It is - but I would like to think it is just an honest mistake - you know look at the good side of things and all.

yes Leo that's just right. I have had a run in before with gmegs on this issue as saying it's bad taste just gets my back up.

I am with coolcity on this when he says:

" As much as I understand the spamming issue it does seem a bit odd that we are members of a site that is teaching us to build our own internet marketing websites, yet technically are not allowed to show them to anybody on our blogs. "

So the issue is not bad taste it is simply not knowing what is what and where to draw the line

After all we're not all here for hugs and songs and a dance

I agree Hantaah. The problem with posting your own site is you have either got to allow it or ban it completely, you can't have one or the other.

Take this post from Kyle (Course 2, Lesson 7 I think) -

"Task 3: Share Content on the "Give & Take" Discussion

Your last task today is going to be posting your newly created content to a discussion to help get engagement. Instead of asking for feedback within WA, you are going to ask people to leave you comments within your actual post and offer their thoughts on your website.

Here is the discussion you will add your post to.

DISCUSSION: The "Give and Take" Comment Drop Zone

Like the other "community" discussions you have been involved with, make sure that you offer at least 3 comments on other people's website (on their actual website). This will lead to the ultimate engagement and paying it forward like this will lead to a truly helpful discussion thread where everyone gets engagement on their new posts.

This is a good thing for starting discussions within your content and also for Google rankings (as they look for engagement on your website)."
------

That says it's OK to post your site, albeit on that particular post. In fact I would say that it seems to suggest that it is OK to do so in general on WA; it doesn't say anywhere in that post that you can't do it. At best it is misleading.

I don't agree with deliberate spam and I have reported a member just a few weeks ago who turned up on WA, posted a couple of motivational blogs and then posted a couple more full of links. I PM'd him to tell him it wasn't allowed, he ignored me so I reported him.

But the policy needs to be clear and because it isn't I would never normally report anybody.

Yeah like I said - I truly believe in most cases it's just a lack of knowing. And it is a little confusing.

And as I mentioned to coolcity...

You can share your site, you can list it in your profile. You can also ask people to give you feedback on design layout and other elements. You just can't promote your site for financial gain.

I am a simple guy - I don't have links back to my site no matter how I am communicating in the WA public space. This way I never have any issues.

I do on occasion share my site with people I am PM'ing with and the odd occasion in chat - but this is just for illustration purposes - you know - look here see what I mean.

"You can share your site, you can list it in your profile. You can also ask people to give you feedback on design layout and other elements. You just can't promote your site for financial gain."

But what I am asking is who is to say that I am posting it just to ask for feedback when really I might be posting it to try to gain orders?

How would you know I am not just trying to generate interest in my products?

All that is being done within that part of the training is helping with people's SEO for their site. No where does it imply or even suggest to do this in general.

The problem is where some people are flat out posting links within their WA post content to get people to there website for financial gain.

And as you mentioned that's spam.

But I do agree there should be a place for the rules of the WA. A sticky post or a link at the top of the site to the polices of the WA would be a good to have

Yeah that's a good point - one never knows - I see where you're coming from

The problem is Leo that the fact that it is asking you to do that actually implies that it is OK to do it on the site, that is how it is going to be naturally perceived.

A sticky post would be my suggestion too, or some sort of popup warning every time you post although I can see that could be annoying.

The spam warning text could be added the the blank post box before you type though, such as those boxes that you see on some sites that say "type here", that show people where to begin typing.

hantaah - you may call it a "run in with gmegs" - I call it the right thing to do! You removed my link/comment from your blog post here on WA, where I was GIVING for free something that you were trying to get our fellow members to "jump through hoops" for.

... and yes - I still believe all of this is in bad taste.

And one more time:
Plain and Simple!
One should help people expecting nothing in return.

If we obtain a higher ranking BECAUSE of helping, that's an added bonus but should NOT be the goal.

"Plain and Simple!
One should help people expecting nothing in return."

Sorry but that's not fact, that's just your opinion. If it were true, WA should be free.

Your right - it is my opinion!
... but that has to be the silliest remark I've heard yet coolcity!

The nature of this WA community is to HELP one another - not USE one another. If it is otherwise, I must be in the wrong place.

coolcity I'm totally with you

I help people on here and I go out of my way most often. Sometimes I may like to benefit in getting my WA rank higher because I am competitive it is what motivates me yet gmegs thinks this is wrong

Ok gmegs your here for hugs and a song and a dance, we are here for business and as long as we don't spam it's not wrong for me to hope for some benefit. I'm not doing anyone over I'm helping people if I hope to raise in rank that's not bad taste

What is bad taste is your method in labelling my morals wrong, my opinion is not the same as yours yet you say it's bad taste.

Leo said it correctly when he said he believed it to be a mistake rather than bad taste, you even said I was deceitful at one point. I don't think you should attack morals when displaying your opinion. You have your opinion and I disagree with it.

Thank you Leo for having good manners when saying your opinion and you are right sometimes things are done by mistake but If I hope to gain rank and hope to get a lot of involvement in my WA post then I believe there is nothing wrong with that

Unfortunately, there is no truth to what you have just said hantaah concerning me and what I have said to you privately (and vice versa) - but you have made a private issue public - another bad move.

You cannot delete my comments here or in the PM's - what you are accusing me of saying of course is not true, and you are trying to rally others around your false statements - another bad move.

I have no interest in the dispute between you and Hantaah, I'm smart enough to work things out for myself anyway but the fact remains that what you have said is your opinion. It is not for you to decide what is bad taste and what isn't.

One of the major problems with WA is issues like this, which is caused by a bad rule which effectively means it is left for other people to decide what is right and what is wrong.

It is not what I am paying my subscription for - as one famous scientist once said, "I am interested in the facts, not your opinion" - and it is one of the reasons I am not renewing my subscription after a year here. Today is in fact my last day.

"Your right - it is my opinion!
... but that has to be the silliest remark I've heard yet coolcity!"

But as I said gmegs, if that were true then WA should be free.

and I'm going to refrain from arguing for the sake of arguing.

The fact is your calling our opinions silly7, bad taste, deceitful etc so I'm saying you should review the way you force your opinion

Leo's way is much better and is the correct way, to believe that some things are mistakes and to understand where other opinions come from

I have bit my tongue in a few places to say " your ridiculous to say such and such "

perhaps you should refrain from saying things like what you said is silly. His opinion is not silly or bad taste etc

Yes, opinions are opinions. It's generally not in good taste to slate anybody's opinions. I know that by using the word "silly" it is meant to be less of a hit than using the word "stupid" but it amounts to the same thing.

With respect to the argument that is the centre of this, I have no opinion on who was right and who was wrong because I can't have - I haven't seen the link - but if we were all of the same opinion debates would not exist but it's not good form to debunk other people's opinions.

To imply that Wealthy Affiliate should be free is SILLY - in my opinion.
... and name calling will get you nowhere in the long run

exactly so leave out the words silly, bad taste etc and try to understand other peoples opinion without forcing yours

and he didn't say it should be free he said if the purpose of wa was to help only then it would be free

Why? You said it's a place where everybody should help everybody for nothing:

"One should help people expecting nothing in return."

So if that's how it is supposed to be then WA should be free - they should offer their help without asking for a membership fee. That's based on your words, your logic, not mine.

I don't see anywhere where you or anybody else has been called any names. With all due respect you seem to be creating your own arguments.

... you should re-read all your comments

ok thanks gmegs, for the sake of not arguing, I give up, you are right and I should not name if I have I do apologise let's leave it there I wish not to argue that I am right

Thanks for your comments

I repeat the comment: I don't see anywhere where you or anybody else has been called any names.

gmegs, I agree with you 100%. I have occasionally included links to websites where I am affiliated but I would NEVER include my affiliate id. The only reason I include links is to help people find something of use such as Open Source software or to mention where I get my domain names and hosting. Just trying to help and expecting nothing in return. ~Marion

were not talking about affiliate links here though

We mean including post links and the intention

Personally I dont see anything wring with helping someone and then hoping for some benefit additionally but that is much different to spamming

Outright spaming, yes is a no no

Even the bible says give in charity in secret in hope for reward from your lord, so you give in charity and then hope to recieve reward for it, either in this life or the next

Yeah you have no idea how many times I have to bite my tongue in a day.

Bad habit of being very truthful and straight forward and saying what's on my mind.

I had this issue before and then Kyle removed my posts and I was asking how then can I share my stuff when needed and he said this is a thread spoecifically for that

https://my.wealthyaffiliate.com/authoring-writing-content/the-give-and-take-comment-thread-get-website-engagement

Is that what you mean?

You can ask for people to take a look at your site for evaluation - but the best place for that is in the classrooms.

That's probably the right idea if people know where to find it Hantaah, or that it even exists. I've been here a year and have never seen that before.

As much as I understand the spamming issue it does seem a bit odd that we are members of a site that is teaching us to build our own internet marketing websites, yet technically are not allowed to show them to anybody on our blogs. Not that I want to personally but you see the point hopefully.

This thread is set up for members to comment on other members sites.

But again it's not set up to specifically drive member traffic to your site.

You can share your site, you can list it in your profile. You can ask people to give you feedback on design layout and other elements. You just can't promote your site for financial gain.

Yeah, that's a good point

I know Leo but as I said the point is who is to say that some of those who are asking people to evaluate their site are not doing so as an excuse to drive traffic to their sites?

If somebody visits your site to evaluate it then sees something they like and buys it, you have gained financially as a direct result of asking it to be evaluated (even if not intentionally), but it's impossible to tell if some people are intentionally posting their sites for that reason.

Say for example somebody wanted an explanation of how to use Jaaxy. I have an explanatory review of Jaaxy on my site then tell them to go look at my site where they will find that explanation. They read it then decide to sign up via the link on my site and I gain a customer.

That's why the rule in it's current form doesn't work. I know what the WA law is, I understand it and the point you are making but it doesn't work.

and on the other hand -

Kyle explained it to me as anyone posting for the sole purpose of gaining / advertising their site

However I have made links and posts with the sole purpose of helping but my posts have been removed because it links to my site so I have also missed out on chances to give good information or help someone out

That's why it doesn't work Hantaah.

Some people could be posting to get a genuine evaluation of their site and having their link removed while others could be deliberately posting to get traffic and getting away with it.

I know, I've had first hand experience on both ends of the spectrum. I've even been called deceitful for hoping to gain in WA rank for a post when all I did was encourage people to comment by saying yes please I'd like a free ebook

No, you cannot use any method of trying to glean membership traffic. Plus writing the same post here and at your site would be duplicate content.

if you add an attribution link that would deter the duplicate content as it would refer google back to the original but I thought you said

" You can write a post about an article or resource you have found and place the link in your WA post to said original article or resource "

so how do you mean?

It would be best to write something completely different here in the WA from what you wrote on your site.

And in the post here you provide the complete and original link to that resource. In other words you go to the resources page and get the original link.

If what we are told is true, Google would demote the site in search rankings where content is duplicated anyway but as this is effectively a members site first and foremost it should not really matter, assuming the content was posted on your own site first of course.

no I just wrote a post on this but I cannot direct it to you can I ( i'm not sure now )?

If you add an attribution link to the bottom of the duplicate page it will point google toi the origial as being the original and onlt index the origianl thus not make it duplaicate

leoemery I'm still not clear what your saying.

Weather it's the same or slightly different can I write a post and add an attribution link to my original page?

Ok - if you have a post on your site and then you write a post here about the same thing or sightly different and have a link going to your site - then no.

You can't write posts here and have links back to your website no mater how you do it.

You can still get hit with duplicate content issues if you post the same content here and at your website - because the content that you write here is crawled by Google.

But if I am not mistaken I believe the WA has it's own duplicate content filters so this can be avoided.

Yes but one will be written before the other in which case Google will penalize the site it appeared on second. That's my understanding of it anyway. So if that's the case how would your site take a hit if the content appeared there first?

your wrong there that is a myth, can I post you a link?

http://www.muslimahwebdesign.co.uk/wordpresstutorials/duplicate-content-penalty-myth/

Google will not penelizr duplicate content but only index the one it thinks to be original and it usually indexes the one with highest authority which is how your post can be lost ( not penelized ) but you can add an attribution link to let google know which is the original and it will then use that page only

Cool - thank you for sharing - I learned something new today. Gotta love the WA!!

To me duplicate content is taking the same content and re-purposing it in other sources, such as blogs, guest post, article and such.

So there is no real penalty per-say - it will just index the original and ignore the rest.

But if one still does duplicate content in any fashion it is still harming your site SEO wise. I am excluding the use of an attribution link.

kind of but the problem is Google has to guess at which is the original.

It usually guesses wrong so by adding an attribution link ( correctly ) this will tell google what the original page is and it will ignore the rest.

Google will favour higher authority sites to be the original which in most cases is wrong so never leave google guess and always add an attribution link to your posts.

If you find any of your pages are doing poorly check for duplicate content. If you find someone is using your content you can contact them and tell them to add your attribution link