% free. Offering free services to promote your business is not allowed though. If a giveaway is a clever way to advertise, we'll pull the post.

Registered non-profits may post about animals for adoption, fund raisers, etc. and they may include a URL. They are not considered advertisers.   The post MUST pertain to the non-profit.  For example, a council or rescue may not use this privilege to advertise a personal business. Non-profit posts about events involving for-profit partners must be careful not to promote the for-profit. Donating profits or proceeds to a non-profit does not allow a for-profit to post about their business on the BB.

If you are replying to a post where someone is looking for something you have, you may let them know you have it and ask them to e-mail or call for more info.  Do not post your business name, website or pricing.

Signatures!  Do not advertise in your signature.  No business name, no website, no description of services.  You may put your website in your Profile, but not your signature.  Otherwise, every post is a business card ad for yourself. 

Other FAQ

WHY CAN'T I EXPRESS A NEGATIVE OPINION ABOUT A PLACE? IT'S MY OPINION.

The EquineSite BB is not the Better Business Bureau or a rating site.  This is not the place to share negative opinions, negative "facts" or rumors. There are two sides to every story and we don't want people having their disputes with one another in our forum.  There are places that allow that sort of thing, so we ask that people not use our board to air dirty laundry or try to spread rumors.  We support uniting the local equine community and not allowing it to tear itself apart.  If you do not agree with our rules, this may not be the right kind of board for you.

HOW CAN YOU DELETE ME OVER ONE VIOLATION? IT'S NOT FAIR. I SEE OTHER PEOPLE BREAK MORE RULES.

Well, we can delete you over any violation. We reserve that right.  However, we don't delete first-time offenders unless it is clear that they came to this board to bash someone or post bad language.  When we delete your post, that is a warning that you've broken a rule.  Not everyone puts contact info in their profile, so we can't e-mail you a warning.  If you see that your post is missing from a thread while the rest of the thread remains, there's your warning. As for other people you see breaking the rules, do as the Terms of Use say, and report the abuse.  This board needs everyone to act responsibly and sometimes that means sending a quick email to let me know about a violation.

WHY DO YOU KEEP DELETING MY THREADS ABOUT THAT HORSE ABUSE CASE? IT'S IN THE PAPER.

Let people read about it in the paper then.  Posting about it here will spawn negativity and rumors, and we'll have to delete it.  Lots of people *think* they know things, when they are actually misinformed.  Furthermore, there are people who want so badly to get involved in threads that they make things up, figuring it is okay because everyone else is saying negative things about that person. Sad, but true.  We've had this board for 10 years, and we've seen a lot of sad things.

WHY DID YOU DELETE MY THREAD? I SHOULDN'T BE PUNISHED BECAUSE SOME OTHER PEOPLE STARTED FIGHTING IN MY THREAD.

You're not being punished, so don't make it all about you.  Deleting a nasty fight is top priority. With everyone chiming in during a fight, it is impossible to make sense of a thread when the violations have been pulled.  If you are not sure if your original post was part of the problem, just send me an e-mail and ask.  I will let you know if your topic should be reposted.

Thank you.