Great Western Coffee Shop

Hi folks

Can I just take a moment to 'plug' this website?

The story is written by a guard who works locally and is aimed at Children in the 5-9 age band.  It concerns a run-away bear who is befriended by a cat, (who works on the railway as a guard).  It's not literature by any means, but the story is free to download.  Although a small OPTIONAL donation to the Railway Children Charity is asked for.

The site is non profit making.

Book 1 is now on line, Book 2 is imminent.

Thanks


www.teddollywackett.com

- Interesting coincidence there, Nemesis.

This looks rather like "Astroturfing" ...

From WikiPedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astroturfing)
The WikiPedia page is US based ... I understand that in the UK, it's actually illegal in some circumstances (as well as being morally dubious) to promote a site as if you have nothing to do with it, when actually there is some connection. Nemesis - If you're the copyright holder of the site you posted about, I'm sure you're aware of these issues, but I think it would be a good idea if you could confirm the status on this for Phil and the rest of us.   Thanks!

[/quote]

although nowhere does he mention that its not part of his website and hes not plugging it for himself, but he has stated its non profit

Let's wait for the answer from the original poster here, but to clarify  general points:

* The full WikiPedia description of Astroturfing refers to a wide range of organisations, so the "profit" motive isn't an intergral part of it.  Where the surplus of income over expenditure goes doesn't effect it.  The problem is an apparently independent post / site that does a review and turns out NOT to be so independent after all.

* You'll note words like "apparently" and "impression".  You don't have to say "I'm not associated with this product" to astroturf - you just have to lead the reasonable man to believe you're not associated.

But Nemesis hasn't done a "review" of the book he has merely drawn people's attention to it.  If he is connected with the book his failure to declare that connection wasn't so as to create the impression that he was recomending it as an independent person, To my mind it was more likely to be the result of modesty.  I can't see that his apparent failure to declare a connection created any advantage for him so the concern over astroturfing seems slightly to be a storm in a teacup IMHO 

If it is technically astroturfing, it must be at the very minor end of the" offence"

I've asked - let's wait and see what the answer is, and not make assumptions. It does not appear that [as it now stands] the content of "The Coffee Shop" is in serious danger of misleading people through the practise described in this thread. And on that basis, there is now no storm - in a teacup, or any other vessel.

Is this guard that's often overheard when the driver talks to him?  ;D