Guest Posted November 12, 2002 Posted November 12, 2002 Hi, I am trying to determine the correct category for my site as previous tries in 3 separate categories have been unsuccessful. My site is http://www.allaboutautoresponders.info and provides resources on all aspects of selecting and using autoresponders. A site with virtually identical purpose, http://www.autoresponder-review.com/ appears on computers:internet:email:response tools, but submissions there have not been listed. Submissions to computers:software:internet:servers:mail:autoresponder services and computers:e-books: titles were also not listed (I sell one autoresponder e-book and offer another free). I feel confident my site offers more than adequate unique content and otherwise meets guidelines. Any suggestions would be welcome and appreciated. Thanks, Glenn Gordon
dfy Posted November 12, 2002 Posted November 12, 2002 Given that you always submit http://www.allaboutautoresponders.info/offer/, which is quite clearly a multi-level marketing page, it will not be listed. Having had a look at the top level of your site, that also falls foul of our MLM rules, and will not be listed.
Guest Posted November 12, 2002 Posted November 12, 2002 Hi and thanks for clarifying the issues involved. There is absolutely no MLM involved here; I'm bewildered as to why it would be perceived so. My top level offers free resources and an autoresponder address for information on the product which is offered on the /offer page. The All About Autoresponders e-book and product database is entirely of my creation. Since there is no MLM product involved whatsoever, could you give me an idea why it appears so and what, if anything, I can change so this perception is removed? Many thanks, Glenn Gordon
dfy Posted November 12, 2002 Posted November 12, 2002 It looks like an MLM venture because you offer an e-book which can be 'branded' by anyone that downloads it, and used on their own sites. This is a classic MLM ploy, purchase a product, put your own branding on it, and sell it on to others. However a little scouting around turns up evidence that you did indeed write the book, and therefore even if you are operating an MLM scheme, you're the originator and hence not automatically disqualified from a listing. I suggest you re-submit, but this time using your real site at http://ur-in-business.com/. Since the entire purpose of the site is to sell your other ebook (while also containing a huge quantity of cloaked affiliate links), I suggest you submit it to an appropriate category in the Shopping/ branch, maybe Shopping/Publications/Books/Business/Marketing/.
Meta hutcheson Posted November 12, 2002 Meta Posted November 12, 2002 The problem is not the packaging, the problem is: "Content, unique and relevant, insufficiency of." Which is not listed, at the discretion of the editor. Now, the packaging makes it look like: "Content, absolute non-uniqueness of." I can see why that would be labelled "MLM" (it apparently conforms to the standard website for one of the standard pyramid fraud schemes so closely and in so many details). But no, we aren't going to discuss spam detection in a public forum. I can also see why you don't call it "MLM". I agree that it might be more technically accurate (at least from a cursory examination) to call it an advertising-promotional site with no educational or commercial interest(*). And we don't list such sites. -------------------- (*)no interest, at least, to people who aren't getting paid for the affiliate links: which includes pretty much everyone that doesn't already know about the site.
Meta hutcheson Posted November 12, 2002 Meta Posted November 12, 2002 dfy types faster than I do. But I think we're in substantial agreement. If you can demonstrate that the e-book is original and unique, the only place the site could be considered for a listing is shopping/e-books.
Guest Posted November 13, 2002 Posted November 13, 2002 Thanks again for clarifying the issues. I'm not sure it matters, but did want to clarify exactly what is being offered on the site. One is a free e-book which can be rebranded by the recipient and given away, not sold. Common approach to be sure, but viral marketing, not MLM. The other e-book is sold but is not brandable and cannot be resold, and comes with access to an online database of autoresponder products. Even though I naturally highlight my All About Autoresponders product on my ur-in-business site, I consider them separate, with primarily separate functions. I will be glad to resubmit using the Shopping category, although it seems to me most logical to submit the All About Autoresponders site, rather than the ur-in-business one. Thanks again, Glenn Gordon
dfy Posted November 14, 2002 Posted November 14, 2002 That may be more logical to you, but we follow different logic. We will look at http://allaboutautoresponders.info/ and immediately realise that it is a sub-site of http://ur-in-business.com/ (ie. one site contains a sub-set of the information on the other). We would then naturally list the more comprehensive (in the loosest sense of the word) site.
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