Larry or James - What is a "Spam Link"?

[richard37066]

About a week ago, James posted a notice regarding the prohibition of "Spam Links". As I understand it, a "Spam Link" is made available such that a member may access a site which contains information valuable to the guitar builder. The converse is that the owner of the supplied link can, in turn, use it to inundate the Forum with unwanted and undesirable promotions and advertisements.

I, for one, have referred the members to sites which, as an example, offer all manner of mechanical gadgetry which could conceivably be used by the members in order to make life a lot easier in the construction of the instrument. Does the mere mention - or link - to enterprises such as McMaster-Carr or Stewart-McDonald constitute a "Spam Link"?

I have absolutely NO financial interest in ANY manufacturer or supplier thus the inclusion of their names in a link is NOT motivated by monetary gain but, rather, simply to pass along information which could, conceivably, be of value to fellow members.

No one could ever accuse me of hawking a product or service. I live by the rules since they are ultimately necessary to maintain order. Is there a fine line between an "informative" link and a "Spam Link" that I'm missing? Is there a real difference?

I am NOT taking James' post personally but, rather, simply seeking a clarification such that I do not, inadvertently, stuff my foot into a bucket of you-know-what in attempting to convey information to the membership.

Larry and James - no offense, please - I think that I've stated my quandry clearly. I enjoy this forum much too much to run afoul of the powers that be.

Richard