can I just ask - what is the difference between a recommendation and an advertisement? I noticed a post that somoneone had recommended a guide in NZ and then someone else had posted 'advertisement' underneath it.

Are there rules for the forum in regard to recommending things? How can you tell the difference between a recommendation and an advertisement? Who makes the decision?

I'm just interested as I've recommended things, which could be considered advertising, but I have no vested interest with the company (or whatever it is) only personal experience with whatever it is that is offered.

Anyway, just thought I'd ask!

Hi lancefan -

I saw the post you're referring to, and it didn't strike me as an advertisement, but it seems to have disappeared, so I assume it was reported to the Fodor's Editors and removed.

I also make recommendations all the time, but the sheer number of recommendations for different places pretty much indicate that I have no vested interest in any one place.

The tip off for me is whether or not the suspected adverstiser is a regular Fodor's poster - those posters who appear out of the blue to suggest one specific place and then move on, well, they're suspect. Often times the advertisers are blatantly obvious, but not always.

Don't know if I've helped or not. You might want to direct your question to the Fodor's Editors if you want a better explanation.

If it was the post that I said was not a recommendation and was an advertisement then I said that because the link that was left was a website which had photo links to things like: Travel Deals, Ski Holidays, Car Rental, Cheap Airfares, Things to buy in that country, Eurail Passes and Taxis which all would have been paying the web owner a cut for the advertising. That was blatant advertising but if there was another one and it has been removed then all is OK. I think that if you, as a traveller, have been somewhere that you can recommend or know of somewhere nice then you should pass that information on but when you are passing on information about a website that is most definately selling other things then that is advertising.

My 2c worth: if you tout for business as an owner, employee or agent of a commercial operation it's advertising. If you recommend a business based on your own experience, or possibly that of others (with the appropriate disclaimer), with no vested financial interest in the outcome, it isn't. Advertising is more common on the Asia forum than here and is usually pretty obvious. For a start, the screen name usually includes an email address that gives it away as a come-on.

After reading posts on this site, you can get a feeling as to whether it is a true post or advert. Depends on the nature and tone of the writing, the user name, and whether the user has posted before.

There are rules. http://www.fodors.com/forums/faqs.cfm

If you suspect it is advert, then forward the post to the editors. They make the final decision.

Ideally, a poster will add a disclaimer, such as, "I work for XYZ Travel Agency". I have touted travel services, but if I am related to, or are friends with, members of the company, I always add a disclaimer ("I recommend ABC Booking Company, but I consider myself friends with the owners&quot. As noted above, despite the absence of disclaimers, you can usually tell the difference between an honest recommendation based on experience, versus an advertisement.

I'm the guilty party who outted the ad that was removed a few days ago. My antenna gets tweaked whenever someone, who is posting for the first time, posts a specific recommendation about something. The person who was recommending this particular guide had never posted before. Why would anyone register for this site just to do that? The poster would have been much more credible had she/he reported that info within the context of a trip report.

How could I tell it was his/her first post? I just clicked on the user name. I don't consider myself the "ad police" here, but when a first-time poster makes a recommendation without any other trip details it smells like an ad, which is a violation of board policy, and I feel it should be reported.

Its there again.

Not any more, Pat ... must have been pulled. But the first one is still there.