Rich Peet wrote:
> I for one do care if there is a business interest in the posts on
> this group. Which probably does not apply here but sure does on
> other posts. We have been well represented by commercial people here
> and I welcome it. We have seen manufacturer responses and
> consideration to our ideas beyond what I have seen on any other
> listserv. I hope the concept grows where we continue to be among the
> first to know about new developements and what others think works
> well.
While it can be to the good, it's not always so. And I have been in
other groups that had manufacturer representatives. Still am. Some
groups you get to where you don't want to say much about brand X because
you know brand X's rep is going to jump in to wave his product. I've
been on groups that died fundamentally for this reason. Though the norm
is groups begging manufacturers to join without it happening.
We have some freewheeling discussions here. And often in that a
manufacturer's product can be panned. Or think they are. It's one thing
to correct info, quite a different one to shift to pushing their goods,
steering the discussion or such like. It's rare a discussion has equal
participation from all the manufacturers being discussed. Any
manufacturer joining in must be willing to take lumps about their
product and restrain their tendencies to promote. I think we are
generally fair enough.
I prefer to have manufacturer's representatives that truly participate
in all discussions. Not just where they can promote their product. They
often have info that's hard for the rest of us to get. In the same vein
it's nicer to have the technical folks from a manufacturer in the group.
They tend to be less likely to do just raw commercialization.
> Let me know if there is a resistance to commercial interests as I
> will wish to be on the recycle of a dozen MKH-110's sometime in the
> next couple years. If I shouldn't say first here that they are
> available than I won't. Another topic for faq.
I certainly don't mind reasonable for sale type stuff or such like on
the group for established members. And this has already occurred from
time to time. So I think you are safe.
I'd get more grumpy about someone joining just to commercialize.
Walt
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