The Good, the Bad, and the Inconsistensies

According to DP: There is a broad rule that states, "no worthless posts." I didn't know initially how broadly that was defined, but have since become more knowledgeable. Terms such as "pm me", or "send me your ebook" aptly fall into what we're not supposed to put in a post. We're supposed to "PM" the OP and not take up Forum space with non-contributory chatter, such as "I'm interested". I was found guilty of the comment "Please send me the link", and it got me banned for a week. I was merely following what everybody before me posted! I thought that punishment was a little harsh since I'm new, and only had 32 posts then. Besides, I had read DP's TOS and the rules, but even after reading them, that part wasn't really clear to me. Most of the rules are common sense, and most of us can relate and understand that. We know not to flame others or highjack a thread. But when it starts reading like the IRS Tax Code, people get that vacant look in their eyes and just don't get it! I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong with "bumping a thread?"

Today I found a thread with 78 posts requesting either a 'pm' or a request to "send me the ebook". I noticed one poster had 383 posts, so this member has been here awhile and is certainly familiar with DP, but it's clear the rules on this aren't getting through or they're confusing and not clear enough. After you get banned, you start to get it!

My intent in writing this is not to get another 78 people banned , but perhaps you could highlight what rules are important to this Forum, say in a 'Sticky' or a prominent place and call attention to it, so more people here can understand what's acceptable and what's not.

I just can't get my head wrapped around this one:

1. It's OK to allow Blackhat Methods for sale here, where the concept teaches methods that include deceiving or lying to consumers or simply taking people's money and not delivering anything, in order to make a fast buck. But if you say "PM me" in a post on DP, that's grounds for being banned for a week.

2. Fact: Be aware some people over-exaggerate the claims of the products they are selling. They sometimes show bogus proof of income, and often details are lacking, and the methodology is vague, so you don't know what you're buying, other than hype. The purpose of the "Reviews" is to have experienced DP'ers write a summary of the product and rate it to help people know what they're buying. But sometimes the Reviews are neither helpful nor insightful, and the product starts to look like 'Pandora's Box'. When mystery surrounds a product, it increases sales because it arouses your curiosity! Many of these tactics are directed right to the inexperienced newbie. You need to know what you're buying!

In my brief time here, I've been scammed and lied to, and gotten a real education! Sometimes sellers falsely claim to be the author of a product, or falsely claim to own the resell rights, when actually they have no legal rights and are stealing the intellectual property from the author. It happens. It happened to me. First, DP isn't responsible for what you buy
or if you get ripped off. You are. Caveat Emptor. Let the buyer beware. Ask enough questions to know what you're buying, and what method it covers. Ask how many pages it is? If it's 1-2 pages and they're asking $400 for it, you might want to reconsider because you're not going to get much. Does it have a money-back guarantee? What are the terms of that guarantee? Ask!

3. I was in the FREEBIE section of DP for the first time, and someone offered a download I could use. My computer immediately gave me a warning when I went to the download site with this message:

"This web site at www.ziddu.com has been reported as an attack site and has been blocked. Attack sites try to install programs that steal private information, use your computer to attack others, or damage your system. Some attack sites intentionally distribute harmful software, but many are compromised without the knowledge or permission of their owners."
Don't download this one.

14 pages tested by Google on this site resulted in "malicious software being downloaded and installed without user consent. Malicious software includes 10 trojan(s), 2 scripting exploit(s), 1 adware(s). Successful infection resulted in an average of 5 new process(es) on the target machine." (April 2009)

Enjoy your time on DP. It's a tool rich in resources meant to help you, and in many parts of the Forum, it does exactly that!

 

Hit the report button if you find any posts breaking the rules. Mods do what they can. We'll get to it in due course.

You would probably benefit from this:
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=1112065

... and you are absolutely correct - Caveat Emptor. It's up to the members to determine the value of something they are thinking of buying.

You posted a live link to an attack site?

 

The bumping rules are already covered in several stickies. Of course it helps when members actually read them!

http://forums.digitalpoint.com/announcement.php?f=24
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=934065
http://forums.digitalpoint.com/showthread.php?t=380173