spying on forums from your stats

[moomum]

Is this unethical? I am having a very nice time reading what people are saying about Jam Sponges - my favorite quote so far (from an American Site, who I can't sell to anyway) saying that from what they had heard, Jam Sponges were for hippies! :laugh:

Anyway, is it wrong to read what people are saying about you? It is very useful for me to be able to see what people have questions about so I can try to make sure the site FAQ's answer them all.

Does anyone else have a guilty feeling about it?

[funkydorydawn]

Not wrong at all! Very sensible I'd say - and very useful to know how you and your products are being received.

dawn
xx

[Slug]

Hi Moomum,
I've recently discovered the joys of this too! I'm not sure if a lot of people realise that what they type into a forum can often be picked up by google etc as well. I think you can only view the forums that aren't private/password protected can't you so I don't think it really matters?

[MrTempleDene]

Big companies actually employ people to do this, I don't see a problem with it, people are saying these things in public about you, so you can read it, seems pretty clear to me.

Now if you were breaking into password protected areas of forums to read this stuff, then yes, that's naughty, bu you're not.

[moomum]

I came across a site that would let me into password protected forums a while ago, then I forgot to bookmark it! So my karmic balance is still intact :-)

[MrTempleDene]

that site wouldn't be www.bugmenot.com would it?

[moomum]

that site wouldn't be www.bugmenot.com would it?

No it wasn't that at all, it was just a way of searching on protected forums, you didn't have to log in at all.

[Al1x]

i always have a look and see what people are saying about us. don't think there is anything wrong with that

[Katiequiggle]

I think you'd have to be pretty abnormal not to look to be honest, and of course its ethical, I've joined forums after finding pieces about my jewellery on them, and I'm pleased to say that so far everything I've found has been lovely so far.

[moomum]

I'm pleased to say that so far everything I've found has been lovely so far.

lol! I keep doing things that people find controversial so I get quite a few bad comments too :laugh: never about the quality of the products though!

[Rainbowwitch]

OMG I just googled my name "Rainbowwitch" and notice a lot of my views on forums popped up. Have to googled my hubbys name and see what he has been writing

[moomum]

OMG I just googled my name "Rainbowwitch" and notice a lot of my views on forums popped up. Have to googled my hubbys name and see what he has been writing

Oh no, what have I started? I accept no responsibility for what you might find! :laugh:

[Rainbowwitch]

Oh no, what have I started? I accept no responsibility for what you might find! :laugh:


NO its quite interesting, Things I wrote yonks ago and had forgotten are on there.

[Chell]

I don't think that most people realise that when they post a link that the site owner will find the post. I don't suppose everyone knows that website owners have stats packages to track links.

[planitpurple]

I don't think you are doing anything wrong either. I think you are doing the right thing by researching what potential customers are saying about you. Also, that way you could find out if there are any changes you need to make.

[Katiequiggle]

I love it when I find comments about my business on other forums, its fab that the name is getting out, and if all the coments were bad ones then at least I'd know what people really thought and I could go some way to changing it.

[Pogglers]

No, it's not wrong at all, and I think very sensible to check it all out too. I did a search for Pogglers a month or two ago and found people on a forum, which will remain nameless, were having a go at me because of my opinions on vaccinations, and then they also started slagging my business off too. It was instigated by someone on another forum (nameless again) who I was helping out. They took the thread down and needless to say I am no longer helping their forum out. It is a long story, but I am very glad that I saw it because these people were having a go at my business purely because we had a difference of personal opinion which had nothing at all to do with my business.

[BellaMiller]

On a nicer note - I found someone the other day talking about AM and saying good things - it was great!

[funkyfish]

Someone put a link on moneysavingexpert and I have had at quite a few sales!

My nerves will never be the same :cheesy:

[stour]

I've stopped doing it. Didn't read the positives, just the minute negatives and took them to heart. even to the point where no one else could see the negatives but i could. delicate flower me!

The thing that stopped me was a moan on a forum called maidens or something similar. Someone moaned about some Cath Kidston beakers that they'd bought from GLTC. She said that how dare they sell non Cath Kidston beakers as Cath Kidston. They had stars insteads of circles. On and on it went.

GLTC got a complete drubbing. Then someone from GLTC popped up and said actually they are Cath Kidston beakers and explained it in a very straightforward but polite way.

The women on this forum then complained that GLTC would answer and how awful it was that they were being watched.

in other words, you can't win. if they want to speak to us, they'll email or ring us. :) sorry this is totally different to other people's takes on it. should learn to separate myself from teh business but it's damned hard.

[funkyfish]

I've stopped doing it. Didn't read the positives, just the minute negatives and took them to heart. even to the point where no one else could see the negatives but i could. delicate flower me!



I do sympathise. Thats a bit rough actually. I think when you invest time and energy into your business its quite demoralising to hear negativity.
I don't think you should separate yourself from the business as that would suggest you don't care. I think a little change of perspective would be enough.

""cutey""b

In your case I probably would have tried to take something positive from the feedback maybe included something on my site to say that you are an accredited retailer of Cath Kidston products or that type of thing. I don't know what your business but I hope you get what I mean.

I don't particular monitor the forums either (don't have time) but I do have a great little tracking thingy that tells me the referring URL on sales so if I notice on a sale that the referrer was a forum I do have a nosey....

I think tracking the referring URLs is really important, I like to know whats working and it encourages me to do more.