Guest post requests/offers
I am wondering if it will be a good idea to make a sticky thread for all guest post offers and requests and disallow creation of seperate threads for the same.
Otherwise this is becoming an avenue for self promotion.
Guest blogging category added! 
http://www.indiblogger.in/forum/topic.php?id=15725
About the giveaways category - if we do include one, should we hide those threads from the main page? I foresee spammy affiliate links coming up, being disguised as giveaways and "special, exclusive discounts". 
It looks like we need a set of guidelines specific to each category.
Hiding giveaway threads will defeat the purpose. Many people do not even know that there exists a general category, and so threads filed under that category do not receive any attention. Giveaway threads will face a similar situation if they are hidden from the main page.
And taking advantage of giveaway threads to promote affiliate links cannot be ruled out. Deciding whether a giveaway thread can be accepted or not should be done on a case by case basis after the thread is created. It can take time before a spammy thread is deleted and certain people may be clever enough to create multiple threads in a short span of time. To deal with such situations, you can place a limit on the number of giveaway threads that can be created by a person in a certain time frame. Also, the number of giveaway threads visible on the main page can be limited to a certain number. Or better still, when a thread is filed under the Giveaway category, it should be stay hidden on the main page until a moderator approves it. Once approved, the thread can be displayed on the main forum page also. Since, it is all about experimenting, if you are interested in creating the category, go ahead and watch how things happen. Based on that, decisions can be taken.
Coming to guidelines, we can have them but not many will be interested in reading them. 
IndiPolice can use their intution to decide whether a thread can be accepted or not. I think that they are clever enough to do so.
Good work on including the Guest posts category, Renie.
For giveaways category, your worry about spams is not unwarranted but as Ranjith says, IndiPolice knows one when they see one. And then, we are also here to help as and when we can. I feel, it can be be given a chance for a few months to see how things go.
Few suggestions for Giveaway category threads:
The ‘Giveaway’ should be clearly mentioned in the thread as also the end date of the giveaway. This will help people decide whether or not they would like to check the particular link and will also give details if the giveaway is still active.
In the giveaway category, threads should always be listed by recentness of creation and not by replies or activity. This will ensure that dead giveaways are always buried down to make way for the newer ones.
I also feel that such threads should be visible on the home page. Is it possible that when a blogger clicks on such a thread, we have a tiny winy box popping up saying – To see more Giveaways, click here. That click here will take the interested blogger to the 'Giveaways category' page thus giving us 2 benefits –
1. Interested people will come to know that such a page exists and will check out more threads there.
2. The giveaway category page will remain active in the long run.
threads should always be listed by recentness of creation and not by replies or activity
I think that greater number of replies indicates a better giveaway in which people are interested. To ensure that expired giveaway threads do not surface again and again, those threads related to expired giveaways should not be shown on the main forum page even if someone posts a reply.
Liked the 'To see more giveaways, click here' idea.
Thanks, Ranjith.
And, I have one more suggestion especially designed for you:
Is it possible for you to create a tick-tock kind of software such that it can be embedded across all threads in the giveaway category? This will help us in keeping track of all the expiry dates of giveaways and lock them automatically as soon as the clock strikes 0. 
Let me tag Renie.
tagging = contacting / sending a mail
I remember someone else asking a similar question in the past...
Till now, I thought that tagging is the same as sending a mail. 
Learnt a new thing today. Thanks DS!
Tagging has one advantage over normail mailing to the Indi Team....i.e. quick reply guaranted....
The thing with pinning such threads is that once they start getting older, replies start getting buried under a heap and people lose interest due to which the thread loses its sheen eventually. That is one main reason I would also go for separate threads initiated by the person looking out to do / for guest posts (as also suggested by Ranjith) for better visibility and easy tracking.
Perhaps, it's time the IndiForum saw some more categories included in its bag. 'Guest posts' and 'Giveaways' can be included as separate category sections in the forum as they are two prominent arms of blogging and beneficial to the larger community base (in general) but here, they still stand a chance of passing away as spams. Same applies for IndiContests. Additions like these will be really helpful to everyone (especially to a new blogger who has just started out in Indi), I think, and can also further increase the activity of this place in a good and healthy way.
... But as you said, these categories may be helpful to new comers.
Ah! We had a discussion about promoting books earlier. maybe that could also be an additional category. Btw, if all threads get listed on recency in the forum instead of being filtered also by Category, they would have a better chance of visibility - and it would be possible to keep the rest of the forum threads clean of links.
One problem, of course, with listing all threads is that review and promotion threads may drown out other threads by sheer volume :) So, maybe, three windows on the Forum instead of the current two? :)
Three windows ? - - -
Or, maybe we can have just the same two existing windows but limit the threads from the new categories that would be displayed in the 'Recent Threads' list to a maximum of five or ten. This way, other topics do not get drowned.
But still, what is the real purpose of the new categories? Does it make any difference if such promotional threads would be added under the existing categories instead of new ones?
@Ranjith I feel categories help give clarity and also maintain an order in the forum.
Like say for ex. -
Today I file my giveaway thread (or guest post thread) in 'Content and Inspiration'. Tomorrow some other person files it under 'IndiBlogger.in' questions or any other category. A few days later, when a third person comes looking for threads specifically related to giveaways or guest posts, (s)he manages to find none because all these threads in 'Recent listings' have now gotten buried even though the thread's content is actually active. Loss for all the bloggers involved, right?
Now if there was a dedicated category: Interested blogger could have directly clicked on it and then, have access to all the relevant threads (guest post threads / giveaway threads) in one place. In the general categories, they get scattered all around and that makes searching difficult.
One more point is that, without the categories, the whole thing looks a little ambiguous right now. People are not sure whether they are even allowed to start such a thing or will it be considered as spam (the same was the case with me). A dedicated category can help to check this obscurity out.
@CS About visibility: I like your 3 columns idea as also Ranjith's idea, both sound good :) I like the current idea too of them being hidden behind just like we have the current review section. I believe, interested people will find a way as the feature will get old and gain some weight. I think, things like these have to be tried out on a trial and error basis to see what's working, what's not and how they are working best.
@ Arti Your reason for categorization sounds logical.
Now, it's time for Renie to reply to this thread!
I will add a reason for categorization. Once it is in place, if a thread is started in the wrong category, it can be locked. So, for people who are not interested in these things, the rest of the forum threads are clean.
A better idea would be to create something similar to the 'Blog Review' section where bloggers allowing guest posts can list their blogs. And bloggers should also be able to showcase their articles ( samples ) which they want to guest-post so that interested publishers ( host bloggers ) can contact them. Searching by category, IndiRank can also be another feature.
But, I'm not sure if this would be successful and it involes a great deal of work from IB.
Exactly!
Right indeed.....I was thinking in the pretty same way.....
I agree with you!
Aye - A call for a new "pinned' thread is a good idea
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