i think that in many ways, the issue isn't just advertising. i'm just as uninterested in turning the forum into a gallery as i am it becoming a home for ads. WIP being posted to a forum, not a gallery, should mean you have a question and require a response. if you do not want a discussion, do not post it to a discussion board. i believe this forum should be about an exchange of ideas, not promotion. yes, i think it should be flexible. but i also think that blatant self interest shouldn't rule this forum. i think a lot of the daz millenium previews have been understood, through people's experience with daz, to be chances to comment on their figures and perhaps change them before they come out. i say this based on threads in which previews threaded into actual discussions and requests. if that is not the intention of the previews (to actually do something with the response), then i think they should be in the product showcase. i do not think that the prestige of the seller or the possible universality of the product should be a mitigating factor. that's unfair. i'd also have to say that poser is a program, not the content meant to be used in it. if this were going to only be about poser and its functionality, then actually i think technical questions about the program are some of the only topics that should be here. the only time discussion of anybody's products (free or commercial) should be involved in a highly regulated forum would, in my opinion, be when discussing how they functioned in poser (e.g., how to load textures, how to conform it properly, etc.). not how they looked, not aren't they great meshes/textures/lights/etc., but how do they work in poser. that said, i don't think this forum will ever be locked down like that. and i wouldn't want it to be. that's just my opinion, i realize. and i think that the forum should meet the needs of community members, content creators included. but if this forum becomes a giant spam list, not only will i stop frequenting it, i bet others will too. i'm glad that you're raising your voice, _dodger, because i think dialogue is good. i also don't think there is a hard and fast solution. i don't think it's as simple as, well, we come up with a rule and there will be only black or white and no grey. oh, and i do frequent the product showcase. i've been surprised at how few people seem to post previews there. but if no one else is going, then there does need to be a way to see upcoming products. but i do disagree with you. i don't see a validity in pure advertisements being a topic of any discussion. i do think if you or ghostofmacbeth want feedback, yeah, this is a perfect place. but i don't think it should be along the lines of a "do you think i look fat in this dress" question where what is really sought is affirmation. if what you want is a showcase, make a showcase. i do think it should be a wip forum i would still expect to be about feedback and not broadcasting. and, please. this is not a case of "segregation." you're not being kicked out, your inappropriate postings are. i can't go to the bathroom in middle of a diner because of dr. king and malcolm x and countless others, i can go in and eat like everyone else. if i'm too loud, or obnoxious, or offensive, i can be kicked out on the basis of my behaviour. and they can even get the cops to help them. if all advertising posts are pulled, and all non-commercial aren't, that's perfectly fair. it's not on the basis of who you are or something irrelevant. it's a decision based on content, purpose and the established values of the community, which is the only way to make rules about conduct that i know of. segregation wasn't just found "unfair" it was found "unconstitutional," with the constitution standing as the basis for the national values and laws. segregation was found by the supreme court to be in conflict with those values. i have nothing against you making a case for advertising being a core value, but disagreeing with it doesn't make me "prejudiced." i personally see the basic or core value of this forum to be to provide support for poser users in the form of an exchange of ideas. while you are a poser user, allowing you and everyone else to flood this forum with advertisements seems out of sync with that core value. allowing you to advertise is not providing you support, it's providing you a service. my responses to the questions... 1. Yes, of course. I think a tech forum should involve non Poser technical questions. If this isn't where to ask Poser tech questions (under Software Forum: Poser), what is supposed to go here? 2. Definitely. Without the above two, I don't see a reason to come here. 3. Yes. Since this would be how the product functions in Poser, I think it would be relevant. 4. Only if they honestly want feedback and discussion, and are not just posting a "teaser". 5. Well, I'm unsure. I believe at one point _dodger himself posted about how he was really ill here, and I thought the response was both heartening (I hope he did too) and good for the community. For this to be a community, personal information has to be exchanged. It's not just "Off Topic." Maybe a Community forum? I think there definitely needs to be leeway for people to comfortably cohere. 6. Nope, because they pertain to every image, and therefore should be centralized. 7. Not here, because that's not relevant to me as a Poser user. I'd group it with 5. 8. Not at all. 9. Definitely 10. Yes. So far it's been the main way I've seen Poser used for something besides pinups. 11. No need- that's what freestuff is for, right? Or there could be a Freestuff forum. 12. No opinion, but probably not. Isn't that what ICQ, Yahoo, MS Messenger, and AIM are for? 13. Yes, but not here. - I thought that was what the Product Showcase was for. 14. Yes. 15. Oh, definitely. Discussion is good for a community.