fyi, I was told/warned one cannot start a thread linking their own blog. You can only post to a current thread pertaining to the subject. Since it is against the rules, they can b@n you for a short vacation, or a longer one - depending on how often it's done and how many "friendly reminders" received.

Oh my goodness. I never heard of that rule. I apologize. I am not selling anything or trying to promote anything.
Again, I will not post here again.

Allison, looks like the poster has been around for years. I hardly think that "rule" would apply in this case.

What!? Allison don't you post links to your magazine like blog with pictures of your awesome home all the time? I don't get it. I'm with natal in thinking there's no harm done. There are some members that post a link to their blog with every reply. If you don't want to visit it than just don't click on it. I see no harm, though it would have been nice had oldalgebra said more in her original comment instead of just a few words and then a link. My guess is it was her way of starting a conversation of what she liked and to see if others felt the same way.

You all misunderstood. It was an FYI. I didn't say she couldn't ever post a link. All I did was tell her what I was told from GW. fwiw, I was banned awhile back and hadn't even been starting threads with a link - had only been linking when it pertained to the subject matter.

I had to write GW and ask why I had been banned. When they told me, I asked why was a blog owner that makes money from her blog able to start thread after thread, linking her blog, and I was not able to post AM (which I do not own, btw) to existing threads? They then responded I could come back but to only post in an existing thread when pertaining to the subject matter.

And yes, I post a link when it pertains to the subject of a thread. The only thread I have started in a long time and linked was DD'2 house, and I had shared her previous home here as well - over three years ago.

Just as in the days of old (during Spike's reign) I've found the rules on GW to be very arbitrary. There are people (on other forums here) who openly sell things on their blogs and they continue to be allowed to post without any such warning. Makes you wonder.

Me too, and yes, they are not consistent.

fwiw, I post to plenty of threads without linking. But of course the threads that interest me the most pertain to things I like in the first place. ;D Like almost everyone (I would think), I don't click on every single thread - the title has to reel me in.

Allison - Am I understanding this right? You're not supposed to start your own post, only respond to another person's post? I linked to something the other day and got a warning saying I wasn't allowed to mention this particular website on here. I was glad that I got the warning instead of an instant banning (or trip to Disney for those that were here during the Spike days), but it did still remind me a little of the Spike days.

I recently linked to Cote de Texas' blogs. So, am I not supposed to do that?

Laurie

Laurie, a warning via email or automatically generated when you tried to post? Were the initials DG?

Hmmm... dunno about the rules thingy since I don't have a blog.

But I thought all movie posters are already art and lots of folks use them in decorating? You can buy them at places like eBay and the poster shop links online. Can be just the ticket for the right poster in the right room. Love the old classics, btw. :o)

Msrose, I can start a thread, but cannot link AM.

I can link AM in an existing post, but only when the link pertains to the thread subject.

DG ???

I love vintage travel posters, oceanna. DS ruined me for ever liking movie posters since his teenage room was covered in them. ;D

natal - It was automatically generated, no initals.

allison - Thanks, I understand now :)

Laurie

Dave's Garden is on GW's spammer list. Not sure why. I know he was a member at one time.

Allison, I do too -- from about the 20s and 30s. Yumm!

Oldalgebra, I hope you'll stay and post.

OA was just saying how much this poster means to HER.
She wasn't trying to sell anything.
She is a long time member and frequently posts on the holidays forum.

natal - That's exactly who I mentioned. It must have been that I linked to it instead of just mentioning it otherwise you would have just gotten the same warning.

Laurie

And what's even weirder there are still threads on GW with active links.

No matter what the posting protocol is, I have to say to oldalgebra, you are just *wrong*. You're not the only one who could love a poster of Audrey and Albert! As a girl coming across the late 60s just about a decade too late, I fell in love with both of them. Audrey I wanted to be, and Albert I wanted to...well, have as a boyfriend : )

If you run across any posters of Julie Christie or Monica Vitti or Anouk Aimee (or a young Alain Delon or Franco Nero -- heck, an old Franco Nero -- have you seen "Letters to Juliet"? :), you won't be the only one who loves those either : )

Thanks for explaining Allison. I was confused, but I get it now. I love viewing your home and I wonder if it's the fact that your home is posted on what G-W thinks of as a competitor site?

Gee Ladies...I'm marveling over the responces here on OA's post...
Seems like 'Much Ado About Nothing' !!
Without even checking out what she was referring to, you all jumped to conclusions and went On & On about Rules and such.
OA is a LONG time GW member and a Favorite Poster on Holiday.
I'm afraid you missed her innocent message with unfriendly messages of your own.

jane

I think the moderating should stay with the moderators. I just learned you can do a search for the poster if you're not sure if they are a spammer.

Slinkey, very well said! Htnspz, ditto.

Oldalgebra, listen to them, and to Flyleft, Oceanna and Nana!

Your poster is adorable and very special. Thanks for sharing it! A lot of people surely appreciated seeing it.

I'm not sure why several of you read my post the wrong way - if you go back and read with clear eyes, I was warning her so she would know of the possibility of getting banned for her thread. As I said, I received no warning, was banned for doing something far less intrusive than what others were doing (starting threads/linking), and passed on the information given to me so that the OP would know.

I did check what she was referring to, didn't jumping to conclusions or say she was selling anything.. and I certainly wasn't "moderating." I also never said she was spamming.

OA has been a member for years and so has Allison. Feels like we are not giving Allison the benefit of the doubt here....jumping on her with just a smidge too much enthusiasm. I think her FYI was clear, as have been her subsequent explanations.

We're all in this together, whether it's figuring out our window treatments or sorting through the sometimes confusing TOS here at GW.

Geesh, I wasn't trying to be mean to Allison. I was just curious why she thought OA would be banned because I knew she/Allison posted links. I even added "your awesome home" because I thought that would help her understand I was not berating her.
I didn't realize in reading her original post that she herself was banned since when she wrote she was told/warned, I thought she meant someone else not the powers that be on the GW told/warned her. I wrote a second note thanking her for explaining.
The written word is not always understood in the way it was intended, so when I'm not sure of what the intent was, I ask. I'm very sorry if Allison or anyone else took my questioning the wrong way.

I knew exactly why you were posting Allison, but I remember what happened with you. Maybe everyone wasn't aware of that. I took your post as letting OA know what might happen since it had happened to you.

I agree with justgotabeme that the written word is often misunderstood. Many times we are just to quick to jump.

I never understood the problem with linking to AM.???

tina

Allison, I totally understood as well. Geez people, I know life is busy but slow down and comprehend what you are reading.

Kelly it doesn't always have to do with the speed you read something in how you understand it. As mentioned in my last post, the written word, without seeing someones expression or hearing the tone in their voice, can easily be misunderstood.

I think iVillage/NBCUni/Comcast don't care if you link to your own blog. Does anyone actually get "banned" anymore? How can you ban someone from a free site?

Why is it OK to link to and rave about products from major retailers like RH, PB etc? It's OK to give them free advertising but not a blogger?
Someone please explain the rules to me again.

Thank you amy, tina and kelly.

ideefixe, this was fairly recently. So yes, they do.

deedee99, it seems the rules vary day to day, person to person. Not much is in writing and sometimes they don't send out warnings - so how do you know you're doing something they don't want you to do? Which I wasn't in the first place, so... No rules = confusion when you end up riding teacups.

I have always found Allison to be a courteous and generous poster- taking the time to help puzzle out design questions, to give thorough answers here and in Conversations, and to help with tech issues as well.