The people with whom I've discussed the sales, afterlife, and repetitious
posts feel like I do.  We don't want such posts to stop; we just don't
want them overcoming the list.  One interesting thing I have noticed is
that most of the people I know who are seeking a more joyful balance on
the FML are people who already donate a large amount of time, money, or
both to helping ferrets.  Maybe that is partly because those are people
who already have ferret burdens so having the FML provide a lift means a
lot.  Maybe it is partly because we have seen a past with the FML where
it had the balance which is starting to return.  (Thank you so very much
to all of the posters who are contributing that way!)
 
There are several possible solutions I can mention for consideration,
and I am sure others have alternative solutions.
 
One is better participation.  I have gotten a LOT of notes from people
who are so happy to see people coming out of lurk mode submitting funny
ferret stories and behavioral observations again.  Part of having such
participation is simply seeing that the list doesn't have to be always
mostly a heavy heart trip or sales medium.
 
If a person has a pet project or a favorite gripe then make a website or
find the URLs of a few of your favorite posts on the topic.  After your
signature each time put the URLs with a FEW words.  Then because there
are always newbies perhaps each month put a short post, or better yet a
progress report.  In fact, if there is cool progress to report the posts
could easily be more often -- even a lot more often -- because then they
are not repetitions by definition.
 
For fund raisers the authors could balance their posts with news and
interesting stories.  You will have noticed that some shelters always
do this, anyway.  That way the post has something to draw in readers --
making it less likely to be skipped over so that helps everyone -- and
it doesn't make readers feel like all that is of interest about them is
their wallets.
 
Fundraisers could find other ways to make the project fun, too.  Remember
before the last symposium when we all had to guess that the initials of
the quilt meant?  It got hilarious and then the photos were presented on
a website and the quilt was STUNNING!  I have never seen such absolutely
gorgeous work and have rarely seen such fine FML advertising!  So,
stories or guessing games can be useful.
 
Fundraisers -- when there isn't something new and entertaining to add
could also keep the number of such posts down because that way fewer
people get in the habit of skipping the person's posts immediately upon
seeing the poster's name.  Like the people with projects or gripes,
though, they could use that short and sweet URLs in signature trick on
their posts in between.
 
Meanwhile, there is the site Danee mentioned.  Only members can post
but anyone can read, so those who need to raise money but can't manage
a website could join and post there and then use those URLs in the
signature between announcements.
 
Having afterlife posts, having fund raising, and having those projects
and gripes mentioned are all important parts of the FML and should not be
done away with, especially since the people involved are so often doing
such excellent work, but they also should not over-power the list or they
begin to cause people to not read the FML.
 
So, one thing the solutions do not include is elimination of such posts
because that would be wrong and that also would cause a loss of balance
for the list.  No reason to move from one extreme to another.
 
The list NEEDS those topics, BUT they need to be balanced with other
types of posts, they are best not harped upon (i.e. very frequent posts
on the same topic), and when they can be part of a post that also
includes updates, stories, or games they go over better and generate
more interest and more participation.
 
Not everyone is going to be an ad copywriter, but think how intrigued you
would be if the professional advertisements you see were like some of the
ads placed on the list.  Besides, people are for the most part hurting
economically right now except for the very wealthy (who are on average
having things improve in the current rules, regs, and legislation climate
and economy -- for instance there would not be any future Social Security
shortage if there wasn't a cap of 90K above which earnings can not be
taxed for Social Security, and recent bankruptcy and inheritance and
capital tax changes as well as proposed ones help only people who are
among the most wealthy in many cases and in a few cases mostly help them
so more of the tax burden is shifted to the middle class while those
in the middle class who are bankrupted by illness are now suddenly much
more vulnerable).  The point is that most of us -- especially the middle
class -- are getting squeezed economically so the competition for our
dollars is stiffer.  That means that the person who can come up with
ways to try to get funds which increase the readership of their posts
and then have products of interest are the people who simply will more
successfully get more money coming in.  If the posts are boring then not
as many people will look in the first place.  If the products then are
not of interest a good ad will draw in people but the product will lose
the sale.
 
I'd like to recommend that people whose posts are not successful consider
reading some books on advertising if possible.  (Reading about those
and direct marketing was essential -- despite my having had a luxury
product sales background -- when I was in charge of publicity for a
large regional science fair years ago.  My personal favorites were David
Ogilvy's _Ogilvy on Advertising_ and Jane Maas' _Adventures of an
Advertising Woman_.  People tend to think of business books as dry and
some are, but there are business books out there which are as fun as any
mystery or science fiction book I have ever read.  Those are two of them.
Another is that book I mentioned the other day about dealing with
difficult people which really helped me when i was on the board here.
 
Again, I don't think that anyone is seeking to have those posts stop.
It is just that a balance would be better for all.  Seeing happy stories
of living ferrets will help those who are healing see that there is a
future.  Laughing and reading of ferrets who have been helped will draw
in people, making them feel less stressed and therefore more able to help
a needy shelter or project.  Seeing progress reports instead of the same
thing repeated each time will remind people that over and over and over
again ferret people have tackled problems and succeeded.  Some have taken
a very long time and yet they have worked out right in the end.  It is
always important that people understand that progress happens.
[Posted in FML issue 4858]