Piano World Home Page Forums Our Most Popular Forums Piano Tuner-Technicians Forum Industry/Professional status please

Frank has requested that industry professionals indicate this in their signature lines. It really helps in giving responses.

Piano World request for Technicians

This is Frank's message, from the Piano Forum:


Are You A Piano Industry Professional?
Do You Work In The Piano Industry?
Or... Were You Recently Associated With The Piano Industry?
Are You, or Were You a... Piano Dealer, Tuner/Technician/Rebuilder, Teacher, Sales Person, Manufacturer/Manufacturer's Rep, Distributor, Wholesaler, Retailer, Manager, Consultant, Supplier, Importer/Exporter?



If you answered yes to any of the above, please
Identify your affiliation with the piano business in your signature!

Simply click "my profile" at the top of the page, then click "edit profile", scroll down and find the "Signature" box, fill it in and click "Update Profile" (near the bottom of the page). And yes, it's ok to include a link to your web site if you have one, and even your business phone number if you wish.

The primary objective of Piano World and the Piano Forums is to be a resource people can count on for information about pianos and piano playing.

If you are or were a piano industry professional, please identify yourself as such so people will know the source of your "expertise".

And if it was in the past, we would still really appreciate some details (ex: former Dealer - Steinway, Mason & Hamlin, or ex: former Rep for Gulbransen).

Code Of Ethics:
We do not condone members hiding behind a veil of anonymity so they can push there own agenda, promote their own business or products, or create negative posts about their competitors and/or competitive products.

Show some class, identify yourself and try to contribute positively to the forums.

If you consider yourself to be a professional, please act like one! If you just can't resist promoting yourself or your business, or you think bashing your competitors and/or their products is the way to do business, you will likely find yourself banned from the forums.

This is not a platform for people with personal agendas, it is a place where people with a genuine interest in the piano come for help, hints, ideas, information, and even to make new friends.

Stop the Self-Promotion!
It is NOT ACCEPTABLE for you to create posts thinly disguised as an innocent discussion when in fact they are nothing more than a promotion for your business.

Nor should you be directing your customers here for the sole purpose of touting how wonderful you are.


If you make a genuine effort to be honest and helpful, you just may pick up some business because people trust you. That's fine, I have no problem with that. Anything beyond that, see our Professional Advertising options.

Some Guidelines:

Not Necessarily Self Promotion...
If someone asks a dealer a question about their brand/business and the dealer answers it, that's NOT self-promotion.
If someone USED TO BE in the piano business and they recommend or speak well of their old brand, it's NOT self-promotion.
If a dealer OCCASIONALLY posts news about what is going on in their business, it's not self-promotion.
If a private individual is enthusiastic about a brand and talks about it a lot, it's not self-promotion.

Now for what we do consider self-promotion:

If you're a dealer and state models/prices, it's self-promotion.
If you're a dealer and tell someone to call/PM you and you'll talk about something they're looking for, that is self-promotion.
Is you're in the business and hide yourself behind an alias to talk down/up a brand you're self promoting.
If you're in the business and you continually create posts to talk about your business, you're self-promoting.
If you're in the business and whenever someone asks if a price is good and you always tell them you "think they can do better", the implication is that you want them to call you and thus you MIGHT be self-promoting.

This is not all encompassing and there can be exceptions to the cases stated above, but this is a general idea on how we view the subject.

Piano Industry Professional Advertising Options:

If you would like to promote your business on Piano World, check out our Professional Advertising options.
Advertising on Piano World works. We deliver high volume targeted traffic. Click the link above for more details.

Advertising is one of the ways we support these forums, if you would like to take advantage of the qualified traffic Piano World provides, Pay-For-It.

More Information
For more details about our rules, policies,and legal disclaimers, please see this post...
http://www.pianoworld.com/ubb/ubb/ultimatebb.php?/topic/23/21.html


Let's All Work Together To Make Piano World The Place It Was Meant To Be!
_________________________
- Frank B.
Founder / Host
www.PianoWorld.com
www.PianoSupplies.com
Find Us On:
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Twitter.com/PianoWorld
www.youtube.com/PianoWorldDotCom
Estonia L-190, Yamaha P-80, Hammond XK-3
-------------------------
It's Fun To Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

(end quote)

I think it's easy to miss Frank's request. I did when I first signed up. I even used a cute alias until I realized that this isn't that kind of forum. Eventually I tossed the alias and relaxed by posing as myself - for better or worse.

I only use Operatenor because that's been my user ID from the start, several years before i got back into the business.

The feeling I get from this isn't very welcoming. From what I've seen in my short time here, I'm not 100% sure if I want to stay. I prefer to use a cute nickname for my own reasons. I think that's perfectly acceptable for an online forum. I control my online presence especially what a client or potential employer can google. I just want to keep it light hearted, learn and talk about pianos. I'm a nice person, really Do I have to list credentials after my full name and website for anybody to believe me? I would suggest you guys relax a bit, and let us participate. You can get a feel from our posts if we are really a 'true' tech or not.

It is Frank's board and Frank's rule. All you have to do is say whether you are professional or not.

I am sometimes, and sometimes I am not, so I am semiprofessional, after decades of being professional.

You do not have to disclose your personal identity or business name. All you have to do is disclose that you are an industry professional, and in what capacity. It's not unreasonable.

Oops! I think I muddied the waters unintentionally by talking about a "cute alias". I had something else on my mind (or what passes for a mind these days) when I wrote it. Although most of the members use their real names, as I read Frank's request, made-up names are fine. He just wants industry professionals to indicate their affiliation with the trade.

So let’s sign up to be a member of a technical forum representing a trade we are involved in and then hide our identity.

How does this make any sense?

I believe most of the technicians here are self-employed; if one has to live in constant fear such as worrying about what a prospective client or employer could read then I am left wondering why be here at all then?

With that mindset it is not the member who is controlling their on-line presence. Self-censoring out of fear on the internet is a case of the tail wagging the dog.

We are guests here. The only opinion that matters is the owner’s. If members find it too difficult to comply with simple rules then maybe it is best to move on.

It doesn't have to make any sense. We have a right to online privacy.



Now you have this backwards. I get 80% of my new clients from the internet. They can and do google. I prefer they not find if I post a cute picture of a puppy or not in my private speaking with other techs. Do you invite clients to your group meetings? I think the answer is no

True, we are guests here. Therefore I would imagine if this was an issue, it would be between me and Frank. Not between me and BDB, Silverwood Pianos, or anybody else.

Look guys, I respect the fact that this is your forum, you live here and you have 1,000's of posts. I get it. I participate in other forums and have 1,000s of posts as well. I love forums thus hoping to join here. .

*suggestion*

Most forums have a pinned introductions thread. Introduce yourself here, say hello and a bit about yourself before posting. That would be reasonable and more conducive to a better welcome then people jumping at you asking to state your affiliations. Just a thought.

This is a public forum not private. How can one develop a private conversation with other technicians on a public forum; this is not possible.

If members do not want their posting content viewed by some five billion people worldwide then best to post as a professional about pianos and piano topics, not cute girls in bikinis who require their G string repaired, cats, dogs, and the like.

Members have one right only here; that is the right to cooperate with the rules set out by the owner.

The rules here,have been in place since May 25, 2001. No member is required to like them.

There seems to be conflicting opinions then Silverwood Pianos. You seem pretty upset over my request to keep a nickname.

I did not log in for several years because of my name. I have been moving pianos since 1978 (central Texas), and refinishing since 1985. Restorations since the 90's. Not moving now because of an arm injury (if you are 60 years old, maybe just because you always could doesn't mean you still should). Professional status may be questionable at this point. The irs has previously expressed some doubt. frank j baxter (granger, texas)

Cooperation with the rules set out by the owner reveals certain professionalism in the business marketplace.

Also reveals the professional approach or lack thereof to other areas of the trade. Are members sure they would like prospective clients or prospective employers to read the responses in this thread.

There is a reason many long time, good technicians such as myself and others no longer post here much.

We can all observe the responses when a simple reminder thread is posted by one of the long-time members.

Cooperation by members or not reveals more about the member than the reader.

I think the pinned introductions thread might be a good idea. I also think that if if you want to post cute pictures of puppies but don't want your clients to see them, then do it on your private facebook page or elsewhere. The Piano World site is public with a capital P.

If there is anything that you would not want one person in the world to see or know, then don't post it anywhere on the internet, because it can be found by someone, eventually.

If there is anything you would not say and sign your name to, but would say it anonymously, then please don't do it here - there are many places elsewhere you can do that.

I like the idea of signing names to a post. It is a bit of a barrier that helps people from going into the darker zone of sniping, personal attacks, etc, and helps to maintain a certain standard of personal accountability.
Otherwise, hey, let's all have a puppet show of socks so we can really clobber the other guy.

The puppy analogy was a hyperbole. You guys don't have the best sense of humor.

I thought the board was supposed to be about piano technical discussions, not about who is who.
When I get PMs from other members or send a PM I do present myself.

Dang! I was so looking forward to the picture of the puppy. Now I find its just hyperbole. How disappointing.

We do not have puppies, but we have a baby parakeet, who is now about 2 months old and is learning aerobatics. Much nicer than the Blue Angels, and quieter, too!

You've got your wires crossed a little bit here. You're free to use whatever nickname you so desire, but if you are going to be posting on this board, and you are a technician or piano undustry professional in any capacity, then you are asked to declare that. BDB, the guy who posts the most succinct responses to everything, also has the most succinct signature declaring that he is a semi professional technician. Nothing else, but it satisfies the rule.

The rule is there because members of the public post here asking about pianos, and discussions about the question are made much easier when one knows if a competent level of technical understanding can be expected.

It's easy for people with access to Reblitz to post very technical questions here, ones that could garner long responses assuming a level of skill etc. Imagine writing such a long response only to find the guy has never so much as picked up a tuning hammer.