Should we bring back Shameless Promotions?

Paul_Lulu · February 2018

Hey everyone!

As you can see, I've added a 'poll' feature to the General Discussion thread. Anyone can create a poll, so if there's something you're dying to know from your fellow Lulu users, you can find out!

The poll option is only available in General Discussion at the moment, and can be pulled from the drop down for new discussions:

Now for the poll!

Should we bring back Shameless Promotions?

Papi_Soñoliento · February 2018

Is there a way to add different answering options?

Betimes [as in this case] there is no simple yes or no answer.

Paul_Lulu · February 2018

Sadly, the poll plug in doesn't offer a "other" option along with the means to fill in an answer. But you're welcome to respond in the comments with ideas.

Just Kevin · February 2018

Shameless was brought about by mostly one or two regular persons who believed the forum (which originally had 100s of threads covering everything) had no right to point out how abysmal some ones' work was. In many instances the advice was very valid and even polite. But some rare ones did not welcome it. It seemed to shock them that people in an open forum were actually able to leave comments.

So was born Shameless, where still abysmal things were promoted. Some so bad they did warrant comments in the forums, which were still not welcome. But not by the promoter, but by just one regular to the forums. One common comment was very valid and helpful, such as - it would help if you actually linked to what you are promoting in Shameless! It was worryingly rare to see a name in Shameless that had ever appeared in the forum, asking for advice, when it was clear to all they needed some. Because Shameless seemed to be standalone place, not connected to the forums, I doubt some of the promoters even knew the forum exists, nevermind the Knowledge Base.

Anyway, the old one was hard to use. It seemed to be sectionalised. A part for text. A part for a picture, and another for a link. It was hard to manipulate. It used to sort of blog tool. There was also a strange default link in every posting to some Comments place that had no content.

If it is to be brought back then just create another forum thread, not some totally different area. I am sure they can be set to disallow comments if need be. User set even perhaps.

Papi_Soñoliento · February 2018

Then maybe it should be brought back. The qualifier is due to how often promotions were done without a marketing image, without a blurb, without a link and so on.

If Shameless Promotion could be modified so that the adverts had a minimal level of quality [i.e.: having an associated image / blurb / link], then I'd say yes whereas if not I'd say no..

Paul_Lulu · February 2018

Kevin - if it came back it would be as a single thread with a "guide" for posting so the posts looked mostly uniform, but without all the non-working bells and whistles from the past.

Sphinx - if it comes back, I would sticky a "guide" at the top of the thread with minimum requirements and remove posts that did not adhere.

Maggie · February 2018

Yes, but please call it something more professional rather than the self-deprecating "Shameless."

Maggie · February 2018

Yes, the old one was hard to use and confusing. However. we need a place to promote. I have been at a loss for a place to promote recently.

Maggie · February 2018

I don't know a single successful author who would promote under a title like that. We have to dress the part before we become it. We are successful. We do not associate with the word "Shame."

wildwind · February 2018

I no longer care one way or the other. Has anyone ever made
a sale based on a Shameless Promotion? Probably not. Selling
books requires attention to detail, but most of all it requires
skill in using emotive language. You have to lure the reader in.
How do you do that? With your blurb. Most of the Shameless Promotion
posts seemed to run along the lines of ...'I've published a book.
Meh. Buy it, if you want.'

Maggie · February 2018

It was once useful because it reached Google feeds. Now only lulu users can see it. And, I just discovered that one can't even see our signature unless they are signed in. Furthermore, one can't read profiles or browse unless they are signed in. This is not the case with other forums. I say open it up. Help lulu authors sell.

Maggie · February 2018

Hmm..my signature is gone even when signed in...using Smartphone...

Paul_Lulu · February 2018

I believe signatures only work on a browser with the current mobile theme. I only added to mobile themes as the baseline when we started up the new forum, so I can look at adding more in time.
While I actually view these forums on mobile often, our data shows the vast majority of users are on desktop, so I tried to focus on that from the onset.
Unlike the old forums that required a sign in to view content, everything on here should be viewable by "guests."
I am seeing the profile viewing redirects me to sign in - I hadn't realized that and it wasn't set that way in our test environment, so I'm sure it's a setting I can adjust once I pin it down.

Maggie · February 2018

Hi Paul,

Using PC now. I can see my signature both when I'm signed and not signed in.

Ron Miller · February 2018

I agree with Maggie that the name of the forum could be a little more dignified.

Just Kevin · February 2018

At times they were shameless! Often with multiple postings of the same thing. The first, and I think the second also, incarnation of the forums, had a similar section, but I cannot recall what it was called, but not Shameless. How about something like My New Book? One problem was and still will be, is that as postings are added, they scroll off down the page. Although presumably those who wish to will have viewed them before they do. Although there should be some method of stopping multiple postings promoting the same thing, which is unfair because it just makes the rest scroll down faster.

Oh and another thing the original forum had was when one clicked on a poster's name it opened up their Storefront.

Maggie · February 2018

Hi Kevin, very nice to see you back. I agree that it would be good to be able to link profiles to storefront.

Just Kevin · February 2018

Thanks Maggie. It may only be temp though.

Skoob_ym · February 2018

"Announce Your New Work!" or "Self-Promotion Lulu-Style!" might be good titles...

Skoob_ym · February 2018

Maggie said:

Hi Kevin, very nice to see you back. I agree that it would be good to be able to link profiles to storefront.

I made a Wix page to be able to link all my books in one signature. That seemed the best solution.

Maggie · February 2018

I like "Announce Your New Book" or About My Book. This will inspire people to explain what their book is about.

BksOfBrown · February 2018

Simply - New Book Released Announcements/Promotions!

Paul_Lulu · February 2018

I've got an idea about how to do this within the new structure that I think may work pretty well. I'm working on putting it together, but I think I might add it as a new category later this week or early next.

My one remaining question before I do anything: Do we bring back all the old content from Shameless? Or just start fresh?
Some of the old content lost the cover images associated with the post, but otherwise they are intact.

Em_Press · February 2018

Start fresh.
I like New Book Released.

Just Kevin · February 2018

Actually, it seems to happen automatically (unless some kind human at Lulu places them there?) When I click Shop I am greeted with this just down the page > New UK Authors Showcase, and a very few books can be scrolled across. I assume the same applies to other countries. If Lulu's system places them there automatically, then they are already promoted. If a human does it, do they place them all there? There's just a few for the UK. (Ah, OK, looking at the US site it says > Up & Coming Authors. Which is not the same thing. But there is far more there.

Should we bring back Shameless Promotions?

Should we bring back Shameless Promotions? 9 votes

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