Miscellaneous Forum

I for one have never thought of it that way. The website we can list on our profile page is about us, our own, other page or the page of something we are invested in. It's not advertizing at all. Simple another insight to who we are or what we are about. Even on the Travel Guides we are encouraged to give a website for any place or event we are writing a tip for. That's not advertizing, just another way anyone can look up the place or event for further information. It also saves us from going on too much about the details that would only be needed by those interested in researching it more. See what I mean?

As far as I remember we are allowed to add our own webisite/business into the former "passport" section = the information below our profile photo. Advertising or not. But we are not allowed to advertise our own business in the text sections of intros, tips and homepages.

I suspect that Hawkhead was thinking about the sort of thing that has conerned me. Username sounds like a business - Lets say Beautiful Brides; external web page is for a wedding photographer - and sometimes profle says "I am a professional photographer" - or it could be a painter; taxi service; estate agent; travel agent, hotel owner. Where these are clearly attempts to advertise surreptitiously I refer them and let the Mods decide. They are usually deleted.

What I am talking about is using this space give a website which links to a fund-raising website - for a charity or 'good cause' or whatever you like to call it. It's nothing to do with personal information or even a website to one's own business.

Oh yes, Ranger, and there is also what you are writing about......

you own pages of whatever is ok. if it has a commercial interest than should not. I am of the idea that if you are participating in the forums and want to emphasize a point by pointing to your own page outside VT it should be ok too a s long as it is not a commercial page. Mods can easily distinguish this. my five cents.

Oh, yes, sorry for having misunderstood it. Yes, I know what you mean. I don't have a clear opinion about this. Where is the limit? If someone has a website for fund raising for a reknown organisation about kids' cancer for example - where is the limit to fund raising for another purpose, like a local charity? This for the website section in our profile information only. Anywhere else it is not allowed I think, given our guidelines.

I just question the ethics of the fund-raising of any description via VT.

I think it is clearly out of order for members to use the site, particularly to use the forums to raise funds for a favourite charity. There are many other avenues for this activity. However if someone is an active supporter of a recognised national or international charity and gives the website as their Ext. site without any reference to giving - it does give us another glimpse of what the member is interested in - and willing to give their time to.

>>>I just question the ethics of the fund-raising of any description via VT. Okay, I think I get your point now. Still, I see those websites listed on our homepage simply as a view to who the person is. I rarely ever click on those links, maybe once or twice in twelve years, so I don't really care if they solicit funds for a charity or tell about a person's business. This link is only on the VT'ers homepage and in my opinion, hardly any type of advertising tool in any sense of the word. I would include a VT ID in this opinion.

PS, I'll mention that my opinion is regarding those VT'ers who offer a complement of travel related information/experience on this site. It does not include those who pop up for a day or so and splatter only a specific charity or company around as an isolated offering. You know, the spammer types.

I, too, agree and up until about two days ago, I never or hardly every clicked on the link on the profile. However, I had cause to then and this lead me to pursuing the matter further. If the member indicates they are interested/dedicated to/an enthusiastic follower of some particular charity/fund raising place then okay, if one is interested one can do one's own research. However, to have the link on their profile is, imho, just not particularly honest, for want of a better word as I have already used ethical! Slightly misleading, as it is about their wish for one to contribute funds to an organisation rather than giving info about themselves.

Honestly, I've never really given it much thought until you mentioned it here. I doubt that VT will remove that feature so, I'll contiinue not to think about it. :-)