Coach Reviews in Strategy Forums

[bobbyi]

Mason, I honestly don't understand your position here. Users frequently post reviews of books, both good and bad, on the forums. If a new online cardroom appeared, reviews of it would be welcomed on the internet forum. If a new poker software product were released, reviews would be allowed in the software forum. Discussion and reviews of all manner of poker-related products and services are always permitted. Members of the forum rely on such disucssions to guide and inform their purchasing decisions and thus posts of this nature significantly enhance the value of the forums.

If reviews submitted by users are generally allowed, then why is this one in particular considered inappropriate before we've even seen it? Is it because the service being reviewed is personal coaching? I imagine not because reviews and discussions of coaching have taken place before numerous times. In fact, there is even a sticky right now in one of the strategy forums soliciting reviews of poker coaches. So even though we allow reviews of any schmo who calls himself a coach, this one review is inappropriate because the coach happens to be someone who after publishing some of the finest poker books ever written and making inumerable contributions to the game co-authored one book that had some questionable advice? I think this should be an open and honest discussion. The poster should be permitted to post his review and anyone who wants to is free to respond and give whatever critisms they want of Mr. Ciaffone. From past Ciaffone-related threads on this forum, I don't think there is reason to be concerned that there will be any shortage of bashers crawling out of the woodwork to share their opinions.

[bicyclekick]

I think bobbyi has a good point. Anyone who calls themself a coach can get posted in a sticky in the mhush forum and not allowing a review of ciafone would be kind of not-standard for how the forum is sometimes used.

And maybe the guy will say he wasn't all that impressed with his limit holdem advice anyhow.

[Mason Malmuth]

Hi bobbyi:

I think you're probably right. What I want to avoid here is an advertisement for Bob Ciaffone or a Ciaffone bashing thread. Perhaps the answer is to tell the reviewer that he needs to stick to the facts of the actual coaching and not to introduce any possible advertising information such as how much it costs or how many lessons someone typically needs.

best wishes,
Mason