Is this the wrong website?
Discussion
TooMany2cvs said:
Websites aren't free to host and run - especially high-traffic ones like this. But they're free to use... I wonder how that circle gets squared...?
Don't like ads? Install an adblocker. The solution is on your hands.
No, but the classifieds hasn't been free for a long time. And for commercial users pay handsomely for using PH. Don't like ads? Install an adblocker. The solution is on your hands.
You can see why people might think it's a bit poor.
From someone who makes their money in Internet advertising can I suggest you find more innovative ways to make money than basically being brand raped to the point you don't know which website you're on?
I'm all for the funding of free websites but this just takes the piss, not even out of the users, out of your own brand values. Sell outs.
I'm all for the funding of free websites but this just takes the piss, not even out of the users, out of your own brand values. Sell outs.
Gaz. said:
swerni said:
Absolutely st.
This place is going to the dogs
real shame
+1.This place is going to the dogs
real shame
The really unfortunate thing about the sorry state of PH these days is that none of the people in charge of running the site appears to give a toss. It's just getting gradually worse.
I'm sure that Kinky will be along shortly to tell us that we're free to leave, and then close the thread...
Driller said:
TooMany2cvs said:
I wonder how that circle gets squared...?
What in the name of English does that mean?http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british...
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/square+the+cir...
TooMany2cvs said:
Driller said:
TooMany2cvs said:
I wonder how that circle gets squared...?
What in the name of English does that mean?http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british...
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/square+the+cir...
Hi everyone,
Thanks for taking the time to comment on this thread - at the very least it demonstrates how strongly you feel about this situation, not to mention the passion that you all have for PistonHeads.
A few comments have alluded to the fact that no one here at PH seems to care any more - I can categorically tell you that simply isn't the case. We've worked hard to improve many aspects of PH, but there are obviously areas that still need some work. One of these is clearly the balance between the realities of successfully commercialising the website and maintaining the sense of community that has been built up over so many years. The fact that we're currently failing on this front is extremely frustrating (as I say, we definitely do care and we share your frustration). It is a balancing act, and it isn't easy. Fortunately we are already on the case and it is being addressed.
So, in no particular order here are some things to consider:
1) Despite the protestations by many of you, the analytics for the site don't tell the same story about the classifieds section. Our visitors to this area of the site are up nearly 40% year on year, and the number of cars for sale is up by over 50%, again year on year.
2) Even with this healthy level of traffic and stock, we agree we need to be continually improving the classifieds section. With this in mind our development team have been working hard to bring a vastly improved classifieds experience to you. Some of the improvements are due for release in April (in beta) and we'd happily take any feedback you may have on board once you've played with it. Like you we believe these amendments are over due, but it is not a simple thing and as such has taken time to get right.
3) With regards to the "We buy any car" campaigns I can understand why at first it may seem counter intuative to allow an advertiser that competes with our own business. But do you really think we'd allow it to continue if it was having a tangible negative impact on the classifieds? The simple fact is that there are clearly different types of people - some who like to sell their car privately on PH and some who take the route with companies like we buy any car. This is backed up by the fact that we buy any car have experienced a great deal of success with the campaign (despite as I previously mentioned it not impacting us). If we could have it our way we'd obviously prefer people to advertise on PH, but for some people that just isn't their cup of tea!
4) The look and feel of the we buy any car campaign is certainly not to many people's (including my) taste. Again this is a balancing act, but we are reviewing the tone and coverage of adverts that appear on PH, which should help the situation significantly. Many of you may have noticed that on the whole we now deliver relevant ads to you too, which is a step in the right direction. Rest assured we and our tech teams will keep working on this until we get it right.
I hope that this helps to reassure you that whilst (like every business ever) we don't get it right 100% of the time, we do care, we do want to get it right and we will get there. Meanwhile we'll continue to improve other areas of PH such as Search, PHTV, Events, the mobile experience etc etc.
Thanks for listening and apologies for the long reply!
Cheers
JD
Thanks for taking the time to comment on this thread - at the very least it demonstrates how strongly you feel about this situation, not to mention the passion that you all have for PistonHeads.
A few comments have alluded to the fact that no one here at PH seems to care any more - I can categorically tell you that simply isn't the case. We've worked hard to improve many aspects of PH, but there are obviously areas that still need some work. One of these is clearly the balance between the realities of successfully commercialising the website and maintaining the sense of community that has been built up over so many years. The fact that we're currently failing on this front is extremely frustrating (as I say, we definitely do care and we share your frustration). It is a balancing act, and it isn't easy. Fortunately we are already on the case and it is being addressed.
So, in no particular order here are some things to consider:
1) Despite the protestations by many of you, the analytics for the site don't tell the same story about the classifieds section. Our visitors to this area of the site are up nearly 40% year on year, and the number of cars for sale is up by over 50%, again year on year.
2) Even with this healthy level of traffic and stock, we agree we need to be continually improving the classifieds section. With this in mind our development team have been working hard to bring a vastly improved classifieds experience to you. Some of the improvements are due for release in April (in beta) and we'd happily take any feedback you may have on board once you've played with it. Like you we believe these amendments are over due, but it is not a simple thing and as such has taken time to get right.
3) With regards to the "We buy any car" campaigns I can understand why at first it may seem counter intuative to allow an advertiser that competes with our own business. But do you really think we'd allow it to continue if it was having a tangible negative impact on the classifieds? The simple fact is that there are clearly different types of people - some who like to sell their car privately on PH and some who take the route with companies like we buy any car. This is backed up by the fact that we buy any car have experienced a great deal of success with the campaign (despite as I previously mentioned it not impacting us). If we could have it our way we'd obviously prefer people to advertise on PH, but for some people that just isn't their cup of tea!
4) The look and feel of the we buy any car campaign is certainly not to many people's (including my) taste. Again this is a balancing act, but we are reviewing the tone and coverage of adverts that appear on PH, which should help the situation significantly. Many of you may have noticed that on the whole we now deliver relevant ads to you too, which is a step in the right direction. Rest assured we and our tech teams will keep working on this until we get it right.
I hope that this helps to reassure you that whilst (like every business ever) we don't get it right 100% of the time, we do care, we do want to get it right and we will get there. Meanwhile we'll continue to improve other areas of PH such as Search, PHTV, Events, the mobile experience etc etc.
Thanks for listening and apologies for the long reply!
Cheers
JD
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