One might say that you released a nest of hornets...
Take a franchise with AngloMisinfo? That would be like rats joining a sinking ship! Even paid advertisers have been posting recently saying how they will not be renewing because it has gone downhill after the latest site "upgrade". Take no notice of their claimed membership numbers. They are not reduced when people leave or are banned. I'm in full agreement with Sandra Chubb's comments above about its usefulness for private advertising. I have bought and sold very successfully over the years but in a way the new look site has even killed this off. And, as it was mentioned above, humour is specifically forbidden in their "terms and conditions" and anyone trying to be funny is deleted quickly.
*wipes tears of laughter away at "Brittany & Guilds"*
If there is one thing I cannot stand, it's overly robust censorship.
Personal attacks and insults< won't tolerate them
Opposing opinions< welcome them with glee
Surely the only way we understand what goes on in our own heads is when confronted with diametric opinions? Or am I missing something enormous here....
Thanks for the heads up.
Thanks guys, good to get views from those of you who have been around. Jeeze I'm glad I found this group.
Pahahahaaaaaa. That is all.
;)
Oh go on, try :P
Haha, yup, think I got it!
:D
I find that AI's rigid adherence to their geographical areas is very frustrating. Where we live (at the bottom of 17) we can almost walk to Charente and Dordogne is only a few minutes away but AI Dordogne cannot accept advertising for an event here while they can in Bordeaux which is an hour further on. Their rules are too inflexible.
*Being unbiased here*
Years ago when there weren't any alternatives, it was a good source of info. It has now had it's day. And that is apart from agreeing with all the other comments posted below (just love the "Brittany and Guilds" ref. - I might have to pinch that Martin!)
I'd be very wary personally about putting any dosh into something like that. And no, I'm not going to try to sell you an SFN franchise instead :)
First time I've seen it after reading your post. The ads in my area are not very interesting. Good luck!
I have to say that buying and selling of items on AI has been very good news for me. I had loads of stuff I didn't need once I'd sorted out my belongings and needed lots of things too. Anglo Info has been a good source of items for me - also animals. The discussion postings do get heavily censored.
Firstly, yes i agree with the above, if you arenât part of the âclickâ and actually know what youâre talking about then youâve no chance on there.
Iâve had posts removed, been blocked, been banned for saying exactly the same as someone else, yet they stayed.
You cannot express an opinion, idea, or thought, especially if you have a qualification higher than a âBrittany & Guildsâ
It is a site that has an open forum that excludes any kind of debate, disagreement, slightly passé point of view, probably humour and is quick to warn people and suspend them if they think anything is at all any of the above. Before I was told about SFN and joined I used it and was warned about an opinion I expressed that was opposed to something they allowed that was entirely off this planet. Mine was removed, the other was not! I also had a suspension for suggesting that a discussion that was starting had racist implications - their rationale was that by my saying that I might have attracted overtly racist comments. Given they censor everything I cannot see how that may have happened. So my opinion, well work it out because I think I've given it away already...
If my experiences through being a member are anything to go by, I think itâs compulsory that all administrators have a âsenseofhumourectomyâ first.
Hi Lynn STONE I am new to this discussion and only found this website because I have been looking at becoming an AI Franchisee. My contact at HO is away so during this time I have asked in their absence, if they could forward me another Franchisee to speak with⊠Nothing yet⊠However, in looking for info I found this site. I was saddened by your experience with your Cat charity day as it sounded AMAZING!! AND FUN!! ( I do hope it was a great success!) If that had been my site I would gladly have posted it for you with flags and whistles. Being an animal lover working closely with charities and helping people is one of the main reasons I am attracted to the Franchisee.
I have many questions to ask HO but I am concerned about laying out a lot of money for a business where it would appear many people are unhappy with!
Also another lady wrote a comment about how much time is spent running around getting business, which I guess you would do anyway on setting up a new business. This was on the Languedoc forum.
I am in 2 minds I have to say⊠Make the jump and invest in myself to make it work with ideas and energy. But it would mean after paying out the dosh I would need to do a fare bit of running around to bring the monies in!!
Any thoughts ??
Look at all the AI regionsâ discussion pages and I think you might be horrified by the lack of input by its members. Some areas go months without anyone posting and even those who do have daily posts have a very small active membership. None of this is good news for those who advertise on the site or for those who have invested in its management.
There are some very strange people out there and they seem to find their way to
Anglo info Dordogne!
Will quantify if you so wish?
However for local information it is greatâŠask a question and you are almost
certain to get some positive helpâŠalthough some times buried amongst some very
rude and nonsensical replies.
Anglo info Dordogne seems to be the forum with the most traffic.
Not sure why?
too many brits who refuse to fully embrace france, me thinks⊠it is known as âlittle Dordogneshireâ after all.
The recently retired franchisee HAZEL-M did seems to be more interactive with her âmembersâ though which probably helped. The idiot who runs the P-C only seems intent on alienating himself.
AI is dead in the water. There are a number of very good facebook places to visit now for good bargains and of course here for more than half decent/intelligent comment and discussion 
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Not sure that I agree with you totally!
We surely have a choice when it comes to friendship and looking more deeply into the subject I feel that it could be related to a comfort zoneâŠa sense of securityâŠbelonging to a group of like minded peopleâŠperhaps?
I know one coupleâŠreally good friends from London who came here and do not associate with âEx patsâ they are totally intergrated and he speaks French just like any well spoken Frenchman and she is just behind him with her search for fluency.
We go back a long way and have interests in common.
Slightly difficult here for us as we are not from banking stock or ex teachersâŠwe are chefs who had a restaurant in London focusing on fine dining and love chic interior design and all that goes with it.
I am not an ex pat but a person who left London to find a new adventure and a life which was more natural than anything I could have in London.
Not everyone in Dordogne is an ex builder or an inspired builder and not every one has an Essex accent even if they come from Manchester.
My main problem with Ai is that the moderation is inconsistant. One minute posters can criticise a certain case where others are taken off - it seems to be linked to advertisers on the site who are protected, even when they are wrong. Ai also relies on advice posts from advertisers so the advice is skewed in their favour, therefore often incomplete & sometimes untrue!
I cannot sell items through Ai! I tried to sell one of my cars on the site but because I am a garagiste they assumed that every car I sell must be a commercial sale & must be paid for. Does this mean that a shop owner cannot sell any of his privately owned goods except though his shop? A farmer cannot advertise his Land Rover on Ai? No appeal is allowed.
As an advice medium there are other better sites.
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