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General audio topics that don't fit into specific categories.

. . . . and here's another reason:

I post ads on AAT when I place Agon ads. I mention that in the Agon ads, and often I actually sell the item from my AAT ad. Buyers are attracted to use the ATT ad both for easy direct communication with me, and to avoid certain additional fees. Today, I got this (my response below):

----- Original Message -----
From: Audiogon Support
To: undisclosed-recipients:
Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 7:12 AM
Subject: Unauthorized Contact information in your listings.

It has come to our attention that you are including personal contact information in your recent listings. We are requiring removal of this information. To make this convenient for you, we have edited the listing on your behalf.

This policy is for the safety and security of our users, we request that conversations be kept on site. This helps us to prevent fraud by being able to stop communications once a user has been identified as fraudulent. By taking conversations offsite, you are opening yourself up to fraud, and transactions completed offsite are not eligible for any of the protections Audiogon provides.

Listings by private users may not include email addresses, links to your personal website, or personal phone numbers. If you need assistance with editing your listing, please let us know.

------------------------

Dear Audiogon:

My ad did not include:

email addresses
links to a personal website
or any phone numbers

It did include language indicating that my items were also available on other popular classified sites and/or eBay; a necessary disclaimer to prevent action against me if I sell the items elsewhere. You should know that if you read eBay ads/auctions . . . . Further, your stated reasons for this policy are specious, since you do not and cannot offer any kind of buyer or seller protection.

Audiogon is a public site which anyone can access. Therefore, I will thank you not to edit my listings in any way without notifying me beforehand, showing cause, and then allowing me to do such editing at my discretion. You have just violated my freedom of speech in a public forum, an actionable violation under the U.S. Constitution First Amendment, which allows me to say whatever I like, with the possible exception of pornography, religious belief, hate speech, or incitement to riot.

If you wish to enforce limits on what Audiogon advertisers can say, then you will have to make Audiogon a "members only" closed website, or otherwise face vigorous prosecution for violation of First Amendment rights, and for Restraint of Trade under the Interstate Commerce Act. Remember, one cannot buy items on eBay, unless one has an eBay account, which makes eBay a "members only" site. As long as Audiogon is opened to the public, please do not attempt to edit my advertisements unless they contain any of the four exceptions to First Amendment rights indicated above.

Thank you,

NSG

------------------

note: They'll probably try to ban me, in which case I'm going straight to the ACLU. Can you believe this Chutzpah?!


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