My thoughts on spam and SPAM:
 
If a posting seeks to promote its cause regardless of what the cause is then it could be classified as spam.  If a posting's primary role is to sell a product or service then it could be classified as SPAM.  If that poster is not paying for adverstising on this forum then I think most of us resent the posting and believe that the poster is receiving free advertising.

Even my postings that show my signature block that includes my title could be considered SPAM and I think the classification would be correct.  I may be wrong but I justify my postings because I have literally provided free consulting to many, many people who e-mail me from this forum asking for help.  Sometimes my assistance consists of just answering a few questions but in many cases I answer questions from beginning to end of their project.  As I have said before that is my way of giving back.  So many people have helped me to learn what I know today that since my retirement from teaching in 2004 I have made a strong effort to help people that ask.  My free help has also consisted of visiting projects within reasonable driving distances to meet and greet the owner and builder.  So instead of playing golf like a lot of my retired friends do, I spend my free time answering e-mails.  Although I am not the greatest writer I do really enjoy writing.  Once an educator always an educator.

Although I get regular praise and thanks through e-mails I rarely ever see any mention on this forum when the project is finished.  My guess is that once a project is finished a lot of the posters that asked for help no longer read GBT.

I appreciate GBT's forum and do not wish to abuse its policies.  It is a great public forum and I think it serves the public well.  Since I do not sell a product or service, I can not justify paying for an ad.  So far, I have not received any complaints from this forum for the way I use it.  If I do receive complaints that are valid, then I will consider removing everything from my signature block except my name.

Comments please.

Alton,
A forum such as this benefits tremendously when knowledgeable people contribute. Guess what, many of those people are industry professionals. I have no problem with people having limited advertizing in their tagline as long as they are contributing to the conversation. In fact I think it is good to understand where everyone is coming from to understand their biases and knowledge.
I also think people intuitively know what is spam.

Cheers,
Eric

Alton,
Geez, did somebody say something to get your dander up? 
Unlike you, I am not yet retired. But I don't think its a crime to put my companies' name or my location on my tag line. I doubt that any of the professionals who contribute to this site on a regular basis feel that they are cheating this site by posting the fact that they are, in fact, construction professionals. Unless you constantly engage in the shameless promotion of your business or products, what is the problem with letting everyone know that you do have the training and/or experience to offer realistic answers to questions posed here?
Now, if someone whom I met here were to offer to pay me for my services, would I turn their project down? No, of course not. After all, thats the way I make a living. But I certainly don't come here looking for work. I come here for the exchange of ideas, to learn new things, and, sometimes, for a good laugh.

I've often wondered about the insulative value of Spam. It would be hard to attach, and I guess longevity would be an issue. But I bet if it were smoked it would last a lot longer than straight out of the can!

Sorry couldn't resist...

Alton you've been a big help to me. And I will definitely let you know how things turn out when I finish (in the year 2015...)

I certainly have no problem with the professionals on here posting their info in a tag line. It's gracious of them (and you) to share their opinions, and the opinions of those in the trade are especially useful to us posers. The ones that bother me are the ones that answer threads by insisting that their 'XYZ' Blocks' are the answer to everything, and you are stupid to use anything else. THAT'S SPAM and abuse of the forum. To me, your tagline is tasteful and lends an air of credence to your replies. (That, and you obviously know what you are talking about!) Thanks to all the pros on here who share their wisdom and experience.

jdebree,

Thanks.

I agree with all the previous posters. Contributors that post their business name and contact info are 100% OK with me. My problem is with the people with one post that show up and post a link and testimonial and then never show their face here again.

P.S. A hearty 'thanks' is in order for all the regulars that indulge people like me by answering the same questions over and over.

Spam...not as tasty as advertised, but definitely a hit with the Monty Python crowd.

This is a very timely post for our team at GreenTechBuyer, and one that I will pass along within the organization. As a relatively new player in the green building industry, commenting on forums such as this are undoubtedly valuable for growing our business, and we're trying to be cognizant of the delicate balance between providing valuable insight/resources and (let's call it what it is) self-promotion.

If anybody on this forum has advice for how we can best serve the green building community in a way that also serves our business interest, please check out our website and send us an email at info(at)greentechbuyer.org. Also, let us know if you'd like to know more about receiving qualified sales leads for as part of our vendor network.

Thanks so much.

Brian Koles
www.GreenTechBuyer.org

I really have no problem as jdebree typed, this site has been a tremendous asset of information and links, my kudo's to the people that created and remain here answering the same questions over and over again! I come back everyday and learn more and more, hopefully one day to make a deceision on how my next house will be built and with what is most cost effective in the end!

John