Another forum which will not be named has decided to charge about 70-80 bucks for EACH thread that is a sponsored build. What do you all think about this? Anyone ever heard of a site doing this? Do you think this will be a trend?
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Another forum which will not be named has decided to charge about 70-80 bucks for EACH thread that is a sponsored build. What do you all think about this? Anyone ever heard of a site doing this? Do you think this will be a trend?
Hopefully not.Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
Just because builds are sponsored does not mean that they aren't brilliant pieces of work.
It's win/win/win, the builder gets some easing of parts cost, the manufacturers get a little promotion and bond with the community and the forum readers get to enjoy the fruits of someone elses talent whilst being able to take away new skills from the explanations.
How do these people get sponsored anyway? Sponsorship would ease the already large dent in my wallet! lol
I don't think that's going to be a trend here...
If nothing else, sponsored builds tend to be great to ogle and I can't reasonably think we'd want to push that away :cool:
Make pretty stuff and ask, or have a lot of visibility and make not-so-pretty stuff but be popular and ask.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mudgey
this forum that started charing for sponsored builds. Do they have ads on their forum?
If yes arent they already getting extra inc from the people looking at the custom build threads?
Charging to be allowed to post in this way is too much imho. I can understand that they want to do something against people posting for economical reasons. A better idea imho is to just require people who (effectively) get paid to post to state this in their signature, so that normal users who might not know the sponsored guys can easily tell them apart from normal users who have no economical interest for posting whatsoever.
so you say my stuff is not so pretty? :shakes: LOLQuote:
Originally Posted by tool_462
yes there are adsQuote:
Originally Posted by Starscream
I would say your new build is not so pretty, instead it is DAMN HOT!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
isnt an online forum supposed to be a community of people with the same interest SHARING ideas?Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickel020
Not "Oh hey this guy has funding, I bet we could try to tap into that funding some by making him pay to show people who are very interested in whats hes doing that could potentially learn from it"
^^^^ sounds like an awesome way to kill a forum.
haha darth!! you will have to spend money afterall!! heh all ur freebees :P
that sucks tho..
at the same time sponsored builds are kinda a busness..Quote:
Originally Posted by Gimmpy224
just to play devils advocate for a min.
http://unrealitymag.com/wp-content/u...01/jmilton.jpg
DB was that your face when you found out about this rule? :shrug:
Sponsorship is supposed to make it easier to do your build, not end up costing you double :shakes:
I can understand the forum-owners, as the banners etc. you find within a worklog are a cheap solution for companies to get advertising into forums.
Usually they would need to pay the forum-owner for banner-placement etc.
By these extremely growing sponsoring-things in worklogs, the companies save money (hardware-parts - to the company - cost muuuuuch less than what you pay for) on "regular ads" and are also closer to the potential buyer AND adblockers have no chance. This makes the regular paying ad-clients feel like stupid. In Germany the two biggest forums already forbid these banners and big namings of sponsors in worklogs, because the "trademark-grab company from Germany" (yuck!) abused it sooooo much. They only allow to name the sponsor in text form at THE END of the first posting.
I fully understand it from the view of the forum owners and also from the perspective of many users who don't want to feel that our hobby is turning in to commercial uglyness where you don't know anymore if "good talking about a company / product" is because it's true, or just because the person needs to say it.
I see it like this:
Forum-owners earn less and less money with the growing "ad-placement" in worklogs. If the forum-owner doesn't earn enough money anymore, he can't run the forum - and you lose a home. This of course only applies to forums where the owner is not Robin Hood. People who take something should sometimes give something back.
Just my three cent and personal view on the topic.
Please read my post again... I did say charging sponsored people was a bad idea imho.Quote:
Originally Posted by Gimmpy224
wow... I agree with you, but I almost changed my mind as your avatar stared at me.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickel020
Although I don't like the idea, I believe in the end it's completely up to the forum owner though. If you don't want to pay... don't post there.
DB, I'll still ogle your worklogs, regardless of where they are.
All people need to do is state their sponsors. It also helps avoid confusion about costing. I used to wonder how so many people could justify a full complement of BP fittings. :p:
However, this giving back should not be forced upon someone.Quote:
Originally Posted by dualbrain
Philosophically, I agree with you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Alexandr0s
In this context, what's being forced?
however, if you have ads on your site you get paid on traffic which results in ad clicks. having sponsored modders on your forums generates hits.Quote:
Originally Posted by dualbrain
DB, I fully understand you and maybe you even know - I'm a fan of yours :)Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
Just to think about the possible view of the ad-client who pays the forum-owner:
What will the ad-client think, if he sees other companies ad-banners on the page where he has to pay for the placement ... and they don't have to pay for it?
Yes, he might feel stupid to pay for it.
What's the solution for him?
To give up paid ad-placment on the specific website.
Maybe he even thinks "hey I'm clever, I don't pay the forum guy XXX$ per month for the Ad anymore, I better invest only 50$ to give it to a guy who then bombs his worklog with ad-banners for my company".
Who get's something in the whole process if it happens like this?
Everyone except the person who runs the forum.
Therefore it makes sense to me that a solution is needed where the forum-owner is not the stupid one at the end.
Of course it's a dream if a forum-owner doesn't need any money because he is able to run the forum completely independent, but even someone like this would not like to have these ads in his project.
first, understand I am not saying they are totally wrong for implementing this. Time will tell. I am just opening it for debate so we can hear all sides. I personally do not put 'banner ads' or stuff like that in my worklogs. I mention who I got what from in next and by showing product.Quote:
Originally Posted by dualbrain
Now, the risk of this new policy is the liklihood of people not disclosing their sponsorships. I can just as easily say I used someone's stuff in my build but not say I got it free (excellent Thermaltake CPU waterblocks for example). people will see the stuff and order it regardless of if you say you were sponsored with it or not. I do not have to tell people I get free stuff, just as long as people know what I am using my sponsors will be happy.
If they want to raise money from us 'pro' modders then do something like what Fugger has done here or what Kyle has done at [H]. Offer some perks for a one-time fee like a custom name and maybe a higher mailbox limit and stickied worklogs
It should be the opposite actually. People should get paid, or encouraged/required by other mean to inform about sponsorship.
Some people manage to keep their true enthusiast skills and present a fare plus/minus abut their builds/rewires, but unfortunately too many tend to act as advertisement agency for the sponsors. This can actually do some harm to a forum where enthusiasts try exchange ideas and experiences. Therefore it is very important to have clear information about sponsored works.
This is something that I felt as being totally wrong. Lets dissect it:
Traffic:
a) More traffic means more revenue for the forum.
b) More traffic means more visits which means more people joins the forum which means more (and better) content: this also leads us to a).
c) More traffic means more modders will come here to show their work which would also result in an increase of traffic which gets us to a).
So, what is my point? The better the modders, the better the traffic. Also, the better the modders, the better the companies will give stuff to those modders which, also, will mean that their mod will be even better.
So, all in all this is a chain that results in win win win win win for just everybody!
Then, what kind of reasons would make a forum start such nonsense rule? I really don't understand. Lets just check a bit this stuff: how many pages among all those written in here contain ads? 0.1%? 0.01%? Even less? Heck, many pages get hits just by posting the origin of that new/stuff/whatever, should we also ban those for being ads?
This, guys, is total nonsense. People that pay for the ads on the main-screen on this forum could not care less about the negligible quantity of ads that forum users post on their topics and worklogs (which are on page one, not on their sig and/or any of their posts...) because, as I pointed out, its that same sponsorship that makes the mods even better. Lets, for example, talk about this post:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/...6&postcount=21
Do you think such a small mention will hurt anybody? Heck, such a piece of engineering has to cost quite a nice amount of money and I'm quite certain that craigbru will do a much better work with such machine that with his bare hands. So, where is the damage being done? Yea, if the forum was 100% about modding then I could understand it but, in an enthusiast forum such as this we are talking about all the products, does it matter whether they are given to us for free or not? People reviews products all the time..
IMO, there is nothing to discuss as what they are doing in that forum is plain wrong. If I had a sponsored build I would rather not post it rather than not naming the people that allowed (or made it easier) my build to be possible: and this is rather true just seeing that there are a lot less mods compared to here.
I'm completely on your side with the way you do it as far as you describe it.Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
The huge-banners and "i first want to thank Abmahntuning (written in huuuuge) and Phoetus for their superior products" texts at the beginning of the first posting of a worklog is, what I think is disgusting. I just know it in its extremest uglyness from the german forums, where they pulled the emergency-break because of this. There were 70% of so called "zombie-worklogs" where the only purpose was: The sponsor was praised, no matter what the worklog was, no matter if it was total garbage etc. Only 30% of active worklogs were without the huuuge banners of the two mentioned names.
That's what I refer to basically :) I don't know if the other place you talk about had these kind of developments.
I thinking charging to post sponsored builds is the most silly thing I have ever seen/heard of.
I personally think that with sponsored builds there is definitely a lure for more people to join forums and eventually become a donating member. I for one became a member very shortly after joining because I felt the need to support a community where the wealth of knowledge was overwhelming.
With any of my builds that I also make I always have XS on it because I want to show my support. To be perfectly honest, I don't think my water cooling system building would be where it is now without all the help that I have gotten from XS members.
^_^ so you did, I wasnt trying to attack just kinda using your post as a jumping point for my radical view on the subject.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nickel020
>_> BUT, after reading what dualbrain posted, my view has somewhat shifted to the other end.
I bet the name of that other forum starts with an H.
Charging a member to post a build thread is just plain wrong.
Nuff on that subject!
To me a guys build serves many things.
His chance at a few moments of glory as people oooh and ahh over his work.
Then the other side is the membership sees a part of the build and learns from it.
It's a two way street and to charge is well..BS..
yayyyyyyy!! :up: :yepp:Quote:
Originally Posted by Movieman
nopeQuote:
Originally Posted by dengyong
Quote:
Originally Posted by dengyong
owat!!Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
I've seen some of those German forums that Nils' speaks of. The banners of those companies that are posted in the build logs are bigger than the ones that the site gets paid for. Also, I don't think ad blockers stop them either.
I don't think it is right to be asked to pay to post a sponsored build log if you are not planning on posting bill boards on your log. For those build logs i have seen with the bill boards, I can understand the wish to charge.
We don't see it here on XS so much thank god. :)
that is not the issue at the site in questionQuote:
Originally Posted by millertime359
Well then, it seems they are just looking for a quick buck. :shakes:Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
It doesn't really matter though. If people don't like the idea, let the site know by not going there. If traffic drops off and new build logs are not posted there, they will have to stop doing it to be able to hope to stay on the internet. :yepp:
I frequently use the forum in question, and while its a great community IMO, I really don't like that rule. I know if I ever get sponsored for a build or something its not going there, because I'm sure not paying 80 bucks out of pocket just to be allowed to post there, and I'm not going to ask the sponsors for money after they have already generously given me things.
DB,
Do you get paid to do builds for people/companies?
I do builds for companies and get to keep the hardware. I do not get paid so to speak at least not yetQuote:
Originally Posted by meanmoe
I can't believe I'm doing this but. . .+1 couldn't agree more.Quote:
Originally Posted by dualbrain
I hate to pick out any one build or person here (and there is nothing personal in this selection, it just happened to be the most convenient one on hand) but, let's take some known examples from XS and put them into a scenario. Let's take phinix_mike's build log for example, He has DFI as a sponsor, that's free ad time for DFI, Gigbyte on the other hand, has paid to have their banner up at the top of the forum. If Gigabyte sees that DFI has done a simple sponsorship deal, they may very well pull their banner (and money) and just go the sponsorship route as well. I may not have a MBA or any other business/economics degrees but if I can do a few sponsorship deals "cheaper" than actually paying for the ad time, it makes perfect sense to me that I should do it.
The way around this however, is to mandate in the forum rules somewhere that if you post up banners of sponsors, they must already be paying for ad time on that site, otherwise. . .they get pulled. This way the site won't lose any revenue and no manufacturer gets free ad time.
I also consider these build log banners a popular tool of shills. Now, I'm not saying all builders that use banners are shills but, a large number of them are.
:2cents:
Disclaimer: The views expressed by the author are not necessarily the views of XS or anyone else but the author himself.
I dont know. Quite a hard topic really :). While I agree with waterlogged and nils a lot, I still feel like you shouldnt ban it completely. I see that this could easily result in no more companies sponsoring any of the awesome builds that we see in worklogs. I mean, why would they since they wouldnt get their name out even though they sponsored it.
But of course huge banners also arent fair compared to those that pay for advertising (although of course a paid banner has more visibility than a banner thats only in one worklog).
So maybe just like limit it a bit? Ban the huge ass banners but less people atleast list the sponsors. So instead of those huge banners, just make a list of the sponsors. That way you cant really compare them to paid advertisements but atleast they are mentioned there.
It probably begins [ :ROTF:Quote:
Originally Posted by NKrader
Interesting debate. It's all pretty much been said - but I agree there is a need for balance.
Like DB said, it's good to know when someone has been sponsored on a particular component in their build, as that let's us make up our own mind as to how we choose to interpret any comments about performance (although, I don't recall seeing this be a real issue in the logs here). On the other hand, I don't care to see large advertising-like banners in a worklog.
As for having to pay to post your sponsored work log - seems like a great way to keep some of the top builders out of a given forum. There are other ways to handle the advertising issue if that's what the concern is, like allowing mention of sponsors but no large banners.
People who do worklogs are donating their time and talents to helping build a site's traffic. So, if you charge the ones who are sponsored, are you going to pay the ones who aren't?
And - slightly off topic, but I do have a concern with the apparent growing number of sponsorships. It surprises me sometimes when I see relatively new "modders" being sponsored - for some it seems to be a badge of honor of sorts. I'd just hate to see it grow to a situation where people who are not sponsored begin to feel that their builds are second rate. There is a potential downside to companies if they hand out lots of parts to people who haven't "earned the right to race," so to speak - and that's the risk of pissing off many folks who paid full price for their fittings or waterblocks.
Again, there has to be a balance. As the hobby grows, we'll see more sponsorships. I'm waiting to buy my DarthBeavis edition water blocks with matching fittings (and you know I'm serious, DB ;) )
I couldn't agree less with you, mate. Lets just look at the numbers, shall we? XS receives around 1.200.000 visits a month. So, if we take in mind that the liquid cooling worklog forum is quite small compared to any of the other forums (in which there are not sponsored builds showings ads, of course) and that the ads only appear on the first page, we are talking about an uber small number here.Quote:
Originally Posted by Waterlogged
I don't see the issue...because whenever somebody does a review (for a product he has bought) we could have the same issue but nobody complains about that which is something I don't get at all: if we talk about free ads then everything that relates to a brand is a free ad...but hey, this is a forum and we are talking about new products and brands all the time so, free ads everywhere?
It would be different if this forum was focused on the worklog section but, as it is, it's not.
I think the main issue here is that companies have realised the potential of how a good mod can raise their company profile or at least product profile by simply being involved with a high profile modder.
I've never been involved with a company who insists i add banner ads to my logs but in the past i have taken it upon myself to add banners to the first post as i think it only right i show my appreciation, gratitude and support for a said company who has put their faith in me to show off their product to the best of my ability but in no way has it ever been a stipulation to receive hardware, in fact far from it.
I think most companies realise that the viewing public are pretty switched on when identifying products and will know the different hardware used and if for what ever reason they don't, they can always post in the thread and ask so i think most companies are happy that the individual modder has chosen to use their product (which, lets face it, is usually because its decent kit) and glean what ever publicity from that alone.
I've always looked at modding as a hobby and whatever tips or tricks i can pass on along the way to a forum community is an added bonus so charging to show a prod log in my opinion is a no win situation as i as a modder won't get the exposure, the companies won't get the publicity and the viewing public won't get to view the prod log.
Seriously, i would rather change my hobby than pay to have my work seen on a forum that should be quite frankly looking at other avenues to generate revenue rather than trying to exploit the very people that have made the community in the first place.
In fact, i might start charging forums to post my logs :ROTF:
I have no problem giving props to companies that make good products whether it be from sponsorship or me just buying them. :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by dualbrain
I completely disagree with you , thereīs no superior level behind being sponsored or not , is just to thank the brands for the suport of course its free publicity but a forum doesnt lives only of the brands that pay for the adds ;)
And the companies pay millions for adds that arenīt even sucesfull sometimes , this is the best marketing itīs a win/win relation for the brand and the modder or the person that is sponsored , and its really cheap publicity , you dont like it because those cases in germany?
Than kind of makes me laguh, itīs ridiculous the point that people get just by jealous or by being afraid of losing the companies or brand suport or banners or advertsiment or whatever, if we modders need suport , brands need publicity , its one of their main requirements so for me it doesnt makes sense, if a forum doesnt wantīs sponsor builds then do the same thing that this one did.
And not everyone can be like Darth Beavis , he has lots of sponsors and is recognized by his builds , so brands are easy with him but the "little" modders dont have this kind of advantages , so itīs unfair some arguments that you try to use :up:
There are many points of view about this issue , but this is for the forum Admins to decide, if they forbidden the sponsored builds itīs obvious they will lose a lot of users ...
Good points from Sharon and Waterlogged.
There is another issue too, as the banners in build logs are not actual banner ads, so they do not get blocked by programs like adblocker. (I don't currently use any of that software so i don't know)
That means that according to Waterlogged's example thread, Gigabyte may not get any exposure due to being blocked, but that list of sponsors will get all the exposure. Granted you do have to look at the build log, but do you really come on forum's like this and never look at build logs? ;)
So besides hardware and occasional free trip to vegas, you're just a poor (but talented) case modder being screwed by the system ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
Actually, the reason I asked is because it would be a completely different scenario if you were. You understand this I'm sure. Have you asked to be compensated? I've bought a couple of things after having seen you use them. e.g. reservoirs, torture rack... (mine is not quite as bright though :) )
I still have to say that I think it's completely up to the forum owner, and although it sucks, there are so many other venues along with your own website. If it hurts the forum owners more then helps, they'll change their policy I'm sure. Although, I doubt it'll hurt them.
Having run a business myself, I have to say that I'm surprised that it's just now happening, that forums are just now turning that commercial in this way and closing hole for 'free' advertising (from their perspective). Nils has the logic right.
Fascinating discussion, here's a thought as to what could be done as a solution(it's completely wild and will no doubt be unpopular but let's see)
You currently have a subforum for worklogs (note this could be any site, most have this setup)
We have 2 subforums,
1 for user builds (unsponsored, normal banner ads)
1 for sponsored builds (NO banner ads, BUT the sponsors have to pay a fee in order to be displayed there)
Now I can already see a flaw there, being that sponsors are far less likely to jump on board if instead of say 50 bucks of goods they have to provide 50 bucks of goods and x dollars to promote a build.
But yeah it's just a thought, or perhaps make it such that in the sponsored buildlog forum you use a different advertising 'group' say movies (I don't pay much attention to the ads, busy staring at the pretty pictures :up:)
Interesting read... and interesting to see how DB's OP turned into a "what XS should do".
I know for myself I include a company logo/banner in articles regardless of whether I received a sample gratis or spent lab money to buy the sample. Just using components from a company in a worklog/thread is marketing and advertising. With ads, most of us have become blind to ads and banners from our normal surfing anyhow.
I see a larger question though... Why is there all this drama and politics taking center stage in our hobby rather than pushing the limits of builds, systems and design?
Good point skinnee... made a minor edit to my post :p:
I'm just going to remind everyone to whitelist sites that they like and want to support from there adblocker. I know i have XS whitelisted.
but the issue is not build log banners. If you even say company x gave me this or that . . .you have to pay up. on the other hand, if you do not disclose it you can use say I used Bubba's super polymemetic TIM paste and even post a logo and you are ok.Quote:
Originally Posted by Waterlogged
Just looking at what one of the largest sites is doing and pondering if it will become a trend bud. That is all. I can see both sides as well. there is plenty of gray areaQuote:
Originally Posted by skinnee
I also run a couple businesses and have been formally trained in business. You need to step back and look at the entire business model. As stated, if they earn money off of banner ads and click-through, they are taking a huge chance by possibly reducing traffic. As I also stated, their rule has nothing to do with people placing banner ads in their posts. Their rule, as written, will not prevent people from promoting or shilling their preferred companies so long as they do not disclose why they are promoting said company. At least in my work logs I disclose what I get from whom so you can take my recommendations with a grain of salt if you wish.Quote:
Originally Posted by meanmoe
Not sure where you get the Vegas question. The only time I get my travel paid for by companies is when I actually work for them (Nvidia at PAX and also the last trip of NY, Boston, SF, DC, and Miami for example). This means I work shifts in the booth or at the kiosk or whatever the event dictates. This is as a contractor and on a project-by-project basis. When I went to CES for Crucial I paid out of my pocket. I have paid 30k-40k or more in the last couple years out of my pocket to do my projects. Funny you ask about my asking to be compensated. I still have to ask for products and justify what I want to use them for, even from Danger Den (not that they are not good to me - but this shows I am dealing with business people who have to watch their bottom line as well).
Not pointing fingers at all... It was an observation as to how the OP transformed, it appeared to me that responders were taking the "If I ran XS" approach versus "My ethics fall here" approach. That is what I truly found interesting since I was already aware of the forum requiring a fee for sponsorship threads.Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
And yes, there is so much gray area that the black and white are barely visible.
ps: multi-quote is your friend. ;)
I like to SLI my poastsQuote:
Originally Posted by skinnee
I think this would be a disturbing trend to see... hope it doesn't catch on. One would imagine that enthusiast forums would want to take care of their core/elite modders... not milk them (directly) as a revenue stream every-time they start a build log. These posters are probably responsible for a great deal of the eyeball driven income in the first place. This would likely drive them off and would, in my opinion, only serve to make things worse.
Now, I do have an issue with build logs like the one waterlogged linked. One page ads with no content masquerading as a build log should just be deleted... and the poster warned.
I do think DB may have had an interesting idea with the one-time fee (as long as it's reasonable). If you're good enough to attract sponsors and want to credit them, give the elite modders an "elite" membership option. Might be a decent compromise if a site is struggling a bit to stay afloat. :shrug:
I thought you were a fan of quad-SLI ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
I'm fairly certain I know which site DB is talking about... and it was their attitude of charging forum members for the privilege of contributing to their forums, thus producing more traffic/activity, and earning more money for the forum operators that drove me away. It's one thing to ask for donations from the community (as many of us here have been more than willing to donate to XS), it's quite another to pull the 'figuring out how you fit within our standard rules is too complicated, so pay us or get lost' bit.
...and, yes, I do realize that posting in any privately owned forum is a privilege, but continually lording that over people and using it to, essentially, demand monetary tribute isn't exactly the best way to go about things.
As for sponsored builds, there are different groups involved in sponsorship and different levels of sponsorship which need to be addressed separately. Waterlogged makes a good point when it comes to manufacturers, but that same line of thought doesn't really apply well to many/most resellers (since, typically, they don't have the budget to purchase ad space to begin with). Either way, it's still a matter to take up with the various companies within the industry, not something which should really be foisted upon the individual forum members. This is a complicated issue, though, and one that I don't see a simple "solution" to... especially when you start asking things like: "How much does company X contribute to the forum when it comes to traffic, information, and community? What is that worth? Do they provide products and support for events organized by the forum operators? How should that be counted? What is the overall relationship worth?" It would be very easy to end up with a whole lot of exceptions to any rules that are enacted if your goal were to build a robust, diverse, inclusive community. An exclusive approach, on the other hand, simplifies matters somewhat but can only be taken so far before it becomes detrimental.
What are the XS owners thinking about this situation ? What is their economic model ? Do "free" sponsored builds really threaten that model ? I'd be curious to know the answers.
Also consider that even in regular build logs, you can see clearly product markings, which become free ads for the company who makes them. It fits into the "grey zone" mentioned above by Skinnee... Where to cut the line, one could just hide the fact the build is sponsored, and just put closeup pr0n photos of his stuff, what would be the difference with average joe build log ?
If the answer to 3rd question above is yes, then i would agree with the sponsor paying a fee to add a mention like "this build was sponsored by ...." which is like bonus advertisement.
(edit) preempted by Petra who just made the point a lot clearer than i did.
I don't do what people would call "fancy" or "pretty" builds and only once through necessity received "free" parts as I did ask when I found myself having to do a build and being waaaay short on the cash end to do it right.
I do think you owe the companies that sent these free parts some sort of acknowlegement as to not do so is essentially spitting in their faces.
Where I think this gets gray is when you drop your standards on the build just to get free parts.. IE: Use some POS PSU because it was free and then tout it to the heavens.
Then you've lost your credibility and your personal respect.
In my case I contacted the companies for the same parts I'd have bought myself, IE: The best for the build.
I was lucky that the companies helped me out but if they didn't I'd have delayed the build rather than put junk into it.
We won't be charging people to post. Heck, our donate program doesn't even have a private/exclusive lounge. If we don't want something on the forum, then we'll disallow it, not extort from it.
People who put up "This build was sponsored by..." are actually required to do so by the FCC. It's illegal to mask it and it's good forum content--free posting of sponsored builds will remain.
However....garish crap like filling a title with sponsor names will just be edited down to the build name or the primary sponsor.
+1 to what Movieman said....
amen. I could have a full compliment of Thermaltake water-cooling if I wanted to. Heck, there are also companies I would love to showcase their stuff like Swiftech but there are only so many projects a single person can do. That is why I always try to give a wide-range of vendors when I recommend stuff to people. Just because Swiftech and EK have not been in alot of my builds does not mean I think their stuff sucks because their stuff is good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Movieman
please,Can anyone pm the name of that forum,i am really curious to know which one is it,A Big thanks in advance to the one who will do that :)
Exactly, do things in "good taste"Quote:
Originally Posted by Vapor
One can show a pic and comment on a part without going :'OMG this is the best thing since sliced bread":rofl:
Show a pic, show the specs on it, say what you feel on it and show the numbers as to how it performs.
Also important I think is to take some responsibility and if you find flaws, tell the manufacturer and if you see fixes to those flaws give them that info also.
They will listen and the end result is a better part for all of us.
Tested a HS once, waited for it thinking it was the answer to my problems.
Thing had more problems than Carter had peanuts!:rofl:
Sent back a list of 8 changes that needed to be made and they did them.
Final product was excellent and in use by Thousands of people here and that is a TRUE statement!:wasntme:
Yup, I plan a WC system on the SR2 rig..Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
Upstairs are 2-Swiftech XT's and yes I bought them at full retail.
Bought direct from Gabe's site as I wanted, repeat wanted, the money to go to him to say thanks for the great products.
I will admit that I do use adblocker, though it's mostly used for blocking sig images as some ppl just can't comprehend rules for some reason. :shrug:Quote:
Originally Posted by millertime359
Here is a SS of 2 FF windows of that topic I linked to earlier.
http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/326/ffadb.th.jpg
A well formatted text post listing sponsors and the hardware they donated is all the thanks needed IMO.Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
EX.
I would like to thanks my sponsors for this build.
Mainboard:
EVGA- X58 SLI (132-BL-E758-A1)
Graphic cards:
EVGA- GeForce GTX 480 (015-P3-1480-AR) Qty. 2
Memory:
Crucial-3GB kit (1GBx3), Ballistix Tracer 240-pin DIMM (with LEDs), DDR3 PC3-12800 memory module (BL3KIT12864TR1608) Qty. 2
etc...
Pictures of the products aren't really necessary in the first post as they'll been seen throughout the log.
As for the "limited to liquid cooling" build logs, that's too narrow of a viewpoint. Air cooled rigs can be just as easily sponsored. You also have to look at the broader picture, that a manu can sponsor more than one build at a time for the same cost of a paid ad meaning they get X number the times coverage for the same dollars invested, plus those build logs would get splattered over many different forums multiplying the dollar/coverage ratio even further making it even more cost effective.
their solution which was to pay the moment you were offered a free part to do a build is quite an extreme. in this thread there were many great interpretations of the steps that would lead up to that, or how to prevent that. the moment XS follows that same rule is the moment it goes fail.Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
XS will never charge you as a poster, only limit how you post. ie, no links to outside sponsor websites, no massive font sizes, or any kind of emphasis on their names, etc.
and this is clearly something that will probably not haunt XS due to how little this site revolves around builds (not like its unimportant, lol)
drapal
How does one get sponsored by such a wonderful water cooling company as Thermaltake?Quote:
Originally Posted by DarthBeavis
Thanks WL, just as i thought.
:ROFL: @ DB. :up:
The other issue i see is that the site says to just have the sponsor pay for the extra fee. Well, what happens if another sponsor comes on after? The first sponsor already footed the bill, so they get out of it. I have seen some builds were guys got additional sponsors mid way threw as they either decided to change directions, or another company was late to the game.
Quote:
Originally Posted by millertime359
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/216059.jpg