Weddingbee

I used to post lots of comments, but no longer do. (With this exception.)

In my ever so humble opinion, there are vendor blogs for brides, and bride blogs for brides, even vendor to vendor blogs.

Some popular real estate or marketing blogs don’t allow comments, and have 1000’s of faithful readers.

Whenever a vendor posts in a bride’s forum, something seems fishy. I am guilty of doing this, but have reformed.

With that said I will continue to faithfully read this fantastic resource, but refrain from commenting.

I recently emailed Miss Lovebug about this exact topic. I am a jewelry designer, and I have posted several comments in the past few weeks when a bride has requested info on specific topics like “clip-on earrings” or “custom made brooches.” Most of the time it has been in response to beehive questions. However, I have also commented recently on a question regarding fertility, which has nothing to do with my trade.

I really enjoy reading this blog, and will continue to do so regardless of the comment policy, however, I hope that you will gear the comment policy more toward the obnoxious folks who just want free advertising and not to the ones who truly want to help out the brides.

I have no problem with a vendor putting a link to their services in an actual post relating to that service (ie if a Cali bride is looking for a Cali photographer, then said photographer should be able to offer their services, especially given that, like JillianKay, the veteran vendors on here have gotten our input and know if their dynamic would work with ours.)

I do, however, think there should be some type of policy on the sites that vendors’ names link to. Most of us link to our own blogs, or our own Web sites, or something similar. I don’t link to my babysitting services, or to my law firm, or whatever (sadly, I have neither in reality.) Maybe there should be a blanket policy of name links only allowed for noncommercial use. This board isn’t about giving vendors free advertising. I’m assuming the ads we see on here are paid advertising, which help keep the site running, and to just let all those advertisers post free instead would not only withhold necessary funds, but would turn this board from a community of like-minded b2bs (and g2bs!) into a craigslist of sorts.

With that said, if a vendor wants to create a personal Website that displays their work (a videographer’s presentation of his recent vacation, for example) then that’s an entirely different story than free advertising.

Maybe once a month there could be an arena for vendors to provide tips to all of us and also link to their services. After all, if it weren’t for the discussions (albeit heated discussions) of some services/vendors, many of us might not have the info we need to make informed decisions that are in our best interests.

I have no problem with helpful or contributing vendors, and frankly, I would be excited to learn that an Ohio vendor even reads this site (it would certainly be a tip-off that they’re someone I might want to work with). And I think even linkers are appropriate when someone is requesting info about vendors in a particular region and the vendor is from that region or an internet service. The only time that vendor comments have annoyed me is when they sound like personal attacks, but that sort of thing will be prevented with the comment policy anyway.

I like what JillianKay had to say. I don’t mind (or even notice!) when a vendor is out there when they are posting helpful info with the rest of the posters, even if it is specific to his/her trade.

I guess I don’t have any problems until something comes up, like The Great Videography Debate of 2007. I thought it was bizarre-o how some jumped immediately on the defense and in what I felt was a hostile way, when we’re just posting friendly banter as a bunch of bride, typically. It was so weird!

However, I think that they could register, like the previous poster said. I don’t think they should be banned completely because most are valuable to our community, I’d say.

I don’t think they should be required to register - this isn’t a bridal board, and I would hate for it to become one. I think comments should be monitored for wedding spam and hostile comments, but it should still be free for anyone to comment. I like the openness wedding bee provides. I’m on another bridal message board where the women attack anyone who remotely sounds like a vendor - it’s really over the top.

I would delete spam. But I rememeber one bee did a post on photographers around the U.S. divided up by states that I found useful, so I wouldn’t mind if that became a weekly or monthly or once in a blue moon feature–to have a “call for submissions” and have the readers (including vendors who are readers) suggest some names (for whatever the topic of that week, month, etc. is, be it bakeries or venues or flower sources etc.), then compile it by state.

It wouldn’t be an endorsement/ad, and wouldn’t have to turn into a comprehensive, exhausting directory, but just a resource for those who *are* looking for vendors and a chance for said vendors to show their work. Maybe with a “weddingbee” coupon now and then if applicable.

I’d prefer something like that to seeing vendors making a direct sales pitch in response to a post. I also find it useful to see things from a vendor p.o.v. (I’m not one, btw! : ) in terms of what makes a good one, things to watch out for in contracts, general view etc. There’s a way for people with knowledge/expertise to contribute without turning into a self-promotional thing.

I think we should allow everyone but spammers, as long as the vendors’ posts are actually in response to a question that relates to their services. You should at least give this effort a try, and then change it later if necessary. So if the boards start to get really cluttered with vendors taking advantage of a relaxed policy, then it should be time to clamp down- but start with a relaxed approach and then just wait and see.

Me again.

As a vendor, I would not want to put my name/business/link in every post as one member suggested, I feel that would be too blatant of advertising. (And may end up encouraging more vendors to post.)

However, I would also not want to link to a personal site, as I think that may not be in the interest of full disclosure. (I’d feel like I was posing as a bride, which I think would be wrong.)

My business shouldn’t be in-your-face…goodness knows you don’t need any more advertising. But, if I make a comment and you want to know what perspective I’m coming from, it should be easy for you to find out that I am a vendor and not a bride (and therefore you may weigh my opinion differently). Again, whatever the bees decide is great with me!

Full disclosure would solve a lot.

It’s not that people don’t want to read what vendors have to say — it’s that we don’t want to be deceived that they are a fellow bride offering friendly personal advice/ideas for which they have no financial incentive.

So, if the vendors pre-register and disclose that they are vendors, their postings could appear with a vendor icon beside their name or something, so the readers can review vendor comments without feeling misled. (Or readers can decide to skip vendor postings.)

It helps vendors, too, because 1) they are not banished entirely and 2) they don’t have to feel obligated to be anonymous or walk on eggshells about how their draft their posts.

Vendors that don’t register and instead post anonymously to promote themselves will likely eventually be seen for what they are and will lose credibility.

i kinda like where iris is going. maybe vendors would have a different color for their name. it wouldn’t have to link to their website or link to anything period. the color alone would signify that they are a vendor.

I agree with Jillian Kay and Laura S. I am also a vendor.

Filling in the website form on blogs is standard blogging MO, and I don’t have a problem with people doing that. It isn’t in your face that way.

Like Jillian, I read Wedding Bee because it is very helpful to know where brides are coming from and you women are just plain good bloggers.

When I comment on Wedding Bee, which is rarely, it is usually in response to an etiquette question, if no one has answered it yet, or from a personal standpoint (I recently gave my opinion on nail polish colors). I use my real name in the post because I am answering from the point of view of a twenty-something woman who likes pretty things, not a vendor.

I agreee that linking in the post is overkill. But I do find it helpful to get the point of view from both sides of the coin.

I would also like to think I’m a helpful vendor - although in the past I didn’t even link to my website in my name, because I was unsure about etiquette for that. I love anything wedding related, and I love reading what’s going on with brides because I can keep current. I like to see what’s going on in message boards and blogs like this, it’s real helpful, and when possible, I like to contribute my own knowledge of things (not necessarily photography) to be as helpful as possible, without doing any advertising.