Well, I wasn't going to say anything more on this topic, but since I have
said that when someone points out what they perceive to be a problem,
that it is good to offer workable solutions, I guess I will do just that.
 
I realize that shelters need to make the public aware of what they have
available, and that a quarterly advertising issue is not going to work
for EBAY auctions or raffles.  So, people need a way to let the public
know what they have available right now.
 
And, there is a good way to do that.  There is at least one group list on
Yahoo, and maybe more, created specifically for advertising fundraisers.
While only members can post to the list, anyone can read the posts.  Here
is a link to that group.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FundraisingForFerrets/
 
So, what is a standard line was added at the end of the FML contents
list that said something like "To see current fundraisers going on that
benefit ferret related causes go to
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FundraisingForFerrets/".  This way, new
people to the FML would know where they could see them.  And everyone
would have a daily reminder of where they were, in case they hadn't
bookmarked the site.
 
And, maybe one of the moderators of the list would even be willing to
post out once a week telling us what causes currently had fundraisers
going on.  The post would not list out specific information, but just be
something general like, "Currently at Fundraising For Ferrets there are
listing of EBAY auctions for A, B, and C, and raffles benefiting X, Y,
and Z." That way, if people had a specific cause they liked to support,
they would know to go and check the list.
 
I don't think that people would loose any business by doing things that
way.  Those of us who aren't interested ignore the ads anyway, and people
who wanted to be informed of what was out there could visit that list any
time they wanted.
 
I guess my complaint is more then just the amount of advertising that
goes on here.  It also has to do with an over all change to the FML as
a whole.
 
I know that change is inevitable.  Everything must change and evolve to
remain relevant.  But not all evolution is for the best.  And, in some
ways, I think some of the changes to the FML fall into the category of
not being for the best.  I don't fault BIG for this at all.  His job it
to make sure we remain respectful of each other, and to occasionally put
an end to a thread when nothing new is being added.  Beyond that, it
should be up to the membership at large to determine what types of posts
are carried on the FML.
 
And so, I guess if the majority of the readers want to advertising to
be included, then that is the way it should be.  But I wonder how many
people really want it there, when it could be available somewhere else.
 
Marguerite commented that the additional advertising was due to ferrets
being more popular as pets, and there also being more shelters.  I
personally don't think that is the case.  First, the number of
subscribers is not that much greater then it was 10 years ago.  And,
while there are many new shelters, there are just as many that were
around 10 years ago, but have now closed their doors.  Some of the older
shelter remain, but not all.
 
If anything, I think the increase in advertising is due to things like
the creation of EBAY, and the fact that more people have their own
websites.  Ten years ago few shelters had websites, and so sales were
done either at shows, or by telephone order.  There was also no PayPal
then, so payments had to be made by check through the snail mail.  Back
then, it was much more difficult to hold raffles that everyone could
easily participate in.
 
I think another thing that has increased advertising is the economy.
Our country has been going through a slump, and so there is less money
available for donations, making people more competitive to get the money
that is out there.
 
I am not saying the FML would be better if it was exactly like it was
10 years ago.  We had our problems then, too.  But, I would like to see
the FML devote more space to discussion of issues that affect the ferret
community and ferrets, and also more funny stories and such.  In some
ways, it is hard to explain.  But, for those who are relatively new to
the FML (joined in the last 3 or 4 years), go back and search through the
archives.  You might be surprised to see what this list was like then.
 
Anyway, since I was complaining about the amount of advertising in the
FML, I thought I should offer a possible solution that would still
allow shelters and organizations an alternate way to advertise their
fundraisers.
 
--
Danee
International Ferret Congress Health Issues Coordinator
http://ferretcongress.org
ADV - If your ferret hasn't been tested, you don't know!
For more information visit: http://www.ferretadv.com
You can help fight ADV! Visit:
http://help4adv.terrabox.com/
[Posted in FML issue 4851]