Trying Some New Things

[SunshineGirl]

In an effort to integrate some of the cool content that our merchants are creating into SR, I'll be trying some new things. Feel free to comment positive or negative on ANY of it. Some of it will work, some of it won't. I'm totally used to that. :)

One of the things that we have been playing with recently is incorporating RSS feeds into the forum. That means that every time a videoblog or coupon gets posted, they will automatically show up here in the forum with links to them without Cindy or I having to do anything. I'm sure that you have noticed those. :)

Today I pulled the Fandango Entertainment Feed and set up an account that will periodically post entertainment news with links to Fandango to read the full stories, buy tickets, etc.

If it is too obtrusive, I can have it only visit once a day and pull one story. Or none at all. Just thought it might give us more to talk about around here plus remind people that we have Fandango. :)

[m4travels]

It's at times like this that I really wish I had more time to spend in the forums.

I'd love seeing this stuff go live!

:clap:

[askomsky]

At first I thought it was spam, until I saw you reply to it.

I like it so far, it took a while to get used to all those coupons, but I like the news updates!


Update: This is my opinion only but I think that too many will be overwhelming or possibly overlooked? Is there a way to only pull the more popular stories? I'm not sure how you would determine what to pull and what not to, but speaking from how the coupons are posted I usually just glance through them really quick and if one catches my eye I'll click on it.

[disneyforever]

Well you learn something new every day! :rotfl:

I didn't know you had Fandango and I was looking to do a couple movie ticket purchases today.

:thanks:

[m 'n c]

Is there a way to do a condensed feed into a post? I'm thinking if we get too many going it might bury other posts. Otherwise I love entertainment gossip so this will be fun.

[SunshineGirl]

Is there a way to do a condensed feed into a post? I'm thinking if we get too many going it might bury other posts. Otherwise I love entertainment gossip so this will be fun.

The only way for me to do it is just to limit the number. Right now it only takes the 3 most recent and looks once an hour. If we are getting a lot of them, I can tell it to only look every 6 or 8 hours. And only pull 1 each time. So we would have no more than 3-4 a day.

[m 'n c]

Hmm well let's see how it goes for a few more days before changing things up. It might not be that intrusive at all.

[askomsky]

The only way for me to do it is just to limit the number. Right now it only takes the 3 most recent and looks once an hour. If we are getting a lot of them, I can tell it to only look every 6 or 8 hours. And only pull 1 each time. So we would have no more than 3-4 a day.

I like that idea better. I agree with Cate and that's what I was trying to say earlier I think. Too many and the other posts get buried. I'm thinking one every 4 hrs would be ok? Or something along those lines.

[~Kathie]

I agree with Cate & April. I came here looking for info before I reported it as spam.

I went looking for the 'Thank Your Pal' post and it was on page 2. There were 12 Fandango's on the first page.

That being said........we go to the movies only occasionally......so movie reviews don't interest me like they might someone else.

Just my 2 cents. The forums don't like the cents sign. :angel:

[faithhope]

The forum is useful for SR information and friendships and SR help...
The coupons notices are great! The general news feed has little to do with SR and clutters up the board and makes me miss the posts I really come here for...

Is there anyway to block one person's posts?? Not that I want to block a real person... but I would love to block the news feed, so that the new posts button is still useful to me.

I'm sorry if this sounds harsh... but I figured I should be honest if you asked for an opinion... otherwise I would have (hopefully) kept my mouth shut

Feel free to delete it if it is too negative a post...as I love SR.

[m 'n c]

Would a section for feeds clutter up the forums too much? Maybe call it Entertainment news but then other items wouldn't fit if you did more feeds. I like the idea I just don't know the best home for it.

[jl8595]

I came here looking for info before I reported it as spam.

I went looking for the 'Thank Your Pal' post and it was on page 2. There were 12 Fandango's on the first page.

I agree with Kathie & April...it's very distracting. I clicked on "new posts" and got hammered with Fandango ads. I wouldn't mind one or two a day I suppose, but the current feed amount is too spammy for my taste. Maybe it's just the way I check for new posts - is there a better way to avoid them?

[SunshineGirl]

Please keep in mind that I was trying to get them to work yesterday. So we ended up having a lot of them come in a short period of time. Once I worked with them, I got them so that you should not see more than 4 total every day.

From my perspective, they are more relative to SR than the "this or that" or "word association" posts because they apply to more people and they advertise one of our merchants. But that's just my opinion because those particular threads do not interest me at all.

[askomsky]

Please keep in mind that I was trying to get them to work yesterday. So we ended up having a lot of them come in a short period of time. Once I worked with them, I got them so that you should not see more than 4 total every day.

From my perspective, they are more relative to SR than the "this or that" or "word association" posts because they apply to more people and they advertise one of our merchants. But that's just my opinion because those particular threads do not interest me at all.

I agree it's everyone's taste or preference bc I'm with you I don't pay attention to the word association, this or that, scrabble etc. Not that I don't mind them being there but I love my new post button but when I hit it and have 35 new posts and 10 are coupons, 5 are the "this and that games" and now news feed it's hard to find the heart of the posts I really want.

I'm not against the news feed, but I agree they just looked kinda too spammy but since you said your playing with it, it shouldn't be too bad with 4 a day or there abouts.

Faithhope said it best, I'm really just here for SR friends and updates. :) IF there was a way I could "block" threads I think that would be awesome, bc then I could say no to the ones I don't want to see. (I know I'm dreaming and a lot more work!)

[m 'n c]

Hey guys lets give them a chance. There were some pretty interesting ones that posted over night and I think we could get some fun conversations going out of them.

[SunshineGirl]

One thing that everyone also has to think about is that even though the forum is here for fun and community, it's also our family business. :( So there has to be a certain amount of advertising to support it. So one of the things that I am doing is trying to work in some advertising without it being just blatant advertising. Fandango struck me as a good fit because we would get entertainment news along with the advertisements. We have advertisers practically begging us to add them to our forum and I try to kind of limit the amount of the ads on here or the way that they appear. I pulled almost all of the google ads off the other day because of some complaints about them. So I need to find a good way to replace that money.

It's a work in progress. We'll continue to tinker. Like right now I see two banner ads at the top of my page, which is not acceptable to me. I need to make sure that no more than one appears on any given page. Like I said, I don't want "in your face" ads all over the forum.

[jl8595]

I apologize for sounding bratty - I thought you were interested in our feedback about the volume. I fully understand and respect their necessity, and I agree that the "this or that" and "scrabble" threads are OT and not SR related (and not really conversation starters either). Like April said, the combo of those long threads, the coupons (which I like), and the ads just hammered me this morning when I logged on and checked "new posts". I think I'd rather see the ads splashed throughout the forum, in between posts even...but maybe I'll regret that too. I agree - it's a tough thing.

(FWIW, I'm cranky today, so perhaps that's more the problem than the ads, LOL!)

[askomsky]

One thing that everyone also has to think about is that even though the forum is here for fun and community, it's also our family business. :( So there has to be a certain amount of advertising to support it. So one of the things that I am doing is trying to work in some advertising without it being just blatant advertising. Fandango struck me as a good fit because we would get entertainment news along with the advertisements. We have advertisers practically begging us to add them to our forum and I try to kind of limit the amount of the ads on here or the way that they appear. I pulled almost all of the google ads off the other day because of some complaints about them. So I need to find a good way to replace that money.

It's a work in progress. We'll continue to tinker. Like right now I see two banner ads at the top of my page, which is not acceptable to me. I need to make sure that no more than one appears on any given page. Like I said, I don't want "in your face" ads all over the forum.

We understand Tricia and like I said it's just something else to get used to, it's your business and you need to do what is best for you. I don't mind them but I think a few of us may have thought they would have come through often and a lot which could have been overwhelming. Sometimes change is hard!!!!!! :sunshine: We still love SR and I for one is staying put. :thanks:

[SunshineGirl]

The intrusiveness I think is really the key. I will be anxious to see what everyone thinks once we cycle through the load of posts that came in yesterday. Hopefully when you start seeing them less frequently, they will integrate into the flow better.

[sunshinecindy]

I like a combo of both. I really like the coupons, because even though I'm the one that puts them in, I forget about them, or sometimes they are put in weeks in advance and I forgot about them and they are very useful. The Fandango look a bit overwhelming, and I think a few a day is no biggie. I skip right over the game threads since I don't participate in them anyway. I don't see any big deal with the google ads or banners. Some of them look interesting. Its not like they are between all the threads. I do think that Fandando needs to be all in one place, that would be much more convenient to check. Its just change, and no matter how it all shakes out, we'll get use to it.

[Magical JenK]

Ok, you really do learn something new everyday....I had no idea there was such a thing as a "new posts button"!!?? Huh...I just always go into each section & scroll...funny.

I may have missed it cuz I haven't read this entire thread yet, but if we open the Fandango threads will SR get advertising money like those posted at the top of the forum pages? Oh & while I'm at it, to get you money, do I literally just have to click it open or do I have to do the offer? I want to help SR but not sure how...I've just been clicking them open...oh & one last question...can I open them more than once & you still get money? Or is it like a daily thing??

Thanks

[m 'n c]

I think with Fandango SR makes money (and you do too) for buying your movie tickets through the link.

With banners and google ads in the forums SR makes money if you click on them to go to the site being advertised.

[askomsky]

Ok, you really do learn something new everyday....I had no idea there was such a thing as a "new posts button"!!?? Huh...I just always go into each section & scroll...funny.

I may have missed it cuz I haven't read this entire thread yet, but if we open the Fandango threads will SR get advertising money like those posted at the top of the forum pages? Oh & while I'm at it, to get you money, do I literally just have to click it open or do I have to do the offer? I want to help SR but not sure how...I've just been clicking them open...oh & one last question...can I open them more than once & you still get money? Or is it like a daily thing??

Thanks

Then I don't feel as bad that it took me 3 months after joining SR to learn about the new post button! LOL

[jnorth1007]

Don't feel bad. I was a moderator and still not using the new posts button for the first 2 months LOL.


I think that Tricia you have to do what is best for SR. I for one trust that you will not make decisions that are going to hurt the membership or SR. I appreciate the fact that you are always trying to make things better. Whether or not I like something I like the fact that you are innovative and don't let the site or forum get stagnant.

I think I like the idea of them being their own thread better than between posts. I think DIS does random ones in posts and while it isn't necessarily intrusive I have found that when I am in a thread I am on a mission and I skip right over them. In their own threads I would be more inclined to click on them and read up on the stories.

Same thing with the coupons. I look through the threads each day for names of merchants I might like or need something from and I read the specials for those merchants. If they were all on one thread I doubt I would go through a big log thread of posts looking for specials.

Keep up the good work!

[~Kathie]

I think I like the idea of them being their own thread better than between posts. I think DIS does random ones in posts and while it isn't necessarily intrusive I have found that when I am in a thread I am on a mission and I skip right over them. In their own threads I would be more inclined to click on them and read up on the stories.

Same thing with the coupons. I look through the threads each day for names of merchants I might like or need something from and I read the specials for those merchants. If they were all on one thread I doubt I would go through a big log thread of posts looking for specials.


I just read one of the Fandango posts and it was very iinteresting. Not at all what I thought it would be so if you haven't looked......you might be surprised.

I do agree with Janet, that I would like it much better if they were in their own thread. I do like the coupons in their own thread.......much easier to find what you are looking for.

[deana]

Oh man....I didn't know about the new post button OR know that SR gets credit when we click on an advertizer in the forum..... I must be really slow... :giggle:

[disneyforever]

Oh man....I didn't know about the new post button OR know that SR gets credit when we click on an advertizer in the forum..... I must be really slow... :giggle:

Don't feel bad, I didn't know either - until a couple days ago. LOL!!!

Thanks for letting us know about Fandango. Surprised DH with a date night! I purchased 2 movie tickets to the 25th anniversary special (one night only) showing of War Games with Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy. I was 13 yrs old (DH was 11) when it came out the first time back in 1983 - so I never got to see it in the theater. I found out about the showing on Fandango, purchased them Wednesday and went tonight (Thursday). Got 10 cents SR credit back - already credited to my account.

[Sunni]

I just read one of the Fandango posts and it was very iinteresting. Not at all what I thought it would be so if you haven't looked......you might be surprised.

I do agree with Janet, that I would like it much better if they were in their own thread. I do like the coupons in their own thread.......much easier to find what you are looking for.

I agree with Kathie and Janet. I like them in their own threads. It stands out and I don't miss them.

I have been reading the posts. There is a lot of interesting info that I would have missed.

[mseg16222]

I like a the changes It just has taken me a while to figure that there are some new short cuts:)