Entries Tagged as 'Advertising'

Not for Publication…

…my home address that is. I’ve just had a phone call on my home number (which is separate from my business number these days) with a guy asking for me by name and asking if I had a business here. I told him yes, but I haven’t used that number for about 3 years. He then proceeded to ask if he could check my details for a new business directory website being developed. New - but they have been given old information?No, that wasn’t the case. Turned out they had only my personal name, my home address and my home number. Nothing about my business at all. I was horrified. I’d never advertised under my personal name and home address in all the years I’ve been in business - always my business name and my postal address. So, how did these people get my details?

Well, the website is owned by a newspaper group, which also owns a number of local newspapers. Seems that since I had advertised with them sometime ago, they thought they could add my details to the website - WITHOUT my permission.

Let me explain. The advertisment was to find homes for rabbits and my name and my phone number had been given. They only had my home address because they wanted a ‘real address’ other than my postal address before placing the advert. At no time was it ever indicated that information would go on a website. And if the local newspaper was handing over details for a new business directory - why were they also handing over details for advertisements that were placed that are not business related? I was starting to see red. The poor consultant was apologising profusely and agreeing that he would seek to get it removed immediately. 30 seconds after he hung up his manager was on the phone to me - at my business number, which I’d given to the young man. He also was trying to work out how it happened and then also agreed that he would get it removed with written confirmation to my postal address - not my home address.

I then proceeded to look up the number for the local paper in question, was told to ask for the Classified Advertising Manager and spoke to his assistant. I told her I had a complaint. She immediately asked if it was in relation to the website by name and I confirmed. He’s out at lunch but will (supposedly) call me back this afternoon. My thoughts are that they’ve been getting other complaints also.

If there are privacy laws in place, what on earth makes a newspaper group think they can just place all their clients’ contact information up on a website without permission? And why hadn’t they separated out business clients from private clients first? There’s a difference between placing the advert up there (that’s if I’d been asked, which I don’t believe I had) and putting all my contact details on a site that I didn’t know existed before today. Goodness knows how long it’s been up there, but I’m not happy about it. Will be interesting to see what transpires. If you live in Victoria, Australia be aware that this could also happen to you. KMT

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10th December Addendum:  It took a bit of hounding and ringing back constantly, but the newspaper group in question finally removed my listing off their business directory website.  I’ve since been back to the website to look for something else and came across another private listing, i.e. a person’s name, home address and phone number, with absolutely no information relating to a business.  I suspect this person too placed an advert in the local newspaper and ended up with their private details on the website.  I wonder how many people realise this has happened.  If you’re in Victoria, Australia, you need to be turning your attention to your local newspaper and the related ‘local’ website connected to it.

Tags: Advertising, Author's Thoughts by Kathie Thomas
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Posting Advertising on Lists

I notice on many of the VA forums that there are VA trainers and coaches, and other list owners, keen to promote the teleseminars, coaching sessions and other things they have happening and they want to let the VA community know.

Some may feel they have a right to cross promote across the various lists as much as possible so they can get as many VAs involved as they can. Others might feel that it’s not appropriate to do so on lists that aren’t moderated or owned by them - personally I’m in the latter category. Permission should be sought. After all the owners/moderators are getting nothing out of these ‘advertisements’ - particularly if those promoting are making some kind of living out of the events they are running.

The various VA networks and forums haven’t been set up to be advertising boards but rather discussion lists for learning about the industry. However, many of the things being promoted ARE designed to help others learn about the industry.

So, what to do? It occurred to me the other day there needs to be a central place where there can be VA Announcements for things of this kind. So, enter www.va-announcements.com - a brand new site designed to be a promotion/advertising board for that very reason. The site is being run for the benefit of the VA industry and there will be no charge for listings to be added. A form will be made available - all entries must be made via this form as I will not be spending vast amounts of time trying to reformat items sent to me via html email or document attachments. PDFs may be sent to be attached to the listing but including a website with full details of the event should be included at all times.  KMT

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Tags: Advertising, Networking by Kathie Thomas
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