Let's start a guessing game. Which posters you think are vendors (and their associates) on ET? Yes, you can name yourself, if wish.
Joe Ross clearly has a web site link on his profile. Does he need to pay fees to ET? Or everyone can do the same?
Neither austinp nor proflogic has a link of personal web site on trader profile. Perhaps they should. Why not?
And to be honest Austin does not talk about his company here unless asked about it. IMO he is an ok guy. I don't know proflogic so I can't say about him.
Yes, I like the fact that Austin is clearly a vendor but makes no attempt to troll for customers. His views are worth hearing.
Baron does allow (he could change his mind about this any day) links in your profile as long as you don't direct traders to your profile or engage in conversation about your profile even though you don't mention there's a link in your profile. Those vendors that don't market themselves here at ET, don't have links in their profile, do not engage in conversation about their business (trading or non trading) here at ET nor spam and mention their business at other discussion forums... They probably are getting business via word of mouth (references), trading et cetera. (There are a few vendors here at ET that don't spam at ET but I've seen them spamming heavily at other locations) In other words, if your not trading...most likely you are spamming to compensate for the missed income. Something else...there are many ET members with free blogs (I know of at least 15 blogs as such) that have posted their links to to their blogs as part of any normal trading conversation here at EliteTrader.com without moderating from any moderators. Yet, when you go to the blogs... Trading related products are clearly being advertised either their own products, affiliations, sponsors et cetera. I guess in many ways you can call them vendors too although a few have strongly disagree. Mark