Re: The Proverbial Cat online store now open

>>On Tue, 29 Nov 2005 08:47:41 -0500, The Proverbial Cat wrote
(in article <1133244045.091485.22380@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>):

> "Amy Guskin" <aisling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:0001HW.BFB121DB000F09E9F0284550@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> I've never seen that name before. If you _are_ someone who posts here
>> regularly, and we know you by your real name, why maintain this veil of
>> secrecy?
>
> I have opted to take a lower profile than in the past. My
> reasons are my own. However, if you read the charter (you
> do know the group has a charter, don't you?), you'll see that
> the definition of spam begins with the following:
>
> "Spam is a post that was made, essentially unchanged, to a
> number of newsgroups..."
>
> My original post fails that test.

One post to one newsgroup
> does not constitute spam. <<

The r.a.s.t.b5.mod charter is hardly the final arbiter of spam. Spam is also
commonly accepted to be any unsolicited advertisement, including one posted
on a newsgroup, and particularly when someone joins a newsgroup for the sole
purpose of posting that advertisement. Again, I'll say that I do _not_
recognize your name - the one you're currently using. And I've been here for
a good few years and lurked for a good few before that.

>>I'm not the only one to have
> chosen to not use their real name. Many folks, I'm sure
> remember Gharlane of Eddore, who guarded his true
> identity very closely. And, as I recall, you use to post
> under a different moniker than what you currently do.
> This is not an indictment, I'm simply trying to point out
> that not using a "real name" is no reason to assume
> a person has less than honorable intentions. <<


Yeah, Gharlane used a fake name, but he used it regularly and posted under it
all the time. And yeah, I used to use a different name, but I used it
regularly and posted under it all the time, and when I changed it, I
explained why, and made sure people knew who I was - to the extent that I've
never changed my registered address with the group. It's still
aisling@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx, so there's no secret about that. Oh, and also: in my
case, it isn't a fake name. I operate a business under that name, and I can
cash checks at my bank under that name. It's a legitimate pseudonym that
fully half of my social/business/creative circle uses to refer to me. I just
chose not to use it here anymore.

If you're somebody who's here regularly and whom we know and love, that's
just great. But if that's the case, I can't understand why you wouldn't want
us to know that. I'd be much more likely to want to buy cat pictures from
someone I know (well, I wouldn't actually, but that's because I have
beautiful photos of my own charming creatures - but I bet many here would).

>> All too often people jump to conclusions and take
> offense at perfectly innocent statements. Your immediate
> negative response and attack are case in point. I prefaced
> my comments about the CafePress site with what,
> I thought, to be sufficient information to show that the post
> was not spam, that it was specifically directed to one
> newsgroup and that it was done under the belief that
> members of the group would be interested. Have you
> even bothered to visit the URL? Not that it matters,
> as at this point, since you seem to have set your
> mind as to my character.<<

And as I've pointed out in other threads, context is everything. We are
currently having some major trouble with posts appearing, replies are taking
weeks to appear on unmoderated threads, and from the opening of your initial
post - which references Black Monday - it was eminently clear that your post
appeared _instantaneously_. Add that to the fact that I don't recognize your
"name" or address and thus assumed you were new to the group, and had joined
simply to post your advert...which remember, appeared instantaneously when
others are disappearing into the ether with alarming frequency...and you have
one justifiably annoyed regular poster to this group.

But fine, we've beat this into the ground, okay? I now acknowledge that
you're apparently not a spammer here. Satisfied? Although I am curious:
when's the last time you posted something here besides your advert?

And before _you_ go setting your mind as to _my_ character, I did check out
the URL. Twice.

Incidentally, if what you're offering is a good value and you have
well-crafted text on your home page, people will find out about your store
and visit it, and link to it, and search engines will index you accordingly
based on what it is your selling/doing: you won't have to ask people to link
to you to help artificially boost your ranking. I have precisely zero pages
that link to my latest online commerce venture, and it comes up first on
Google in several searches on the basic subject. I'm not a fan of trying to
fake out search engines by any means (hidden text, sharing links with a
zillion other unrelated businesses, etc.), so I offer this advice with all
sincerity.

Amy

.

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