Dissapointed with UK Business Forums

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actuk

actuk

Free Member
Apr 15, 2009
13
0
  • #1
    We are very disappointed that this forum now insists that members pay for signature links. This forum has become just another money making scheme, and in reality in my opinion is not supporting UK business at all.

    In these tough times, small businesses struggle to make ends meet and as such are looking for ways to advertise their business. As a sign maker we find it difficult to find forums to go onto to offer advice and get the added benefit when we are contributing to a forum.

    It is such a shame that this forum now charges these small companies a fee to have a signature link in the signature. In my opinion this is charging for links. This contravenes Google webmaster rules!

    I will now boycott this forum.
     
    OldWelshGuy

    OldWelshGuy

    Free Member
    • Jun 12, 2008
    15,879
    6,836
    South West Wales
    www.owgmarketing.co.uk
  • #2
    actuk said:
    We are very disappointed that this forum now insists that members pay for signature links. This forum has become just another money making scheme, and in reality in my opinion is not supporting UK business at all.
    Click to expand...
    you are not paying for a signature link, it is part of the membership package.


    actuk said:
    In these tough times, small businesses struggle to make ends meet and as such are looking for ways to advertise their business. As a sign maker we find it difficult to find forums to go onto to offer advice and get the added benefit when we are contributing to a forum.
    Click to expand...
    You can still benefit from involvement, you can add your web address, you just can't link it.

    actuk said:
    It is such a shame that this forum now charges these small companies a fee to have a signature link in the signature. In my opinion this is charging for links. This contravenes Google webmaster rules!
    Click to expand...
    Your opinion is wrong, as the live sig link is part of the entire package offered, which by the way includes your won blog, listing in the directory, access to member only forums, and much more

    actuk said:
    I will now boycott this forum.
    Click to expand...
    Then you are losing out on a whole lot of help for free, as well as networking, but hey ho, if that is how you feel purely because £36 a year is too much to pay, then so be it!
     
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    B

    Bruceflea

    Free Member
    Apr 6, 2010
    521
    56
    Belfast
  • #3
    come on now, it's £36.00 hardly breaking the bank.

    you say 'As a sign maker we find it difficult to find forums to go onto to offer advice and get the added benefit when we are contributing to a forum', yet you are clearly just looking for a way to boost sales.

    getting involved in the discussions will boost your profile and if anyone is interested in what you do, i am sure they will PM or google you
     
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    K

    Kev Jaques

  • #4
    My my, someone got out of bed the wrong side today lol :)

    Mind you don't hit the door on your way out ;)

    I would question your motives with your post, is business not to make money? The forum has charged for years, not sure where you get your now from lol.
     
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    B

    Billmccallum

  • #7
    I'm a free member and I contribute to the general activity of the forum, but I'm not here to make money, anyone who comes to a fourm just to make money has got something wrong...

    A forum is "place for public discussion", and members should join to ask questions or respond to issues raised.

    Yes, forum's can be used to market goods and services and I advise people to use forums for this, but the principle function is still discussion not sales.

    I suspect that people who have read my posts will know my email address and web site by now, some members even have my home phone number and I'm a free member.

    To say that the forum charges for signature links is a red herring, my signature is my web site (at least I think it is...), its just not a direct link.

    The other aspect is that this forum is part of a business, one that provides a free service to those who choose to use it (three cheers for UKBF) and a paid service for those who choose to use that, so HOW ON EARTH CAN YOU COMPLAIN? You have the option to choose.
     
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  • #8
    Ah.....i get it! You were one of the sneaky free members who'd worked out how to get a link in your signature? Tut, tut.

    I don't think it will be any great loss as you obviously don't want to put in any time / effort to help anyone else. You only want to use it as a quick "get business" fix. Wrong place i'm afraid!

    I am happily a free member and after 15 months of NETWORKING on the forum i do gain business from it.
     
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    M

    Matt1959

    Free Member
    Sep 8, 2006
    6,325
    1,225
  • #9
    actuk said:
    We are very disappointed that this forum now insists that members pay for signature links. This forum has become just another money making scheme, and in reality in my opinion is not supporting UK business at all.

    In these tough times, small businesses struggle to make ends meet and as such are looking for ways to advertise their business. As a sign maker we find it difficult to find forums to go onto to offer advice and get the added benefit when we are contributing to a forum.

    It is such a shame that this forum now charges these small companies a fee to have a signature link in the signature. In my opinion this is charging for links. This contravenes Google webmaster rules!

    I will now boycott this forum.
    Click to expand...

    strewth:eek: well i've never had and never will have a sig but the help i've had here has been invaluable for my business and no exaggeration to say, i doubt i'd even have a business without it. Any trade member that sticks it out here will see huge benefits for thier business.... sadly most give up after under 20 posts
     
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    S

    sellickbhoy

    Free Member
    Jun 5, 2009
    1,062
    258
  • #10
    I think this is a great forum. I use it lots and iv'e never paid a penny

    Had some great advice, probably given some terrible advice and made a few contacts to help me get my business under way

    Whilst it is a good way to meet service providers, I actually get quite annoyed by the number of people who are on here just touting for business. Contributing nothing and just jumping on every thread offering their services (requested by the OP or otherwise)

    If you want to advertise your services here, there are plenty of ways to do it that mean you won't part with £36. So I'm guessing you are just lazy or lack imagination. i'll let you pick (if you can be bothered)
     
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    Scott-Copywriter

    Scott-Copywriter

    Free Member
    May 11, 2006
    9,605
    2,673
  • #12
    actuk said:
    We are very disappointed that this forum now insists that members pay for signature links. This forum has become just another money making scheme, and in reality in my opinion is not supporting UK business at all.

    In these tough times, small businesses struggle to make ends meet and as such are looking for ways to advertise their business. As a sign maker we find it difficult to find forums to go onto to offer advice and get the added benefit when we are contributing to a forum.

    It is such a shame that this forum now charges these small companies a fee to have a signature link in the signature. In my opinion this is charging for links. This contravenes Google webmaster rules!

    I will now boycott this forum.
    Click to expand...

    1). This forum is for business discussion. It isn't about promotion.

    2). You aren't being forced to pay it.

    3). It's only £36 a year. If you can't afford £36 a year then I don't think you can claim to run a business.

    4). Sift is a business as well. It's supporting itself. Can't you respect that?

    5). I don't particularly like or agree with the subscription fee either, but hey, it is what it is and it's worth the price. Rarely is such a good thing free in this world.

    I will now boycott this forum.
    Click to expand...
    Your loss.

    Edit: All you've done on here so far from what I can see is bump up very old threads with self-promotion and used the old spam line 'thanks for sharing' to boost your post count up. You boycotting this forum is more of a favour to us than anything else.
     
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    Dogsbody

    Dogsbody

    Free Member
    Jan 17, 2010
    161
    42
  • #14
    I would like to thank all those members on here that have offered help (to me in particular) which can prove invaluable to those (like me) just starting up in business. Also I have learnt a lot from issues raised by others which have had answers supplied here, it's a great resource. I don't pay currently, but who knows....

    Just being on here is advertising. I have dealt with at least 4 members of this site who have not advertised as such, but their presence on here has given me the confidence to deal with them, Ok I did a bit of additional checking, but had they not been on here they wouldn't have got that business.

    So to all UKBF members (paying or not)... THANK YOU!
     
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    maxine

    maxine

    Free Member
    Oct 13, 2007
    6,154
    1,952
    Cambs
  • #16
    Actuk, It's a shame you feel that way. Lots of members get excellent value on here paid or not.

    £36 for a sig link, blog links etc is probably the cheapest yet highest ranking forums on the web, especially for uk business :)

    Assuming that you have a marketing budget of sorts, even on a shoestring, if it was links you are after then the £36 would have paid for itself.

    You could still have marketed your business for free on here by contributing value (see Lucy's example)

    Shame

    Seeya

    :)

    PS - Should we have a ukbf just giving page?
     
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    directmarketingadvice

    directmarketingadvice

    Free Member
    Aug 2, 2005
    10,887
    3,530
  • #17
    OldWelshGuy said:
    You can still benefit from involvement, you can add your web address, you just can't link it.
    Click to expand...

    Exactly. If you want links, go do some link building.

    I don't see how not having hypertext links stops people contributing to a forum... unless they only want to contribute in return for links... in which case, maybe this isn't the forum for them.

    Steve
     
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    N

    no118.co.uk

  • #18
    actuk said:
    We are very disappointed that this forum now insists that members pay for signature links. This forum has become just another money making scheme, and in reality in my opinion is not supporting UK business at all.

    In these tough times, small businesses struggle to make ends meet and as such are looking for ways to advertise their business. As a sign maker we find it difficult to find forums to go onto to offer advice and get the added benefit when we are contributing to a forum.

    It is such a shame that this forum now charges these small companies a fee to have a signature link in the signature. In my opinion this is charging for links. This contravenes Google webmaster rules!

    I will now boycott this forum.
    Click to expand...

    I have let the Government pay for this for me. I have put this through as a business expense. For me, I feel this service offers great value for money.

    Cheers UKBF :D
     
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    F

    Fernhurst Solutions Ltd

  • #23
    actuk said:
    We are very disappointed that this forum now insists that members pay for signature links. This forum has become just another money making scheme, and in reality in my opinion is not supporting UK business at all.

    In these tough times, small businesses struggle to make ends meet and as such are looking for ways to advertise their business. As a sign maker we find it difficult to find forums to go onto to offer advice and get the added benefit when we are contributing to a forum.

    It is such a shame that this forum now charges these small companies a fee to have a signature link in the signature. In my opinion this is charging for links. This contravenes Google webmaster rules!

    I will now boycott this forum.
    Click to expand...

    toys, dummy and pram spring to mind. I doubt without this forum I would have a business and was a GREAT help in the early days. Its about being part of a community with 50,000+ members (granted not all active) for 10p per day. If you have a problem with that, then I would suggest it is you that has the problem.
     
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    V

    Vending Siting Services

    Free Member
    Jan 26, 2007
    2,530
    549
    Cornwall
  • #26
    In life, you get out of it what you put in. To believe you can just come here to spam, self promote and want all the benefits for nothing, then I do feel sorry for the OP, as he/she may believe that the world owes them a living as well.

    UKBF is a tremendous resource of information for free, a superb networking site and not to mention a great community.

    By paying the £36 annual membership fee, as many have already mentioned, is not expensive and there are many benefits offered to full members, many of which have already been mentioned here, not forgetting of course the private forums whereby fully paid members have the ability to chat, seek answers to questions that may be of a sensitive nature and where the google spiders don't pick up on, reviewing of websites and franchising, to name a few.

    As the UKBF community grows ever more larger, those who cannot see the benefits may lose out.

    My 2p worth. :)

    Barbara Fellowes
     
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  • #27
    Ugh, sure we miss all those people who arrive here, post 3 times (usually drivel), and fill their post and sig with links to their crappy business.

    If you need to rely on methods like you have described OP, then I would be worried for your business, not only has it got little chance online, but the management are decidedly dodgy too.

    Good bit of viral advertising for yourself this thread.... NOT :)
     
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    Pet Nanny

    Pet Nanny

    Free Member
    May 4, 2007
    1,236
    88
    Dorset
  • #30
    I did not realise that in order to link your website you need to pay, but I have to say that the help I have received from certain members on this forum (Tin Soldier), has been amazing.

    I am not as active a member as I used to be primiarily because I have a lot going on at the moment. But I still pop by every now and then for a nosey around and since I'm in the pet care industry and not a computer literate, I will always need advice :)
     
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