Open Discussion on Limiting Broadcast Messages

All successful marketing efforts have one thing in common: they're targeted to the proper audience. Tradeloop Broadcasts are no exception. The first step to sending a Broadcast is to select the relevant manufacturer or category list. That way, your Broadcast goes directly to your target market - the list subscribers who have indicated interest in a particular manufacturer or equipment category.

However, we've received complaints about members "spamming" the subscriber lists and sending (for example) a Broadcast offering Cisco routers to every list - from Cisco to IBM to Consumer Electronics. Since many members subscribe to multiple lists, they get the same Broadcast (offering products they aren't interested in) multiple times.

Tradeloop staffers are considering several solutions to the problem, and we'd like to have some feedback from members about the issue.

For instance, we could change how "regular" Broadcasts are managed. About a year ago, we allowed members to send regular Broadcasts to multiple lists at the same time. That saved time for members who wanted to send to multiple lists by eliminating the need to send the same Broadcast over and over.

Unfortunately, that just made it easier to spam all the lists at once.

The simple fix would be to only send "premium" Broadcasts to multiple lists and limit the number of regular Broadcasts allowed per day.

But we understand that this has an impact on Tradeloop members in both financial and marketing ways.

Perhaps this reminder is enough. Sending Broadcasts to the wrong people detracts from your message by irritating other members. It also detracts from Tradeloop's goal of helping our members easily get the best message delivered quickly to the right people. Or perhaps we need to institute formal controls like limiting the number of Broadcasts.

We'd like your input! Please post your comments here on the blog for an open discussion with other members and Tradeloop staffers.

Easier Navigation in the Ethics Area

In June, 2008, we launched the new Ethics blog that helps the Ethics Committee resolve disputes more quickly and transparently. The new system gave all Tradeloop members access to the details and Ethics Committee discussions of closed cases, as well as the ability to comment on cases.

We just completed an upgrade that significantly improves the navigation of the Ethics area. The new system clearly identifies which sections are for all members and which are limited to the Ethics Committee. Visit the new Ethics Area to browse posted and closed cases - or even add your own comments in the Members tab.

Another addition to the Ethics Area is an option for any Ethics Committee member to start a discussion on a non case-related topic. Committee members are invited to discuss broader Ethics issues as they relate to the industry and Tradeloop community. Tradeloop staffers often take part in these discussions, and we've received many good suggestions about how to make the community more safe and secure.

Of course, we invite all members to share their suggestions on that - or any - topic. Contact us anytime with your questions, complaints, suggestions, or compliments.

Announcing Tradeloop's New Member Blog!

It's been two years since we launched the monthly Tradeloop newsletter. Member response was enthusiastic, because it was a great way to keep up with Ethics cases, learn about other members, and get notification of new member services and options.

We're now building on that success and replacing the monthly newsletter with a Tradeloop news blog. It will have the same great information as the newsletter, but added advantages too:

• Timely information: You won't have to wait a month to find out about new features and upgrades to the Tradeloop site.
• Better communication: Members can comment on posts, trade ideas with each other, and easily make suggestions about more improvements they'd like to see.
• More flexibility: We're constantly working to make Tradeloop an even more valuable service to members, but the newsletter format limited the information we could provide. With a blog format, we can easily put up short posts with breaking news and pass along tips to help you get more out of your membership.
• Increased member visibility: Has your company been in the news recently? Let us know, because it might make a great blog post. Positive coverage adds to your company's air of professionalism and credibility.
  

Welcome to the new Tradeloop Blog! We invite you to visit and comment often.