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View Poll Results: Do you read the SC blog?

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  • Yes, I enjoy most of the blog posts. The deals are useful to me

    38 54.29%
  • No I don't read them anymore. They are not useful to me.

    32 45.71%
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Thread: Smartcanucks blog: Do you read it or should it change?

  1. #31
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    The blog is the first thing I read - sometimes it's the only thing I get to read as I'm not on SC as much as I used to be. But I find I often have to scroll through a lot of posts to find real deals/offers etc. so I give up. I have missed out on some nice deals because I never got to that blog post. Now, when I am really short on time, I use another resource that's short and sweet when it comes to posting offers. And I agree with Patty Smyth that there is an emphasis on Ontario deals. I also get the impression that there is such a rush to post deals/freebies etc. that important and relevant info is overlooked -- like deals being posted that are for US only.

    One more thing re: the contests that SC holds when a company contacts SC to offer a giveaway - I would like to see these giveaways be limited to the SC community only. Why reward people who are not part of our community? I'm always surprised how many guests there are on the site vs members. At the moment for the Deals & Flyers forum it reads: There are currently 73 users browsing this forum. (6 members & 67 guests).

    So my vote is to keep the blog but yes, change it to make it short and sweet and relevant to all Canadians. I'm ok with affiliate links if they are helping finance the site, but those posts could be less wordy, and they shouldn't make up the majority of the blog. I'd also like to see something done to build and reward the SC community

    Thanks,
    Silk

    p.s. Could not do the poll because it's a yes or no choice - no place to vote for yes, with a change - which is the title of this thread... ???
    Last edited by Silk; Thu, May 15th, 2014 at 04:36 AM.
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  2. #32
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    So is the purpose of those posts to generate revenue or to post a deal that the community can use?

    People can smell sponsored/affiliates, and when you are honest and up front about them, I personally would be more likely to click (and I do click).

    If I knew most posts were sponsored I wouldn't mind scrolling. But most days I scroll through entire pages and read no posts at all because it's non-deal after non-deal or chunks of huge text. If I knew that by scrolling I would be helping SC generate money then I'd stick around.

    If it's post after post of stuff passing off as useful when it is actually advertising I won't click on the blog at all and SC would lose that revenue completely. But if you're honest, I click.

    I think a great way to generate revenue but stay fun and interesting is what Silk mentioned with the rafflecopter contests

    Quote Originally Posted by couponlady View Post
    Hudson's Bay,Sears,Well.ca etc etc are all the posts with affiliate links. Deal or not they generate income to Smartcanucks, so that's why they are there on the blog.
    Again, I am not knocking the work of the bloggers. They are obviously working hard and posting up a storm. But I think it says something when people read 1 out of 10 posts and should bloggers be wasting their time on the 9 out of 10 posts that people don't read. Quality vs. quantity. Maybe there just need to be less posts. Less work for posters and more stuff that will actually get read.

    What about putting the affiliate link "deals of the day" into one post round up instead of giving them all individual posts, which pushes all the good stuff to page 3?
    Last edited by torontogal12; Thu, May 15th, 2014 at 08:35 AM.
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  3. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silk View Post
    p.s. Could not do the poll because it's a yes or no choice - no place to vote for yes, with a change - which is the title of this thread... ???
    I made no suggestion of scrapping the blog altogether. I think it has its uses and I am not in charge, just starting a conversation. Either yes you like it as is and don't think changes are needed, or you think there are too many irrelevant posts (and therefore, changes are needed).
    Apply every possible promo code to your cart, at every store that you visit (and get points for cash back on top of that?). It's sweet and easy with HONEY.

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  4. #34
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    I read the emails that notify me of posting on SC. Sometimes I refer back to the blog for a specific post. I don't mind receiving the notifications but I find it frustrating when nothing has posted and I receive an email notification. I prefer the forums but I miss out on a lot because there are so many places to look for information.
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  5. #35
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    I will start by saying that very few posts on SC are "sponsored" posts and they are usually ones with a giveaway (and there is a difference between a sponsored post and a post with an affiliate link). For example, Anne and I are not given stores to blog, anything we blog is because we think people will find it useful. The affiliate links are added in after we post them so they are not posted for affiliate purposes.

    Some of the other bloggers do blog more store deals - I don't interact with them so not sure how they choose what to post. But SC does generate funds to run the site from these affiliate links and most of them get at least some likes on facebook so someone is finding them useful. Do I think every one of them is hot? No and I have told Boo this. But I also understand that without them, SC would not be profitable and other parts of the site would suffer from loss of revenue. The revenue generated for example pays for the GCs for people who post flyers early (and I for one find that very useful and save money by shopping before the price goes up or waiting until Friday for a new sale on items I need because I know if it will be cheaper).

    For posts like the Aveeno one, it is not sponsored, it is just a coupon. But the way google and other search engines rank and list pages requires more than just posting a couple of lines so "something" has to be added.

    As you can see from the names of the posters, some of the bloggers recently changed. They still need time to find what posts work and do not work for the community too.

    As far as the giveaways being kept to SCers only - the company sponsoring them want as much coverage as possible and SC obviously welcomes having new members. SC did hold some contests for SCers only (cute baby etc) and brag contests and while some of the prizes were sponsored for these, many came from SC funds. If a company is sponsoring a giveaway, the more people who see it and interact with it, the better as far as they are concerned.

    As far as the guests, lots of them are probably members. Anyone invisible shows as a guest and most people using apps like tapatalk show as guests. On top of that, some will just be search engine bots collecting links but show as a visitor. I wouldn't put too much stock into visitors and thread views - there are lots of reasons they are not a true reflection of the actual numbers.

    I sent Boo a link so he can read the comments
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  6. #36
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    I love these kinds of intereactiive posts askng what can we do to make it better.
    I logg in many times a day so I basically see the first page and Im all caught up.
    I love the blog posts that like directly to the
    *forum post
    *pampers login page for new codes
    Etc.
    Sure thete are many deals i dont use as i rarely shop online but like someone said flash sales etc that are a first come first serve are best suitd for the blog.
    When i first started i only read the blog and never ventured into the forum now i am pn it all day long.
    I used to look for all my favorite forums but sunce im subscribed to most now i just look through new posts etc. That way i find many new areas of the forum i wouldnt normally check.
    I love everything about SC and am all for making it even better.


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  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by ticul View Post
    I do read the blog post every times. Like Maggiepice it is the first thing I look at. Like others mention also I did get some deals and if I haven't look I would have mist it. Thank you for all of the blogger that takes the time to do it......................
    same for me. its like a summary... i would have missed on some deals without checking a blog first tnx
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  8. #38
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    I do, at least the top few anyways.
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  9. #39
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    Quote Originally Posted by FallenPixels View Post
    I

    I sent Boo a link so he can read the comments

    You know in my nearly 30 years on the internet as poster, mod and admin...that's the most pitiful thing I have ever read...That a mod has to tell the board owner to read his/her own board to see how the posters are feeling...
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  10. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by FallenPixels View Post

    As you can see from the names of the posters, some of the bloggers recently changed. They still need time to find what posts work and do not work for the community too.
    That's understandable -- but do they have guidelines telling them to check if the offer is valid for Canada, and also how to check if they're not sure?

    Quote Originally Posted by FallenPixels View Post

    As far as the giveaways being kept to SCers only - the company sponsoring them want as much coverage as possible and SC obviously welcomes having new members. SC did hold some contests for SCers only (cute baby etc) and brag contests and while some of the prizes were sponsored for these, many came from SC funds. If a company is sponsoring a giveaway, the more people who see it and interact with it, the better as far as they are concerned.
    Fair point. But if there were more giveaways for members only, I imagine SC would get more people signing up as members. Also, SC can always post about a giveaway on the blog but then make the promo only open to SC members. And I am talking primarily about giveaways, not contests that require you to compete. The giveaways I remember on the blog were random draws.

    Quote Originally Posted by FallenPixels View Post

    As far as the guests, lots of them are probably members. Anyone invisible shows as a guest and most people using apps like tapatalk show as guests. On top of that, some will just be search engine bots collecting links but show as a visitor. I wouldn't put too much stock into visitors and thread views - there are lots of reasons they are not a true reflection of the actual numbers.
    That's interesting - thanks for the info.

    Silk
    Last edited by Silk; Fri, May 16th, 2014 at 04:52 AM.
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  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by torontogal12 View Post
    I made no suggestion of scrapping the blog altogether. I think it has its uses and I am not in charge, just starting a conversation. Either yes you like it as is and don't think changes are needed, or you think there are too many irrelevant posts (and therefore, changes are needed).
    That's true, you didn't But your poll also doesn't say anything about changing the blog. Your explanation of how to interpret/respond to the poll is in post #33.

    If I take the poll at face value, these are my thoughts:

    Poll: Do you read the SC blog?

    Yes, I read the SC blog (when I have time).

    • Yes, I enjoy most of the blog posts. The deals are useful to me
    • No I don't read them anymore. They are not useful to me.

    If I have to choose between these two statements, I would have to choose 'yes' - even though with your interpretation it means I am happy with it the way it is and don't see the need for changes, which as I have already said, is not the case.

    I cannot choose 'no' because it's *not true* that I don't read the blog posts anymore. However. I do see the need for changes and based on your interpretation of what a 'no' vote means, I should be voting no.

    Not trying to be difficult but trying to explain why the poll, as worded, doesn't work for me. The mere fact that I read the blog posts means I can't vote no. Yet a yes vote is being interpreted as my being happy with the status quo

    I believe your heart is in the right place TG and I sincerely appreciate what you are trying to do I think, however, I'll refrain from further discussion on the poll and this issue.

    Silk
    Last edited by Silk; Fri, May 16th, 2014 at 06:01 AM.
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  12. #42
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    The blog section is the first thing I read, I just scroll down if the item doesn't interest me. I've gotten quite a few deals or coupon offers from the blog..it's hard to please everyone..keep up the good work and keep the blog section!!
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  13. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by Darth Penguin View Post
    You know in my nearly 30 years on the internet as poster, mod and admin...that's the most pitiful thing I have ever read...That a mod has to tell the board owner to read his/her own board to see how the posters are feeling...
    I could have moved it to site help where he would likely see it on his own, but people will complain because less people will see it there
    I don't think all of the mods even check rants on a regular basis unless we are aware of a thread that needs watching
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  14. #44
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    This is an interesting post, thanks torontogal!

    I've been reading the blog for a couple years, and I still try to check it out when I visit the site...I have found lots of great contests and freebies there I wouldn't necessarily have found out about because I usually only click on the 'deal' forum subsection lately.

    That said, the blog started really pissing me off a couple years ago with all the ELF cosmetics deals which were obviously sponsored posts. I began to question the intentions of the blog... and I didn't like how I felt about reading posts which had obviously been paid for.

    These days I still check out the blog from time to time, but I scrutinize the deals posted there more closely.

    And one more thing....I can't say how many times I have used the 'suggest a deal' feature to relay info about what I think is a really hot deal- only to have *crickets* in response. Nothing posted, nothing said to me, and the same ol' same ol' on the blog. It's discouraging for sure. And I tried to submit only legitimately hot deals! Stopped doing that after a while!
    Last edited by r0c0upons; Fri, May 16th, 2014 at 08:18 AM.

  15. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Silk View Post
    That's understandable -- but do they have guidelines telling them to check if the offer is valid for Canada, and also how to check if they're not sure?
    There was some given to me when I started, so I am sure they were given some.

    Quote Originally Posted by Silk View Post
    Fair point. But if there were more giveaways for members only, I imagine SC would get more people signing up as members. Also, SC can always post about a giveaway on the blog but then make the promo only open to SC members. And I am talking primarily about giveaways, not contests that require you to compete. The giveaways I remember on the blog were random draws.
    My point is that these companies ask us to specifically post them on the blog - it is their giveaway, we are just hosting it. SC may get more forum signups but SC is about more than the forum (plus they could sign up to the forum and never contribute unless its t enter then we deal with them spamming to get the necessary posts to enter), we have lots of people who read the blog regularly but are not forum members or mostly follow on facebook - they are still active SCers, just not on the forum
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