Since my posts yesterday have likely angered a few people, I thought I
should make my position clearer.
 
I am very supportive of shelters.  I realize that a shelter is expensive
to run, and that most shelter operators spend a lot of their own hard
earned dollars caring for the ferrets they take in.  I also applaud the
shelters that do their own fundraising activities to help pay the costs.
 
However, I personally become annoyed by advertising.  I am surrounded by
it all the time.  Everywhere I look, someone is trying to sell me
something or get me to donate money.
 
I do realize that advertising dollars keep down the costs of many
things.  Sites like Google likely wouldn't exist without advertising
dollars, or would be a pay service.  Magazines and newspapers would cost
us a lot more if they didn't carry ads.  But, it still gets on my nerves.
 
Everyday my snail mailbox is crammed full of catalogues from places I
have never ordered from.  I am constantly getting spam email. I never
answer my phone any more, because I get several calls a week from people
asking for donations for charities or trying to sell me something.
Almost every website I visit has ads on it, even though I have several
pop-up blockers.  Commercial breaks on TV and radio keep getting longer
and longer.  And the newest thing - paperback books I read now have
advertising pages for other books from the publisher interspersed among
the pages of the story.
 
I joined the FML about 10 years ago, which was before there was an EBAY
and before so many shelters had websites.  Advertising was not allowed,
because there was a quarterly advertising issue where shelter could list
what they carried to sell.  Yes, there were some pleas from shelters for
financial help, but usually when there was some unusual circumstance.
You were far more likely to see a shelter asking for advice on how to
help ferrets survive ECE.
 
Again, I am not singling out any shelter or individual, but there are
some people who advertise a lot more then others.  There are shelters
out there with EBAY stores or webstores that rarely if ever post on the
FML about them.  And, because I appreciate not being badgered by them, I
am far more likely to buy from them.
 
I am a big supporter of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, and
so I am not suggesting that BIG ban advertising.  But, I am saying that
I am far more likely to seek out and buy from people who are more low
key about their selling, and there may be others out there who share my
feelings.
 
I used to read the FML top to bottom every day, because it had a lot of
useful and interesting stories and information in it.  Now, I read over
the list of message headings, and if nothing interest me, I don't even
bother to read any further.  When I do read it, I skim through skipping
over many posts, especially if it is from someone I associate with
advertising their wares.  My time is too precious to me to waste on
things that will only annoy me.
 
Again, these are just my own opinions. I am not writing this to point
fingers, just to let people know where I stand.
--
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 4849]