MB_FanAddict

Well, look who's got his Irish up!

A moderator or administrator making an independent decision I can respect (but when you make a split-second decision to make a "problem" go away without much consideration or offering some kind of potential solution, a member has every right to be angry or call you on it). I’m not going to take a “let me tell you how it is” attitude from Peter aka BenzNinja because he has a personal beef with a post (that did not involve or even mention him). Absolutely not.

Crito

Just start spending your time and providing free content somewhere else. Problem solved! There are a bunch of "public" message boards on the public internet that have turned into private discussion areas for all the mods. Some site owners don't realize that other people are providing the networks that their website sends bits over. They don't own the internet. I didn't even bother reading the rules here quite frankly. They simply don't matter to me. I have rules of my own that are much more important.

MB2timer

The internet uses public utilities, such as phone wires, airwaves, and other public means of connectivity.
Online forums are the next closest thing to a public square.
It should be treated as such, and allow as much free speech as possible.
Obviously civility should be pursued.
But confrontation should be accepted and defended.
If we all agreed on everything, only 1 of us would be needed.

Quint22

What if calibenz or prihada decided to take there information elsewhere? This forum would be basically dead. All that cash the forum gets from people just showing up would be gone. From my experience one person or entity paying a forum for advertising isnt anywhere close to the clicks and imbeded advertising revenue (which is not small by the way).

Now if the OP is requesting PMs to get people to buy stuff on the side then yeah drop the ban hammer, if the OP is legitimately helping people free of charge then the admin needs to unscrew themselves.

Quint22

Ok but this "public" forum is also dependent on the people that come here and post information or ask questions. If no one shows up your admin rights arent worth a piece of dirty toilet paper. Sure its a private forum (open to anyone on google) but if no one can post anything useful well ya better have some motivated knowledgeable mods with alot of experience that like making alot of threads.

Wolfman

I believe you are confused here. Members report posts all the time (including sponsors) and we will take action ONLY if they are warranted, which it was in your case. It is really as simple as that. No sponsor has any power to make or influence any decisions.

MB_FanAddict

Right, without any members or visitors, there is no forum!

How many dozens of posts on this forum have the line “PM me” in them? Would anyone like to do a search???? Maybe I should go report a few…..I wonder how that would go over??? The argument is ridiculous and just an attempt to save face at this point.

After I came up with a detailed list of things I could help people code on their 212’s, there was no need or use for further discussion on the board, hence “so if you’re interested PM me”. I was not soliciting forum members en masse (in multiple posts or subforums) to sell things to or join a club.

There are relatively few people into coding modifications and fewer still have their own diagnostic system. It was an extremely limited-interest thread.

MB_FanAddict

I appreciate your response, but we're going to have to agree to disagree on that.

Deleting the entire thread (which was well over a year old) was not warranted. Had the post/thread not been reported out of spite by Peter aka BenzNinja, it would have been well down the page by now. No one can offer remote assistance via the forum.....Just because people have to contact me to set it up or for me to research what is available in regards to their specific car, does not mean I am operating a commercial business for profit.

OldManAndHisCar

Um...carbon spoilers? As for deleting threads, I have not seen it...not even with some of the inflammatory lib poking that I am becoming quite adept at ;-)

MBNUT1

If your intent was to charge forum members for your assistance then you were in violation of the TOU. If not then you have a legit gripe.

Wolfman

Most scams also use PM's and we deal with that every day. Since the PMs quickly turn to emails we will have to make our judgments for what can be commercial or potentially be harmful.
We greatly appreciate members to help others but the concept is to use the forum discussions for that; helps others in the process.

MB_FanAddict

Having been scammed (or taken advantage of) on other forums in the past by people who had their hand outstretched “I can help” when encountering an issue, I can appreciate the concern.

In any event, there was never any question or concern of anyone being ”scammed” or receiving unwanted solicitation from me. Whether or not people want to admit or acknowledge it, there are other issues at play here besides potentially having contact with other members outside the forum. It would be nice if they could be addressed, but I’m not holding my breath.

Often a little communication can go a long way in smoothing over issues, but unfortunately, it’s a lot easier to press the delete button than to get the "other side of the story" or get in between other members.

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

@MB_FanAddict do you charge, ask for, or received any payment for your help? You still haven't answered that question.

MB_FanAddict

Well, @JettaRed because quite frankly I really did not think it was anyone else's business if people chose to be appreciative of my time or not.

I don’t intend to publicly offer "free" help, post coding data or an instruction book (yes, one has already been requested) and that should not be a requirement to ever offering coding assistance to people on the forum. Again, if someone asks, I am happy to provide information or attempt to provide some kind of solution so they can get their car coded with new features. Until another member has an actual issue with me (and not just that they think I'm taking business away from them), it should not be automatically assumed I am running some kind of nefarious side business or scam.

Now, is there something I can do for you?????

JettaRed

iTrader: (1)

No. You answered my question.

You don't need a website, business license, or anything a bona fide business has to act like a business. Perhaps that's where the confusion lies.

Wolfman

Correct. This is considered commercial activity and thus not acceptable.

rapidoxidation

Just become a sponsor of the site, play by the rules, and quit trying to pull one over on the forum!
You're making drama because you don't like the rules. Come on. This is a free forum unless you're trying to use it to make a buck.
Edit: or make yourself a more valuable member and post up the software mods you've discovered.

Wolfman

Thread closed.