>I might be flamed big time for this but I honestly can't hold back
>anymore. I usually read technical FAQs, and I've noticed that some
>maintainers are either linking banners to the FAQ web pages or
>blatantly promoting products/books they can profit from. There was
>once a day when FAQ maintaining was a selfless act one did for
>reasons that weren't self profiting.
I'm glad you brought this up. I maintain the FAQ for "Red Dwarf,"
a British TV show. RD is a huge hit in England; it's about as well
known there as Star Trek is in the U.S. But it's not nearly as well
known elsewhere. In the U.S., it's almost completely unheard of.
It gets aired only by PBS stations, but with no promotion whatsoever,
so you're not likely to see it unless you go looking for it.
There are numerous RD-related books published in England: novels
based on the series, programme guides, behind-the-scenes accounts,
and other tie-ins. These are almost impossible to find in the U.S.
The same is true of the videocassettes of the show. So, one of the
perennial Frequently Asked Questions is "Where can I find Red Dwarf
merchandise?"
As a result, I wasn't sure what to do when I recently received a note from
a representative of http://www.alphabetstreet.com. The note suggested that
I consider setting up an online bookshop connect to the FAQ. "As our
affiliate you can earn an additional revenue from 5 to 15% for the books
and CDs sold via the your site," the note said. "We do the mailing and
everything else!"
I was torn. On the one hand, it would probably be nice for RD fans to be
able to click on a link in the FAQ and order RD books online. On the other
hand, if I were receiving a commission on these sales, that would probably
anger a lot of fans, and I could understand why they would feel this way.
So far, I haven't done anything about it. But I'd love to hear what other
FAQ maintainers think of this sort of thing. Mr. Al-Herbish has certainly
made his feelings known, but what about the rest of you?
>I don't know: I might be wrong. But really, if you're going to sell
>something that you can promote anywhere near your FAQ, just pass the
>FAQ onto someone else. Let's keep this by netters for netters.
I agree that this is, at the very least, a gray area. But what if the
items for sale are hard to find, and providing a way to order them is a
service to readers of the FAQ? If the maintainer gets paid for the
service, of course, that could be a conflict of interest.
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