Some stuff is undeniably spam and doesn’t belong on VHS forums, but there are a lot of decent and relevant commercial type messages that people post.
Pros:
It would encourage people to post things like “hey look at this cool combination CNC/laser cutter/3d printer/baby diaper changer on craigslist for cheap!”
Some job ads look great. Usually posted by interested members, not by the employers themselves.
Some people need help with their projects and are willing to pay.
People could mute the entire category, if they like.
Cons:
It would encourage spammers and marketing assholes. Potentially.
Too many categories adds clutter
So?
I have no stake in this.
Should a “commercial opportunities” category be created?
Note that polls can have discussion under them, and while the poll choices can’t be changed once posted, you can change your vote.
I like the idea, presumably as a sub-category under ‘general lounge’ to indicate that it might be a bit noisy for some. I’d only wonder if we could find a name that selects for the same content without inviting out-and-out spam.
We’re still free to kick and ban spam even in this proposed new category, of course.
I would rather this stuff just go in to the general category. I do want to see posts like this and I find value in them, The laser cutter sale post was a good thing in my mind.
If people are spammy we can remove some of their privileges.
If it becomes a problem we can deal with it after its becomes a problem. I don’t want to solve issues that have not come up yet or make rules for things that have not effected us yet.