[SOLVED] What kind of advertisement is allowed?

[amyst]

The mods have made it clear that threads containing advertisement of merchandises or websites are not allowed on Ubuntu Forum. What about threads, posted by new forum members, that ask for

1. mentorship in astronomy and physics
2. a person in the US who can buy an iphone and send it to hongkong
...

Some subforums appear to be magnet for random posts that are little related with Ubuntu or FOSS. Should such threads be reported and user banned?

[matthew]

The mods have made it clear that threads containing advertisement of merchandises or websites are not allowed on Ubuntu Forum. What about threads, posted by new forum members, that ask for

1. mentorship in astronomy and physics
2. a person in the US who can buy an iphone and send it to hongkong
...

Some subforums appear to be magnet for random posts that are little related with Ubuntu or FOSS. Should such threads be reported and user banned?Users who register only to post any sort of advertisement are violating the site terms of service, also known as the Forums Code of Conduct (http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php?page=policy). This is a bannable offense. We tend to err on the side of leniency when advertising is done by long time forum members with a history of real contributions to the community, so long as the advertising isn't rude, over the top, and is confined to only one post.

The details/rules are in the CoC thread I linked to above. Within those guidelines, staff have the leeway to use discretion, often doing so after discussing the matter with other staff and coming to a consensus.

If someone feels that there has been a violation, reporting the post is the best thing to do. That will bring it to the attention of all the staff, and the post/thread will be reviewed as soon as a staff member can do so.