NO MORE THAN ONCE A MONTH!

[Lin]

Folks, this folder is here as a service to you. Please do not abuse it.

People are asked to post advertising their services no more than once a month. This includes posts from different people promoting the same business. It includes special offers (which should go in a different folder anyway).

Posts which break these simple rules will be removed.

[Roughseasinthemed]

Hi Lin

Maybe point out that people can edit their posts if they want to update the info? Eg special offers or whatever.

[Dakota]

Roughseasinthemed wrote: "Hi Lin

Maybe point out that people can edit their posts if they want to update the info? Eg special offers or whatever."

Haha. I believe you just did :)

[Roughseasinthemed]

Ha tee ha Dakota.

Either people are being remarkably unaware of the edit function or they are being remarkably naughty :)

[Ari]

Roughseasinthemed wrote: "Ha tee ha Dakota.

Either people are being remarkably unaware of the edit function or they are being remarkably naughty :)"

There's fun to be had in breaking the rules sometimes :) But I think people sometimes forget as well. It can be hard to search for your post to edit, especially when it's been a few weeks.

[Dakota]

your posts can be found under the "my comments" label under your profile. also, when you click on the actual heading, it lists the original poster by name, so it's pretty easy to find a post if you take the time to actually look. While there is fun to be had in breaking rules, certain rules, such as this one, have been a primary reason for complaints and has lead to a disrespect to writers on this board. Hence the *need* for strong and strict rules.

[Sharon]

Rick,

If you would like to use a post you already wrote and don't want to revise it, find the original post and respond to it. People often simply write "bump" and that pushes it up to the top of board.

Sharon

[Roughseasinthemed]

Rick wrote: "Ah. ok. Thank you I didn't want to break the rules. =)"

Rick. You did. Once a month means just that.

[Dakota]

Rick wrote: "Bumping w one day left in the month is breaking the rule???"

YES. the rule is once a month. So (and Lin can correct me if I'm wrong) but the rule is once in a one month's time. ie: Once every 30 days.

The only difference between posting and bumping is this: You can respond to a message or note from a potential client. However, you cannot bump/post/advertise, etc more than once a month.

Does that make sense?

[Dakota]

Rick wrote: "Oh. Ok. Sorry won't happen again"

I appreciate you asking though. Many individuals don't even bother to read the big capital letters that say "READ THIS FIRST". It is such an irony.

[Dakota]

Please see Lin's post that clearly states that "posts that break these simple rules will be removed."

You may post again exactly 30 days after your last post/boost/bump/advertisement. The rule is once in a one month's time. ie: Once every 30 days. So if your last post/boost/bump/advertisement was on March 8th, you need to wait until April 9th, because April 8th would be 2x in a 30 day period. Does that make sense?

[Lin]

I have to admit that that's rather harsh! I don't have time to police a forum like this and check up on every single post, looking back to previous dates. I ask that people respect the rules, and I would remind of the rules where someone posts within less than a month, and remove if necessary. I consider a calendar month for ease of reference, so I would not consider March 8th-April 8th as too much - especially since March has 31 days!

If someone has been warned, I would then not hesitate to remove future posts that also break the rules.

The idea of allowing people to advertise is to be fair to all. Anyone who breaks the rules is making life more difficult for others, and risks us withdrawing adverts for paid services altogether.

[John]

Rick, the rules are the rules. Bending them is for Becham. It's too simple; if you are confused over 24 hours then you really need to to build in a few extra days a month for safety.

Moderators are there for a reason, it would be chaos without them.

If we break the rules (as I did recently) we take the consequences.

Amen

[Dakota]

Despite the differences in execution, there is something to be said for respect and responsibility. This site used to have a major problem with individuals not following the rules to the point where authors didn't even want to post on the board. All that comes down to management of boundaries. Respecting the rules and taking the responsibility for knowing what they are and ensuring you understand them promotes a positive environment for everyone. Establishing rules as boundaries makes things fair for everyone and when you gray the boundaries, then it opens the door for establishing a status quo that the rules don't matter, and it becomes harder to enforce them when things do get out of hand. I know this sounds a bit philosophical, but it has happened on this board before and it happens in our world everyday. So, please know the rules and respect them. If they are unclear, contact a moderator. And thank you to John for expressing his support for the admins and the rules :)

Thank you.

[Vance]

John wrote: "Rick, the rules are the rules. Bending them is for Becham. It's too simple; if you are confused over 24 hours then you really need to to build in a few extra days a month for safety.

Fair enough, obey the rules, but I'm curious about this actual rule. Why a month? Please bear in mind I don't offer any services, so I'm not trying to improve my business (or bump).
The paid services supplement the free ones, which aren't easy to get (sheer volume of applicants and/or very long lead times). I don't even try for free betas now, because of the amount of time trying without a result.
Perhaps we have to remember the paid editors in particular are reserving a significant chunk of their time when they book one of us authors. If they've bumped, taken bookings, and then have a cancellation, they are stuck with a gap. The next customer may have reserved their particular slot because the book simply isn't ready yet.

I can't see the harm in it being OK to bump once a fortnight. The editors with full bookings and no problems don't need to, and even when they advertise monthly it is with a long lead time.
The ones with a gap and the authors who need an editor quickly should have a chance to fill that slot. The bottom line is that us authors need editors, so we want to encourage them on Goodreads, looking for our business.

[Roughseasinthemed]

I do offer paid edits and betas, and depending on commitments, free betas for shorts, or comments on a chapter or so. I think I've only advertised once, sometime last year.

Instead of just bumping up a post or advertising every month, perhaps all these would-be editors should consider posting on draft query letters, blurbs, and generally contributing? And that includes the odd free beta if there is no current paid work. It may prove to be better advertising.

So, as an editor, I'm happy with once a month. Plus there are plenty of other forums to advertise on.

Also, many 'editors' who advertise have little to no skill/experience/qualifications and are charging farcical prices. There is a fine line between spamming and frequent advertising. One of the reasons I like this forum is because I don't see xxxx posting yet again about their brilliant services every week or two.

[John]

I don't think the paid 'services' do supplement the free ones, Vince. There is no connection; further, there's a strict boundary between the two services; as I found out when I replied to a 'free' request - thinking it was a 'paid' request. (Smiles at Dakota)

If we had to pay for every 'advertisement' that we placed on here, then I suspect we would be satisfied with a monthly post.

I'm not wishing to negate your point-of-view, Vince, I can where you are coming from, nevertheless, a month is the stipulated period. If it were a fortnight, then I'm sure people would be offering a similar proposition to the one you suggest, "Why a fortnight? Why not weekly?"

I think I have advertised twice now in, 12 months. Roughseasinthemed (How is Brexit with you?) has only advertised once.

I didn't really think there was an issue (until now). I'm not a moderator and so don't feel the need to monitor what others are doing.

[Dakota]

Vance, it's once a month because that's what we decided was fair and easy to monitor. What Roighseas and I have said, it was a very unpleasant board before and there are dozens of other places to advertise and you can always edit your post if space becomes available. Once a month is just what we thought was appropriate to keep people from spamming the board, which people were doing.

[John]

Sorry Vance, I called you Vince (old age).

[Roughseasinthemed]

John wrote: "I don't think the paid 'services' do supplement the free ones, Vince. There is no connection; further, there's a strict boundary between the two services; as I found out when I replied to a 'free' ..."

Yeah, free and 'paid-for' are different. My free beta reports are one or two pages, my paid-for are ten or so plus grammar/spelling etc if required.

Brexit? Bring it. Save all the illegal cross-border workers coming in. Well, maybe it will.

[Vance]

Roughseasinthemed wrote: "John wrote: "I don't think the paid 'services' do supplement the free ones, Vince. There is no connection; further, there's a strict boundary between the two services; as I found out when I replied..."

Thanks everyone. Just looking from one (fairly narrow looking at the replies) point of view, and asking the question.
Even once a month must have been difficult if the moderators have had masses of spam in the past (before my time or maybe I just didn't see it :-) From what you said, Roughseas, it must have been very bad. I have been lucky in the paid services I've used (mixed results with free ones). I endorse the part about the difference, it is another reason I now bite the bullet and pay for betas.

John, by supplement I meant that the free services can't deal with the volume so we also need paid ones, just look at the number of replies if a free beta posts with vacancies. Bad English (needed an editor), maybe I should have said compliment? Don't worry about the name, unless you are looking for my books :-) Would that be a bump?

Thanks for the clarification Dakota, about being able to edit a post if space becomes available, that answers my main point. I assumed they would be classed as new posts.
I wasn't aware of how many other places editors can advertise. I've not looked for betas or editors anywhere else, having joined Goodreads when I wasn't even considering writing a proper book, let alone publishing. I'd written millions of words and wanted someone to read a few.
The site has been brilliant for me, I even found a publisher through here.

Many thanks to everyone for your answers, especially since I'm an author so the rule doesn't apply to me.

And yes, bring on Brexit. Though if Spain grab Gibraltar, Roughseas might be blockaded in the Med.

[Sharon]

As an editor and beta reader, I honor these rules. That said, some times it's unnecessary to post every 30 days; other times, as Vance mentioned, a writer may delay and I have an unexpected opening.

Also, I regularly check this board for services that I do not offer, find the type of service my writer needs and connect the two.

I like to give everyone the benefit of the doubt and respect the good intentions of all who use this board. Moderators, thank you for your time. I have moderated various boards and I understand the time commitment. Thanks.

Sharon
The Writer's Reader

[Sam]

There's been a few people on this board bumping their posts more than monthly, sometimes even more than once a week. This is very unfair to everyone else following the rules and only bumping monthly. How do we report this if we can't message any of the mods?

[S.]

Hello folks.

I'm a seasoned beta reader, book reviewer, blurb writer and comprehensive editor. Although most of the books I've edited in the past were secular in nature, I'm attempting to move into the more edifying genre of Christian lit. I still accept secular books every blue moon, but desire to specialize in books written by brethren. My rates are low, and my quality of work is high. Please feel free to contact me through Goodreads or via email (found below) for more information and my CV.

Thank you for taking the time to read this missive, and may God bless and guide you in your decisions.

S. Daisy
daisyediting[AT]mail[DOT]com

[Betul]

Hi I need to report a scammer that’s active in the community but can’t send messages to mods so that they can be removed. Me and other community members have proof

[Sue]

Hi. If you can't get a hold of the mods, and this is still an issue, maybe you could post a few warnings in different sections? I'd personally really like to know about scammers.

[Matheus]

Olá, meu nome é Matheus e sou especialista em leituras na empresa Beta Reader.

Na Beta Reader, nossa missão é proporcionar uma análise detalhada e crítica dos textos, ajudando autores a aprimorar seus trabalhos antes da publicação. Com uma vasta experiência na área de leitura e revisão, me especializo em identificar pontos de melhoria, tanto em termos de fluidez quanto de estrutura narrativa, garantindo que a mensagem do autor seja transmitida de forma clara e impactante.

[Kate]

Stanley wrote: "There's been a few people on this board bumping their posts more than monthly, sometimes even more than once a week. This is very unfair to everyone else following the rules and only bumping monthl..."

I've also noticed this. Some people have multiple self-promo posts, and they bump each one. So, while each post is bumped only once per month, posts for their services dominate the topic.

[Beta Boss]

!

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I currently offer my services on a paid basis, but I’m open to discussing your budget and sharing samples of my feedback style.

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