...Marie,
...Joey (f.k.a. "Dweezil") 8/13/94,
...and Sonia (f.k.a. "Moon Unit") 3/21/97
On Sat, 3 Apr 1999, Pat Berry wrote:
> >From: Thamer Al-Herbish <shadows@whitefang.com>
>
> >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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