Promoting well informed retailers & HT installers (they are out there so why not give them some credit)

Promoting well informed retailers & HT installers (they are out there so why not give them some credit)

Is a good thing, as long as it really is based on respected qualities, and aimed at those who go out of their way.

Much of the membership already know of people like A.R. ... and with countless positive testimonials, and a dedication to doing things carefully and correctly, there's already plenty of people ready to drop his name at the drop of a hat!

Likewise, there are certain establishments who care more about quality than how many sofas & coffee machines they flog.

And there is a certain dispenser of DVB cards and the like, who most would agree, goes well beyond the average in supporting the DTV community.

Of course, the trick is how to tread the line between pointing out good cases, whilst avoiding allowing a covert outlet for less reputable outfits.

And, what about pointing out the bastards, crooks and deceivers? Surely this can be just as useful, but needs even more care in keeping it honest and balanced ... and legal!

And, what about pointing out the bastards, crooks and deceivers? Surely this can be just as useful, but needs even more care in keeping it honest and balanced ... and legal!

Well, as long as it isn't just in spite because they got shafted, and as long as they don't post in every single sub-forum and thread just to point out how bad one of the staff memebers in the retailer are...

I see things like "I got my new Felt (bike) from Runners World, and their serivce was good" as being ok. Sharing a personal experience.

Whereas, comments like "Nick (Northside) is the only installer who know what he is talking about" may well be true but are not really that helpful. Sorry Nic.

Well, as long as it isn't just in spite because they got shafted, and as long as they don't post in every single sub-forum and thread just to point out how bad one of the staff memebers in the retailer are...

Sure ... yep, we've seen those!

Or, bad-mouthing a retailer because the buyer didn't understand the product! (Of course, if they were misled by a drone, then I suppose that's fair game!)

I believe some Retailers work hard at getting your business. I think it would be good to award those Retailers with allowable mention due to their competitive edge in pricing policies with service suitable to particular product.

This benefits the consumer long term as trading here at tight price points involve a certain amount of honesty.

DA

Agreed. After working in retail for so long is rewarding to get a compliment after working really hard to research a product to assist in the selling of the product.

It would be difficult I think to have and maintain a list of "approved" suppliers. Indeed just what does approved mean. In the main DBA's Members are those who have collected together to promote Digital TV. But they are mainstream suppliers (and I guess content suppliers)

But if it were a listng with links to suppliers websites that DBA/Coral was satisfied were genuine, perhaps a sticky with these details would be useful for newcomers to scan and then go look at the suppliers websites.

The difficulty with things is always - how do you refresh it and keep it up to date.

Edited February 25, 200620 yr by murrayt

a list of dtv products in the market place is already in the dba website.

Not sure why we need to have links to lists of approved suppliers ?

Maybe a star ratting should be introduce

1. ***** = Excellent

2. **** = Very Good

3. *** = Good

4. ** = Give them a miss

cheers laurie

I don't think that would work. The members pay to be a member of the DBA and I have a feeling they wouldn't appreciate being labeled as 'give them a miss'

OK so there is an Ad at the bottom of the forum page for Wickeddigital.

I assume that means that not only is it paying the DTV Forum for the right to advertise but that it also means that the DTV Forum thinks that it is a very reputable on-line shop? Is this indeed the case?

Can one assume that if DTV allows adverstising that it has checked out the shops credentials, quality or whatever?

That advert Lyle is part of Google's AdSense program. It just reads words on the page and, combined with the options set by the AdSense user, creates an advert.

Wickeddigital would have signed up to Google's AdSense program as an advertiser.

Wickeddigital would have signed up to Google's AdSense program as an advertiser.

So any Google Ad could appear and the DTV forum would not know about it or have any sense of it rightness or wrongness or whatever?? Isn't that a bit of a worry?

What if a really unreputable organisation or Ad sneeks in?

Then report it to Tim or Caniffe and get them to re-configure the AdSense settings to stop that advert.

It's the same with most advert providers (Macrumors.com has had issues with their advert providers serving up adult-suited adverts and other adverts that don't suit the site. for example).

Then report it to Tim or Caniffe and get them to re-configure the AdSense settings to stop that advert.

It's the same with most advert providers (Macrumors.com has had issues with their advert providers serving up adult-suited adverts and other adverts that don't suit the site. for example).

OK I will if I see one. So far they all look ok to me. The site I was asking about looked like a good one but I thought it worthy of asking about.

I assume that the DTV forum must monitor these in some way themselves and if there was potential for misuse they would do something about it.

The only problem I currently see is that by allowing something to be advertised it "appears" to have the sanction of the Forum.

I have asked the mods to comment.

Eh?

Google AdWords are simply keyword filters - the same as just now there being a "Password Changer" ad there.

Any retailer that abuses the AdWords usually will do so on by changing their keywords, which means that ad will appear on more websites than just this one.

Mountain out of a molehill, really.

So any Google Ad could appear and the DTV forum would not know about it or have any sense of it rightness or wrongness or whatever?? Isn't that a bit of a worry?

What if a really unreputable organisation or Ad sneeks in?

Lyle,

DTV Forum does not have any direct relationshp with any advertiser through Google Adsense and therefore does not endorse of products advertised on the site. The positive side of this is that the DTV Forum remains more independent than if we were seeking advertisers directly.

Tim.

Lyle,

DTV Forum does not have any direct relationshp with any advertiser through Google Adsense and therefore does not endorse of products advertised on the site. The positive side of this is that the DTV Forum remains more independent than if we were seeking advertisers directly.

Tim.

Amen to that.

While it would be nice in an ideal world to be able to pre-emptively (yet dynamically!) filter out advertisers that one didn't approve of, this currently isn't possible with the google system, and probably wouldn't be in their interest (ie: maximising their revenue).

OTOH, if direct advertising were allowed, it would open up somewhat of a pandora's box. (Including: which organisations to allow to advertise ; and more importantly, what to do if members have issues with organisations whose products/services they chose via this site - which brings one to the murky realm of loss of real or perceived independence...)

Lyle,

DTV Forum does not have any direct relationshp with any advertiser through Google Adsense and therefore does not endorse of products advertised on the site. The positive side of this is that the DTV Forum remains more independent than if we were seeking advertisers directly.

Tim.

Thanks for commenting. I still lack a bit of understanding though.

If an Ad appears how on the DTV Forum, how can it not be "appearing" to endorse that Ad?

ie, or Where does it say that the Ad is NOT endorsed by DTV Forum?

Thanks for commenting. I still lack a bit of understanding though.

If an Ad appears how on the DTV Forum, how can it not be "appearing" to endorse that Ad?

ie, or Where does it say that the Ad is NOT endorsed by DTV Forum?

I suppose it is like any conventional advertising model - does the a newspaper endorse every classified advert in the paper? And that is a direct relationship between the paper and advertiser. With Google AdSense, there is another degree of separation - we have no control over an advertisement being placed on the site. The legitimacy of the advertisement is left to Google.

However if an advertisement is contrary to consumer laws in Australia but not in California where Google is located, the ACMA 'take down' provisions would apply to DTV Forum. I can exclude certain advertisers from advertising on the forum by submitting a notice to Google.

Tim