the vast majority of people here interpret "the intended use ... of the
newsgroup" to mean that this is a free help service.
Your statement is not based in fact. There are a vast number of posters and
responders to the newsgroups. The vast majority of these posters and
responders have never expressed an opinion one way or another. The fact of
the matter is that there are only a handful of people that have made
condescending responses to my posts offering help for a fee (Arno R, Keith
Wilby, Randy Harris, rkc to name a few.) The fact of the matter is that
there are ten times this number that accept fee-based offers of help. On
numerous occasions I have been paid a fee for my help from a poster I made
an offer to. From most other posters I have made an offer to, I receive a
genuine thank you with an explanation of why they are unable to pay a fee
(boss says No, limited budget, personnal application to name a few.) It is
rare that I get a response back mentioning any expectation of "free help".
Do you agree that the purpose of the newsgroup is to provide Access users a
resource for getting help with Access problems? Look at my Sig:
"Your Resource For Help With Access, Excel and Word Applications"
My mission is to provide customers a resource for help with Access, Excel
and Word applications. And I am very successful at this. I charge customers
a very reasonable fee and I do the best I can to ensure customers are well
satisfied. A good portion of my business is from the newsgroups helping
customers with typical problems you read in the newsgroups daily. I am not a
major consulting firm ripping customers off for a $100 or more an hour. My
typical projects are $500 to $1500 and I am busy 85-90% of the time. I do
not do mission-critical projects.
You accurately quote the Rules Of Conduct, "We ask that you refrain from
posting advertisements or solicitations that do not pertain directly to the
intended use and purpose of the newsgroup or chat." My offers of fee-based
help are always Access related and pertain to the purpose of the newsgroup
to provide Access users a resource for getting help with Access problems. On
at least a ten-to-one ratio I also provide free support on the newsgroups. I
judiciously only offer fee-based help to posters who seem to need extra help
beyond a newsgroup. Some time ago an MVP responded to one of my posts,
"True, but that (that I provide a lot of free support in the Access
newsgroups) is not the issue you are being taken to task on. It is your
offering to help without disclosing the cost. When you post any of your
"call me" messages, you need to indicate that unlike other offers of help,
your help comes at a price." I have taken that suggestion and sincerely make
an effort to always indicate that I am offering fee-based help. For example,
my post in this thread reads, "Contact me at my email address below if you
would like outside help with this. My fees are very reasonable."
As far as advertising, please explain in concrete terms how "Contact me at
my email address below if you would like outside help with this. My fees are
very reasonable" is advertising. My sig is advertising but again it pertains
to the purpose of the newsgroups to provide Access users a resource for help
with Access related problems. Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP is the same
type of advertising. So is the following:
o "See
http://www.QBuilt.com for all your database needs."
o "John Viescas, author
"Building Microsoft Access Applications" (Coming Soon!)
"Microsoft Office Access 2003 Inside Out"
"Running Microsoft Access 2000"
"SQL Queries for Mere Mortals"
o David Lloyd
MCSD .NET
http://LemingtonConsulting.com
The above are a very small example of what you see daily on the newsgroups.
In terms of Contact me if you would like help, I am not the only one to post
this type of post. Every once in a while you will see offers from others
besides myself. Consider the following:
genenky -
You can contact me via
www.cadellsoftware.org and we can discuss what you're
seeking to do.-
Ken Snell
MS ACCESS MVP
No one posts derogatory responses to these others. Is it because Ken is an
MVP?
In terms of advertising, consider the following in the sig line of an
infrequent responder:
"A Christian Response
http://www.pastornet.net.au/response"
Check out the web address. It has absolutely nothing to do with Access. You
see other adverts like this and adverts that are directly in the body of the
post. None of the above are ever taken to task for advertising that
obviously does not pertain to providing Access users a resource for help
with Access problems.
I want to address another Rule Of Conduct that reads:
"Appropriate Language: The purpose of our communities is to exchange
technical information and expertise about Microsoft products. Please avoid
personal attacks, slurs, and profanity in your interactions."
I'm sorry that your business is so poor ...
You know nothing about my business. Please explain what makes you think that
you are qualified to make a statement like this? As stated above, the
opposite is true in fact which makes your statement a personal attack, a
slur and slanderous.
emulate ambulance-chasing lawyers
This statement also is nothing but a personal attack and a slur.
In making these kind of statements, you are therefore violating the Rules Of
Conduct.
Please do not consider the above an affront because I sincerely do respect
you, Doug. The above is to just make a point.
In conclusion, I want to ask that you drop out of the crowd of the likes of
Arno R, Keith Wilby, Randy Harris and others and defend me from their
malicious attacks. If you are not willing to do this then I ask that you
keep silent rather than makeing statements like are in this post.
Thanks, Doug,
Steve
"Douglas J. Steele" wrote in message
...
I will grant you that the words in Rules of Conduct for this group, as
posted at
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/ga...RulesofConduct
can be interpretted, should you choose to, as letting you advertise: "We
ask that you refrain from posting advertisements or solicitations that do
not pertain directly to the intended use and purpose of the newsgroup or
chat."
However, as you're well aware, the vast majority of people here interpret
"the intended use ... of the newsgroup" to mean that this is a free help
service.
I'm sorry that your business is so poor that you feel it necessary to
emulate ambulance-chasing lawyers, using tactics that draw the scorn and
comtempt of your peers.
--
Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP
http://I.Am/DougSteele
(no e-mails, please!)
"PC Datasheet" wrote in message
link.net...
Doug,
I have always respected your approach and continue to feel that way. My
intent here is not meant to put you down in any way. I just am asking you
on a professional level where specifically does it say that offers of
help on an Access related problem for a fee are prohibited?
Steve
"Douglas J. Steele" wrote in message
...
These newsgroups are not intended for you to solicit commercial
business.
You know that: you've been told MANY times by MANY different people, yet
you still persist.
Are you really that egocentric that you figure you can ignore everyone?
--
Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP
http://I.Am/DougSteele
(no e-mails, please!)
"PC Datasheet" wrote in message
ink.net...
Why don't you explain it to me in concrete terms, Doug.
"Douglas J. Steele" wrote in
message ...
You just don't get it, do you Steve?
--
Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP
http://I.Am/DougSteele
(no e-mails, please!)
"PC Datasheet" wrote in message
link.net...
Contact me at my email address below if you would like outside help
with this. My fees are very reasonable.
--
PC Datasheet
Your Resource For Help With Access, Excel And Word Applications
www.pcdatasheet.com