Sponsors' forum threads

[Xander]

Would it be possible to have the sponsors mark their threads accordingly so that we know who is allowed to plug their products in the forums and who isn't?

e.g.
"[SPONSOR] Sending a customer 1 neat invoice for the month."

That way, we know it's just an in-forum commercial for their product and not just some rogue spammer.

Or, perhaps, some kind of title by their avatar like the moderators have?

[Martyn]

I think that's a good idea Xander, the one with the title under their name. It's difficult for me to know as I'm not involved at all with advertising and have problems identifying who is allowed and who is not. Passed onto Bryce.

[Paul Rodgers]

I like this idea also.

[Bryce W]

A title under the username would work since only mods and admins can set it. Another option is limiting them a single forum, maybe a marketplace?

[callthatgirl]

Marketplace is a great idea.

[Xander]

The downside to a specific forum for them is that, sometimes, they're not pitching a product directly. They do have things to contribute to other threads so aren't (and shouldn't be) necessarily limited to posting to one forum only. Some could probably post some fantastic How-To's and whatnot.

[mraikes]

I'd vote against limiting them to a specific forum - sure a few might just be "legal" spammers, but many contribute positively from their areas of expertise in a variety of areas.

However I too would like to see "Sponsor" or something similar included somewhere so grains of salt can be applied as needed.

[Deadeye]

The title under the name would work just fine i think. If you limit them to a specific area in the forums though, it defeats the purpose, as many may not go there knowing that much of what is being posted is advertising, and not realizing the usefulness of some of the sponsors stuff. Also, spammers could still access that section of the forums and post their spam.

[PCX]

I know on some forums you can select from a drop down menu a title type like

[Linux]
[Windows]
[Mac]

and after that would come their actual title. Could they not be required to select say [product] or something similar if that is what they are promoting?

[SprinterTech-WI]

I'd agree with the "title" -- once I finish a few more things on one of our programs I will be looking to sponsor some tech-aimed sites etc..... and I wouldn't want to be limited to just certain spots.