Seems like everyones out to make a buck these days by developing simple plugins. What happened to the days of people just simply making plugins to help out fellow software users. I have to give a big thanks to Satish for the 3D plugin pack that is absolutely free and is a great compliment to Vegas, hopefully some other people will develop more stuff like that and not try to make a buck on it and use forum space to advertise it.

I certainly appreciate Satish's generosity. For that matter, several of us suggested the idea of reimbursing him but his visa doesn't allow that. I would like to think that i've also been generous in many areas. However, there also comes a time when the bills have to be paid and the kitties need food in their dish. Yes, i have some things for sale and i don't feel bad about that at all. From the research i've done, my prices are below average and i feel the products are useful enough for people to pay for them. On top of that, i've had many people ask how they can give me money for the services i have provided and i have so far avoided taking donations. It only seems fair that people should get something tangible back for what they provide, and this works both ways.

Generosity is good, but a full stomach is good too.

AMEN to that!!!!

I agree, if you make something and put the time into developing it, you should be compensated for it. But I also feel that there is a time and place for free advertising. If you develop something that may be of use to others, then by all means post a message and let people know that it is available. Then if you are confident enough in your product let it speak for itself. Let others who have used it post about it in helping other users, don't post over and over day after day that you have this product for sale. I know there are a few diffrent products on this board that although they may be helpful, I wouldn't buy them simply because of this issue. I have even received e-mails from some of the producers of these items in regards to previous posts of mine, they accuse me of doing the same things with products that I develop that may be useful to people on this list. All I can say is that my product has been out for over a year and I have posted maybe once or twice on this board about it and have never given a direct link to it. If I feel someones question warrants me letting them know about my product I will post a message telling them to contact me off list so I can tell them more about it and where to get it. Other pieces of software seem to be posted on a daily basis with direct links to purcahse them. That I feel is a misuse of forum space. There are other forums that are specifically desined for advertising and those places should be used to continually promote your products that you are trying to sell such as the Cow forums Classifieds section. There are also numerous websites related to the video field that offer very cheap banner ads that you can use as well.
I'm not trying to say that these products are bad and shouldn't be used by Vegas users, I'm sure they are great. I am simply saying that if you develop something useful to Vegas users, make one or 2 posts about it and then let your products speak for themselves, people will use them and if it is a good product, they will post about it and use word of mouth to advertise your products.
I know that there are many diffrent opinions regarding this matter and I am not saying that I am right or wrong about this, I am just simply stating an opinion.

Ahhhhh, so your gripe isn't about charging money for add-ons, it's about getting free advertising for them in forums. OK, i can go along with you on that.

Exactly, I have no problem with you charging for stuff (although free is better), but just mention it once or twice then let it go and if someone needs help with something that your product might be able to help them with, let someone who has purchased it and likes it tell the other person about it. That way you not only get the little ego boost that someone uses your product and loves it :) , but also other people get the help they need.

That's how I feel too. Fine to say you developed a plug-in or something but to HAWK it in the forums is wrong. I'll use myself as an example. Based on the emails I got and the many comments in the forum it seems a lot of people have benefited from the tutorials I've written. I could have have made my site a subscription site, and bring it a couple extra bucks, but I didn't. The time involved to write the tutorials and the time I spend answering questions in the forum if I were to put a dollar value on it would be a tidy little sum. The point is that isn't why I wrote the tutorials or spend as much time as I do in the forum. I simply enjoy helping. Others of course do also like Kelly, which I'm sure spends many hours reviewing and putting the sample videos we submit on his site.

It isn't those that are selling something should't earn a buck, rather in my view the question becomes WHY did they develop what they did? Answer: Seems mostly to make money from it. While on the surface nothing wrong with that, using the forum to bring in extra dollars just is something I wouldn't consider.

More to the advertising issue I think advertising on your OWN web site is fine. Afterall it is YOUR web site. Also some of the larger forums sell advertsing space. That too is fine, at least those wishing to advertise are doing it in an approved fashion.

A fourm should be a place to exchange ideas, views and comment on the products SoFo offers. Personally those that try to stick in some plug for what they're trying to sell end up annoying a good number of people just as much as those flyers under the windshield wipers on other UNASKED for ads.

I think the good work done by satish chienworks and billyboy does not go unnoticed and I am very pleased you are around I also think that you are entitled to have yur costs covered at a minimum and if things do take off then make a profit ..

Yeah, now that I think about it it's kind of like every time I go to the movie theater, when I come out there is a little business card under my windshield wiper saying Earn Money At Home and there is a 800 number, I hate that, It drives me nuts. At one point I was going to put a video camera in my car while I was at the movie so I could find out who was doing this and go put flyers all over his house, car, pets, and anything else I could get my hands on. I see the same cards at the ATM machines, the gas pumps,I always rip them down and throw them away when I see them.

The fact of the matter is, there are only a few plugins that are compatible with Vegas, and Excalibur and Tsunami are two of them. I think Excalibur is incredibly useful and was well worth the small fee charged and I have yet to see the creators bring them up EXCEPT when someone asks about either plugins, or a function that Excalibur performs. I agree that using these forums for free advertising isn't very cool, but, geez, if someone asks about plugins, then others should be able to answer...

Yeah, but I don't think they should be so quick to answer, maybe wait a little while and let people who have used the program tell others about it. It seems like they are just crawling the messageboards waiting for someone to ask anything that might be remotely related to their product and then they just jump on it and post their link to buy it.

Forum - An open area, sometimes covered, very common in ancient Greece and Rome.

Free Enterpise - . . . . . . . . . [ get my drift . . ?. . ]

. . . . if it works for you, if it gets you through the night . . . if it's your 'bag' use it and share it . . . .

Peace & Love

Grazie

Bingo. It almost seems a certain guy is waiting for a post just to plug his software. That after awhile is like someone scratching a blackboard. It may be helpful to someone looking for a better way, but what about the rest of us that have seen the plugs 'use...' over and over again, day after day, thread after thread?

The suggestion is let OTHER posters suggest it when it is appropriate. You'll notice I haven't and won't suggest it as long as he promotes it himself so agressively. Its tacky.
You rarely see any SoFo guy promote their products and after all it is THEIR forum, well Sony's now. ;-)

just about everything is advertised from the computer I bought to sonic foundry everything even stuff like news is bought courtesy of advertising and usually when you buy stuff its only cheap cos its been mass produced because its been advertised we trade everything even our allegiences but in most advertising you get a choice and I welcome that not so when someone sticks a flyer on your windcreen or fills your email with stuff you dont have a choice then and I think laws should govern that kind of unsolicited junk I particulaly hate it when Im told I have just won loads a money and all I have to do is send a fiver to claim because I know someone out there who cant afford to has just lost there money and is then swamped with more of the gits all trying for there pound of flesh

To both BillyBoy and jsnkc:

1. First of all, I was simply answering a question. I am frequently the FIRST person that answers a question. There should be nothing wrong with that.

2. Yes, I have a couple of tools. They were mentioned LAST and the second one has NEVER been officially announced on this board.

3. I hardly count mentioning it twice (the second tool) and < 10 times (the first tool accounting for answers to direct questions about it) in 1750 posts as pushing.

4. I make links because I hate to see posts with a URL I can't just click on.



So, just for the sake of BillyBoy and jsnkc, my answer to this question from now on will be:

Yes, add-on tools are available - I just can't tell you about them. They are all top-secret and only certain people can know about them.

Sorry. Did not mean to offend anyone.

Well, here's one vote for jetdv (or anyone else) to announce their Vegas-compatible products on this forum. I, for one, want to know WHENVER there's a new Vegas plug-in or feature, whether it's free or it costs. Then I'll make my own decision as an informed consumer as to whether it's worth the price.

I agree, if someone continuously and aggressively hawks commercial products on this forum, that's a no-no. However, I haven't seen anything jetdv has posted that would violate this standard.

Why are y'all so cranky?

If anyone can help with info about plugins then please do I personally have found it very helpfull

Hi Marquat
No I havent yet Im still waiting for the Mag too but sounds like another good idea thanks for tipping us off about particle illusion I hope you post your new film on chienworks !!

You didn't offend anyone, at least not me, you can continue to do what you have been doing and offering your product as a solution to peoples questions. I am just hoping that it doesn't eventually get out of hand and this turns into a forum for people selling products. I know a lot of the other groups I am a member of even have went so far as to ban advertising of any kind. Hopefully it can remain at a reasonable level and this forum will continue to thrive and help all the users of this wonderful piece of software.
Now everyone can get back to doing what we love...Editing and making lots of $$ :)

jetdv Im sure no one was refering to your helpfull answer I think people are just sounding off about the way some unscrupulous advertisers operate

Forums are a simple ,free way to directly reach a target market,,, it is being done daily on most all forums ,sometimes very discrete and sometimes in your face. does get tiresome but unfortunatly just part of the deal...........

You're not offending me either. Its the principle. As I said in another thread when this came up before what Gary and Jet developed as well as SPOT's DVD set and book are FINE, useful, great, whatever adjective you want to throw out.

Its looking down the road a year or two when who knows, every Tom, Dick and Harry, not as helpful, not as talented see YOU advertising and then they too advertise whatever. Its that slippery slope thing. I for one don't want to participate in a forum where evey other thread is pushing some hardware, software, tape or book. This ain't the place for that kind of thing.

Just so we're clear on my position it isn't so much a mention every once in awhile, or when first coming out with something, rather one product being shoved in our face repeatedly. Others don't do that. In fact from a business sense it probably hurts to push your own stuff. If the product is good, word will get around and END USERS will rave about it. Remember the best advertising is word of mouth. From happy customers, not some pitchman, worse some guy pushing his own stuff. Reminds me of some attorney on cable TV who's constantly pushing his bankruptcy tapes. His commerical runs 50 times a day it seems. You know how annoying that can get. Take a hint.