Sponsor selection on Simplydiscus.com

Hi all,
I get asked how I go about approving sponsors here at Simply often...Its a fair question and one I wanted to post about. We have some excellent sellers here and The try to hold the bar high in their dealings...this post will explain how they got here to begin with.

The easiest way for me to find sponsors for the forum would be to accept any seller that wanted to sell here provided they could pay for the right regardless of their reputation and quality. This is often what most magazines do and yes its what many websites do.Funding comes first, and buyer beware.This would be very easy for me to do here, and it would be very lucrative! However it would not fit within my goals for this hobby nor does it fit with my personal ethics.

When I am approached by a seller that wants to be a sponsor I try to get a feel for "fit". Do they fit our Hobby's Needs for quality Fish and healthy stock. Do they offer good quality merchandise, and have a good solid track record or positive reputation? If they are new to commercial selling , do they seem to be honest sellers with positive attributes? Have they been part of community , if so, What kind of member have they been?

I then go on to try and verify all the facts I can find on them. I use personal and business references, I search the web for feedback and flags. I will ask for pictures and stock, background etc. I've been around a few decades now and have been running SimplyDiscus for over 10 years, I fall back on my own experiences and ethics as a guide. Should all look good, They agree to act in a certain fashion and I approve them as a sponsor. They must then prove that they are a a good "fit" here. I always maintain the right to remove a sponsor that does not meet my expectations.

So what must a sponsor do here.. They must be honest and fair in their dealings. They must not knowingly sell sick fish, and they must deal with any problems that arise immediately and fairly. They must strive for quality stock and must maintain a good reputation. Mistakes will happen, but they need to be corrected and learned from..Repeat issues can lead to removal as a sponsor.

This forum relies on a system where sponsors are trusted..Its important to hobbyists here that they can trust and respect a seller, this encourages them to buy from the seller, and encourages the seller to stay as a sponsor here. Its a balenced system. As part of this system its important that sponsors always respect the forum and support it. I personally do not want a sponsor here that is just using the forum to make a few quick dollars. Sponsors should always work with the forum, not against it, and I provide an open line of communication for that, and expect the same in return. I want all our sponsor to be financially successful, but not at the expense of our Systems credibility.

Lastly, They must act ethically in their dealings with customers, fellow sellers, and the forum's owners/agents. The dictionary defines ethics as "the study of standards of conduct or moral judgement". On Simplydiscus this is basically acting in a fashion that is acceptable to our community and the forum's owners.
1)We/I expect a Sponsor to sell good quality stock.
2)We/I expect a Sponsor to not knowingly sell sick fish.
3)We/I expect a Sponsor to deal with problems in a timely and fair manner.
4)We/I expect a Sponsor to not attack or slander competitors. but instead they should be positive leaders in our community.
5)We/I expect Sponsors to be honest and adhere to all things agreed upon.

The above listed expectations are my own personal Ethics and I openly explain them to all potential sponsors. If a Sponsor wishes to use this forum to market their goods, I expect them to follow these simple guidelines.Their sponsorships depend on it, and amazingly enough, their businesses thrive here when they do.All Sponsors that come on to SimplyDiscus and are approved are aware of this.Its a high standard to hold people to, but I will always do my best to do so. Mistakes happen, but sponsors that fall short of the above expectations repeatedly or in what I determine to be a serious fashion can be removed. I try to work with them where I can, but sometimes its just not possible.

This Doesn't mean that you should jump right in and trust a particular seller because they are a sponsor. What it means is you can trust that our sponsorship system tries to do it best to provide you a good pool of potential suppliers. You must still research the seller and make your own choices. I have posted SimplyDiscus's policies on Sponsor Seller relationships here... http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showth...-from-Sponsors...

I hope this answers your questions. Our system is far from perfect, however, if you look at the excellent sponsors that are here on Simply, I think that says plenty as to how the extra effort we put into our sponsor system here is beneficial to the hobby and the forum..Its not an easy way of doing things...but as the forums owner, its how I chose to run this aspect of the forum.

Thank you,
Al Sabetta