Asking advice on the forums

[nimbusgb]

From another thread ....

A sales pitch. Not a good way to join a forum.

I'm all for invention, British ideas and engineering but to make your first post a sales pitch really is poor marketing.

I still don't know what you are trying to sell but I do know I don't need it.

If that is valuable feedback and it stops you spending 1000's trying to launch an un-needed product then I guess we have been helpful. But if you were looking for customers this is not they way to do it.

I really don't get this attitude at all. If you don't know what a guy is selling how can it be a sales pitch?

People come to the forums and ask any number of questions about fixing, working on or operating their boats, a lot of which could be considered of commercially value.

For example this morning I spent 10 minutes or so thinking about and answering a question about wiring a boats instruments. Should I have just said 'go hire an instrument technician'?

Want an endorsement of a chain supplier, ask the forums. Recommend a marina, ask the forums, recommend a broker, a chandler, a carpenter anything boat related and people come to the forums. Tell me how to fix this that or the next thing so I can save a buck, go to the forums.

But a guy thinks he has a workable idea to improve boating, he's thinking of spending his own money to develop the idea, he comes to the place where there's a gathered pool of knowledge and the response is basically eff off.

Even in the best scenario no one is going to become Bill Gates off inventing something for leisure boating! Where else would a guy go to ask advice about acceptance of a new idea?

Yes I'd like to do something similar and I'd like to gather some ideas from the more intelligent people here. I'm in no illusions about making money from the idea, perhaps a few beer tokens but I daren't ask! No wonder this country is such a mess in terms of manufacturing or starting new things up!

Think I might start charging for any future advice or opinions!

Just seen another question on liveaboard

Is there any market for older sailboat chartering in Greece/Turkey? If i sailed my boat out there could i potentially offset my berthing expenses by chartering the boat? The boat would be a Dufour 35, 1978

How is this not a commercial 'sales pitch' question that get's barked at? After all we can tell exactly what his angle is!

Ridiculous!

 

[macd]

Yes, the post did leap out a bit, although the OP (to whom it was addressed) seemed completely unflapped and unoffended, both by that post and the general level of negativity. Whatever he's working on, I hope he makes a packet out of it. (http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?352614-A-worthy-invention/page3)

I was more struck by the fact that a significant number of supposedly literate people, all with access to Google, spent about 20 posts feebly trying to work out the meaning, spelling and derivation of "cinch". What resourceful people boaters are.

For anyone interested, it's here: http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/cinch

 

[jac]

There is one significant difference. If a user comes on who has been around for a while then most people treat the post in good faith.

The post referred to was the first ever post - I thought it a sales pitch but felt it had all been said so didn't join the debate.

 

[nimbusgb]

Yup and good for him. Any venture needs people with thick hides.

As for the cinch it's just a reflection of a dumbed down education system and some very bolshy people ( Let's see what that one brings up )

 

[prv]

The post referred to was the first ever post - I thought it a sales pitch but felt it had all been said so didn't join the debate.

I didn't see it as a sales pitch, because he won't tell anyone what it is. I thought most of the negativity was just because it's probably a daft idea

Pete

 

[nimbusgb]

Perhaps stumbling in to the forum and making a first post about doing something is a bit borderline but the point of my post more about using the pooled knowledge here to develop a boating idea.

It seems sensible to me and if anything you do get the worst view pretty quickly!

 

[nigelmercier]

As for the cinch it's just a reflection of a dumbed down education system and some very bolshy people ( Let's see what that one brings up )

OK, I'll bite. The posting was obviously a sales pitch, I was actually trying to be helpful in correcting the error, even though I chose the less well known spelling of "cinch", for which I will accept my turn in the barrel.

 

[nimbusgb]

OK, I'll bite. The posting was obviously a sales pitch, I was actually trying to be helpful in correcting the error, even though I chose the less well known spelling of "cinch", for which I will accept my turn in the barrel.

Bite? Are we talking about cinch, bolshy or the actual theme of this post?

Now I'm confused!

Example http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?352412-Which-Broker I consider this to be a very, very thinly disguised 'sales' pitch displaying item, price and intent and yet not a single complaint!

 

[nigelmercier]

Bite? Are we talking about cinch, bolshy or the actual theme of this post?

I pointed out that "synch" was not the right word.

 

[nimbusgb]

I pointed out that "synch" was not the right word.

We got that And we agree!

Now what about the point of this thread?

 

[Searush]

We got that And we agree!

Now what about the point of this thread?

Good question, what is the point of this thread?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I didn't see it as a sales pitch, because he won't tell anyone what it is. I thought most of the negativity was just because it's probably a daft idea

Pete

Not necessarily daft - but uneccessary except in a minority of cases. In fact, I could perhaps imagine non-boaty uses for his idea, presuming that it is technically workable.