Maybe Perb should clearly list what they consider to be advertising, when people register in order to post, then everyone would know.
Exactly!
*does the chicken dance*
oh, nevermind me...
I just don't think it's clear to begin with..
Janaya, just to clarify.. I didn't start this thread to complain or single anyone out. I just think it should be clear to everyone and should apply the same way to everyone as well. One of the reasons I became an advertiser was because of the "complaining" of advertisers...but when you are on the other side of things you ask yourself why bother paying if others are still getting the same and not paying? There are sp's who post their website/links to photos, contact info AND bio on their Perb profile! This is what I pay for...so that's what I am questionning.
I also thought that posting/advertising on Perb wasn't really where or how my clients found me however I don't think we can really know for sure as not everyone mentions that they are a Perb member (or even a lurker) which doesn't mean it isn't how they found you. I suspect a lot more do this than we think..as I found out someone I knew (or so I thought!) very well is in fact a long time member eventhough he feigned ignorance when it was brought up in a conversation.. why? I really don't know but if you have advertisement on any other websites, these gentlemen have most likely seen that too but, as it was suggested, perhaps made their final decision to see you by coming to Perb and getting more info through your posts or reviews..or 411. When contacting you, they can easily say they saw your ad on CL... I think this happens more than we suspect.
I don't know if it's the difference in city or the fact that for safety reasons a lot of touring SP's ask for a Perb handle, but I find that perb members in Calgary seem to volunteer this info a lot more than in Vancouver. But that's my experience only...and perhaps I do not see a lot of perb members in Vancouver, which is also possible. However a recent review where someone I saw and never knew was a member made me realize that there really is no way for us to know for sure how much business we get from Perb in the end. Only an sp who solely advertises here would know..and I doubt there are any.
Do I think all sp's registering on perb should pay some kind of advertising fee? Yes, definitely...however the fact is that there are already very few of us posting and this may make the ones who do post and contribute stop.. which isn't good.
* Maybe sp's who register
but do not contribute should be charged some kind of advertising fee?
This would encourage (relevant & useful) contribution and limit the abuse of unpaid advertising. Because if an sp's not posting and not advertising (paid), then sorry.. but what are they doing here besides beeing a leech and an unpaid advertiser? Common sense...
* Or perhaps, PM function could be disabled for non advertising SP who register and do not wish to pay for advertising.
* Another idea is that unless an sp is paying for advertising, she cannot use her work name as her handle? She could be assigned a handle that is not clearly identifying she is a "she" or an sp.
I don't know what you guys think the solution is but IMHO The bottom line is that there needs to be a clear and valid advantage to paying for advertising or else why bother, right?.. which is what I am asking.
