OK - I'm getting in late on this discussion, but as one who occasionally walks the "self-promotion" line at Mudcat I wanted to put in my two cents.

I sometimes post info about my projects or ventures here because I have friends here who may have an interest. While it may appear to some as self promotion, the cold, hard truth is that Mudcat promotional activity will not lead to much, if any commercial gain. I don't mean to belittle Mudcat - I'm a regular here and occasional poster, I love the place, but it ain't even close to any way of making money (and that is by Max's design - and to my liking). It is a community of like minded, folk oriented people, sharing information, research and opinions. That is its value. If I want to make a commercially viable promotion, I'll use a very very different approach, and different site/s.