Posted by editor on January 20, 2000 at 02:59:57:

In Reply to: Re: The Fine Line Between "Knowledge Sharing" and "Blatant Solicitations" - Apologies posted by Robert Benjamin on January 20, 2000 at 00:30:24:

Perhaps, some clarification of the context and connotation of the words is in order. First, there is no questioning about any credibility of any individual's work at all. This need to be further clarified by elaborating the meaning of 'solicitation' as implied in the previous message. The specific connotation of solicitation relates to several messages that many of us see on many forums and too often, despite our dislike, in our mailboxes. Such messages often are along the following lines: we are experts / specialists/ providers / experts in 'so and so' commodity or service. Please Users Guide at so and so number if you are interested.

The motivation of the earlier message was not to question the specific individual's intent per se, as that individual is a long-standing member of this community. However, it was to pre-empt other solicitations that could have resulted if the boundaries of 'knowledge sharing' were stretched further by other elements who are less interested in dialog and more interested in 'solicitation' of goods and services.

The intent of the above message should not be interpreted as being against any commercial motives or motives related to commercial development of clientele and networks. After all, this is a forum related to developing the knowledge and practice of business issues. However, the message specifically suggests that the motivation of this forum is helping oneself by helping others and keeping the dialog in good taste. Give some on the forum -- provide some details, provide some hyperlinks to your work, offer to post your work on the forum (if needed, with the help of the forum editors) and suggest that the interested individuals may contact you directly if interested for knowing more about any report, book, etc. Hence, the objective should be interpreted as being primarily to inform and "share" and should stand above the objective of conducting a "sale."

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