Infractions. I use this forum with the rules in mind yet I get infractions which are so petty they would make a hall monitor look like a SWAT member. They seem to be, to me at least. Which is why I'm starting this thread, not as an all-out complaint. More of a clarification request from anyone who knows more about this than I, because apparently reading the forum rules just isn't enough. Question: Is TinyURL.com against the DP Terms of Service? If not, why would I get an infraction "Affiliate Link" for using it to shorten a URL which has nothing to do with gaining referrals/promoting a product? Question: Am I forbidden from posting a response to someone until a specific amount of time has passed? I mean, after someone stumbles my site, am I not supposed to reply telling them thank you. Should I just be rude and avoid getting an infraction? Question: Should I avoid reporting my thread to have it deleted for fear of having a moderator decide to play forum-police and slap me on the wrist for every minor infraction, which could happen to go either way based on his or her own opinion? I mean...... I'm really disappointed here.
I know what you are saying, i got an infraction for asking about my infraction, and i will prolly get another infraction for simply posting this.
people usually get dumped with infractions for starting threads like this so i'd advise trying to have it taken down straight away!
At this point that would likely be an exercise in futility. This forum has been so good to me in the past.. and now all the unnecessarily issued infractions.. I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes here.. I know the mods are just doing their job but a little clarification about the rules would be nice.
Why bother using tinyurl? I hate when people do this, I like to hover on a link and see where it goes before I choose to click it or not. You can use the "reputation" thing to thank people, rather than continually bump your threads.
I use Tinyurl to keep url's short and threads/posts clean. Also, it prevents the indexing of backlinks where many people would prefer not to have their sites indexed (example being in a website sales thread). That's a good suggestion I guess I had overlooked. Thanks for the response
I dont use the tiny url but see it all over the place - is it reallt against TOS? - and I agree why not say thanks by giving a green rep instead of bumping your thread
To avoid infractions: - do not personaly attack people - do not bump your threads (a mod might consider "thanks" as bumping). - do not fight with moderators, if you get infraction, but I guess, you can still PM a mod, if it is obvious that it was mod's mistake. - do not post: " I will PM you" - this is considered as useless post. If you feel an urge to step into the line in some hot offer, well, then put a comment or question in the post, and go straight to PM. - do not hijack others' offers - if someone says: "I sell...", dont come in his/her thread and say "I sell this cheaper" or such. - no affiliate links, no obvious spam - try to choose right forum category for your post, e.g., do not ask "Why my site...?" in Google forum...It is Review forum for this, and if you're not sure, you can still post it in General talk. - don't post more than 4 of these (in summary) in one post: images, smiles, quotes. So 2 images and two smiles - and you've reached your limit. (I think I've seen this rule somewhere, not in the Rules though). - don't scam, well... - don't post some really weird images etc. - don't use two usernames on the forum With one word: no need for big worries .
Yes, any masking of links falls under the affiliate link category. When only one person cares about what your saying, use the PM system. They get that quicker than by checking the thread, and really all it does is bump your thread back to the top of the list giving other sellers a disadvantage because their threads gets pushed down by your thank you's. Mods will not delete your threads, only close them so that no one else can post to it. But please continue to report the threads you would like to have closed so that we can keep the lists clean from unnecessary posts.