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

Former_MSE_Charlotte_Deals_Hunter

Hey everyone,

Just thought i'd say hi and thanks for the feedback which we're collating and listening to.

Obviously, we're at the very early stages and its going to take a bit of time for me to find my feet - but i'm excited and optimistic that we can create a really interesting blog.

Please do keep the feedback/facebook comments coming (i'll be updating the blog as much as possible) - as it's really useful.

Thanks!

autumngirl

I agree that this latest post is much better - a useful tip on a subject I've not really come across before and I like the win-win angle of being able to save money whilst also trying to help out small businesses in a small way. I particularly liked the fact that, instead of just telling us about this technique, Charlotte actually gave her own account of her personal experience which effectively brought the tip to life.

I don't expect to learn something ground-breaking every time I read a blog post but reading about someone else's experience can really add another dimension and it's nice to 'get to know' someone a bit by getting a little glimpse into what they do and how they view things, so personal touches on blogs are great.

By the same token I enjoyed reading MSE Andrea's blog about school uniform. Instead of essentially just saying "Here's a tip - buy school uniform in larger sizes than what's actually needed and don't replace it until it's totally past it" (which, let's face it, is hardly rocket science and would be a complete waste of blog space), she relays her own personal experience - what she did, how it's worked for her and she touches on how the 'make do and mend' mentality made her feel like she's turning into her Mother (a feeling I know only too scarily well!) This personal angle and little insight into someone else's life/experience helps people relate to what's being said and adds credibility, common ground, empathy and interest.

Getting back to the Groupon post, I agree with montymud that the stock image of the woman with the phone is really awful (at least I hope it's a stock image and not a photo of someone from MSE!!!) Also the post really needs a couple of extra images to break up the text. Some people would find that amount of wordy text off-putting and wouldn't bother reading. A mix of (nice!) stock/generic images and also personally taken photos taken especially for the blog would work best. Also a few personal photos would help give this blog its own identity, so each blog post wouldn't look like just another of the main site's pages but it would still be recognisable as an official MSE 'spin-off'.

I agree with malebolge that it's very off-putting to have your full real name and potentially other personal details divulged when commenting on the blog, especially as the MSE Forums are an environment where we're used to using aliases. I only ever comment on blogs under an alias/username or my first name so for that reason I won't be posting any blog comments here but I will follow the progress of this new blog with interest and hope it lives up to its potential.

Sorry for the lengthy posts but I am genuinely very interested in blogs in general

autumngirl

Jazzy_B wrote: »

Interesting how few of us have bothered to comment, and I think the blog has improved. I know the blog is not designed for people like me who visit the forums regularly, but is this really an improvement? Since Martin sold out, many have deserted the site, and the Grabbit board used to be lightning fast. It seems a lot of the deals are now trawled from other sites, and it just all seems to be going down hill. Time for a happy pill I think

I totally agree that the Grabbit board is a shadow of its former self which is a huuuuge shame and I miss the days when it moved so fast that it was hard to keep up with it all in fear of missing all the fresh 'hot off the press' deals.....but although the Grabbits board is a very popular part of MSE, I do think that MSE is about more than just Grabbits and as such it can still outshine its competitors in other ways.

If this blog continues to improve and regularly contains posts as useful and interesting as the Groupon one then I think it can definitely add value to those who already use the MSE Forums on a regular basis.

Speaking of Grabbits, I don't think that the blog's success depends on regularly posting new and never been seen before Grabbit type deals (although some of those would be fab!) and hopefully it'll steer clear from posting about deals which are already out there on the MSE Forums unless there is some kind of additional benefit/insight/angle in which case it can definitely still be of interest the second time around.

As someone alluded to earlier in this thread though, maybe the name of the blog, "Deals Hunter", implies that the blog will always deliver fresh and unique deals which have been tracked down especially for the blog and not been seen before elsewhere on MSE? I'm assuming that that is not going to be the case but perhaps the name sets a certain expectation which might leave some readers disappointed?

Jazzy_B

autumngirl wrote: »

I totally agree that the Grabbit board is a shadow of its former self which is a huuuuge shame and I miss the days when it moved so fast that it was hard to keep up with it all in fear of missing all the fresh 'hot off the press' deals.....but although the Grabbits board is a very popular part of MSE, I do think that MSE is about more than just Grabbits and as such it can still outshine its competitors in other ways.

I agree with you about MSE being more than just Grabbits. If it was , I would have deserted it long ago, and the sharing and community feel of several of the forums are what keep me coming back. The "old style board " is brilliant, and most people are nice to people on this site,unlike others. Sadly, I think the bargain aspect is being done better now by other sites. Now back to the blog...........I liked the fact that it was admitted that it's sometimes not easy to get a better deal, but I just wouldn't have the time or energy to read another blog

Doc_N

Am I being too cynical in suggesting that this has quite a lot to do with click-through commissions under MSE's new(ish) ownership?

HUKD, where all the deals have emigrated, must be an extraordinarily lucrative site for that reason - but it isn't remotely as useful as MSE for non-bargains. Horses for courses. It also has a very different 'culture'.

So HUKD picks up all the cash, whilst MSE is the more useful site for anything beyond quick bargains. Seems a little unfair, but that's business.

If the aim of the exercise is to monetise the Grabbit board, I suppose I can understand it........;)

Former_MSE_Andrea

Thanks again!

It would be great to hear from you if you've tried out any of the tips in the blogs. Charlotte gave my kids the Frozen goodies, which they loved!

judyjetson

OK, my opinion. The lack of regular posts doesn't make me particularly want to check back - I think there's been about eight since March.

The newsletter signup? I would normally expect, on a blog, for that to be updates on the blog, but I'm guessing this is signing up for the MSE newsletter - it's not explicit and I think it should be.

It doesn't really have the feel of a personal blog yet. It's more like one of those magazine articles that's a bit too good to be true, and then you look at the top of the page and you realise it's actually a promo. This just feels like a MSE promo, especially with all the disclaimers at the bottom and the "this is a journalistic site."

I think if this is to be sucessful, there needs to be at least a couple of posts a week, otherwise it just looks like you can't be bothered - it's hardly for want of a lack of deals around, when you look at the forums.

Make the signup be for the blog, not the MSE newsletter (the MSE signup could still be there as well), so that when there's a new blog post you get it in the email. Once people start receiving the emails, they might start visiting the blog more often.

I also agree with the poster who mentioned the stock images. Are those your photos from the herbs in Tiger? It would have been nice to have seen them subsequently decanted, just as a "would you have know the difference?" type of thing.

Former_MSE_Andrea

Thanks judyjetson, some good points for Charlotte and the team to mull over.

We've published another blog today: Pimm's v Jeeves

It was a very difficult job for the MSE Team but they were magnificent

pleasedelete

What drink is in the picture because it sure aint Pimms! More stock photos? wrong colour, wrong fruits

Totality

Really can't see this taking off. I'm sure the staff are having a great time, but has anybody gone to the blog looking for a deal rather than the forum?