Can you spare a little time helping feed back on a new blog we’re launching?

wildincrawley

Not much there, 1 or 2 posts every month, nothing for June so as some of the supermarkets change deals every 3 weeks, I would assume most of the deals are gone anyway? Or did I miss the point somewhere?

Similar (but different) to what malebulge said, I would prefer a thread that collects all the shopping deals in 1 place, for example, there must be 3 or 4 different threads which include opportunities for savings in Mr T. How about collecting those in 1 place so when I go to T, I can just click in 1 place and see all the things to look out for? Then when I come home, I have just 1 place to post anything good I found.

montymud

wildincrawley wrote: »

Similar (but different) to what malebulge said, I would prefer a thread that collects all the shopping deals in 1 place, for example, there must be 3 or 4 different threads which include opportunities for savings in Mr T. How about collecting those in 1 place so when I go to T, I can just click in 1 place and see all the things to look out for? Then when I come home, I have just 1 place to post anything good I found.

See - now THAT's a good idea. Let Malebulge and wildincrawley do a blog.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Thanks for your feedback so far everyone.

Any more thoughts on the content of the blog itself?

autumngirl

Sorry but I don't really see the point of the new blog, as it stands. As others have said, Charlotte's blog just seems to be a rehash of deals which others have already found and posted about on the main forums of the MSE site, especially the Grabbit board (without crediting the original poster, something which definitely ruffles feathers in this type of sharing community.) Honestly I don't think the blog offers regular MSE forumites anything new which they wouldn't already stumble across, in terms of deals.

So is the new blog intended to be read in addition to the content already on MSE (i.e. to complement the forums and weekly email etc)? Or are you simply setting up the new blog in an attempt to draw new users to the site?

I spend a lot of time reading brilliant blogs (and viewing vlogs), some of which are based on moneysaving. They all offer something extra though, rather than simply repeating any deals which are already well publicised - be it via a witty style of writing, inspirational photography or aspirational design. At the moment though I don't think Charlotte's blog is interesting enough, either visually or content-wise, to offer MSE users an enhanced experience alongside the rest of the MSE site without looking like the poor relation.

One thing I especially love about blogs is being able to read short magazine style features. This could work really well with Charlotte's blog - i.e. the more editorial aspect of 'adding a bit of meat' to the bare bones of a deal - it just needs a bit more thought about how to genuinely add interest without padding out a few deals for the sake of it or appearing patronising.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Hi everyone

Just in case you haven't seen it we've added a new blog on there: Disney's Frozen items for £1

montymud

Honestly, I'm starting to get irritated with the blog now. Why is this not on the grabbit board? Please don't try to force traffic to the blog. Forgive me if this is on the grabbit board, I did a search - couldn't find it and if it's not then this is really bad practice posting it on the blog without posting it on the grabbit board. Kind of feels like mods are trying to scr** over members just to get interest in something that, quite frankly, we are not interested in and we have already expressed this.

Think of it this way - if one of us finds it then we will happily post to the grabbit board for everyone to enjoy - including admin BUT if one of the admin involved in the Blog found it then they would only post it there for only the people that visit the blog to enjoy?

I am not trying to be argumentative but I just think this is all bad practice and needs to be nipped in the bud.

malebolge

Like montymud, I'm getting a bit irritated by the blog. Most of the Frozen bargains were posted a full 4 days before a 'new' blog entry suggested they were finds by the blogger. I presume that MSE's deal hunter does not read the Grabbit board or she'd have seen that posters lubee10 and sumoqueen posted about Frozen items in Poundland on 19/6. And these posters should have been credited.
This is the essence of what is wrong with the main part of the blog - all it has done is write about a few of the grabbits that have already been posted.
I think what really annoys me is the way in which the blogger writes as if the finds and glitches are new and all down to her clever shopping habits. Tbh, I could have done the same, without ever leaving the house.
I do feel a bit bad because I'm being so negative, so I'll try to put my positive head on and think of some more constructive ideas.

montymud

Agreed^ I'm going to have a good look over it tomorrow and will report back with the positives.

Totality

If it ain't broke...

I come here mainly for the grabbits. I like the look of the blog, but I'd prefer to read a couple of lines from a FM telling me what the offer is and where, rather than a blog entry detailing the offer.

Plus are blog entries going to be around the clock like FMs posts are?

I get how this would benefit the website (extra visitors and in turn more revenue), but don't get how this benefits FMs...

Former_MSE_Andrea

Thanks for the feedback so far. We're happy to hear any constructive feedback so please keep it coming.

The blog is about flagging up and highlighting everything that's good about MSE, including your finds, and sharing them with a bigger audience of people who may not have time or want to read the Forum.

If Forum users have posted the info first we plan to credit you, much like we credit forum users in our news stories when we can.

Like on other areas of the main site and weekly email, though, sometimes our Team finds or hears about a glitch, deal or offer some time before it's been posted on the Forum (we receive hundreds of press releases a day flagging offers up, sometimes well before they're in the public domain).

As the Team spends time researching, talking to press offices and writing articles up a site user may spot an offer in the meantime and post it on the Forum before our info's gone live on MSE or in our weekly email.

Even if that happens we try to use the forum user's post where possible eg in the case of the quick forum tips in our weekly email.

For those our MSE Badger gives out badges e.g., the I've been MoneyTipped badge we gave to Pun for the Free Gold from Flora. We'd love to give some badges out for contributions to the Deals Hunter blog.