Just out of interest...

[NetworkGuy]

... does MNHQ ever post somewhere to say they've been approached by < media | researchers | polling firm > and given them the OK to contact certain forum users ?

Only ask because of a PM sent to me (twice actually) today.

Admittedly it offers an incentive for taking part but as it's in London the travel cost (from Merseyside) would exceed the amount they propose paying anyway.

I'm not unduly bothered, or angry, but they are wasting their time if they are assuming random strangers are within an hour's journey time of Chiswick, and thus might be interested.

(OK, not a 'random stranger' - the person saw I had shown interest in some technology and therefore invited me to assist them...)

If MNHQ does give a stamp of approval somewhere that'd be interesting to know, and the sort of thing which any 'approved' business representative should be required to link to in their initial correspondence, so there's simple proof they're not doing this off their own bat, ignoring the Private Message comment about journalists etc needing permission.

[DorsetKnob]

No they don't, you need to report them.

[HelenMumsnet]

Yep. Please report them - it's against our site rules for journos or researchers to contact MNers by PM. It says so quite clearly at the top of everyone's inbox.

[NetworkGuy]

So is it always a 'No' if asked ?

It was following some thread on a very specific topic, so would your approach always be to send our messages from MNHQ on behalf of some researcher ?

[NetworkGuy]

$Deity I wish we could edit typos!

s/send our messages/send out messages/

[nannynick]

I got the same PM a few days ago, haven't had any since. The incentive isn't enough to make me go to Chiswick and I'm within travel distance of there.

The same poster also put requests on a couple of message threads, which got reported.