AltCoins Announcements Rules discussions

[CoinCode_sh]

Hi,
This discussion wants to be a serious and constructive discussion about the rules on the AltCoins Announcements, IMHO needs to be more clear and specific.

This is the rule:

Advertising spam is not allowed, this includes mining pools, gambling services, exchanges, shops, etc. Mining pool ops should make a thread within the Mining section of Alt Currencies. Most OP's already link to pools available so advertising your pool is unnecessary and leads to too much spam. Exchanges, shops, gambling sites, etc, should make a thread in the Marketplace section of Alt Currencies.


Edit by mprep:

You know what, time for a slight policy change:

After consulting and discussing with BadBear, I've decided that it's time to let people discuss a bit more freely about services. Although BadBear's earlier posts hinted that service posts are a "no go" on most cases, after contacting him a couple of days ago, I believe he has changed his thinking, possibly due to the community's opinion and suggestions (told you it would help ).

As per this shift, the following type of posts are now allowed in coin threads:

• Posts about block explorers. ("Here is a new block explorer for this coin" type posts)
• If a service comes up in a disussion and directly related to the coin, it's allowed
• "We're up" messages for pools (if it's only once per thread)
• "This exchange added coin" type posts for exchanges (again, if it's only once per thread)

However, said rules only apply to those posts that ARE NOT large, distracting with images, or markup codes (lots of bold and colors) and other traits of an advertisement. If a post is considered an advertisement will be determined on case by case basis.

Post your suggestions and opinions regarding this rule and how it should be improved and it might get implemented.

LINK: https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=718124.0

In my case the "template" message is:


Results => BAN 7 days for "AD SPAM".
This is ok but I don't recognize why.

I've tried to find the real motivation for that:
1) Distracting with images? No images.
2) Large with font or something like that? No font changes.
3) Markup Codes (a lot of bold/color)? No color, bold or markup
4) ADS Traits? this is not clear, I included only a direct link (no promo code, no referral, no short link..)
5) Reply rate? 2-3 reply / Days.
6) Off topic? What? it's a We're up" messages for the our free service

What is the "CORRECT" way to post a "We're up" messages for the service without ban?

Let's discuss it together.
Thanks

[joniboini]

I presume you're posting that ad on various coin threads?

Instead of doing that, make your own thread and then post the update here regularly. Things such as "we add new coin" can be posted there. The way you phrase your message is a clear template of ads that prolly belongs to the "other traits of advertisement", especially if you post it here and there.

[tranthidung]

22. Advertising (this includes mining pools, gambling services, exchanges, shops, etc.) in others threads' is no longer allowed, including, but not limited to, in altcoin announcement threads. [8]

It is clear from the unofficial rule #22 quoted above. If you advertise your service in threads of other companies or people, it is considered as spam. Honestly, about months ago, in late of 2019, I saw one guy provides such spam advertisement with more than one hundred posts with same contents (that poster only changed name of project for each topic in which he posted).

What do you think about that? Is it a spam? I am sure it is and I don't care how beautiful such advertisement template is. Spam is spam.

To avoid this, you have to create your own thread for your service, in which you can provide updates. But you have to obey two rules below. Bumps are clear but sometimes I saw updates are considered as bumps too.

13. Bumps, "updates" are limited to once per 24 hours.[2]

21. Old bumps should be deleted. [2]

That user broke those rules and 133 posts were deleted. Hi admins and staff(hilariousando,theymos and cyrus)Why my 133 post got deleted

[CoinCode_sh]

I presume you're posting that ad on various coin threads?

Instead of doing that, make your own thread and then post the update here regularly. Things such as "we add new coin" can be posted there. The way you phrase your message is a clear template of ads that prolly belongs to the "other traits of advertisement", especially if you post it here and there.

Yeah probably is the best way to that.

22. Advertising (this includes mining pools, gambling services, exchanges, shops, etc.) in others threads' is no longer allowed, including, but not limited to, in altcoin announcement threads. [8]

It is clear from the unofficial rule #22 quoted above. If you advertise your service in threads of other companies or people, it is considered as spam. Honestly, about months ago, in late of 2019, I saw one guy provides such spam advertisement with more than one hundred posts with same contents (that poster only changed name of project for each topic in which he posted).

So the OFFICIAL RULE (PINNED ON THE ANN SECTION) is less "powerful" then "UNofficial thread" on the meta section? IMHO This is a gigantic paradox.

[tranthidung]

So the OFFICIAL RULE (PINNED ON THE ANN SECTION) is less "powerful" then "UNofficial thread" on the meta section? IMHO This is a gigantic paradox.

NO!

They are the same or very little different. Unofficial means rules on the forum can be changed whenever the community ask for or the admin feels that he has to change something to keep the forum works fine. Like what we have in the past 3 years: the merit system (improved later to demote old-era Junior members); the trust feedback system (upgraded 2 times); the bump score, ie.

[CoinCode_sh]

NO!
They are the same or very little different. Unofficial means rules on the forum can be changed whenever the community ask for or the admin feels that he has to change something to keep the forum works fine. Like what we have in the past 3 years: the merit system (improved later to demote old-era Junior members); the trust feedback system (upgraded 2 times); the bump score, ie.

If the MODs do a ban (7d probably for starting) this is a not a "Like-RFC" rule.

It is quite impossible to go and read all the regulations in two or more sections to understand which rules conflict, hoping to understand which is the most "powerful".
Just for clarification: I'm not here to criticize, I'm just saying to put a single accessible way to clarify the rules.

[tranthidung]

It is quite impossible to go and read all the regulations in two or more sections to understand which rules conflict, hoping to understand which is the most "powerful".

I don't see any rule conflict here. The key word in both thread is 'advertising spam', and it is enough. I don't know what sort of posts you made and were deleted or banned but if what you did is advertising spam, the rule will go into effects.

AFAIK, using a template to post in mutilple threads is considered as advertising spam. I am not a moderator so I could be wrong when I interpret rules. Honestly, I think the rule is clear.

[CoinCode_sh]

It is quite impossible to go and read all the regulations in two or more sections to understand which rules conflict, hoping to understand which is the most "powerful".

I don't see any rule conflict here. The key word in both thread is 'advertising spam', and it is enough. I don't know what sort of posts you made and were deleted or banned but if what you did is advertising spam, the rule will go into effects.

The conflict is really simple:

• Official ADS Thread on the Ann properly regulates spam.
• UnOfficial Thread on Meta says "the spam is not allowed on the Ann section."

The full message without any censorship is on the first reply.

[mprep]

By default, BadBear's ad spam rule prohibited users from posting any material promoting their services in other people's threads. All the exception did was allow small and non-distracting pool, exchange and block explorer announcements. All other services are still banned from posting promotional messages to anyone else's ANN thread.

The rule is pretty specific about that. The clause

...ARE NOT large, distracting with images, or markup codes (lots of bold and colors) and other traits of an advertisement. If a post is considered an advertisement will be determined on case by case basis.

only applies to those posts that match the exceptions literally listed out above that clause:

As per this shift, the following type of posts are now allowed in coin threads:

• Posts about block explorers. ("Here is a new block explorer for this coin" type posts)
• If a service comes up in a disussion and directly related to the coin, it's allowed
• "We're up" messages for pools (if it's only once per thread)
• "This exchange added coin" type posts for exchanges (again, if it's only once per thread)

However, said rules only apply to those posts that ARE NOT large, distracting with images, or markup codes (lots of bold and colors) and other traits of an advertisement. If a post is considered an advertisement will be determined on case by case basis.

So the OFFICIAL RULE (PINNED ON THE ANN SECTION) is less "powerful" then "UNofficial thread" on the meta section? IMHO This is a gigantic paradox.

The rules aren't unofficial, the list is:

Unofficial list of (official) Bitcointalk.org rules

There are rules and policies on Bitcointalk that aren't specified in stickied threads. The list is an unofficial attempt at codifying them in the most succinct and accurate manner possible. As to why there is no official list of rules, AFAIK the head admin, theymos, doesn't believe in definitive rule lists. If you want the reason why, ask him.

[CoinCode_sh]

By default, BadBear's ad spam rule prohibited users from posting any material promoting their services in other people's threads. All the exception did was allow small and non-distracting pool, exchange and block explorer announcements. All other services are still banned from posting promotional messages to anyone else's ANN thread.

The rule is pretty specific about that.

Thank you very much! This info is very helpful!
Could it be useful to quote your message in the post pinned in Ann section?

[mprep]

By default, BadBear's ad spam rule prohibited users from posting any material promoting their services in other people's threads. All the exception did was allow small and non-distracting pool, exchange and block explorer announcements. All other services are still banned from posting promotional messages to anyone else's ANN thread.

The rule is pretty specific about that.

Thank you very much! This info is very helpful!
Could it be useful to quote your message in the post pinned in Ann section?

No problem. Yeah, I'll probably revise the wording of my edit in the "no ad spam" sticky some time in the future.