Q.  Is advertising allowed on biz.marketplace.computers.pc-clone?

A.  Advertising is allowed within the topic area of the charter but no
    more than every two weeks.  More than that messes up everyone's
    chances to keep readers coming back to read more.  Off topic and off
    color advertising does the same thing.  If you step on other business
    folk's toes, you can expect to hear about it.

    Anything that sounds remotely like it may be a Chain Letter, Ponzi,
    or other unethical practice may be selectively forwarded to NFIC for
    investigation.  If your message qualifies for alt.make.money.fast,
    it doesn't belong on the biz groups.

    Although advertising is allowed on this group, the best way to get a
    reader's attention is through a good discussion thread.  Very few
    will buy a magazine just to read advertising.  It's the interesting
    articles and new product bargains that get pages turned and TV
    channels tuned.

Q.  Is there any specific format which messages should follow?

A.  Articles should reflect a professional and business like attitude and
    be limited to plain text and the upper 128 IBM ASCII characters.  The
    messages that contain HTML or MIME encoding waste space and limit
    your readership.  Set your margins for a maximum of 80 characters per
    line so everyone can easily read your posting.

Q.  Do all messages have to be in English?

A.  Although most of the messages you see on the biz groups are in
    English, it's not a requirement.  Messages in other languages are
    welcome as well as using the entire IBM ASCII character set so you
    can spell your name properly.  Posting in your language, with a
    translation in English, will give you the widest audience.

Q.  What's the best way to present my business on the newsgroups?

A.  Folks with whom you'd like to be doing business with will make their
    decisions based on their impression of your messages.  During a
    discussion, you may read messages from someone who has an opinion
    totally different from yours.  Feel free to discuss the difference of
    opinion but try to avoid getting hurt feelings involved.  You will be
    asked to use E-Mail if messages are personal attacks or the language
    belongs elsewhere.

Q.  What if I want to avoid the E-Mail spammers?

A.  Messages are expected to come from legitimate addresses.  Attempts to
    avoid E-Mail responses and anonymous messages are not a good business
    practice.  It's like trying to do business with an unlisted phone
    number. We also encourage the use of real names in From lines rather
    than funny handles or trying use it as advertising.

Q.  Is it okay to advertise MLM opportunities?

A.  Because of the tendency for MLM'rs to over saturate, make exaggerated
    earning claims, and drive off newsgroup readers, Multi-Level
    Marketing ads are discouraged and belong only on newsgroups which are
    chartered specifically for MLM purposes.

Q.  How can I advertise without getting into trouble?

A.  Some newsgroups, like this one, do accept advertising.  Don't go by
    the messages you see.  Check the charters to be sure and what you
    wish to promote fits within the topic area before posting.  For the
    "biz" hierarchy in general, please refer to the biz meta-FAQ posted
    on biz.config periodically by Ed Hew, the biz Newsgroup Authority.

    Please feel free to ask for additional details.  The BIZynet network
    <http://www.bizynet.com> offers a variety of services for advertising
    and conducting business via the E-Ways (Electronic Highways).

    Drop by http://www.bizynet.com/faq-news.htm to access all of the biz
    newsgroups FAQ's.  Click the [Return to Index] button to find even
    more information on how to get the most from the newsgroups.  Our
    @bizynet.com domain is a respected E-Mail address for business folks
    for many reasons.

We hope you find biz groups both enjoyable and profitable,