Comments / Feedback / Suggestions Thread 2018

scotty on 03/01/2018 - 23:17

Continued from Comments / Feedback / Suggestions Thread 2017. This post will be used for general feedback in 2018. Please make any suggestions for new features, bugs, things you'd like to see changed or anything else. Please check this wiki page as your suggestion may already have been mentioned.

The majority of things you see, as well as policies on OzBargain were implemented based on user feedback. Please see the Site & Guideline Updates Announcement Thread to keep up to date with the changes/features that we implement as they are added.

Site Discussion

closed Comments

    • brisdaz on 26/09/2018 - 16:35

      It appears all votes were successfully recorded. However I note due to spam issues that sometimes fake votes are recorded so as to lull the spammer into moving onto other websites.

      Please confirm?

      • Moderatorneil on 26/09/2018 - 16:38

        Like shadow voting? No we don't do that.

        And for voting limits, it will set off flags on our end and is a dynamic number based on number of deals posted in the day. e.g. an excessive amount

        • brisdaz on 26/09/2018 - 16:40

          Thanks for the reply.

          I'm not sure what shadow voting is and the quick google suggests google doesn't know neither (usually if it's a common term there is a snippet given).

          I got the idea from stack exchange where votes aren't publicly recorded until the voter has some level of experience with the site.

          Directed to everyone Has OzBargain copied/been inspired by that site much?

          • Moderatorneil on 26/09/2018 - 16:42

            @brisdaz: No.

            Shadow voting would be like shadow banning but for voting which is what I think you asked about. We don't do anything "shadow".

  • brisdaz on 28/09/2018 - 18:08

    usernames unique?

    Can someone confirm that usernames on ozbargain are unique and case insensitive or case sensitive?

    Thinking of creating identicons which aren't reliant on private data.

    • Moderatorneil on 28/09/2018 - 18:30

      case insensitive. e.g. Brisdaz, BrIsDaZ, BRIZDAZ are all the same user account.

      • brisdaz on 28/09/2018 - 18:33

        Thanks for the reply.

        Can you answer the first question? If it is unique then identicons can be created based on that info instead of private data such as email address hashes or ip addresses (and my post which maybe should be slightly reedited can be uncensored).

  • payton on 09/10/2018 - 15:59

    Hi

    Since we have a 'Top' arrow on mobile view to go to top of a long thread, could be handy to have a down arrow 'Down/Bottom' function too?

  • MJ1 on 10/10/2018 - 11:12

    I don't like deals like this, which look great on the surface, but end up getting cancelled and money returned https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/407828

    It presents an inaccurate picture of the store, because when I search for The Good Guys, I see a deal with 94 positive votes and no negative votes, which is misrepresentative.

    I could downvote, but that always feels like it's being a bit rude towards the OP and it's not their fault. I think there should be another caption in the deal. For instance, in this deal there is a big "OUT OF STOCK" in the title and for deals that fail, I reckon it should get a title like "DISHONOURED" or "RETRACTED" or "CANCELLED".

    • [Deactivated] on 10/10/2018 - 11:29

      Deals which are unobtainable or a pricing error generally do get moved to the forums (e.g.) from the deals section. Earlier this year there was a $153 Samsung Galaxy Note 8 deal from TGG which was a clear pricing error, however a couple of members managed to get their orders processed.

      From what I can see, unless there are members who managed to get the item for the listed price, then the deal will most likely be moved to the forums.

  • kusama on 12/10/2018 - 11:13

    You know how you can plus vote on a competition when scrolling, it would be nice to mark as entered so I don't need to go into the competition. I would actually mark them as entered. I normally just open each one in a new tab from the image on the right.

    • Moderatorhamza23 on 07/11/2018 - 11:54

      Suggestion has been passed on, we'll see if it's possible in the near future. Thanks

  • Cunning Linguist on 17/10/2018 - 15:55
    +2

    Would it be possible to add Gleam as an entry mechanic when submitting competitions? Seems to cover a big chunk of the comps these days.

    • Moderatorneil on 18/10/2018 - 16:14

      Good suggestion. Let me look into it.

  • payton on 21/10/2018 - 14:31
    +1

    Can a link to the search options page be added on the search page please? or at least somewhere easy to find
    I had to go back to this thread to find it

    another search option I think worth having is 'search exact term'
    I'm searching for Rental Rewards (a company name) but the search result has rewards here, and rental way over there … ie not what i'm looking for

    I can do 'search title only' but then a discussion on this may come up in threads without it as part of the Title
    TY

  • ahly92 on 23/10/2018 - 12:03
    +1

    when we search, could you add sort by most +ve voted… would be good when trying to find a previous popular deal

  • Tacooo on 25/10/2018 - 10:44

    Can we please implement a ban on Amazon reps. Since Amazon went Aussie and introduced Prime we've had nothing but spam from Amazon touted as a bargain so that the seller can fleece off whatever they can't sell normally.

    An avocado slicer is not revolutionary or required and is NOT a bargain at $3.50. Not to mention there has been a ton of sockpuppeting around these sellers.

    • Moderatorneil on 25/10/2018 - 11:08

      We're going to address that shortly (possibly in another post).

  • leTintin on 25/10/2018 - 11:00

    It seems like there are some prolific deal posters on Ozbargain and I can't work out if they are being paid by Ozbargain or not. If they are being rewarded financially for posting could there be some sort of badge next to their name (eg. 'team member' or similar)?

    • Moderatorneil on 25/10/2018 - 11:09

      No one gets paid by OzBargain to post deals.

    • sween64 on 25/10/2018 - 12:36

      Some people just really enjoying contributing to the community.

      • leTintin on 25/10/2018 - 13:00

        Yes well that's great that apart from affiliates everyone is doing it just to contribute, I was just a bit skeptical especially with a certain user of late.
        Another thing that slightly irks me is that I don't know who is a staff member here you sort of have to work it out.

        • eug on 25/10/2018 - 13:06

          I'm here for the deals, so I don't really care who posts deals as long as they're actual deals. The mods and community are usually pretty good at weeding out the poor deals.

        • Moderatorneil on 25/10/2018 - 13:06

          Another thing that slightly irks me is that I don't know who is a staff member here you sort of have to work it out.

          It's in the Help at the bottom of the page, FAQ:

          There are 6 members of staff – scotty, moocher, neil, hamza23, RichardL and scrimshaw that are on the OzBargain payroll. These are the only 6 users that can call themselves “OzBargain staff” and can officially represent OzBargain.

          ..

          Yes well that's great that apart from affiliates everyone

          What's an affiliate?

          • leTintin on 25/10/2018 - 13:27

            @neil: Ok thanks @neil that clears it all up now! Yes I don't really mind who posts the deal as long as they aren't being paid to post them and therefore the quality goes right down. By affiliates I just meant someone who profits if a sale is made.

            • Moderatorneil on 25/10/2018 - 17:03

              @leTintin: OK, I understand.

              Just for others reference. Reps, employees and other associated users must mark themselves as associated when posting. This provides transparency but also puts the store under posting limits. Reps who post poorly voted deals will get limited in the amount of posts they can make, eventuating in temporary bans, culminating in a permanent ban if it continues.

              Also, I should mention you can block viewing any rep posted deals by going to My Account - Edit - Deals and checking Do not show deals posted by Store Representatives on New Deals listing.

  • petestrash on 25/10/2018 - 20:31

    Would it be possible to add a subscribe button to the referrals page?

    So when a new company is added, an email or notification can be sent letting users know about it.

    Also what about sites that now exist in the wayback machine only like Travelpony.com, do you want to trim the referrals list?

    • Moderatorscotty on 25/10/2018 - 22:13

      You'll want to subscribe to this thread for referral related discussions. A new comment will be added when we add a new referral program. Please also use that thread to report referrals that no longer work.

      • petestrash on 26/10/2018 - 23:30

        Thanks didn't know about it.

  • payton on 26/10/2018 - 20:40

    Hi Mods
    For obvious spam eg the dummy who keep advertising IELTS thru a WhatsApp number, could you nuke their phone number and subject line as well
    same thing with 'initiative Q' and other referral spam, just erase the whole line and mark it (Spam)

    people DGAF about what the spammer is offering

  • outlander on 26/10/2018 - 21:18

    Has something changed with posts and editing limits? I went to update this thread https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/408362 but there's no sign it belongs to me at all. No edit button, revision history, nothing.

    • Moderatorscotty on 26/10/2018 - 22:06

      Normally editing for OP is removed after 2 weeks. You can use TWAM or report to moderator for minor edits. If it needs constant updates, report to the mods so edit right does not expire.

      • outlander on 30/10/2018 - 10:58

        Ah, gotcha.

        Hey while I've got you here, my notification Bell isn't working. I've tried everything I can to get it working again, including unticking all boxes, logging out, then logging back in and reticking the boxes. Nothing works

        Think you could take a look at it?

  • payton on 28/10/2018 - 09:42

    Thank you for removing the title of unpublished spam posts as well, makes it easier on the eyes
    Have a good one!

  • Gandalf the Thrifty on 02/11/2018 - 08:52
    +1

    Can we get a notifcation that Deal/forum post was deleted, if we have posted a comment in it?

    Similar to how system sends a message when you report a post and it is resolved.

    I commented (a genuine question) to an AMA Coles Stock Packer and post seems to have been removed. This also removes the comment from your comments history, so you can't just click your comment and see why post was removed. Its just like post never existed.

    • Moderatorneil on 02/11/2018 - 22:13

      We can't however if you ask us we can help you with any info needed. We try our best to not remove any valuable deals or forum posts but in this case the OP requested that the thread be removed and had not answered anyone's question.

  • forumninja on 06/11/2018 - 07:06

    Amex Statement Credit links thumbnails are not being generated: see https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/414098

    • Moderatorscotty on 06/11/2018 - 08:06

      AmEx basically blocks our thumbnail generator so the moderators have to manually upload image for those deals.

  • Taegukgi on 06/11/2018 - 11:42

    Hi mods
    Just wondering whether there are any code of conduct/ethics that users should abide by when leaving comments or communicating?

  • [Deactivated] on 15/11/2018 - 16:25

    not sure if this has been mentioned before but can we get a dark theme for this website?

  • spackbace on 16/11/2018 - 18:55
    +2

    A store will be banned if deals posted by representatives continually attract a low amount of votes. The system will ban a store if:

    • The 2 latest rep posts are 30 days or less apart, and

    • The vote average for the store's rep posts over the last 90 days is less than or equal to 1

    Suggestion, can this vote average please be increased? With the popularity of this site, and some lurker voters voting for a deal 'just because' (ie maybe they don't like seeing a deal with zero up votes), an average of 1 can be surprisingly easy to obtain.

    Just an increase to 3-5 would see some stores get performance bans, and would take care of dummy voting.

    Really, a vote average of 3-5 should be simple for a decent store!

    • Moderatorneil on 17/11/2018 - 00:02

      Yes, good suggestion. We can certainly move it to an arbitrary number but I'd like to get some math/stats behind it to support a suggested number. Something to calculate the poor deal outliers. Maybe some math nerds can suggest a formula?

      • spackbace on 17/11/2018 - 00:19

        1 plus (the average vote count of October 2018 store rep deals minus the average number of October 2017 store rep deals)

        And you can adjust it yearly or every 2 years :)

        OzBargain Voting Experience Number

        Could you check the O.V.E.N? 😂

      • spackbace on 22/11/2018 - 13:43

        Any update Neil? :)

  • woodyroo on 21/11/2018 - 14:26

    Firstly, great job team it really is a fantastic site you've created.

    Suggestion, on mobile view in the top banner you see the menu toggle, ozbargain logo and notification bell thingy. Would it be possible to have the deals link as a small icon as well? That's the one I'm on constantly 😁.

    • woodyroo on 21/11/2018 - 15:52

      Edit: Whoops that link should be https://www.ozbargain.com.au/deals

    • Moderatorscotty on 21/11/2018 - 15:55

      As it is already available as a menu item, we won't add it to the top banner. If it is a page that you access often, you can bookmark it on your phone's browser for quicker access.

  • miicah on 22/11/2018 - 12:27

    Is it possible to put some rules in the automotive forum? Sick of seeing "yo guys I need a car, budget is between $5000 and $100,000" and then just piss off with no more details.

    • Moderatorneil on 10/01/2019 - 16:54

      What guidelines do you suggest?

  • AlienC on 22/11/2018 - 17:36

    Where is the forum to compare home phone deals? Something I find very valuable and I can't find a place to discuss it.

    • nocure on 22/11/2018 - 17:47
      +1

      You're still paying for home phone?

      • AlienC on 23/11/2018 - 01:17

        Not for me I use mobile but housemates need it as it was linked to an organization office line and I stupidly got rid of it (still haven't ported over to a new provider since the Telecube debacle) so am looking for a new plan now for just home phone as I already have mate communicate for NBN 50/20 at $59/month roughly.

        Need option to change plan month to month as when they are overseas there is no point of it being active.

        International unlimited to India would be awesome but honestly I am fine for unlimited Australian everything for now I.e standard local, national and mobile calls within Australia.

        • spackbace on 23/11/2018 - 02:34
          +1

          That still doesn't explain why they can't simply use a mobile phone number

          Plus if it's only for your housemates use, why not just let it be their problem to find and pay for?

          We don't need a forum post for it, let them find it, you worry about yourself and your own bills etc.

          • AlienC on 23/11/2018 - 03:50

            @spackbace: It's a landline number tied to the office phone contact.

            Technically I could run a voip app on a mobile phone.

            It is honestly very difficult to explain lets just say they are very old fashioned and he is 70+ years old but still kicking it but technology is not their forte.

            I am using the term housemates very loosely here but honestly don't want to say too much for privacy reasons. I have already leaked a lot of personal information on this website and whirlpool forums.

            I mean it is no biggie but especially with identity related stuff being conservative is usually the better option.

            TL;DR I need some suggestions for a home phone plan or do we have a forum where we can compare some like for nbn and mobile plans?

            • Zachary on 24/11/2018 - 17:17

              @AlienC:

              I am using the term housemates very loosely here but honestly don't want to say too much for privacy reasons. I have already leaked a lot of personal information on this website and whirlpool forums.

              What's your name? :D

              But really you kinda need to forgo privacy if you need help as the more information, the better help one usually gets…..

    • Baysew on 28/11/2018 - 11:39
      +3

      Where is the forum to compare home phone deals?

      Between the forums comparing Dial Up Internet Providers and Fax Machines.

      • spackbace on 28/11/2018 - 12:01

        Or just the simple "Find me a Bargain"…

  • dasher86 on 23/11/2018 - 14:44
    +1

    re: submit new deals posting
    I've noticed that a lot of information gets pre-filled about warnings especially when you use Amazon / eBay.

    i understand it is to try and minimise errors etc.

    However, there is so much that it is easy to be tempted to scroll past all of it and ignore it.

    When is too much information too much?

    • alvian on 26/11/2018 - 11:10
      +1

      What I'd like to see is are Auto-Fill buttons to copy those info into the correct boxes, much like what the Auto-Correct button is doing for correcting titles. For example:

      eBay Coupon Code: PRICEJACK20
      Deal Expiry: 1/12/2018 10:59pm
      Deal Attribution: [Original eBay Price Jack 20% deal post](https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/… )
      [Click Here to Auto-Fill]

      eBay Coupon Code: PBONUS10
      … etc …
      [Click Here to Auto-Fill]

  • Zachary on 27/11/2018 - 01:07

    I'm not sure if this has already been discussed before, but have all time automatically converted to local time - that way there is no further confusion or any need for the poster to convert it him/herself as extra work or if they even bothered to do it…

  • Conka on 28/11/2018 - 11:12

    First World Problem/Request :)

    I subscribe to a few categories.
    When I click on the Notification Bell | See All - I'd like to;

    1. Have the items displayed, grouped under their category
    2. Shown in the same format as the main page - so I can quickly review vote status and store.

    I believe these changes would make the functionality more user friendly and easier to navigate.

    Thanks for your consideration.

    • Moderatorscotty on 28/11/2018 - 11:36

      Unfortunately it's not what notification is for. It's used for pushing out data to the users, but not as a "view" for categorised items. You get notifications for a lot of different messages (for example a reply to your comment). Therefore customising it for just the deal categories is simply not feasible.

      • Conka on 28/11/2018 - 16:47

        Thanks Scotty; I thought about this after posting - could group by "Node", and then in categories under deal.

        All good, regardless. Thanks for the reply.

  • doweyy on 30/11/2018 - 10:14
    +2

    Hey guys,

    I really think a new guideline should be put in place for overseas eBay deals that haven't been fully confirmed. There have been multiple instances over the past month or so whereby deals have been posted early without full knowledge of the deal, and then once the deal goes live it's not valid for Australia or significantly different to what was posted.

    I'm not sure what guideline could address this, whereby it may be having to post once the deal is officially live and confirmed?

    I've just noticed heaps of comments saying they're disappointed and that the votes don't equal the quality of the deal once it's live. Slickdeals does a similar thing in the US whereby it restricts front page until the deal is live and confirmed.

    Thanks!

  • nononono on 05/12/2018 - 15:36

    Can we add original flair for the original poster/thread-creator in comments of the post?
    Something like this? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtnoTUcV4AER59n.jpg

    It makes it easier for me to follow the conversation

    • Moderatorscotty on 05/12/2018 - 15:42

      OP's comment already has a gray box around it to help you identify them. Like this one.

      • ShortyX on 06/12/2018 - 10:09

        Never knew that! Could it be changed to make it a bit more prominent? Like an icon beside the username, similar to the mic icon on reddit?

        • Moderatorscotty on 06/12/2018 - 10:19

          We have been doing that for a long time, and I thought having a box around the comment is more prominent than a small tag next to the username (which we already have tags for +1 on the deal & store reps).

          • Gray box for OP
          • Orange box for your own comment
  • ShortyX on 06/12/2018 - 10:10

    Could we have an option to sort comments by age, popularity, etc?

    • sween64 on 06/12/2018 - 12:37

      There used to be an option where you could scroll through all the top comments. I miss it. I feel like it could be added to the New, OP, Moderator navigation bar.

      • Moderatorneil on 06/12/2018 - 12:42

        There used to be an option where you could scroll through all the top comments.

        Still there. Hit the hamburger/collapse menu icon and click Show Most Voted Comments.

        • sween64 on 06/12/2018 - 12:43

          Ah thank you!!

  • Inveigle on 08/12/2018 - 04:26

    Is there a way to create an alert for a product as opposed to a search?

    eg. If I want a switch, I want an alert for all the deals about a Nintendo Switch, but don't necessarily want competitions or deals on Switch games.

    If not, could it be added? Perhaps it could be tied to the "Want" status on a product.

    • Moderatorscotty on 08/12/2018 - 04:58

      Not possible right now to subscribe to a product, but might be coming next year.

      • Inveigle on 09/12/2018 - 00:59

        Sweet. Thanks scotty.

    • sween64 on 09/12/2018 - 14:15

      Could you create a custom search alert that excludes certain categories and words? Could be difficult to avoid game deal posts…

  • bajillionaire on 15/12/2018 - 09:32
    +1

    On the competitions pages, having buttons for "seen" and "entered" without having to go into the post itself would be grand.

    • Moderatorhamza23 on 22/12/2018 - 23:14

      Thanks for the suggestion and understood, I believe we had that request previously also. It's likely to be looked at early next year to see if possible, there's design and technical aspects to tackle.

  • ShortyX on 17/12/2018 - 09:59

    Is there way to reduce the overall font size (headings, etc) for condensing the front page to show more deals? Browswer zoom isn't effective and I don't like Grid either as I like to see a bit of the description.

    • Moderatorneil on 17/12/2018 - 10:17

      Maybe what you are looking for can be done with a Chrome Extension. Found this after a quick search but probably better plugins that suit what you need.

  • ozdesi on 22/12/2018 - 23:07

    I reported below deal as expired and action was taken.
    Deal was reinstated after the stock re-appeared.
    Now, deal has expired again but I can't re-report as it says already reported.
    I can't put in a comment in the thread its expired as it smartly detects what my intention is and asks me to report instead.
    I went into a loop, suggestion is to somehow end this loop for re-instated deals by being able to re-report the matter.

    https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/425827

    • Moderatorhamza23 on 22/12/2018 - 23:10

      Understood. Will pass on the feedback, thank you.

      In the meantime I've marked the deal expired and as a work around for the future you can just use the report link on a members comment to report a deal again (something like 'other' and 'deal expired').

      • ozdesi on 22/12/2018 - 23:21

        thanks for the work around, I never knew comments have a report button as well, probably never used it.

  • AussieMark on 26/12/2018 - 12:09

    Can we please add back notifications for comments and posts?

    I was trying to sell something and its really annoying how ozbargain only gives notifications now for new private messages but comments to our posts or topics no longer give any indication or notification :(

    • Moderatorneil on 26/12/2018 - 12:16

      Notifications are still there. See here.

  • Flappysandals on 26/12/2018 - 13:43

    Is it possible to cache a version of the linked deal (or take a screenshot) for people that use price drop guarantees? This would allow people to price match even if they find the deal after it has expired or the price has changed. I would find that to be extremely helpful as I don't often have luck with other cache services (wayback machine/google/…). Thanks

    • Moderatorneil on 26/12/2018 - 14:14

      If you copy the image from the thumbnail and add an x, you'll have a full size screenshot which in some cases will show the entire page.

      e.g. this popular deal from June has thumbnail:

      https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/34/387634.jpg?h=87c677b8

      and if you add an x before the .jpg you'll get the large size:

      https://files.ozbargain.com.au/n/34/387634x.jpg?h=87c677b8

      • Flappysandals on 26/12/2018 - 23:10

        Hi neil,

        Thanks for the reply, I can see how that can be handy in some situations. Scrolling through the front page, I think that most of the deals grab the product and not a screenshot, as in one of the deals that I am interested in matching - https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/418064 . So I don't think your trick can be applied :(.

        Anyway, just thought I'd mention caching the page as a suggestion as I can think of a few situations where this would be helpful outside of price matching.

        Merry Christmas!

        • Moderatorscotty on 27/12/2018 - 09:05

          I'll put that into our development plan. Caching the HTML does not always work as many sites these days use Javascript to load the content. We probably need to use the headless browser to render the webpage and save as a PDF for future reference.

  • swapsey on 27/12/2018 - 13:20
    +2

    Not sure if this has been suggested but it would be great if forum posts could have a "resolved" label - many forums are asking for help and if the OP considers they have received the answer there should be a way to see this clearly.

    Maybe even show the resolution as a top comments etc like happens on some Q&A forums around the web. eg. Stack Exchange.

  • AussieMark on 29/12/2018 - 18:11

    Is it possible to update the classifieds 24 hour limit to 1 sale and 1 buy post?

    It's annoying I can only post either a buy or a sell and not both

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