Return to the common questions index
No, you shouldn’t. It’s against forum rules to ask for a design file. For more information:
8 Likes
The standard answer: “NO” I have always had a little problem with that answer. If a person is asking just to be sent a free file, I can understand it is inappropriate. I think in many cases, however, the person is actually asking if the file is available to the public, perhaps for sale. Slightly different wording of a request may be more acceptable.
3 Likes
The policy is with the policy is, I’m just the messenger. And I can see their point, the problem isn’t so much whether or not the file is free it’s just the pressure that you put on people when you ask for stuff like that.
Some people have a really hard time saying no and you shouldn’t feel pressured into doing anything that you don’t freely offer.
If you feel like the policy should be changed, reach out to support and give your feedback. It’s your forum as much as anyone else’s, and where possible policies like this should adapt to the way we as a group want to conduct ourselves.
If the policy changes I’ll definitely update my answer!
7 Likes
Another note on that, many users who do sell files will have a link to a shop in their profile page or often will state that they created it to sell and they will often point to the link in their profile page… some might advertise, which i think is also not allowed per forum rules.
4 Likes
This is a bit off topic but it’s close enough 
The rules are intentionally vague on this point (and many others). Advertising is discouraged by the culture and norms here, but the FAQ doesn’t spell it out directly.
We can infer some things that are disallowed in general by the flagging section:
If You See a Problem, Flag It
When you see bad behavior, don’t reply. It encourages the bad behavior by acknowledging it, consumes your energy, and wastes everyone’s time. Just flag it. If enough flags accrue, action will be taken, either automatically or by a stafff member.
(There’s a typo in “stafff” btw. Someone should tell @Brandon.B…)
When you flag something, you get a dropdown of categories of offenses:
- Off topic
- Spam
- Inappropriate
- Illegal
It stands to reason that these categories are “against the rules”, but they’re also quite subjective.
Take the relatively simple question of “what’s spam?” Here are some cases and my answers to illustrate the complexity.
Posting an ad on the forum? Maybe not spam if the person is a regular contributor, yes spam if it’s their first post. The regular contributor better have a good reason.
Posting 3 ads? Yes 3 ads is spam.
What about a case where someone is posting a link to their catalog design, is that spam? Yes, I don’t need to see catalog designs, that’s literally what the catalog is for.
What if someone is talking about their project but the first thing they say is “check out my Instagram/Facebook group/Personal site for even more information”. Absolutely yes it’s spam, I feel like all people are doing is pumping their site and the post they make is a thinly disguised advertisement. That being said… they also contribute to the forum by writing things up so maybe we let it slide. Context matters.
Admittedly, my personal tolerance for ads is very low, I’m not the final say on the matter. This is why we have flagging, to let GF staff arbitrate.
8 Likes
Ah, that’s what it was, spam, not ads. It’s been a while since I last thought of it. Thanks for the clarification!
4 Likes
It’s fortunately been a while since someone has had to be ….gently dissuaded… from such behavior.
10 Likes
Corrected to “staff” now.
5 Likes