Competitions Time End Dates

hamster

You have to remember MSE is like Microsoft. They decide what you want and what you need. No amount of protesting or complaining will make any difference because they simply don't care or listen. You accept what MSE forces on you or go elsewhere.

We have already lost a number of regular posters due to rules being imposed which often make it a nightmare working out where a comp goes and all the bits of additional info required. I am reluctant to post any comp which goes beyond "enter once" and "wait for a fixed end date".

MSE will not listen or reverse what they have decided is right, The only way to combat this change would be to refuse to use the new end date, (mark it unknown or put 31/12 for every comp), and to refuse to stop putting the end date in the competition posts.

We may need to come up with a new format such as:

END 02 FEB ...........

or something similar that will get round MSE forcing us to stop using the established format


It's unlikely, but MSE might eventually take notice and stop trying to muck about with the comps forum imposing unwanted and useless features on us.

thingamaBob

cistolic wrote: »

I do not use the sort by date button, I comp as they are posted and if I get behind I bookmark the page that I am on and do a quick visual of first few pages.

Yes, bolder style end date will help but in my opinion it worked perfectly as it was if you followed the instructions on how to search at the bottom of the page so, what is the reasoning behind the change?

The reason behind the change stems from when one of the MSE staff posted asking if such a change would be useful and the majority of responses suggested that it would. Unfortunately, this did not take account of the vast majority who do not read the discussion threads and knew nothing about it and the opinions given didn't give a clear enough indication of what actually was wanted. The result was the new End Date box.

softpad

hamster wrote: »

You have to remember MSE is like Microsoft. They decide what you want and what you need. No amount of protesting or complaining will make any difference because they simply don't care or listen. You accept what MSE forces on you or go elsewhere.

We have already lost a number of regular posters due to rules being imposed which often make it a nightmare working out where a comp goes and all the bits of additional info required. I am reluctant to post any comp which goes beyond "enter once" and "wait for a fixed end date".

MSE will not listen or reverse what they have decided is right, The only way to combat this change would be to refuse to use the new end date, (mark it unknown or put 31/12 for every comp), and to refuse to stop putting the end date in the competition posts.

We may need to come up with a new format such as:

END 02 FEB ...........

or something similar that will get round MSE forcing us stop using the established format


It's unlikely, but MSE might eventually take notice and stop trying to muck about with the comps forum imposing unwanted and useless features on us.

I like that new format date idea

fire**fly

there was a big thread about it a while back, if this helps

08-11-2012
New! Competition end dates posting(1 2 3 ... Last Page)

.

cistolic

thingamaBob wrote: »

The reason behind the change stems from when one of the MSE staff posted asking if such a change would be useful and the majority of responses suggested that it would. Unfortunately, this did not take account of the vast majority who do not read the discussion threads and knew nothing about it and the opinions given didn't give a clear enough indication of what actually was wanted. The result was the new End Date box.

I sincerely hope that they read this thread and take note of the feedback. It is inevitable that changes have to be made to improve the workings of any site but this is change for change sake. Even the most prolific users who have the ability to find ways to make the board easy for us to use with their helpful advice are giving negative feedback.

bargainhuntergal

I think part of the problem is that it always feels as though we're asked whether something would be good, and lots of valid opinions are aired, but hardly ever does anyone from MSE come back and acknowledge those opinions and work with us to find a way that will work, it's we'll implement something and that's that, so it feels like we're not being listened to.

This certainly seems the case this time otherwise we'd have had the change back to allow the end dates in the title as they were and let both systems work together, as it's fairly obvious that it helps a LOT of people, but apart from taking slightly longer to post and using more of the characters allowed for the title, there are very few reasons not to allow this to happen.

The longer this goes on, the more work someone will have to do to either add the end date to the title to all of them that don't have it, or to change all of the Unknown end dates to actual dates, as at the moment, we have two end date systems, but neither are working as they should, where as BOTH could work if we were allowed both to stay.

Edit to add: I know that it takes time to implement changes and to work out code to do these things, but when it's so quite obviously not working for so many people and the board looks such a total mess at the moment, something really needs to change, if that's back to how it was for a short time while a better system is worked on then that's surely what should happen rather than struggling along as we are?

cistolic

fire**fly wrote: »

there was a big thread about it a while back, if this helps

08-11-2012
New! Competition end dates posting(1 2 3 ... Last Page)

.

It was decided on a 12 page long thread then, hardly a majority decision. This thread in one afternoon is 13 pages long

fnc63

hamster wrote: »

We may need to come up with a new format such as:

END 02 FEB ...........

or something similar that will get round MSE forcing us to stop using the established format
.

i see the wonderful thanked 10 MILLION times Lakshmi7 has already implemented their preferred method of posting

Win Ends 07/03 A Bouquet Of Flowers

whick would seem we are [currently] allowed/able to post such detail

i think the 'win' at the start is unnecessary, but with 'Ends' and then the date it would be much more clearer so it would be like

Ends 07/03 A Bouquet Of Flowers

anyway thats what i shall do as it gets it back closest to how things were and will also rectify ALL the problems in posts 71 & 76 & 78 :j

imajica37

I just wanted to post to also say that I don't like this change.

As I don't have time to enter all comps that are posted every day I just bookmark all the ones I want to enter. I then sort them by title so that I can enter them in order, starting from the ones ending that day.

From what I have read this is now going to be impossible.

If people like the new way of searching then fine, but why stop poster being able to put the end date in the title? This is something that so many people find useful I don't see any reason to force them to stop.

Also it is going to get very confusing if you can't put the end date in the total and can still put unknown as an end date!

If you look at this comp how can you tell when it ends?

Win a bracelet (TW)
End: Unknown
*KatieL*

THis is going to be awful

twotimes

Next you'll be banning us from putting the prize in the title!

Crazy