Concerns and Suggestions about Saving Advice

[disneysteve]

The spam has really ramped up as of late.

I spend more time deleting spam than I do replying to threads.

Same here. It isn't unusual to have 30-40 spam messages when I come to the site in the morning. And they aren't all from one user. They may be from 4-6 different IDs.

[feh]

My primary concerns:

1. spam
2. blank page after submitting a post (mentioned above)
3. I haven't received notifications of thread updates for several weeks

More importantly - a forum needs to have a critical mass of participants to make it worth my time to visit. SA.com is just baring holding on by this metric, IMO.

[jeffrey]

All concerns noted and I'll get togther with Nate to see what can be done about all of them.

[creditcardfree]

More importantly - a forum needs to have a critical mass of participants to make it worth my time to visit. SA.com is just baring holding on by this metric, IMO.

This is so true! The poor quality of articles and crazy banner ads on the first page of the site are a big turn off for anyone coming to this site for the first time. I realize there is a need for income for the site, but there has got to be a better way.

[LuckyRobin]

This is so true! The poor quality of articles and crazy banner ads on the first page of the site are a big turn off for anyone coming to this site for the first time.

Not to mention a large number of the articles have absolutely nothing to do with personal finance. Not even if you stretch the definition a lot. I would much prefer that the articles be on topic. Or at least not just filler material. They are decently written these days, actually, but I really don't care about a polar bear cookie that Starbucks hasn't even served in five years causing a hoo hah.

[creditcardfree]

Not to mention a large number of the articles have absolutely nothing to do with personal finance. Not even if you stretch the definition a lot. I would much prefer that the articles be on topic. Or at least not just filler material. They are decently written these days, actually, but I really don't care about a polar bear cookie that Starbucks hasn't even served in five years causing a hoo hah.

If you have half a brain these types of articles are a HUGE turn off. I get that they likely bring in traffic which results in cash for owners, but there needs to be a better balance if they are to remain on the site. Selling these types of ads only perpetrates the low quality of readers and posters that bring nothing to the table of discussion. If we can strive for a higher good for all it benefits all.

[feh]

My primary concerns:

1. spam
2. blank page after submitting a post (mentioned above)
3. I haven't received notifications of thread updates for several weeks

More importantly - a forum needs to have a critical mass of participants to make it worth my time to visit. SA.com is just barely holding on by this metric, IMO.

I should mention - I come to sa.com solely for the forums. I don't visit the main page, read blogs or articles.

[disneysteve]

The poor quality of articles and crazy banner ads on the first page of the site are a big turn off for anyone coming to this site for the first time.

I have to admit I had no idea what you were talking about. I never go to that page. I go straight to the forums. I don't think I've ever read any of those articles. That's not why I come to the site.

Maybe the front page could more prominently focus on the forums and blogs rather than the other stuff. And make the ads smaller and move them way to the bottom where they would be less annoying. Even then, though, I'd be very wary of a site supposedly giving financial advice but advertising a bunch of sleazy companies. If that was the first thing I saw, I'd probably close the window and move on.

[disneysteve]

More importantly - a forum needs to have a critical mass of participants to make it worth my time to visit. SA.com is just baring holding on by this metric, IMO.

Really? I think the forums are pretty active.

[bjl584]

Really? I think the forums are pretty active.

It's all perspective and what you are accustom to.

Some forums are very active. Some not so much. I think it's a matter of personal preference.

I really can't say where SA ranks on the scale, as I am not an active member of other forums.

[bjl584]

The most annoying complaint that I have other than the SPAM is the "white screen of doom" that comes up after I make a post. Logging back onto the site after posting is a HUGE annoyance.

[creditcardfree]

I have to admit I had no idea what you were talking about. I never go to that page. I go straight to the forums. I don't think I've ever read any of those articles. That's not why I come to the site.

Maybe the front page could more prominently focus on the forums and blogs rather than the other stuff. And make the ads smaller and move them way to the bottom where they would be less annoying. Even then, though, I'd be very wary of a site supposedly giving financial advice but advertising a bunch of sleazy companies. If that was the first thing I saw, I'd probably close the window and move on.

I don't read the articles either, but they are a reflection of the site and in poor taste for a site that promotes savings. And I would think it helps draw some of the spam (I don't know that as a fact of course). And finally, I feel it insults the advice those of us regulars have to offer by participating in this site as much as we do. Why not promote some of us and our viewpoints? Of course, I would want to give my permission first.

[jeffrey]

Not to mention a large number of the articles have absolutely nothing to do with personal finance. Not even if you stretch the definition a lot. I would much prefer that the articles be on topic. Or at least not just filler material. They are decently written these days, actually, but I really don't care about a polar bear cookie that Starbucks hasn't even served in five years causing a hoo hah.

Noted. It's not an easy one. Those seemingly random articles were written specifically so that Nate and I could remain on the site full time. I think there are opportunities to write more specific personal finance related articles as time goes on and they better understand what works...it was never an easy decision to go that direction, but it was a necessary one. It kept the site alive when many other personal finance blogs / sites that started about the same time as us all went under / were abandoned.

[jeffrey]

A quick update...Nate thinks he's found the issue with the blank page in the forums -- the bad news is he thinks it's due to the spam protocols we put in place to reduce spam in the forums. In other words, if we take them down and the blank page disappears, we get flooded with spam. We're looking for a work-around so the blank pages don't show and we don't get over-run with spam.

[Joan.of.the.Arch]

I'm sure that any new managers or owners must be considering whether a person or two could be hired to remove spam from the forums. I so appreciate the efforts of volunteers who are doing that now. Would love to see spam disappear even more frequently. As I submit this post, there are two and a half pages of spam.