ORD Camp’s “No Pitching” rule

We want the ORD Camp community to engage in meaningful discussion. That means our mailing list and Slack workspace can’t also serve as billboards to market services, solicit donations, or ask for signal-boosting.

  • If you think that your message might possibly qualify as a pitch, run it past us first at pitches@ordcamp.com.

    Huge thanks to everyone who has contacted us thus far!  
  • Please send us the message you would have posted to the list/Slack, and not just an overview of what it would be.
  • Be sure to disclose any relationship, financial or otherwise, you have with whatever you’re sharing.

Bottom line:If you post a pitch without first clearing it with us, we will remove you from the list/Slack for some period of time.

For details and examples, read on:

What counts as a pitch?

In general, ask yourself: “Why am I sharing this here, now? Is this something special for the ORD Camp community, or am I just treating the community as a means to an end?”

Please remember that ORD Camp is a private community and we are here to help each other.

That said, the ORD Camp community is not a resource or a tool that you are meant to “share” with others. Nor should you use it for your personal gain (money, fame, or otherwise).

For example, it’s most certainly a pitch if:

  • You’ll earn money from it.  This includes Patreons, personal shops, and your (or your company’s) services.  Doubly so if you’ve just launched your latest company/app and you’re just trying to get the word out.
  • It’s a fundraiser. Even if you’re not the direct beneficiary.
  • Your post is a block of ad copy that you’ve copy/pasted from your materials.
  • It’s thinly-veiled brand-building, ranging from “offering a free event that’s really a loss-leader for your company” to “crafting posts just for the sake of mentioning your business.” 
  • It’s a request for a signal boost.  Are you “passing this along for a friend,” or  asking the ORD Camp community to “share this with your networks?”
  • You’re adding ORD Camp community members to your company mailing list, without their permission.  Besides being rude, this is also against most mailing list providers’ Terms of Service (TOS).

In general, ask yourself: “Why am I sharing this here, now? Is this something special for the ORD Camp community, or am I just treating the community as a means to an end?”

We know a lot of ORD Campers run businesses, and we respect the hustle, but … ORD Camp isn’t a marketing target or revenue source.

What is not a pitch?

  • “I’d like to share a job posting for my own company.” → Please start the message subject with “#JOBPOSTING” and you’re good to go.
  • “Someone just posted a question to the list, and it’s one my company can solve.” →  Feel free to respond that your company can help.  And then, move the conversation off-list.
  • “I’m hosting an ORD Camp community event.”  → Go ahead and share this on the mailing list and Slack.

Are there any exceptions?

Yes, and we’re glad you asked! We’ve made a small exception, specifically, several Slack channels that you can optionally join where it’s OK to share specific types of pitches:

  • #p-IMadeThis: Share things that you’ve made or created, even if they’re for sale
  • #p-CheckThisThingOut: Look at this thing that you can join/buy/donate to
  • #p-ForSaleOrHire: I’m selling something or available to be hired for work
  • #p-jobpostings: The former #jobs channel, used for posting available positions

As always, please be thoughtful about what you share and limit these kinds of pitches to only these Slack channels

I have additional questions. / Is my message a pitch?

Even with the examples above, you may have trouble discerning whether your message would count as a pitch.  That’s fine!  

Please contact pitches@ordcamp.com and include the full message text (not just a description thereof) and we’ll let you know.

Thank you,
Your Friendly ORD Camp Pitches Committee