When is it appropriate to mention a name such as a manufacturer, a subsidiary company or a product in the UBC forums? What kind of guidelines should we abide by when a subject comes up in which one of us uses a company, a trade name or a product as a reference in our posts? An over the counter insecticide should not be much of an issue but a restricted use pesticide certainly can be a major problem area I would think, as an example. If someone were to write about the virtues of using a fungicide on Maples and someone asks what products are available, what do we have clearance to do about that? The best answer is probably to keep the subject out of the UBC forum to start with or use the UBC host to send messages back and forth so that other viewers are not privy to the information. I may be a slow learner but if I am to suggest a person that is growing clean Maples that I can recommend to others to buy from, it seems pointless in a way to have to hide that information from everyone else but I also understand the reasoning as to why it must be that way as well.
Personally I will suggest a source or product as long as I do not have a vested interest which would be considered a conflict or such. I have worked and do work at a few nurseries and I have suggested them as a source of some products/plants if web posters ask for that information. As for chemical information, I hesitate to suggest their use without delving into other options first and thoroughly. Suppliers and product manufacturers should not post information unless they sponsor the site directly, private messages to the question poster may be acceptable if the information is in good faith and not as blatant advertising or harrassment. If in doubt, email Daniel and see if there is a specific statement about the protocol for these situations on the UBC board.
I'm deliberating about some of the issues raised, and will answer more fully in the near future. At UBC Botanical Garden, we don't recommend the use of pesticides in very many circumstances (if any), preferring the modern-yet-ancient practices of integrated pest management and the "right-plant-for-the-right-place". I'm comfortable with nurseries providing an answer in response to a query of someone trying to source a plant, although the buyer must always beware (see the disclaimer ). I'm slightly less comfortable with people recommending a product, but assess these as they come up. Likely, the disclaimer needs to be tightened up a little bit in response to some of these issues. There's no way to get around the issue entirely. As you both know, even plant names are becoming commercialized (via trademarks). The site will never have any advertisers as we are a public resource and funded with public money. I can't rule out sponsors, though, as perhaps one day a foundation will lend their support to the endeavour (e.g., funding students to help research and answer questions).
In today's world and with the improved sophistication of the search engines if we were to mention a company, trade name, product or manufacturer we can pretty well bet that a keyword link to this forum will be made. I like search engines and appreciate how they've improved when there weren't any online or were in their baby stages. I've also been bitten before for something I wrote in a 3D graphics forum years ago and all I did was answer a question asked to me in which a company that was lurking in that web site was not altogether pleased with my answer. I pointed out a real gray area for them in how they deal with some of their customers. As a result of that most wonderful experience in which I felt I was right then and later learned I was quite accurate in my assessment, I learned a valuable online lesson in that none of what we may write stays solely within this forum. I cannot endorse a chemical company per say or its products, unless they are an over the counter producer, as that would be perceived by others as a conflict of interest with one of my professional duties. For me that is a "cannot do it". I'll be honest in that I want to try to limit what I may write also from now on when answering a direct question in regards to a company, a nursery product or telling someone where to go to buy their Maples. All I am offering is my own opinion and I do not want that to come back to haunt me again so I will take precautions but should I have to do things that way is essentially what I am getting at? What are our liberties when we talk about pertinent issues dealing with the growing aspects of Maples? If someone were to ask during a thread about a particular Maple cultivar, where do I go to buy one of those? What should we answer to that question because in time a question of that nature will surely crop up? What do I use as a spray for Spider Mite or Cottony Cushion Scale? I agree, we all hurt this forum with any deliberate recommendations of any product, chemical, manufacturer, trade name even to some extent a nursery to buy from. I apologize for my having a direct hand in being involved with some of these issues already. I've helped certain matters become worse and that is why I wanted to say okay, let's stop and sort this out before it can get out of hand. Jim
