I can see Freds point but it kinda conflicts with his earlier post in the product review post thread earlier.
That thread certainly does have its own built in conflict. Do I help a
Signs 101 member ... one who has been very helpful and generous to others here over the years, trusting her judgment as to what is going on, or do I not? I chose to do so. This thread, however, is a whole different can of worms.
My take on the site in question is that they are going for the widest audience possible and that the content will especially appeal to non-professionals seeking to do their own work. The fact that some major suppliers are also putting up videos is simply a reflection of the difference in their interests versus the interests of the majority of members here and the ongoing efforts of your humble manager/admin to screen out non-professionals and scammers from our ranks. Simply put, those suppliers are interested in selling equipment and supplies to anyone with the price of admission.
Signs 101 is specifically interested in helping professional members of our craft be better at what they do and more profitable as well.
So if a reader of this post wasn't aware of it until now, be aware that a conflict of interest has pretty much always existed between you and your suppliers. And as is common in such matters, there is often a clash of those interests and each individual's reaction to such clashes will be both different and subjective. The recent and ongoing 3M bashing thread comes to mind.
I pay a price for trying to limit and control the demographic of
Signs 101. But I happen to feel strongly about our craft, so forgive me for choosing to respond positively to a member without getting into judging her motives. That price is paid in 10 to 20 extra hours a week of work doing the screening, etc. and a much smaller number of members than some sites I could name who make no such efforts.