[BluffTHIS!]

[ QUOTE ]
Bluff,

Then where does it stop. As Phil mentioned there are plenty of services discussed in these forums that, while they aren't spamming, are certainly receiving significant promotion. Software such as HUDs and Poker Tracker, magazines and other publications, radio programs, etc... The list goes on and on.

If you start to regulate this content then the site suffers. The only reason the affiliates have been relegated to their own forum is because they were willing to pay to do so. In fact I would bet dollars to donuts that is was not 2+2 who actively solicited the affiliates but the affiliates who approached 2+2 about sponsoring a forum.

The reason a rakeback forum works is because there are tons of affiliates willing to pay to participate. If you started a coaching forum you would have Taylor Caby and 4 other guys participating. It would shortly go the way of the automotive forum. Most questions that would be answered in a coaching forum would receive many more responses in their respective strategy forums.

[/ QUOTE ]


Wires,

You make some valid points, and I certainly agree that rakeback affiliates are somewhat different. However it still remains that individual coaches or mega-sites are counting on the 2+2 forums for most of their marketing to cultivate customers, while not paying 2+2 for same. And somthing moreover that contributes to such coaches probably not posting nearly as much *substantive* content in strategy forums here, since they seek to sell what they have to say.

Also, as far the software aids you mention, excpet for poker tracker and HUD (and I could be wrong since I use none of them), they are mostly programs developed by posters here as shareware to help other posters. And AFAIK, reps of pokertracker don't post in the forums.

I only wanted to bring up this issue since I saw the debate over the rakeback forums, and am not interested in debating this ad nauseum since it's not my site or money out of my pocket. If the site owners of 2+2 don't care, that's fine.