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My Thoughts re: Dealers Posting on Audiogon

I originally posted this in a thread in the Speakers forum.  It's more appropriate here:

As a former audio dealer and long time Audiogon member who has walked the tightrope I will say that, while I do not have a problem with dealers posting on Audiogon, I do feel that there are some basic rules that should be observed, both by the dealer and by everyone else:

For dealers:
1- Clearly announce that you are a dealer
2- Try to be helpful, objective and educational
3- Understand that an Audiogon forum IS NOT a sales venue
4- If you mention or recommend on of your products, mention again that you are a dealer for this product so that it's clearly understood that you have a finalcial interest in your recommendation
5- Don't trash the competition or other brands

For Audiogon members:
6- Don't complain about dealers posting in Audiogon forums. They are A'gon members like anyone else. If you don't want to read dealer posts them just don't read them
7- Just because a dealer makes a recommendation in which he/she has a financial interest does not automatically make it a bad recommendation. If the dealer comment is in the spirit of the discussion and or answers a question then it's probably appropriate, IMO
8- Dealers, well *many* dealers, have a lot of experience that most just audiophiles do not have. If a dealer is posting to be helpful to the group and not just trying to sell stuff then take advantage of that experience. Their answers to your questions will guide you as to whether they are interested in being helpful members of the Audiogon community or just pushing gear.

I hope that this is helpful guidance. Just my opinions...
br3098

Showing 5 responses by cleeds

Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
6,051 posts
 
nonoise
As long as a dealer stays within the guidelines proposed by the OP (which had always been the de facto approach here), then there's nothing amiss.
Quite so. But it might be nice for dealers to have the option of an identifying symbol.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
6,051 posts
 
bigkidz
I would like Audiogon to have a notification on my user name where it would indicate manufacturer and for dealers, dealer.
That seems like a great idea. Wouldn't that make pretty much everyone happy?
Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
6,051 posts
 
br3098
... who gets to decide what is good advise and what’s not? I say that each one of us does ...
Exactly! And that’s just the way things are supposed to work in the real world. I read a variety of news sources from around the world and with a variety of political leanings. That all gets factored in to how I interpret what they publish. None of the sources are perfect and I don’t accept anything they report strictly at face value. But neither would I try to silence any of them.

It’s the same here. After a while, it’s obvious that some contributors to this site simply do not know what they are talking about, or are trying to further some agenda or belief system, or are simply confused and looking for argument. The worst offenders here aren’t even the dealers, imo.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
6,051 posts
 
millercarbon

It should be clear I’m not talking about professionals hawking their wares. Anyone doing that deserves as much criticism as we can throw at him.
And those posts - "as much criticism as we can throw at them" - are often deleted by the moderators, and rightly so. What you describe is abusive. This is a forum where everyone gets to express their views, within the rules established by Audiogon.

Complaints about users here should be directed to the moderators, either by flagging the posts or directly through the "Contact Us" link. Either way, I have found them quite responsive.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
cleeds
6,051 posts
 

These seem like reasonable suggestions. It is annoying to read certain users who repeatedly complain about dealers who post here. Audiogon rules clearly allow dealer participation. While there may be some dealers whose advice is not especially useful, the same can be said of some of the hobbyists here. And I'm being kind.
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