The Sewing Forum Rules - Advertising and Supplier Rules

[mrsh]

Advertising and Supplier Rules
Updated 18 January 2011

General
The main aim of TSF is to improve and share a knowledge resource available to the sewing community.

It is TSF policy to remain free from sponsorship or partnerships and advertising by members is strictly limited and restricted to the section called 'The Trading Post'. It is not a facility for members to increase their internet presence via TSF or to market or promote themselves or their websites, products or services and TSF will not accept usernames that could lead people to your website or shop front via internet searches.

The Moderators will edit or remove anything that does not meet with the requirements.

Breaches of the Advertising and Supplier Rules by any member can result in action being taken, such as a warning / infraction, temporary or permanent ban or deletion of the account.


Ordinary or Supplier Member
TSF members may be 'Ordinary Members' or 'Supplier Members'.
All new members join as 'Ordinary Members'.
An Ordinary Member may apply to become a Supplier Member after 3 months membership and subject to a level of genuine participation in discussions on TSF to improve or share knowledge with the sewing community. The Moderators may accept or reject an application for Supplier Membershiip.

Only Supplier Members may mention or post a link to their needlecraft related business / trading / commission type ventures or offer their goods / services to members.

An Ordinary Member who has a connection with a teaching, trading or business type activity associated with needlecrafts, whether small, medium or large, part-time, commercial or not, must apply and be accepted as a Supplier Member if they want to:

- make offers of their goods or services to TSF members (Trading Post only); or
- mention or discuss the business / trading venture (Trading Post only); or
- post links to anything that could lead people either directly or indirectly to the items or services, tutorials or offers concerned in the venture.


Offers and Advertising

Only sewing / needlecraft related goods and services may be offered or advertised

Any offers or advertising will be allowed to take place only in the one area on the forum called the Trading Post. Any advertising posts or activity found anywhere else on TSF will be removed and action taken with the member concerned.

In the 'Trading Post', Ordinary Members may use the board called I want to Sell, Buy or Give Away to request or offer needlecraft related items surplus to personal requirements to other members on an occasional basis. This facility may be used only for items that are not currently offered by the member elsewhere - for example, on ebay or other auction or shop sites/places. This facility is not for business or trading activity.

In the Trading Post a Supplier Member:
- may mention their needlecraft related business / tradiing venture, goods and services.
- may post an introduction to their business / trading venture and include one link to a website or blog associated with that venture Supplier Members: Business Introductions and Updates
- may make a maximum of 2 offers to members per week. Posts must include the date in the title of the thread and will be weeded. Each post may contain one link to a webiste/blog associated with the offer.
Offers of Courses Supplier Members: Courses Offered to Members
Special Offers to Members Supplier Members: Special Offers to Members

Supplier Rules
A Supplier Membership is granted as an additional privilige facility to Ordinary Membership

When you have been granted a Supplier Membership, you:

- must continue to participate in the discussions on TSF to retain supplier membership. Your post count will drop as old, irrelevant or out of date posts are weeded from TSF, so you will need to maintain your contribution to TSF discussions.
(Relevant Post count falls below 50 = revert to Ordinary Member)

- may enter one link to your website or blog on your Profile Page;
(Exceed Link allowance = Infraction)

- may use only the Trading Post area to make offers to members;
- must avoid mention of your business / trading venture anywhere on TSF except in The Trading Post area:
(Breach = infraction / deletion / ban)

- must not solicit custom or try to raise awareness of your venture via the private message system
(Breach = Deletion / Ban);

How to become Supplier Member

Your business, teaching, trading, internet shop or website activity is associated with Sewing / Needlecraft
and
You have been an Ordinary Member for more than 3 months
and
You have no infractions, warnings or other penalties during the 12 weeks preceeding your application
and
You participate in the discussions on TSF and have a post count of 50 or more relevant posts

Relevant Posts are posts on TSF that contribute to the sewing and needlecraft related discussions. Relevant Posts do not include those on the Members Introduction boards, Offers of Courses or Special Offers to Members.

If you meet the above qualifying criteria and want to offer your sewing/needlecraft related goods and services to other members, send a message via the Contact Us facility to and ask that your application to become a supplier is considered.

The Moderators will take into account what is being offered and what the member has contributed to the forum before deciding whether the member may become a supplier.

From 01 April 2011, any Supplier Member with a relevant post count that falls below 50 will revert to ordinary membership.

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Relevant Posts are posts on TSF that contribute to the sewing and needlecraft related discussions. Relevant Posts do not include those on the Members Introduction boards, Offers of Courses or Special Offers to Members.