AndrewD[HoMe Moderator]
12829
This question comes up from time to time ...
Apr 12, 2014,03:22 AM
... and I guess I can understand why people are curious about our independence.
But as a fellow moderator let me make some additional comments from my perspective and experience over the last few years:
ThePuristS was paid for by Thomas Mao from his own pocket with (very) occasional donations by members to support the site. The model was not sustainable in a business sense, although many of us who were around from that period valued the independent nature of ThePuristS.
PuristSPro was created to be a more sustainable business model. There are adverts and there is some financial support from (some) companies. But you can be sure that many of the brand forums are not financially sponsored by the brands. What we do ask from the brands though is access to information and frank answers to our questions. We don't abuse this privelidge but it is an important part of the service that PPro provides to you, our members.
In order to maintain the independence and impartiality of the moderator team the Executive did a special thing in my mind - they kept us separate from any money that might flow. The moderators are not even told which companies contribute financially. In effect they do not pay for their forum or pay for their moderator. All they do is support the general running of the site. So you can believe Nicolas when he says he does not know if JLC sponsor the PPro JLC Forum.
The companies may not like all that we write or discuss. But they respect our independence and over time we have led to improvements and influenced direction in the industry. You can believe that senior company people read comments here and listen.
Being 'gentle' on brands is perhaps in the eye of the beholder. We would not be brand moderators if we didn't love and believe in the brand. But we try to be balanced, we don't suppress alternative opinions (this thread is a good example of that) and we try to put alternative views or explain reasons the companies might have. We recognise that not all of you will feel the same way and that is the beauty of the community. All we ask is that opinions are expressed in a civil way and that we embrace everyone's differences and listen to their opinions.
Regards
Andrew