Do you allow posts that link to blog posts?

[Fergal]

Do you allow posts like this on your forum, or would you consider them to be spam?

Example:

10 Great Ways to Improve Your SEO
SEO is very important if your site is to grow and be successful. These ten tips will help you to quickly and easily improve your site's SEO:

1. Give people a reason to link to your site
2. Add appropriate key words in your title tag
Click here to read more on my blog

 

[iron hide]

Depends on what your forum rules are. If you allow people to post their blogs and links then its good.

Also if it is not posted in an appropriate category then it is definitely a spam 😉

 

[AnAccount]

As long as it's not spam. Say for example, we're discussing something in the forum section of my site, and someone finds an article relating to what we're talking about, that kind of posting I feel is okay, because it's not spamming and it's only a reference. But that's really the only kind of blog linking we allow, as we no longer have an advert section.

 

[Fergal]

Thanks iron hide, I agree that it should not be allowed if it is against your rules. I suppose what I'm really asking is, do your rules allow posts like that.

Thanks Ashley, good point and I agree with you.

What if the type of post I gave as an example is a new thread / topic?

 

[Acorn]

If it's on topic I allow it. I don't have a problem with links if they provide examples of what we are talking about, then it enhances the conversation. I do draw the line though when people start linking to their own rival forums on my forum. But a blog's not about to compete really so it's all well and good.

 

[AnAccount]

Thanks iron hide, I agree that it should not be allowed if it is against your rules. I suppose what I'm really asking is, do your rules allow posts like that.

Thanks Ashley, good point and I agree with you.

What if the type of post I gave as an example is a new thread / topic?

Hmm, well, I suppose if it were to be a new thread/topic, and as long as you weren't spamming the heck out of the place, then the same thing would apply: I wouldn't mind it. Especially if it was something interesting that you happened to run across that you absolutely HAD to share with the rest of us; again, as long as it's not spamming, it's fine in my book.

 

[Nebulous]

Ive seen people take popular news stories (example: Bin Laden Dead), copy & paste an article from a news website, post it on their own blog then come on my forum and post a brief excerpt from the article with something underneath saying "Read full story here: <insert link to their blog here>"

That seems kind of spammy to me. They could have just linked to the actual news article they copied & pasted.

 

[Fergal]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I had actually considered these posts to be a little spammy, but now having seen your views on them I will be more lenient on them in future.

 

[SilverWolf]

I am glad you said they seem spammy--I think you have to consider the content of the blog post. If it is related to your forum, I don't see why not. I've been a mod of several successful forums, and I've tried my hand at being an admin (though none of my own forums ever really took off). The forums I were a part of would allow you to link to blog posts, but they HAD to be relevant to the forum. I think that's a decent way to look at it.

~SilverWolf~