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The stack exchange sites are for asking and answering questions. But I'd like to find a non-abusive way of using them to promote my work (character sheets for 3.5 and Pathfinder) that I honestly believe will be of use to people.

I suppose I could ask a fake question in order to answer it, but that seems like a dangerous way to operate. I certainly don't want to start abusing the system - like all of you, I want this site to be a success. And there's no money for advertising - they're free and open source.

Is there a valid way, or should I let it go?

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  • \$\begingroup\$ I've now spent some time looking your character sheets over. WOW! they are concise and well designed. I wish I had had one for my 3.5 sorcerer! \$\endgroup\$
    – yhw42
    Commented Nov 13, 2010 at 20:06
  • \$\begingroup\$ Thank you. I do believe I've taken care of point one: it's a good product. :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Marcus Downing
    Commented Nov 14, 2010 at 0:06

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First off, make sure it's a good product. :)

If it applies directly to the question, include it. If people agree with you, they'll vote it up.

Add links to your stuff from your user profile page. When people become impressed with your answers, especially in the and tagged questions, they'll check it out. I would.

List the site in your material. Then, when your users show up to ask their questions, answer them. That's the best way to make it work.

And promote the site as much as you can.

Don't create fake questions. Don't force your products into your answers.

From the FAQ:

May I promote products I am affiliated with here?

Be careful, because the community frowns on overt self-promotion and tends to vote it down and flag it as spam. Post good, relevant answers, and if they happen to be about your product, so be it. However, you must disclose your affiliation with the product in your answers. Also, if a huge percentage of your posts include a mention of your product, you're clearly here for the wrong reasons. Our advertising rates are quite reasonable; contact our ad sales team for details. We also offer free vote-based advertising for open source projects.

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  • 1
    \$\begingroup\$ "List the site in your material. Then, when your users show up to ask their questions, answer them. That's the best way to make it work." That sounds like a nice idea, but I think questions about my character sheets would be seen by most people here as way too specific for the site. The main discussion points for them are at Giant in the Playground, and at the official message boards for Paizo and Wizards of the Coast. \$\endgroup\$
    – Marcus Downing
    Commented Nov 14, 2010 at 0:12
  • \$\begingroup\$ @Marcus: I agree. That paragraph is the least applicable to your situation after a reread. I hadn't looked too closely at your sheets at the time. I was answering the more general question in your title. Maybe I should remove those lines... \$\endgroup\$
    – yhw42
    Commented Nov 14, 2010 at 0:36
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    \$\begingroup\$ They might still be relevant to others in a similar situation. \$\endgroup\$
    – Marcus Downing
    Commented Nov 14, 2010 at 0:48
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    \$\begingroup\$ @Marcus We get some really specific questions here already. I don't think questions about your sheets from users thereof would be out of place at all. \$\endgroup\$
    – SevenSidedDie
    Commented Nov 15, 2010 at 17:50
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    \$\begingroup\$ Thank you. I'll try and drop links in relevant places, while making sure not to spawn artificial questions. We want grassroots, not astroturf :) \$\endgroup\$
    – Marcus Downing
    Commented Nov 16, 2010 at 0:14
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    \$\begingroup\$ The phrasing "And promote the site as much as you can." rubs me the wrong way, but the rest of the answer seems like good advice. Something like "Promote the site where relevant" seems more appropriate to me. \$\endgroup\$
    – V2Blast Mod
    Commented Jun 27, 2019 at 7:32

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