Quote - Acadia, I think you are really stretching what I said. For what reason I guess only you know.

There are no ulterior motives or hidden meanings in my posts.  I say what I  mean and mean what I say. This issue is no different.

Quote - I DID say like the Product Showcase forum. EXACTLY like that is what I meant.

If that is what you meant, it wasn't what you said, or at least it didn't come out as you intended.

My earlier post was in response to the following statement of yours. I looked at the words and didn't read between lines or interpret anything beyond what was written:

Quote - I will say that I can't see posting the freebie links in the other forums now that we have a freestuff forum.

You said that you can't see posting freebie links in any other forums now that there is a free struff forum.  That seems pretty clear to me.

I see that as saying that there are no linking to any  freebie items except in the Free Stuff Forum.  Especially given the fact that  the examples I posted in an earlier post  included an example of a thread where someone was looking for shoes and I had found several links and posted them in response to their question and you didn't address that type of post as an exception to the new policy.

Quote - My push will be to allow any linking to freestuff items in the Renderosity Freestuff forum. Just as the Product showcase is for all commercial posts, I see the Freestuff forum being for all freestuff links. "

I thank you for that :)

You said that  Product Showcase Forum is for all commercial posts, but that's not the case.

The Product Showcase forum is a forum designed with the Merchants in mind: a place for them to post advertising their wares, and a place where we regular members can go and openly discuss those commercial items. However, as long as I can remember, the regular member has not been prohibited from posting commercial links in other forums. The no commercial links policy applies to Merchant's advertising their products, not to members helping other members locate items or tipping off of a sale.

So when you said that the Product Showcase Forum was for all commercial links, and you see the Free Stuff Forum being the same (especially when combined with your statement of not being able to see freebie links in any other forum than the Free Stuff Forum), I hope you can see how the impression was given that there would be absolutely no linking of any kind to freebies in any forum other than the Free Stuff Forum, under this new policy.

Saying *"I can't see posting freebie links in any other forums..." * is vastly different than saying that the only change happening is that like merchants, freebie creators can no longer advertise their freebies in the Poser Forum (et al), and that all member requests for freebie items now have to be placed in the Free Stuff Forum.  The first  is totaltarian and  seems to ban all  freebie links, while the other only bans some freebie linking (byt the creator), not all linking by everyone.

Quote - That is Consistent.

It is now that you have clarified what you meant.  I can be happy with the same rules as in the Product Showcase Forum, so long as access to non free stuff area  freebies is not  restricted like it was coming across much earlier in this thread.

Quote - You are really really really confusing me

LOL, You're confused?! Heck, you should be in my head while I tried  to organize my thoughts in a coherent manner to post and have them understood :)

Quote - The freestuff forum is a GREAT idea suggested by quite a few for quite a while and I don't want to lose sight of our wonderful freestuff providers here at Renderosity and the help this can give to them and to all.

Yes it is a good idea, but the initial way it was presented has shown that the concept needs more work in order to be effectively useful and not alienate either freebie providers (future merchants), or the community members.

Quote - I envision the Freestuff area working like the Product showcase except instead of "commercial" posts it will be "freebie" post but the same concept. CONSISTENT.

I don't mean to appear glib, but this whole thread and situation could have been prevented had that been said at the very onset when the Free Stuff Forum was created.

Thanks for taking the time to discuss this more indepth and having listened to what was said in this thread and seeing room for improvement.

"It is good to see ourselves as others see us. Try as we may, we are never
able to know ourselves fully as we are, especially the evil side of us.
This we can do only if we are not angry with our critics but will take in good
heart whatever they might have to say." - Ghandi