Classifieds Policy

[Dane]

Hi All,

Over the years OC MOTO has grown at a tremendous rate. We really have watched the board go from just a handful of members, to one of Orange County's largest motorcycle communities. As a result, a policy on use of the Classifieds section of OCM has been drafted to handle the larger volume of posting, all while keeping everything clean, to the point, and most importantly perpetuate the Classifieds intended purpose of providing a place for the members of OC MOTO to have a place to buy and sell amongst members.

The policy has been posted below, and is set for a 3 month trial period while we collect feedback from the community. A dedicated email has been set up for use during this trial period, all feedback should be sent to policy@ocmoto.com. Those who issue feedback will be apprised of any future meetings/discussions related to the feedback collected.

Google Docs Link:
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgf4cvx4_37fskqdmh3



- OC MOTO Team

[Gaskommando]

OC MOTO Basic Sponsor Qualification Program

Definitions:

The OC MOTO Basic Sponsor Qualification Program (SQP) will set standard requirements for any business seeking to create a sponsor relationship with OCM.

Sponsors must have:

1.    Valid Business License with City

2.    Registered with California Bureau of Automotive Repair (if applicable)

3.    Commercial Liability Insurance ($1 MM)

Why was #2 crossed out?!?

And I do like this action taken, it should be a good start to keep people from trying to profit from the site without being an actual contributing member.

[kePrez]

Like every other policy known to man kind, It has its ups and downs.

#2 was crossed out because of the lack of info provided from what I understand.

[Gaskommando]

Like every other policy known to man kind, It has its ups and downs.

#2 was crossed out because of the lack of info provided from what I understand.

Hmm. I think that should be an important part of being a sponsor though. I think if your not willing to become a legitimate shop with all credentials then you shouldn't get to be a sponsor. If you are too lazy to get all that is needed to show you are a legitimate shop then what else are you cutting corners on?

Does this make sense or am I just rambling?

[kePrez]

Makes sense for sure. I also think that if new rules are implemented that it should affect current sponsors, as well as future sponsors!

[Dane]

It was crossed out because we weren't clear if it was required or not... kinda like a placeholder. I think it's clear that it should be there and is on the list of revisions.

[Gahawn]

Makes sense for sure. I also think that if new rules are implemented that it should affect current sponsors, as well as future sponsors!

You actually can't go there legally. The legal term for it is "ex post facto" and it applies to contracts as well as laws. It can be a condition of contract renewal however.

[Fezz]

I like the fact that we actually check up on their licenses, it does keep it safer on us. I also like that this community is turning away from being craigslist by the 1 poster classified's, I think all the shops in the shop directory should have the ability to post their specials in that section that is dedicated to customer feedback's and ect... Just an idea... I kinda liked some of the special deals Keprez was running and as well as many other's.

[hacking]

I would like to add degree's or education obtained by the bike shop ....i know off a sho pthat says they have MMI students working there and others that got taught at a night school .
I have a degree for what i do and i expect all so called  techs to have the correct knowledge and be able to prove it with Doc's.

[k]

[soapbox]
I hate it when a good "local community" forum turns into a corporate-like machine.  I understand that there are overhead costs associated with running this site, as well as ALOT of time that goes into it as well on behalf of the OC Moto staff.  But I think instead of playing favorites with "sponsors", the site should be community supported.  This takes all the business capitalism and favoritism out of the picture and puts the welfare of the site in the hands of the community.  The staff could setup a subscription-based system which allows members to "donate" a certain amount in exchange for special privileges (such as a cool title, or an exclusive sub-forum, etc).  I'd be happy to kick over $20 or so a month to help keep this place going.  With maybe 100 active members and an average of $5 a month from each member that's $500 a month in revenue right there!  And I'm sure there'll be those who want to contribute even more!
[/soapbox]

- K

[PIKE 49]

What if i wanted to be a sponser? I would have to get a license and become all legal just to post a banner on a oc based forum???

[kePrez]

What if i wanted to be a sponser? I would have to get a license and become all legal just to post a banner on a oc based forum???

Well if you were offering to service or repair motorcycles or cars... YES! Its the LAW, not just a forum rule.

[Andy]

What if i wanted to be a sponser? I would have to get a license and become all legal just to post a banner on a oc based forum???

Help me understand how it is a bad idea that we ensure people advertising on our forum are running legitimate businesses?

[Stavesacre]

So I shouldn't be offering to repair carbon parts for my freinds? Until someone tells me I can't, I'll keep on helping out were I can. A donation is tax free, and thus I don't need a tax licsense or buisness liscense. Now if someone has writen a review, should the thread be considered subject to the vendour rules?

I know that this is a trial time, but when new rules get laid down someone is going to ask...

[PIKE 49]

ya exactly, i helped someone with some lights on there bike, so if he thanks me on a thread and tells people to call me and so on, do i need to be ligit, and with sponsor ships, what i just wanted to have a banner that said sponsered by pike? Would that be wrong, if i pay you what really matters then?

[kePrez]

Ok, I see where this is going. I have no idea how they are going to determine that, but I doubt they will require friends helping friends get a license of any kind!

[RRichie09]

Come on guys, just use common sense.  A rider helping our a rider is not what they are talking about.

Do we really have to clarrify every little detail of this new policy?  Since OCMOTO has started there hasn't been any huge problems regarding these types of situations so lets just see how the new policy works. 

It's not like if you violate the policy Dane's gonna come looking for you with a ski mask and baseball bat... are you Dane?

[PIKE 49]

im just putting it out there..........wat if i wanted to sponsor it??

[Andy]

so there seem to be a couple questions from the above posts.  I'll try to address them as concisely as I can; please keep in mind I'm doing so based on my interpretation of the current guidelines as found in the link above.  I reserve the right to be corrected by Dane or Mike or other moderator as needed.

So I shouldn't be offering to repair carbon parts for my freinds? Until someone tells me I can't, I'll keep on helping out were I can. A donation is tax free, and thus I don't need a tax licsense or buisness liscense. Now if someone has writen a review, should the thread be considered subject to the vendour rules?

As far as I know, you're not asking to put up a banner in the rotating banner area, top right of the site.  Most of the rules about business license, insurance, etc, refer to paid sponsors.  you're not in that position, so those items wouldn't apply to you.  As far as I know, we're not limiting people from writing reviews about whatever company they deal with, sponsor or not.  As Rich pointed out, there will be some common sense applied and if a review thread starts to look more like a plug, we'll step in as needed.

ya exactly, i helped someone with some lights on there bike, so if he thanks me on a thread and tells people to call me and so on, do i need to be ligit, and with sponsor ships, what i just wanted to have a banner that said sponsered by pike? Would that be wrong, if i pay you what really matters then?

Pretty much the same answer for you as Sam.  If you decided you wanted become a paid sponsor with a rotating banner ad, then yes you'd be subject to those rules and need to be "legit."  Consider this scenario:  OCMoto members sees a banner ad one day and decides to take his bike to that business.  He returns the following week to find out the shop burned down, his bike with it.  Said business had no liability insurance and wasn't licensed by the state.  he only had liability insurance on his bike and his insurance doesn't cover the damage.  OCMoto member is now SOL with no bike and no legal recourse, short of suing the illegitimate shop owner in civil court.  How would that reflect on OCMoto?

And maybe that situation doesn't work out in the real world, but that's how I'd forsee it happening, based on my experience, knowledge, and logical thought.

Ok, I see where this is going. I have no idea how they are going to determine that, but I doubt they will require friends helping friends get a license of any kind!

That's my understanding as well.  If someone needs help with an oil change and they brings their bike to my house, that's much different than me advertising $10 oil changes.

There's another layer of complexity when it comes to ads in signatures, which are actually already in the rules and we're deciding how we want to respond to those as well.

We can come up with random and what-if scenarios all day that may or may not work with the rules, but then we'd end up chasing our own tails and writing such elaborate guidelines we'd need a lawyer just to interpret them.  Everyone just take a deep breath while we work through this transition and realize it's a work in progress and not set in stone.  There's even an email address where you can officially lodge your concerns and feedback.  As individual situations come up we will figure those out and respond appropriately.

[Stavesacre]

I understand these rules are to protect all party's. And to an extent you can. The only guarantees in life are taxes and death.

Have you guys reviewed some other sites rules and requirements, ie... Ducati.ms?  They are a part of a bigger community of forums called Motorcycleforums.com . I know we ares still a baby compared to these sites, but their structure maybe a great go-by and could leads this forum in the right direction....

The amount of sponsors they have and the resource for these vendors is great. There is soooo much more behind this I can't go on......