A Question Of Ettiquette

[jaytex1969]

I try to support the site sponsors and they get most of my business.
I've found a great deal on a product I'd like to share with the forum (now that my order is in :mrgreen: ) but it is not from a sponsor.
Is this frowned upon?
Thanks.

 

[mikethompson]

Well lots of folks post listings on eBay, and they aren't a forum sponsor.

 

[smokeyweb]

Following...

 

[jaytex1969]

New post is up. ::

 

[pipesticks]

I think of it differently...I think it's nice that the places that get most of my business are also site sponsors.

 

[tobaccojoe]

I like seeing both here; the sponsored links/ads, as well as "outside" of our world links.

 

[mso489]

Non-sponsor retailers get mentioned from time to time, but sponsors get most of the attention, as they should.

 

[anthonyrosenthal74]

Many other sites, although not forum sponsors, either were at one time or are highly respected by the membership here. Tobaccopipes, Cup o' Joes, Smoker's Haven, Iwan Ries, to name a few. Most of these are mentioned somewhat regularly, and I don't recall it ever being an issue.

 

[thomasw]

Though I try to support the site sponsors for the most part, there are some tobaccos and other items which one can obtain only outside such vendors. For example, if one were to want Uhle's 00, one must buy from Uhle's; and other examples could be multiplied. But I do try to put the lion's share of my pipe-related loonies toward the site sponsors. Hence I concur with mso.

 

[dottiewarden]

Local B&Ms get most of my business, despite the extremely high cost. I just enjoy finally living in a place where you can stop in, snoop around and pick up a dusty tin of something interesting.

 

[johnsteam86]

I mostly go with the site sponsors but when they do not have what I am looking for then I will go with another one. I don't see any problem with it since we do see e-bay on here a lot and they are not a site sponsor.

 

[joeman]

Here's a question. How do these site sponsors know when you and I are buying from them due to their sponsorship of the PM forum? If we click one of the 'sponsor' links, do they receive marketing intelligence telling them that customers jumped to their site by way of their sponsor link here? If not, they receive zero intel telling them that their sponsorship benefits them; it's meaningless...even if you feel great for supporting them. Maybe that kind of tracking IS already in place...I'm asking since I don't know. If there's no business intelligence for these sponsors when we make a purchase, then the old analogy applies: buying from our site sponsors is like peeing your pants in a dark suit; you get a warm feeling, but nobody else knows.

 

[johnsteam86]

Most of the time they do know that we jumped sites. I used to work internet sales selling commercial vehicles at a small dealership and we could see where and how the person was able to get to our site.

 

[jpmcwjr]

Was that via cookies? I.e., the site you left to go to a commercial one leaves a cookie that allows the commercial site to access and record where you came from.... ?
And presumably, they don't get further browsing history.... (that's a question!)

 

[johnsteam86]

Marketing firms have some sort of software that is able to tell us how many clicks it takes to get to a certain piece of advertising and where it came from. Whether from a mobile setup or desktop/laptop. After you leave the intended marketing site I really can say for sure because that is where our information always ended when it was given to us.

 

[briarbuck]

When someone comes to a website, if they have the correct software, I will know.
Your income

If you are married or single

Where you are from

Probably I will know your e-mail

Male-female

Age
You don't even have to click something.
I will also be able to follow you around most websites for about 6 months putting my images in front of you until you buy.
Yahoo, Gmail and the other big mail servers are scrubbing your e-mails looking for keywords. Try it sometime. Send an e-mail with looking to purchase a drone in the subject line. Amazingly, drone ads will start popping up.
People have no idea how easy it is to target people these days. This is the golden age of advertising becasue you only get the eyes you want to attract.
This is EXACTLY what Zuckerberg is being dragged into Congress for.

 

[joeman]

Guys...I know it's 'available'. Our company has every form of creepy tracker in place; if you even think about our site, we get the intel, and know all too much about you. Do we know whether each of these sponsors has something in place to make them aware that we hit their site from here? You'd be surprised how many businesses have no clue where folks came from (unless they ask the customer how they were referred)...because they don't have a good marketing guru on staff, or are just completely unaware of the tools they've got at their fingertips.

 

[briarbuck]

It's not only available, but you really aren't marketing to the web unless you have it. It's basic.
My guess is we have about 1-2 more years of the wild wild west and then the Feds are going to crack down on what kind of data can be shared at the same time they are going to put an internet sales tax in place. Oh yes...it's coming.

 

[joeman]

Agree. But many business don't use what's already available to them...that's my point. And I'm asking if someone here knows that these sponsors are utilizing that information.

 

[cigrmaster]

I have all my favorite places to buy pipes and tobacco in a folder. I do try and go to these favorites by clicking on the links from this site just in case they do track that stuff. Without the sponsors this site will cease to exist so if I can help Kevin by clicking from here, I do it.