This document lists the guidelines for advertisers to follow when posting via their commercial social accounts on AVForums. These guidelines exist in addition to the forum rules and are intended to help advertisers understand how to use the forums and get the most out of posting in them.
A commercial social account is different from a normal user account because it will have a prominent ribbon under the avatar reading ‘AVForums Sponsor’ plus
Advertisers using a commercial social account have limited exemption from rule 7 which states
Rule 7: members who own, operate, represent or who are affiliated with a commercial enterprise or competing website must not submit messages which reference that organisation in any way unless they are advertisers on AVForums. This includes promoting and providing support for that organisation.
*What is the definition of a ‘reasonable’ number of messages? We are deliberately not putting a specific limit on the number of messages allowed to be posted by advertisers, but prefer to leave this at their discretion. Advertisers should consider that posting too many messages will be counterproductive when members consider them to be spam and/or an annoyance. Posting too many messages is bad business and the moderators will advise advertisers if they are posting too much. If advertisers continue to post too much, they will likely receive a warning.
In keeping with the standard rules, advertisers may not send unsolicited private conversations to our members to garner business. This is considered spamming and can result in a severe warning.
Moderators will address reported breakages of the code of conduct and the forum rules and may award warning points to offenders. The number of points given vary depending on the severity of the warning and may accumulate to trigger a user account suspension or permanent ban.
This last element of the code of conduct is advice and will not be enforced in any way.
Advertisers should avoid directing people to their website at every opportunity because readers will realise that the motives for posting are not to help, but to sell.
Instead, we highly recommend that advertisers take an altruistic approach by assisting with helpful information rather than specifically promoting products and services. Members appreciate being helped and respond with gratitude. Remember that advertisers’ signatures (usually) contain their business and contact details which members will see and use if their custom has been won.