Ooo, look at me, I'm de-lurking - this must mean that I feel like I have something to say..... Hi guys!!
Ecomamma, I think the members of this forum now get it - you have a forum that you want everyone to love just as much as they love every inch of this one, right? And that's cool - it's very good in fact.
However..... Due to there being many, many, many forums out there that address our 'green' way of life, the members here on Ish like to dibble & dabble and find their own loved internet spots. Speaking personally, I can't bear others to hand feed me links to other places, I much prefer to explore by myself a little, and find my own niches. I sometimes come across forums that basically contain nothing but advertising for other sites - so much so that the original topics have dried up & the members drifted away. And that's what the Ish moderators work hard to stop happening here.
I don't think that what they have asked you is unreasonable. Just think if they let everyone do the same? Then we'd just have forum topics with constant advertising & links & the threads would become hijacked, causing folk to lose interest in the site.
I like to come here for general advice & chat as & when the mood takes me, but should I need more expert guidance, then I am more than capable of using a search engine, or asking the members what sites they use - I don't need to feel as though I'm being forced to check someone's else's site out - in fact, that rather makes me run in the opposite direction - very fast!
Why not just chat on the threads, and make some friends here while you are getting your site as you want it. Then, when it's to your satisfaction, invite some of the friends that you have made to check it out then - I'm sure we'll all feel a little happier and more comfortable.
And please don't beat our mods up - we're very protective of them you see, because they do an amazing job of keeping this site safe & happy for us Ishers.
Have a nice day
Julie.