I have been on this site for 5 years and during that time have seen many people come and go. For most of that time the site was unmoderated and as a community we moderated ourselves. We were able to sort out those who were on it to peddle their own wares and dealt with that accordingly.

Suddenly we seem to need protected! Unfortunately this 'protection' is actually inhibiting the community from functioning. We have gone from being in an abandoned but self moderated site to now having to function it what seems more like a police state.

During the last five years I have read of many cures from ones and twos but the only consistant treatment for KP that has worked for the majority of people who have tried it is the debrasion & AHA method advocated by Turquoise on her site (which unfortunately has now been blocked). Annuu (a qualified pharmacist) also developed treatments along these lines which he was willing to ship to people. (his site has also now been blocked).


There have been many testimonials on this forum showing these treatments have worked. You do not have to read far to see that.

If Turquoise or Annuu were actively promoting their goods sure ban them but do so because the community feels it is a problem not because of some rule that has suddently been thought up.

Anne

I think the moderators are doing a great job and I absolutely understand their need to protect our (very sensitive) community from spammers, product promoters, etc.

I was part of the old community too, and it became absolutely crazy. We had spams and jerks coming to the forum basically telling us to kill ourselves and not reproduce, etc.

I agree, though, that not all sites should be blocked out because they are promoting certain products. Especially, if the members promoting them are part of our own community.

I've been using this site on and off for at least 3 years now, and I have to admit, it was nice at first to see Juan and Else come in and clean up the rubbish. But to censor someone like Turquoise's or Annuu's site, when they devoted so much time and effort into helping people here while the two of you left the community to languish in your absence, is just plain wrong. Granted you guys own the site and are free to establish whatever rules you like, but I for one am appalled. Trusted community members like Turqoise and Annuu should be commended for their efforts and granted permission to link their sites, not shoved aside as if they were just some other snake oil salesmen. I hope more people in this community post here and let everyone know how they feel about this.

I agree, why are we being sencered, if torquoses's site can help us. why are our heads being held under the water We are all gasping for air! let us breath......or edleast let us pm these links to each other without being blocked.

To all,

This isn't a form of censorship -- anyone can contact Turquoise through private mail and private message. This is a matter of enforcing existing rules and applying them to everybody, not just a few.

Anne, nobody has been banned. They have been asked to follow our rules and not post commercial web site links. The rules were not suddenly thought up. They were updated to clean up the forum. Turquoise and Annuu are still free to post, and I see that Annuu has posted recently.

This is the rule and it can be found under "Announcements":

No promoting: Please do not use the forum to market products or advertise websites, that is: NO affiliate links and NO requests to "contact me for samples/consultant ID" messages.
Forum Rules updated as of 8/21/2007

Variations of this same rule are used on all the other forums in which I participate. If we didn't have this rule, we would be inundated with commercial links of all kinds and it would be next to impossible to sort them out.

JohnE, no one is blocking you from private mail or private message.

It is not possible and it is not fair to bend the rules for some but not for others. Juan is doing his best to be fair with everyone and maintain a commercial-free forum.

kebod

Forum Rules weren't added recently, they were posted in 2003. See: Keratosis Pilaris Community Forums - Announcements in Forum: General Discussion

Actual version with some updates:
Keratosis Pilaris Community Forums - Announcements in Forum : General Discussion

Turquoise's first post back in 2006 (from the internet's archive):
Keratosis Pilaris Community Forums - A CURE ! My search is over.

Turquoise's current edited post (2007):
My search is over!

Please understand that links to Turquoise's site are not banned or prohibited. Any member not affiliated to her products can freely link her website.

Again, please read Juan's post carefully. I think it might have been slightly misinterpreted: My search is over!

Thanks all for your understanding.