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So, *IS* WebmasterWorld "anti-business"

the floor is open for gentlemanly debate

         

rcjordan

5:20 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



In another thread [webmasterworld.com], cyril makes mention that he finds WebmasterWorld to have an anti-business bias. Despite the link in my profile, I'm inclined to agree that we do, indeed, have a bias ....though perhaps its more anti-BIG-business.

Comments? The floor is open.

Marketing Guy

5:34 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



A bias suggests that the majority hold a certain view and other views tend to be swept aside.

I don't think this is true of WW.

Even the most strongly put arguements are listened to and a professional discussion can take place around them - where on other forums most of these views would cause a flame war.

If anything, WW has a slight biased towards Google - but given the nature of our industry and Googles place in it (and Googleguys place in WW), I don't think that's a bad thing. Other ideas are still discussed.

In terms of being anti-business, I just have to repeat what I said in the other thread and that is I think WW is very pro-business.

OK, there are few facilities publicly available to help you further your business - no site reviews - no link exchanges, etc.

But at the end of the day, WW is not a business forum - its an information forum. Any aspects of business that have creeped in (Commercial exchange, supporters forum, etc) are a bonus.

Saying that WW has an anti-business bias is like saying that a sports forum has an anti-bowling bias - just because it isn't heavily featured, doesn't make it a bias.

I think people arrive here and see the potential in the members here for making business contacts and deals and other commercial exchanges. And then are frustrated that there is limited medium for doing that.

Well, ladies and gents - there's a time and a place for everything! :)

I think if WW moved away from its pure information based focus and became a more business orientated site then it would lose the appeal that has brought (and kept) many people here in the first place.

My 2c's! :)

Scott

<joke>Cheers and runs around the room after a thread he started was linked to by RC! :) ......then realises it's completely off topic from the thread he started.... :( </joke>

DaveN

5:44 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I think a lot of people here don't quite understand what all the different business types are and so some get a real bashing mainly large Corps and the large affiliates.

what is one persons business maybe another person pain in the backside due to size of business.

things like

person1 " I came across 25 websites all interlinking and each one was top of the serps for MY keywords "

person2 " was it spammy, heavily cross linked "

person1 " no it's a hotel chain with 25 hotels in different states, and they setup a website of each hotel and even got a seo to promote them"

no one like M$ making money, or affiliates dumping 100's of site in to the serps.

I feel that at least 50% of the people are pro business until a different class of business enters into their life's

DaveN

ken_b

6:00 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



hmmmmmmm........

Anti-business? Well, that's not my overall impression. As RC said, there may be some small amount of anti-BIG-business, but even that seems minimal to me.

It may be because I'm not real familiar with the nature of each posters websites, but I tend to think of this place as more of a pro-business, pro-commercial site environment.

Having a non-commercial site (ok, I wouldn't mind changing that part), I hang out here anyhow, hoping to learn what would work for my site, commercial or not.

4eyes

6:11 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I agree with previous posters.

I guess 'we' are mostly smaller businesses.

I suspect that the SEO community attracts more of the 'lone wolf' operator, so having a dig at UltraMegaCorpSoft Inc is to be expected.

But we all want to make money, right? ..and that's business.

jk3210

6:19 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I'd say WebmasterWorld is PRO-little guy.

(thank goodness)

jeremy goodrich

6:22 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I may be a bit biased, but mho is that WebmasterWorld is *very* pro business.

That is a good thing - it's what makes the place such fun.

Jon_King

6:33 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



I couldn't agree more.

It seems to me many are here because of the small SEO and site design services they have started. We don't like the idea of 'McDonalds-izing' our business offerings by the big guys.

IMHO the greatest thing about the net is the small guy can flourish. I really don't like the consolidation and monopolization of control structures that will lead to more of a 'major television network' scenario where only the large and wealthy will be able to gain mass exposure.

hasbeen

7:15 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



How can there be an anti-business bias when everyone coming here to read and participate is trying to learn something that, in one way or another, would benefit their business (either a specific website or an actual SEO company)?!

I participate and read because the info I can glean benefits our customers. They ask, I inform, they love us. It's simple. If no sigs and the URL restriction are definitions of anti-business bias, then so be it. But that's a mightly slim definition considering the general reason this board exists.

Dreamquick

7:30 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Just thought I'd share a recent e-mail (from a mailing list I lurk in) which covers so nicely why big-business and community efforts don't always mix well - take out the web security specifics and you can apply what's being said to anywhere - especially to this sort of place...

[securityfocus.com...]

Essentially the gist of it is that once users from businesses get involved in a non-impartial they have a tendacy to want their own way, which in turn makes managing the community cease being an enjoyable thing to do.

(I would have posted it here properly but people seem to get funny about posting full quotes WRT copyright)

- Tony

buckworks

7:33 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Administrator 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



<<arrive here and see the potential in the members here for making business contacts and deals and other commercial exchanges. And then are frustrated that there is limited medium for doing that.>>

That potential is real, but it must be earned. You can't just pull it out of a hat like a magician's rabbit. You have to hang around for a while to get a feel for what other people do and how they do it, and participate enough to develop some credibility of your own.

Shak

8:38 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Webmasterworld is "The Business"

honestly though, Webmasterworld has helped many lone operators that I know of, who otherwise would have given up their dream of doing something they love and actually making money out of it.

Shak

nicebloke

9:26 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

10+ Year Member



News and discussion for the advanced web professional

I'm glad you changed this recently as I was beginning to feel like a bit of trespasser when it said 'independent'...

bird

9:37 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Interesting question.

So the assumption that triggered this seems to be that any discussion forum is either a free-for-all advertizing avenue, or it's "anti-business"?

That sounds like an a-mail spammer saying that I'm against free enterpreneurship, just because I don't want their crap in my mailbox.

lorax

9:46 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



Actually he didn't say WebmasterWorld was anti-business but

Personally, I find that this forum has an anti-business bias...

I can't speak about that particular forum as I don't hang there at all. But as far as WebmasterWorld goes - I have not noted an anti-business bias.

Define anti-business. Because sigs and URL dropping aren't allowed or because the general gist of our discussions are technical or?

graywolf

10:58 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



I find the lack of urls in signature's a good thing. I sometimes float an idea here to see what everybody thinks. Now if my competitor were here as well he might be tipped off to what I am working on, and beat me to the punch.

just my 2 cents ...

Marketing Guy

11:49 pm on Mar 6, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Lorax, I think the reference was to WW - I dont think Cyril has been to my forum and if he has there would be no way that he would have known that it was mine and that it was the one i was refering to in my thread.

(Unless of course you were joking that you never leave Foo....:) In which case i missed that! :))

Scott

lorax

2:22 am on Mar 7, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member Top Contributors Of The Month



Marketing_Guy,
Nope twas not joking - just read his/her post literally. :)

But I'm still not clear on what it is that some folks think makes WebmasterWorld anti-business.

skibum

6:05 am on Mar 7, 2003 (gmt 0)

WebmasterWorld Senior Member 10+ Year Member



Maybe an anti "suit" bias, pro balance between commercialization and the free flow of information, while preserving the integrity of the web?