View Full Version : recommendation thread.............should it be brought back?!
annemarie482
19-Apr-11, 11:46
more and more the general forum is filling up with requests for help, repairs and recomendations.
do you think it should be brought back?
The idea of the recommendations page was good. Unfortunately in the past it was severely abused in as much as it was often used to slag off some local busnesses. I would also suspect it was used by other local busnesses and their cronies as a cheap means of advertising themselves. If it were to be restored and this type of abuse continued I would think it would only be a matter of time before legal action was taken against the owner's of the website.
As the org moderators failed to prevent the abuse the last time I would be interesred to know how they would do this should the recommendation thread be brought back.
annemarie482
19-Apr-11, 12:44
i agree jaykay, totally!
but is there a way to bring it back and police it?
or maybe personal bad experiances should be pm'd rather than publicly posted?
i dont know, but it certainly seems to be a thread that is missed.
If there had been a way to police it properly, then I don't think it would have been removed in the first place. However these are only my thoughts and at the end of the day it will be up to Mr Fernie and the moderators to decide if it can be effectively policed. If the answer is yes than we may well get it brought back.
I've got to be careful here, but if I'd heard some of the comments that people had made regarding a certain local firm I wouldn't have used them and hence wouldn't have been left out of pocket, severely unimpressed etc. etc.
I've also had some fabulous people who have been recommended from here too. Good work deserves to be publicised and they always say that the best form of advertising is word of mouth.
Bring it back I say but moderate it, if people are really going to be nasty then the moderators should surely be able to remove the post...
I voted no because looking at the threads appearing in the General section are the reason behind the facility being removed in the first place, Its pathetic.
orkneycadian
19-Apr-11, 15:23
I too voted no, as much of the threads that get posted on here regards services and recommendations repeat what has already been posted. The proliferation of "Where has the recomendations thread gone?" new threads that got started show that to be the case. 5 or 6 I think it was? No one bothered to read the previous threads on the matter, or search to find out. Despite a big heading about recommendations, and a search facility. They just all blindly started new threads.
It would be good if Admin can engineer it so that when a posting is made, especially a thread creating posting, the first step is an automatic search based on keywords drawn from the posting. Only if there is no existing threads does the new thread get created.
A very prominent button with a link to Google would be a huge help as well! ;) Why some folk think that a bunch of general Caithness followers will know more about fixing washing machines, tellies, cars, whateveres, than the members of the washing machine forum / telly repair forum / 27 million car forums is beyond me!
Final suggestion - (well, a reminder of a previous one!) - Please, please, please Admin, arrange it so that when folk leave their mailboxes to the point of overflowing, it sends them an e-mail to their day to day email address (the one they registered with), or else flashes up a message the next time they log in. Most threads these days seem to be "So and so, your inbox is full!"
The'Recommendation Thread' is a big miss I voted yes as I have used other peoples experience with certain firms to infuence my decision who to use and who to give a wide berth. Its all very well people slagging business off but 9 times out of 10 I wonder just how many people complain about services etc when they have abad experience. Businesses can only improve if people tell them they are not happy and also tell them when they are happy with their service.
i miss it as well... can they not just put up a disclaimer saying that the views of the posters do not reflect that of the .org admin.. and that as it is a public forum that it is an individuals right to express their opinion except in the cases of slander ect.. to which the poster themselves are responsible for any and all defamation and can face legal action? that way it would be on the poster, and not the org that the blade fell?
as far as im aware.. if what a person is posting is truth then nothing can be done about it? its not sour grapes, and if said company dosent like it then it is their responsibility to change their rep. and if it is slander then it should be on the poster and not the forum.
orkneycadian
19-Apr-11, 18:09
can they not just put up a disclaimer saying that the views of the posters do not reflect that of the .org admin.
I think if it were as easy as that, all the forums in the world would have such a disclaimer, and the mods could go on holiday! :Razz
If I lived in Caithness, this poll would have received my NO vote, but as I no longer live there I feel I cannot vote. My reasons for this are, the Caithness.Org, is not run as a democracy, but as a business, all be it a good community service, but the Admin, cannot sit 24/7 at a computer monitoring all the posts on the Org.
The reasons for removing the thread would not have been done in haste, they were removed, I would assume after a lot of head scratching by the Admin.
Just live with that, and move on.
why dont they have it back but under approval if any thing is greatly offencive it will no be posted
orkneycadian
20-Apr-11, 08:39
more and more the general forum is filling up with requests for help, repairs and recomendations.
Perhaps they should be posted in or moved to the Business Section then? Virtually all the postings relate to businesses, and the description on the Business Section says "Discuss Business in Caithness Here"
annemarie482
20-Apr-11, 09:59
Perhaps they should be posted in or moved to the Business Section then? Virtually all the postings relate to businesses, and the description on the Business Section says "Discuss Business in Caithness Here"
sounds a good idea orkneycadian, there definately should be somewhere for it other than the general forum. but would that result in the closure of the business section then?! cant win!
God don't go to Cheetam, no health and safety and seriously dodgy character!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! name nature springs to mind. If you want to PM me I can give details for supply and a builder recommended by the Dept of Agri, Thurso. Reasonable rates, complete paperwork and all legal
jeezo!!
no wonder the recommendations thread is shut :o(
I voted 'No' on your poll annemarie (despite having benefited from a recommendation some time ago). Do you still feel reopening the section - or something similar - is workable? I wish it was possible but just can't see it happening.
I and, I know, many other Caithness businesses have benefited from receiving favourable comments and secured additional customers as a direct result. I would like to think I would respond well to an unfavourable comment too.
Knowing that a slip in standards would likely result in an orgslagging :eek: , I think clever businesses would be very keen to ensure that didn't happen. In such a close community it is vital that your service meets and exceeds expectations, and the loss of the recommendations thread may well, in my opinion, see standards slip.
Oh, I voted yes BTW :Razz
annemarie482
20-Apr-11, 16:36
I voted 'No' on your poll annemarie (despite having benefited from a recommendation some time ago). Do you still feel reopening the section - or something similar - is workable? I wish it was possible but just can't see it happening.
maybe all looking for recommendations threads should be locked so pm is the only way to reply?
maybe all looking for recommendations threads should be locked so pm is the only way to reply?
Good idea annemarie. Wouldn't stop folks from giving adverse comments (by pm) but at least they wouldn't be made on the public forum. Wonder if it's workable? Await admin's feedback. [para]
Kevin Milkins
22-Apr-11, 13:30
I always used to have a look at whats going on and made my own mind up about people being silly. I have found it usfull on many times.
Good idea annemarie. Wouldn't stop folks from giving adverse comments (by pm) but at least they wouldn't be made on the public forum. Wonder if it's workable? Await admin's feedback. [para]
maybe all looking for recommendations threads should be locked so pm is the only way to reply?
Then you will end up with a half a dozen locked recommendations threads from sisters, brothers, friends all piping in plugging that persons work. Wont work!!
Even more threads from a member with less than 10 posts to there name all of a sudden asking about details of anyone that can do such and such........then replies from another new member with similar post count saying "yeah try this company, highly recommended etc"
The Org is being used and abused as a free business plugin by a select group of people/members ruining it for others.
We have a business section elsewhere on the org, how about setting this up and streamline everything into one place.
Within the Business section on the forums each company has there own section and subforums for feedback/offers etc. See piccie below for rough idea
This would be easy to setup albeit take up some time but im sure the other computer techy mods could help out with this. Or for the priviliage of having your company listed like this they either contribute to the org with a fee or give a contribution to charity.
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/Feesty/Orgidea.jpg
I always found Recommendation to be pretty accurate on most things. Surely if you have had good service you want to pass it on, and if you have had a lot of bother with another it is your duty to warn others about it. I thought that was what Recommendations was all about. The good and the bad.
annemarie482
04-May-11, 17:30
woohoo!!! the recommendations thread has returned!!! but under moderation.
good works mods! it was sorely missed! :)
woohoo!!! the recommendations thread has returned!!! but under moderation.
good works mods! it was sorely missed! :)
A good campaign annemarie, I wonder if it influenced the decision?
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