Could someone let me know what the forum's policy is on posting links to other websites. I'm writing a blog about helping new mystery shoppers learn how to start mystery shopping and build a profitable business, as well as offering tips and helpful advice to fellow mystery shoppers. I would love for others to check it and offer feedback. Is this permissible? Thanks for the help!

Since that is exactly what is done here, wouldn't linking to your site be a conflict of interest?

I wouldn't think it would be a conflict of interest. I'm not trying to compete with this forum. In fact, I have linked to this site and encouraged readers to come here in several blog posts. I'm simply offering my perspective and sharing from my own experiences. I would see it as complimentary.

That is why I am asking about the policy.

"helping new mystery shoppers learn how to start mystery shopping and build a profitable business, as well as offering tips and helpful advice to fellow mystery shoppers."

Exactly what we do here. How would it complement this forum rather than compete?

This is not saying you have or would do the same thing, but someone linked to their blog once and it cracked me up because she was basically repeating things from here verbatim. I think she actually copied and pasted rather than be bothered with trying to put it into her own words.

Probably the best way to get an answer is to PM JacobJ himself. Seems like he should be the one to make the decision since he has the most to gain or lose.

Sure, the mission is similar to what is done here, but the format completely different. I'm not attempting to be a forum with message boards.

It compliments because, like this forum, I am trying to help people, just in my own words and from my perspective, not anyone else's. I certainly don't copy anyone else's words verbatim. I'm a writer, not a plagiarist.

There is so much misinformation out there about mystery shopping that, the more we can offer our own voices and share our unique perspectives, this will benefit new shoppers and the industry overall.

I will check with Jacob. Thanks for the info.

And won't it compete with Jacob's Mystery Shopping Magazine?

I am a subscriber to his magazine! I am not writing a magazine.

Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/2015 08:43PM by vabvol.

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2015 11:47PM by MDavisnowell.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2015 11:50PM by MDavisnowell.

Start typing your response after the last ] of the word quote.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2015 11:45PM by MDavisnowell.

@vabvol wrote:

I wouldn't think it would be a conflict of interest. I'm not trying to compete with this forum. In fact, I have linked to this site and encouraged readers to come here in several blog posts. I'm simply offering my perspective and sharing from my own experiences. I would see it as complimentary.

That is why I am asking about the policy.

I think you should ask Jacob for permission before attaching a link to his forum. He might not have a problem with it but I would want to know what my "property" is being affiliated with.

I honestly cannot believe what I am reading here.

@MDavisnowell You are now accusing me of taking material from other people??? Unbelievable that you would make so many assumptions without even knowing me or reading anything I have written.

I simply desire to help others, and the fact that this could get so misconstrued in this forum is absurd.

@MDavisnowell wrote:

Sybil, I thought that's what I was doing. But, I did delete part of the quote at the beginning and the end. Can that be the problem? Does it mess it up if you delete part of the quote?

Nope, I do it all the time. (I did not for this quote though.)

I don't think there is a policy. To me, posting a link to something that gives information, like posting a link to a great deal on a tablet, or a link to a mystery shopping company, would be acceptable. IMHO, posting a link to anything that I run myself would be self-promotion, and I would consider it a form of spam or seeking free advertising. I would not do it personally, although Jacob is the form owner and he may be willing to approve of it.

I think what Mary is saying is that the posts you have made to date on the forum have not contained a wealth of information, not that she believes you would take anyone else's material. If you are producing a blog to help new mystery shoppers, the posts you have thus far written on this forum would be somewhat of an indicator to me of how interesting and valuable I might find your blog.

It matters not to me whether a link is posted or not. I likely would never view your blog, because I get all the intellectual mystery shopping stimulation I need here. Just IMHO, posting a link to a personal blog would be spam.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2015 11:45PM by MDavisnowell.

At the risk of sounding incredibly selfish we do realize don't we that when we help new shoppers we increase competition for ourselves... I'm having a real problem with new competition in my area and frankly I don't want any more new shoppers!!

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2015 11:44PM by MDavisnowell.

I'm really disappointed in some of the people/responses here today. I thought about not responding, but I couldn't let many of these false assumptions and the unnecessary demeaning of my character to go unanswered.

1. I was asking a simple yes/no question. I was not looking for people to editorialize whether my blog idea was valid or not.

2. Way back in middle school, my band director taught me what happens when people "assume." That has been proven correct once again.

3. It will always be the people who create and try to do something outside of the box who get criticized. Once again, true.

4. According to TeachingCopyright.org, "Ideas and facts" are not copyrightable. (@MDavisnowell) If that were the case, it would be wrong of all of us to be discussing mystery shopping here because we did not come up with the idea. And no, I do not "paraphrase or alter slightly and use material that does not belong to" me. As I writer, I create original content. My plagiarism comment was in response to another comment.

5. While I have nothing to sell, there is nothing wrong with making a profit on content. To say otherwise is to demean writing as a profession and those who sell ideas for a living through books, magazines, blogs, etc.

I am extremely discouraged by what this thread has turned into. If you don't have anything kind to say, don't say it at all!

What you think was a simple yes/no question wasn't. You posted about your blog in open forum and even said you were hoping others would read it and give feedback. Questioning whether it would conflict with this forum was not out of line or mean. I prefaced my story about another blog by saying it was not about you or your intentions. And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with creating a blog to generate profit for yourself, the question was whether or not you using this forum to self promote would be detrimental to the earnings generated here. It was why two of us suggested you contact Jacob directly.

I guess you could have said in the beginning that we were only to respond with either a yes or no. Normally that doesn't do a lot of good since nobody really owns the thread they create.

I think it's up to the forum owner if he allows it or not. He has allowed a link to at least one other blog that I know of.
I would welcome it. A blog is not a forum or a magazine and I think anything that offers a new perspective is something I would be interested in.

I do not see the link to the blog in question anywhere in these posts. Perhaps it was posted and removed r never posted to begin with. I would welcome a PM with the link. I'd like to read the blog.

As someone else said, just ask the forum owner. Perhaps he would allow it in your signature line if you don't actually post and outright promote it here.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/29/2015 11:43PM by MDavisnowell.

@MDavisnowell wrote:

I think there's nothing wrong with creating a blog to make a profit and I'm sure that's the primary incentive of most blog creators.

I have a blog. I do it because I care about the topic and want to share with others. I do not make any money from it whatsoever. I don't recall the OP saying anything about the purpose of the blog being to make money. It doesn't matter to me anyway if it's good information. What should I care how much money someone else makes? I wouldn't care if JJ made millions off the stuff I posted here.

I think people are way too quick to assume things. Live and let live.

Edited: Meant to say "wouldn't" not "would" - big difference.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/2015 05:33AM by LJ.

It's ok to post links to other websites on the forum. I would make sure that the link to the other website provides value to the community. I also wouldn't over do it. In general, as long as you're respectful of the community and adding a positive contribution, it is hard to go wrong.

Some boards allow links to personal blogs to be included in signature lines. I like that because this alerts the reader to the fact that it is the poster's self-promotion. If you like the poster, you will probably like their blog and vice versa.

If someone shares a link within their post, I think it should be just that - sharing, with no personal agenda.

I share links all the time, but its only to products that I bought and think may be of interest to other shoppers. I have never put a link to a competing site or to a product that I obtained a single penny for. I am usually very good at finding the lowest price for anything and buy things directly from China or the manufacturer directly cutting out any middle man.

If I ever post a link to a product and someone finds it cheaper or thinks they found a better product, please let me know.

I don't mind links being posted as long as the poster tells what the link is for, not "Check this out" without any explanation. I appreciate links to things that are clearly of use to shoppers at a good price, such as techman's posts about the paper sale at Staples and that windows tablet. I bought both of them. I go through about a case of paper every tax season so scoring one for $10 was a nice bonus.

I often choose to suggest readers google the outside site instead of posting the link. I guess I'm a little paranoid about following links myself.