Members Area???

[Deactivated] on 15/06/2008 - 09:10

Given that there have been a number of criticisms about information being shared publicly on this site eg citibank, would having a private area be appropriate.

As there are no sign up restrictions, its not like having a secret area, its just meaning that the information shared is not available for all to see unless they "wish' to.

As well some deals that we might want to share with our own community first, rather than broadcast to the world where everyone misses out in the rush is possible.

Say there is a limited number of a deal available eg first 200. If the private thread had this available to members for the first 24 hours of the posting, then those who commit to the site and sahre ideas with others could get the benefit, rather than those just casually browsing.

Those casual browsers dont post info as they cant unless they are members.

This is NOT to make things exclusive, but maybe reward those who participate.

All that said, I think it's worth looking at and discussing. please no flames as its just opening the discussion, so everyone looks at it and maybe better ideas will come out.

Site Discussion

Comments

  • JeffreyM on 15/06/2008 - 11:02

    Good idea, rewarding people who participate to the website & not just here for a surf & it will also encourage more people to join.

  • scotty on 15/06/2008 - 22:23

    A "members-only" area?

    I think a goal for OzBargain is not just building up the members we already have but also bringing in more members, and one way to do it is getting listed on search engines — which doesn't play well with area with restricted access.

    We can have a small forum for members though.

    As of exclusive deals for members that will only go public after 24 hours — I will need to think about how to implement it (in terms of reverse chronological order in the front/new deal page). Also I don't want everyone to use that so maybe just reserved for the store reps? Also it needs to be advertised otherwise no one would know that you need to be registered and signed in to see those deals.

    Personally I think this is the stick rather than carrot in getting people to contribute. However I have no idea what kind of carrot can you offer (rather than pay them).

  • [Deactivated] on 15/06/2008 - 22:40

    Scotty I think you sum it up well.

    A small forum for members only - so we can discuss some things eg like the recent credit card situation without creating issues that being in the public arena creates. Again only for "exceptional cases" and maybe only mods or you can create postings in this area - or at least until we see how it works

    The "24 hr" deal would only be for limited quantity offerings - so that those participating would have first bite at the cherry rather than it being available for all to see. this would be an incentive rather than a stick. It really isn't needed or appropriate for every deal.

    When someone becomes a member they are only one step away from contributing. Does it need to be "promoted"? maybe not, by it just being there when you join its a bonus - whereas promoting it to non members to encourage joining could be seen as a stick.

    Just thoughts and I think we need many more opinions or contributions on this so it is a positive addition.

  • press711 on 16/06/2008 - 18:15

    Another option, might be to have it so deals with low rating not visible to the public. So when a deal comes online - at the start only members can see it and rate it. Once its reached a mimimum rating (lets say 5) then it can be seen by the public.

    This has one more advantage : It might prevent spamming, as bad deals will not be publicly viewable(esp those submitted to get better search ranking) and hence will not come up in Google search.

    • scotty on 16/06/2008 - 21:53

      As of search ranking, all the deals that get more negative votes than positive votes will block Google bots (and other search engine bots) from accessing the pages anyway so that has already been dealt with.

      OzBargain does get a lot of lurkers than logged-in users though, which I can't explain why. Say forums like Whirlpool has something like 1:1 users vs. guests, but as of now OzBargain has 1:13 users vs. guests. Do you think by making deals available to users first going to help?

      • press711 on 16/06/2008 - 23:53

        Not sure if that is actually a bad thing. From a revenue point, it should mean no change in google ad views. From a users point, I know many a times I wont login to view the website - simply bcoz i dont need to do it to view deals. only when I need to post deals or comment/rate I log in. I do admit at times I get too lazy to login just to vote. But on the other hand I have referred plenty of people to this website.

        The main problem is the there is no incentive to participate and vote. The easiest way might be to have a monthly prize(can be something small like movie voucher for 2 - 20$) for users who participate - the more times you participate the better. The prize could also be sponsored by one of the websites like dstore(and could be $20 store credit with dstore). It is a cheap way for them to get some goodwill and new members.

        Another thing which could be done is to do it like emailcash does. The take offer/get voucher/visit website - link wont work unless you login. Although this might be a turn off.

  • CATHYP on 03/07/2008 - 08:17

    hey guys ,cant you get your members to recommend a freind to your site,this wont cost the web site,have a comp to the member who gets all there freinds to sign up,let all of us do the work for a while.. free sample packs make great prizes,im sure the companys who you advertise some thing small,win situation more members,company adds,members reward prizes

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