Richards, Robert B. wrote:
I guess I am confused. *Most* of the time, we like it when IBMers post
what they know or think we should know. Is that now considered
advertising? :-(
Timothy is one of the few IBM Software Architects posting to this forum.
I, personally, have always found his posts to be informative, relevant
and generally *without* personal bias. When he does show bias, he
generally prefaces his comments. He is a major advocate for System z and
a frequent blogger to www.mainframe.typepad.com .
The "IBM" in "IBM-MAIN" does not imply any special relationship with, or
preferential treatment of, list participants who happen to be IBM
employees. It means simply that the discussion centers around topics
relating to IBM Mainframes. And, since I started contributing to this
list nearly 15 years ago, it has been primarily a technical discussion.
Of course, we all value the participation by IBM software developers and
architects. Without them, a lot of questions about IBM software would go
unanswered ... or answered incorrectly! Recent posts -- just this week
-- from the esteemed Jim Mulder and Peter Relson have provided
invaluable information. But, I have *never* heard either of those
gentlemen quote prices or forward announcement material of any kind to
the list.
About your question, "Does a software vendor, offering a "free" workshop
to discuss problems for which they provide priced "solutions" constitute
advertising?" Perhaps, but as you astutely pointed out, you would attend
some of them as follows" "it would be with eyes wide open. TANSTAAFL!
;-)"
Marketing announcements and the like have their own channels -- and
plenty of Internet bandwidth. If such postings were commonplace on this
forum, I suspect there would be no eyebrows raised. But, such postings
are fairly rare here -- which explains why Mr. Fogg was confused about
the rationale for Mr. Sipples post. He appears to be a primary
contributor of this kind of ... shall we say ... "border line" material.
It sounds as if you're in favor of encouraging similar posts from all
mainframe vendors. Is that *really* the direction you would like to see
IBM-MAIN take? Be careful what you wish for. O:-)
I'm not necessarily taking a position either way. So far, I'm just
asking questions. I get plenty of "stuff" in my InBox and SPAM folders
every day -- most of which I promptly delete. Obviously, I'll go along
with whatever the group consensus is regarding vendor pricing and
announcement material on IBM-MAIN. I can delete that fairly easily too.
I did ask about an IBM-MAIN "Charter" or "Canons of Conduct". Do such
documents exist? Are there any guidelines you receive when you first
subscribe to the list? I remember when Darren was active as list owner,
even job postings had to be sanctioned. Are they still restricted? What
are the rules??!
--
Edward E Jaffe
Phoenix Software International, Inc
5200 W Century Blvd, Suite 800
Los Angeles, CA 90045
310-338-0400 x318
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.phoenixsoftware.com/
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