We have a commercial and professional advertising program. Click here for more information.
Rule #10 of the Cleveland Park Email List rules bans the use of the list for commercial advertising. But list members talk about businesses and services quite often; they recommend contractors, doctors, and other services freely. Teens offer to cut lawns; parents post on behalf of babysitters seeking extra work; computer technicians offer technical advice, and so forth. We (the moderators) have no problem with these sorts of posts. And yet, from time to time, we write to members who submit posts about a type of service they provide for a fee, with a note that says, “Sorry, this post is commercial advertising. It’s not appropriate on the Cleveland Park Email List.”
Sometimes the turned-down poster writes back to ask why a similar-seeming post was approved, while theirs got the ax. Because it is time-consuming for the moderators to respond every time a poster has a question about a posting decision, we are providing a list of the criteria we use when judging whether a post is too commercial to be on our commercial-free list. A “yes” to any of the questions below would lead us to turn down a post: 
Is the purpose of the posting to help a business attract paying customers? Generally speaking, we delete all ads from businesses -- even ads that offer free classes. (Such offers are clearly designed to draw in new customers who would then be asked to sign up for a series of classes or sessions.) List members who own businesses may post about neighborhood matters and join in on discussion, and when they do, it's fine for them to include the name of their business after their signature at the end of the message, and provide contact information and a website URL -- but the signature may not include any advertising slogans or sales pitches.
Is the tone of the message promotional (prices and specials), rather than neighborly ("Hi, I've just opened a new business and wanted to introduce myself to the listserv")? Let’s say you’re a yoga instructor who has just moved to Cleveland Park, and you want to let people know about your classes. Here’s what you can and cannot do: You cannot post your class schedules, fees, and course descriptions – that’s advertising. But you can introduce yourself to the neighbors, just as you might do if you were meeting them at a park or in line at the post office. You can tell a bit about your background and say what you do for a living. You can invite them, if they’re interested, to get in touch privately and ask for more information. The tone of this message must be conversational, not promotional. If the moderators think your message is still mainly aimed at drumming up customers, it will be deleted. Please note: The business self-introduction message is is a one-time opportunity. Once you’ve told your neighbors who you are and what you do, you can’t use the list to keep reminding them that you’d like their business. You are, however, allowed to respond to list members’ requests for information, under the general rules laid out in the next question-and-answer.
Does the message about a service or business appear to be out-of-the-blue, unrelated to any current listserv discussion? If, for example, no one has asked for a recommendation for a landscaper, then a landscape architect should not be posting a notice touting his own services. But if a list member has asked, “What’s a good type of bulb to plant in a small shaded yard?” then it’s okay for a landscape designer to reply with the specific information sought. At the end of that reply he could add, “If you’d like some professional help in planning your garden, feel free to contact me off list” and include his business contact information. But no details about rates or specials, and no advertising slogans used as “tag lines.” Also, he can’t respond every single time someoneasks a landscape-related question. Then it appears as if he’s using the list to troll for clients. (For more about the differences between ads and recommendations, click on our recommendations policy page.)
Is the poster offering full-time or professional services? We do allow list members who provide family or home-based services to let neighbors know about their availability. That is, it's okay for housekeepers, nannies, babysitters, elder care givers, and house-sitters to post every so often, to let list members know that they have some slots open. We don’t consider in-home care givers to be running a business so much as joining a neighborhood household. But it's not okay for a nanny agency or a dog-walking company -- that is, a poster for a full-time fee-based business -- to send in a similar sort of notice. Nor can doctors, lawyers, consultants, therapists, trainers or other office- or studio-based professionals have advertising privileges on the listserv. Our feeling is that if you are running a full-time business, you need to pay for your ads in advertising-supported publications and should not be using this neighbor-to-neighbor listserv as a marketing tool.
Is the notice made repeatedly? Anything can seem like advertising if you’re hit with it again and again. The teen looking to mow lawns or the college student offering tutoring help shouldn’t be too insistent about it. We would like to hold such posts to a maximum of 2 or 3 times per year per poster. The same goes for things like yard sale announcements, estate sales, and theater ticket sales -- once or twice a year from the same poster is okay, but more than three times a year will probably be turned down as too much use of the list for advertising.
Is there something just not "right" about the message? Often posters write in asking for a recommendation for a personal trainer or a handyman or some other service or contractor. That's fine ... most of the time. But on occasion we discover that somebody has joined the list just for the purpose of asking a question that can then be answered with a specific recommendation. Our antennae go up at any sign that a business owner or service provider may be shilling. We do our best to keep people from getting around the no-commercial-ad rule and will take whatever steps we must to defend the listserv against shilling and other forms of fraudulent posting.
Is this a rental property that's being mangaged by an agent or company? If so, then it's considered a commercial advertisement. You can read more about how to purchase an inexpensive advertisement on the Cleveland Park Listserv at http://cpaidads.notlong.com. List members may advertise their own vacation properties for rent for free once a year. If you want to advertise your rental property more than one time within a twelve month period, you can purchase an inexpensive advertisement on the Cleveland Park Listserv.
So now you know what you can't do. But if you own a retail business with a street presence in the neighborhood, that doesn't mean you'll never get to post. Here's the loophole you've been looking for:
Let's say you own a restaurant in Cleveland Park: You can announce important changes that are newsworthy and relevant to the community. For example, you're now open for Sunday brunch, or you have ended valet parking, or you're building a rooftop cafe. Just be sure you deliver the news in a neighborly rather than promotional tone. Please don't throw in any hard-sell, hype, or price come-ons. And of course, such notices can be run only a few times a year. Local merchants can also publicize their participation in community events or benefits. Some actual past examples include: a retail store's sponsorship of neighborhood participants in a local "Run for the Cure" race; a neighborhood bookstore hosting a special sale day with a portion of the proceeds to benefit a neighborhood school; a grocery store that asks customers to purchase a few extra non-perishables and leave the food in a collection box to be given to the needy; and the annual restaurant benefit supported by a number of neighborhood eateries, setting aside a portion of that day's profits to benefit the fight against AIDS.
Now for the fine print: We make a distinction between retail stores that are open to the general public and other businesses because there is a difference between the two. Stores that are open to the general public have a little more latitude when it comes to posting announcements than businesses where somebody just can't walk in off the street.
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As you can see from the detail and the various “if-then” scenarios in the discussion, this subject is complex, with many subtleties. Different moderators can have different interpretations, depending how each views the poster’s message. Decision-making in some cases will always be somewhat subjective. On occasion posts will appear on the list that violate one or more of our principles. Please don’t write to us to point out these glitches! We know, we know. In a perfect world, ours would be a perfect, commercial-free email list. But until that day … enjoy the list!
And a P.S. There are some other, city-wide email lists that do accept advertising, most notably, Craig's List http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/.
Note: If your post does not immediately appear on the list, please do not send it again. Sometimes it takes hours for a message to appear on the list. When posting an item for sale, please don't also post that item for sale on another listserv -- it's not fair to our list members if, by the time they read your email, the item has already been sold elsewhere. Crossposts are not permitted on the Cleveland Park Listserv.
If you have posted a for sale item elsewhere, such as on Craig's List, you must wait at least three full days before you can post that same item on the Cleveland Park Listserv.
All advertisements, notices and other messages must conform to applicable laws, including but not limited to, the Fair Housing Act. List members are responsible for the content of their messages.
Please consult our advertising checklist before posting an advertisement: http://cpadcheck.notlong.com
The Cleveland Park email list rules are at http://cprules.notlong.com.
For answers to most questions about how the listserv works, please visit our FAQ page.
The short URL for this page is http://cpnoad.notlong.com.
Wow! As you can see, the Cleveland Park Listserv is a very busy place in cyberspace, and takes a lot of time on the part of the volunteer moderators. You are welcome to show your support by making a donation. The moderators appreciate the good karma that comes from knowing that Listserv members appreciate all the hard work that goes into running the Cleveland Park Listserv:
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