Can We Revisit the Recommendation Rules for VoIP Providers?

Hey everyone,

I’ve noticed that many valuable threads in r/voip get cluttered with deleted comments due to the rule against recommending businesses, services, or products outside of the monthly sticky thread. While I understand why the rule was put in place, I think it might be time to reconsider, especially in the interest of more balanced discussions.

Full transparency—I’m the CEO of Telnyx, but this post isn’t about promoting our business. I’m advocating for more balanced conversation, where both positive and negative feedback on VoIP providers can be shared. Currently, negative reviews and complaints are allowed, but positive recommendations are restricted to a single monthly thread, which skews the discussion towards only highlighting the bad experiences. This isn't a fair or complete representation of the VoIP space.

If we look at r/MSP, the approach there is different, and it works well. Here’s what their rules say:

• Vendor participation is encouraged, and feedback is considered invaluable, though promotions are kept to a dedicated thread.
• MSPs are directed to r/voip for VoIP-related questions, which emphasizes how this sub could play a crucial role in open VoIP discussions.

That subreddit strikes a balance by encouraging vendor participation while managing promotions through specific threads. It allows for a richer discourse where the good and the bad get equal attention. However, here on r/voip, the current restriction leaves a lot of important insights—especially positive experiences—out of the conversation.

I’m not suggesting a free-for-all with endless recommendations, but I do think opening up the conversation more broadly, outside of just the monthly sticky, would be a huge benefit to everyone involved. It could lead to more informed decisions and better transparency across the board.

What do you all think? Should we adopt a more balanced approach like r/MSP does with vendor participation, while still maintaining appropriate boundaries?

TL;DR: I’m the CEO of Telnyx, advocating for fair discussions. r/MSP allows open feedback, directing VoIP questions here. Should r/voip relax its restrictions to foster more balanced, open dialogue?