Tinfriend I don't understand what the big deal is if the design is free. If it's free isn't okay for everyone and anyone to get. If these sites don't want you to share a free design then don't post a free design. If you pay them I believe it's a different story. It think it's crazy banning people over free designs.

No - Rules are Rules! If it is a Hunt on the site you are NOT allowed to post a DIRECT LINK to where the actual Design is LOCATED AT ALL!

You can POST that the Site is having a HUNT and Post where the info is - usually on the Home Page - BUT THAT IS ALL!!

NO HINTS EVEN when people ask! Direct them to the Site or Yahoo Group where there are usually messages posted from the Owner answering THOSE questions already asked from members of her website / Group!

The Owners doing a HUNT would like you to view all their designs on their websites - that way you may find something you like and purchase it! They take a lot of their time providing FREE designs for everyone to just DL and leave without ever browsing thru their website!!! It is the least a person can do!!

The reason I was banned BUT then un-banned was I posted a link to advertise a Hunt - the owner THOUGHT I had posted a link to the designs , which I didn't although someone else here @ Cute did!

Perhaps she thought EVERYONE was involved - I don't know, BUT when I directed her to READ ALL my posting at Cute and explained that I DON'T do that - I was un-banned! I did the same to another Owner who I thought understood and that all was sorted out - but up until today I am STILL Banned! But that is her choice!

I think that this WHOLE ISSUE is so unfair because now a few other YAHOO GROUPS have also BANNED me - they NEVER advised me - I just see that I am no longer a member of the Yahoo Groups! THEY never had Hunts, I never did anything to harm their Groups so now they just follow suit and BAN me too without any reason!

SO I get judged for something I have not done - I feel like a criminal YET I am innocent! I feel that it is so unfair, their prerogative I know, BUT is it not courteous to let a person know you have been BANNED and the REASON WHY????

Flowers for you all! Thanks for mine!
~S~

I feel the same way you guys feel *4u

I'm standing squarely with TinFriend in support, and want to say that I agree with her comments. I would hope everyone would take the time to really understand what is being said here. If you had ever had your own business, you would know how expensive & time-consuming it is. I have run my own business, and I speak from personal experience. There is an old saying, "There is no such thing as a free lunch." Well, there is no such thing as a free design, either. SOMEONE is paying for it, it's just not you--it's the designer. If she asks you to go thru a few pages of designs to find it, I think that is not too heavy a burden to place on your shoulders. If you don't "have time", then you don't have time to sew either, and you don't have time to spend all day on Cute. With apologies to Tubby, most of these designers are women, WE are mostly women, how about sticking together instead of cutting each other's throats? These women, like Yoriko and Ricky, have taken a risk in opening a business and starting a website. We know Yoriko & Ricky, because they're part of our Community. Why not think of the other designers out there in the same way? They're women like us, trying to make a living in these perilous times! They're just like you, have the same rising costs and dwindling income. Have you noticed how many sales are going on in embroidery now, and how deep the discounts? That's because any money is better than no money, and they have to pay the bills for those web sites. How about a little respect for our sisters out there trying to support families by providing you with designs for your hobby or business. Those direct links to hunts are poison. It would be like giving a key to your store to someone to pick up a set of monogrammed towels after hours, because she couldn't make it during the day. They she turns around and gives the key to 20 of her friends, and they come after hours to take sets of monogrammed towels off your shelves without paying for them, and without you being there to possibly interest them in purchasing some of your embroidered aprons, tote bags, purses, t-shirts. They sneak in after midnight, so they don't have to be bothered with you trying to 'sell' them something. Your 20 sets of promotional towels that you spent $500 on are gone, and you've never even seen a single customer! Just how good would you feel about that? And how would you feel about the lady you trusted with the key to your store? Food for thought, put yourself in someone else's shoes. This isn't a 'no big deal' matter, it's a bedrock, foundational matter. Your attitude about this seemingly small thing reflects your attitude toward larger things, how you live your life. For those of you who speak 'christian' so glibly, if He had an embroidery machine, What Would Jesus Do?
Please think, and respect digitisers as businesswomen, and sisters. Thank you, Marji

Go thru some of those pages on those sites to get their free design. You might be surprised at what you find. I bought a membership to one because I was looking for their free one. They had some designs & projects that I had been looking for, for quite awhile. And thank- you tinfriend for your postings, I can spend more time sewing instead of checking all those sites myself.

Thank you "Tinfriend" for bringing this up. It is very important for those of us who are "freebie" hunters to respect the site owners and not be "snatch and run 'down loaders/free loaders.'" Posting direct links in a hunt is "snatch and run" and extremely disrespectful of the site owner.

As "marjialexia" and "mops" pointed out, it costs money for a digitizer to post "freebies." So, "free is not free." Those free designs are out there to help us make informed choices about buying from a site, they are not our 'RIGHT' because we happen to visit a web site. Free designs are not our 'payment' for spending hours surfing and trying to pull in as many freebies as we possibly can.

Here is a thought to ponder...it was suggested at another site that if we downloaded a free design, we should test it out. Then, if the quality is good, go back a buy something from the site owner, even if it is just a token purchase. That helps keep that site open for future purchases.