Do Webinars Belong In The Offers Section?

[Mark from WI]

No, just to clarify, posting elsewhere is incorrect and those that were not in the offers section belonged there. We will not make that mistake in the future.

We want to be completely transparent (not like Obama transparent, but actually full disclosure). This is why we make no income from e&o, promoting trusted vendors, etc.

Rick

I'm mixed on this. SIMA is free and so are our events... but I'm not sure that matters... An agent's TIME is worth money too, so the point is moot.
Webinars, whether paid or free, are either worth their TIME and money, or not, it's up to agents to decide. I would think that if the webinar topic matches the topic of the thread or group it's posted on, why wouldn't the forum allow the announcement? If the webinar creators charge $20 or $100 or whatever, their reputation is on the line with their webinar. Future announcements would be met either with excitement or derision, based on agent's experience. If it wasn't worth the money, the community would make that known.

Yes, I would like to post events. So I'm biased. But I do believe they should be allowed.

 

[GreenSky]

I'm mixed on this. SIMA is free and so are our events... but I'm not sure that matters...

Yes, I would like to post events. So I'm biased. But I do believe they should be allowed.

I get that, but I assume you and Mike certainly hope to make money from SIMA. The more members you have the more you can charge vendors.

While agents are not directly paying you, they are indirectly paying you as more members equal more income from vendors. You've chosen to monetize by vendor payments instead of a monthly fee to members. (In the past, there was an assocation that did both although the owner said there was no income from any vendor. That association no longer exists).

Unless I have this all wrong and you plan on making zero income. If so, then your webinars are not remotely offers.

The www.iliaa.org did make the mistake in the past of posting some, not all, of our webinars outside the offers section. This was a mistake and will not be repeated.

I've participated in Mike's webinars in the past and find them very informative. I will continue to do watch them and recommend your association without reservation.

Rick

 

[Guest]

Has anyone ever read the forum rules?

They state: "If you would like to promote your products or services, there are two simple ways to do it. One is to advertise on the forum. If we deem your product or service helpful, we may entertain the possibility of advertising it for you. The other is simply to contribute."

Seems like we can post wherever we want to.

Read more: Rules - Insurance Forum

It's no surprise that folks such as myself and several others use this forum as a way of getting folks in front of us for whatever product or service we offer. In an effort to be helpful and get good will and/or good advertising, some of us like to have webinars. For example, last week I had one on making a WordPress site and ILIAA will frequently have them for different trainings as well. Personally I don't think of them as "offers" provided it's absolutely free and it provides something of value and isn't just a "see how cool our product is" webinar.

What do you think? For the brave, why?

 

[Mark from WI]

Has anyone ever read the forum rules?

They state: "If you would like to promote your products or services, there are two simple ways to do it. One is to advertise on the forum. If we deem your product or service helpful, we may entertain the possibility of advertising it for you. The other is simply to contribute."

Seems like we can post wherever we want to.

Read more: Rules - Insurance Forum

Rob, good post. I think there is the letter of the law, and there is also the culture that has evolved in the forum. It's probably important to be mindful of both, and we all thank the vigilantes that keep our streets safe. hehe.
SPAM is a huge problem in every industry, and in insurance in particular, and I get the sensitivity. However, I also believe that shutting out things like webinar announcements goes a bit too far. So, I voted NO.
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I get that, but I assume you and Mike certainly hope to make money from SIMA. The more members you have the more you can charge vendors.

While agents are not directly paying you, they are indirectly paying you as more members equal more income from vendors. You've chosen to monetize by vendor payments instead of a monthly fee to members. (In the past, there was an assocation that did both although the owner said there was no income from any vendor. That association no longer exists).

Unless I have this all wrong and you plan on making zero income. If so, then your webinars are not remotely offers.

The www.iliaa.org did make the mistake in the past of posting some, not all, of our webinars outside the offers section. This was a mistake and will not be repeated.

I've participated in Mike's webinars in the past and find them very informative. I will continue to do watch them and recommend your association without reservation.

Rick

For me, there ultimately would be a way to make a few dollars eventually from sponsors, probably. But I also run a consultancy and I also believe it is valuable for me to hear what agents are thinking, and to learn how to best facilitate networks for companies that are paying me for general tech expertise. I'm sure Mike's also not in it for the cash... even with tons of members, there ain't much there... haha.

Right now, our webinars make $0, and SIMA has made $0. At some point in the future that may change. My wife hopes so, I'm sure.

So, from your definition, Rick, they are not offers. But, again, I'm not sure the money element of the "offer section or main section" question is all that meaningful. An agent's time is worth money. If an agent spends a half hour on a seminar, that has cost him/her money. We need to make sure webinars are worthwhile, whether the investment is money or time.

We appreciate the recommendation of SIMA. Mike does do a solid job, I agree, and we will attempt to hold our external presenters to the same high standards. If we don't, we'll read about it here I am sure.

 

[briko3]

I have to admit I skipped most posts, but I second making a webinar section. Would be nice to look at a glance to see what we want to learn about.

 

[Josh]

Has anyone ever read the forum rules?

They state: "If you would like to promote your products or services, there are two simple ways to do it. One is to advertise on the forum. If we deem your product or service helpful, we may entertain the possibility of advertising it for you. The other is simply to contribute."

Seems like we can post wherever we want to.

Read more: Rules - Insurance Forum

It's not like that boss. You have to make 100 posts and then they can go in the offers section, if you read the rules, that's what they say.

In the past I've given away lists outside of the offers section with zero strings attached. No one gave me any fuss over it and I don't know that anyone cared, but in retrospect it seems like it perhaps didn't belong outside of the offers section.

We also have folks "announcing" new medicare supplement plans outside of the offers section and have a recruiting link in their signature for the product they are "just letting people know about".

It bothers me to a degree because it takes a while to get offers moderated as well add the discussion about them so when I want to promote a webinar or give away lists for free I'm playing with a handicap or disrespecting the forum by ignoring the rules.

 

[Crabcake Johnny]

The main issue with the offers section is it doesn't show up under "unread" posts - which is how I, and I'm sure all others, read this board. If not, I'd have to click into every category. So if you're not specifically punching into the offers section you'll never know something is new.

Aside from that, it's a place agents go to either buy a product or service or get contracts. I don't think anyone would punch into that section to look for webinars.

Beyond that, every post in the offers section has to be approved. So if you posted about a webinar tomorrow at 10am, someone might as a question that doesn't even get posted or responded to until after the webinar is over.

There are certain issues I have in my life - but on a scale of 1 to 100, someone posting about a free webinar (even if the end game is recruitment) - as long as it has educational value - registers about a 1.5 with me. I guess others get a lot more upset about such things easier.

 

[Josh]

I don't necessarily disagree with any of the points you've made, but that doesn't change the fact that it seems to be a clear violation of the rules. That being said, folks like you and I have literally thousands of posts on here and our signature space is something we can update whenever we'd like. That's what I ended up doing last week with my WordPress webinar and I had a decent turn out, but I'm sure starting a thread about it would have probably doubled the attendance.

 

[Guest]

It says "If you are joining to post an offer to agents or a link to some website or to try and sell something, or promoting a particular company, that is considered spam"

We have seen those fly by night one post wonders but that's clearly not Rick, John, myself etc. We did not join to promote, we joined to be a part of the forum.

And yes, a webinar section would rock!

It's not like that boss. You have to make 100 posts and then they can go in the offers section, if you read the rules, that's what they say.

In the past I've given away lists outside of the offers section with zero strings attached. No one gave me any fuss over it and I don't know that anyone cared, but in retrospect it seems like it perhaps didn't belong outside of the offers section.

We also have folks "announcing" new medicare supplement plans outside of the offers section and have a recruiting link in their signature for the product they are "just letting people know about".

It bothers me to a degree because it takes a while to get offers moderated as well add the discussion about them so when I want to promote a webinar or give away lists for free I'm playing with a handicap or disrespecting the forum by ignoring the rules.

 

[Josh]

It says "If you are joining to post an offer to agents or a link to some website or to try and sell something, or promoting a particular company, that is considered spam"

We have seen those fly by night one post wonders but that's clearly not Rick, John, myself etc. We did not join to promote, we joined to be a part of the forum.

That's a part of it.

If anyone would like to post an insurance related offer in the agent offers section, we are now opening it up for new submissions. The rules are as follows.

1. You must have at least 100 posts on the forum in order to make an offer. If you do not have 100 posts, you can either contribute more frequently, and try later, or you can inquire about paid advertising.

That's the other part.