Are you aware that the link violates this site's terms of service? You can lose your account. And yes, people have lost their accounts this way.

No I was not aware. I did not try to sell you anything
that is not my goal. I know when I was a beginner and on
this forum good information is hard to find.

I thought I was doing everyone a favor!

I will vouch for sierra!

While he does link to his commercial website, he is not trying to sell the stuff to folks. He is offering good FREE information about how to vermicompost on a large scale. Personally, I am looking to get a big outdoor bin started up and his pictures, etc. have been very valuable to me in considering what I need to consider.

The fact that he is able to keep worms outdoor in Reno is actually very reassuring, since my winters are not as cold, nor my summers as hot as his. My springs are (I believe) much wetter than his though, and that is my current concern. But, just the same, he is offering very good FREE advice to folks, and isn't here just to sell products.

It's always nice to see how others do it. I liked your videos a lot. Thanks for posting. :)

Sandra

"You agree not to make postings of a commercial nature"

Unbeknowst to you because the link is to a .com or business site it puts you at high risk of termination due to the tiny print.

Many other commercial ventures also share great quantities of information here without linking to commerical sites.

sbryce is giving you information you need in order to allow you to continue to do everyone a favor and give beginners information that is hard to find.

Although we may wish for information about your commercial site this forum does no allow you to tell us about it.

I enjoyed your video.

I'm not questioning Sierra's motives. I have reported spammers in the past, but I have no intention of reporting Sierra. Just be sure to read the terms of service before you post links. If you post a link to your own commercial site, it is a violation of the terms of service. The TOS defines a commercial site as any .com site, even if it does not sell anything.

I really enjoyed the movie. I wonder to what extent that harvester could be scaled down for us small harvesters?

Dave Nelson

Thanks for the link to very good info. Loose the dot.com and it is ALL good. Great practical, and easy to use information about outdoor woemin'. Thanks for sharing! Pete

"Commercial nature" means an attempt at commerce. The post is not an attempt to engage in commerce and therefore isn't a violation. Get the corncobs out of your rears. There is no rule against linking to information on your site. I link to hydroponics companies like General Hydroponics all the time to make use of their nutrient calculator or others to show what is actually in the bottle and cite my source. Commercial sites, but not commercial posts. Doesn't matter who owns it, including me. There is a reason it's worded how it is and not, "you agree not to link to your own commercial site". Some people are just ridiculous. If you can't link to good info, which is most often from people that make a living using that info as they have a greater vested interest, then the site would be worthless.

I just watched a couple of the videos. Very clear and well done. And certainly helpful to new people.

Well stated joe.

I viewed sierra's post (and his other links to his website) as an effort to inform. He always links to the free information about his operation and offers very good information about raising worms and harvesting VC.

He does have links to things that he sells, but he has never made a post just to try to sell something. And this is the first thread I've seen him start regarding any of his "inventions". Secondly, the direct link does not have any "commercial" push to it. It is simply a page with videos.

Personally, I like the links, just like this one, because they ultimately INFORM, and that's what this forum is supposed to be about. Heck, some threads are actually about WHERE TO BUY worms, and other materials.

It is Garden Web's site, and they will define commercial any way they want to. Before you throw insults around, please read what Garden Web's policy really is. They are actually more hard nosed about this than what I described.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/trans/business.html

I have to go along with Sbryce here. He was simply warning about a potential problem. Sometimes the verdict may seem arbitrary to some, but this forum can and will exercise their policy.

The idea is to be careful so we can all enjoy the forum and eachother's online "company".

Sbryce said it violates the site's TOS. The link provided was to a page I am actually having trouble finding without that link in the post, not to the TOS. The TOS are found in a link at the bottom of this page. I read the TOS, Privacy Policy, and Policies FAQ and didn't see the page Sbryce linked at all. Kind of seems odd to have a term of service not outlined in the terms of service, but rather on a completely unattached page (or hidden well enough I missed it). Gardenweb can delete your account for any reason they want. THAT is actually clearly outlined in the TOS we agree to when making an account. That makes the rest of the TOS moot, really. They can delete you for having a name like "joe" even. Somehow, I'm not that concerned.

Discouraging good information is counterproductive on a site where people turn to learn. Considering the vast amount of obvious spam that Gardenweb leaves in place, I don't think posters like Sierraworms have much to be worried about even if that page were included in the TOS. The reason that definitions given are often so ridiculous isn't because they intend to enforce them on those that are just trying to do something good. It is to cover all arguments against the spammers that give every excuse in the book to continue to spam. Of course, when you have an unusual definition of a word that applies to the TOS, you usually define it in the TOS.

Every time you post something to this forum, a link to the page I referenced is directly above the Submit Message button. It isn't hidden or obscure. According to GardenWeb, they have the policy in place to protect their advertisers.

However you may feel about the policy, your argument isn't with me. It is with GardenWeb. And they do enforce the policy. I know, because I have reported spammers, and seen them TOSed almost immediately.

OK, so it isn't on the Terms of Service page, but it is GardenWeb policy.

When i click your link on your web page(http://www.sierrawormsolutions.com/wearegrowing.html) for Gazette-Journal newspaper article all i get is Unfortunately, that page could not be found.

And i liked the videos, its interesting you can keep the worms outside in your area!

Wow I never expected this to blow up like it did.

Let me state again. I never tried to sell you worms either
directly or indirectly. And I don't think I will get any worm sales out of my post. Again I don't care that was not my goal.

Sbryce do you understand "I have NOTHING" to gain from being on garden web? I don't learn here. But I have a lot I can contribute. If someone wants to get me kicked off its your loss not mine.

If the real goal of this forum is to learn and discuss, then I should not be an issue.

It's up to you guys, I will drop by from time to time and offer some wisdom or ideas or you can elect people like sbryce to run the forum and chase people with experience off.

Thanks to the ones of you that stuck up for me.

Happy Worming

I thought it was clear that I was not pointing fingers at you. I was simply pointing out GardenWeb's policy. The intention was not to get you banned, but to help you AVOID getting banned.

I don't know why I am getting so much flack for this. I didn't write GardenWeb's policies. But like it or not, they are there, and people should be aware of them before they post links.

Yes, I understand that you have nothing to gain, and I am not trying to run the forum or chase anyone off. I am trying to help you avoid a trap that could allow GardenWeb to chase you off. The intention was to PROTECT you.

If I wanted to chase you off, I could have reported you to GardenWeb. I haven't, and I won't, because I don't consider your post to be spam. But according to GardenWeb's policies, THEY DO. Pointing that out does not make me evil. It makes you knowledgeable, assuming you are willing to learn.