Creating Smarter Websites

by Tim on April 20, 2010

I frequently come across websites that have a message that doesn't apply to me when I login. It's pretty funny actually because some of them threaten deleting your account or terrible things happening to you. Ok, maybe not terrible but you get the point.

So why not make your website smarter? If you are having trouble emailing Yahoo users maybe you should only show the login warning to people with Yahoo email addresses? (or better yet, fix the problem so your mail gets received..)

If you are going to show me an OTO, don't show it to me and then hide the buttons because I already bought it. That one really makes me laugh. The system is smart enough to hide the buttons, but not smart enough to not show me the page? Come on!

Same thing goes for offers on upgraded accounts that you receive when you are, get this, already upgraded! It seems really silly, and can add to confusion. Wait a minute, I thought I was already upgraded!? Oh no! I must contact support!

If you are running a website check out how everything works, and make it smart!

{ 10 comments }

jeananne April 20, 2010 at 12:57 pm

my pet peeve dont send me an email to confirm my membership then when I get there have me join…I’m old not stoopid! honesty is always the best policy. if you are going to be a crimminal at least spend the time learning how to be the best criminal…

Eric Smith April 20, 2010 at 1:02 pm

Yeah, it would seem kind of stupid for an owner of a site to delete members for email problems, when the email problem may originate with the owner in the first place.

One thing I find annoying is when an owner of multiple sites sends out blanket emails to all of his/her site members, then my email account has the same exact email from 3 or 4 websites … all coming from that one owner.

How lame and impersonal can you get?

I like how Tim makes every email different, personal, and “to-the-point” helpful, regardless if it’s from his blog or website.

Excellent Job Tim!

Stephen Whittle April 20, 2010 at 1:08 pm

I had a similar situation with a traffic exchange this morning. Signed up, got the confirmation link, clicked on it, it said for me to click here to have my password sent to me. Never got it, LOL. Turns out to be that I had signed up on this site ages ago under an old email address. Funny that it didn’t tell me so. =P

Thanks,
Stephen Whittle (swhomebiz)

James April 20, 2010 at 1:13 pm

YUP!
My blood pressure goes up a notch too, but I shouldn’t complain since I am one of those webmasters who thinks scripting is a foreign language.

By the way, if anyone would like to help me with out with a paralysis that suddenly develops on 3 of my blogs (pages waiting forever to deploy) please contact me.

thehouse of max @ yahoo.com

Thanks

GimmeADream April 20, 2010 at 1:15 pm

Resending of confirmation emails is what gets me. How many times do I have to confirm to get to see an oto. Another one is that “you’ll only see this once”…, and then it is there when I login again.

Wynn

John Davies April 20, 2010 at 1:56 pm

Tim,

The one that irritates me is an offer for a limited time period, and on closer inspection, the time period has already passed!

If you’re gonna make an offer for a limited time, you should at least be checking that it’s still valid before showing it.

Regards,
John

Patti/silverdark April 20, 2010 at 2:07 pm

How about the page that won’t let you go into the site you have already joined if you don’t accept the OTO?? Had one of those last week!! LOL

Jeff Henshaw April 20, 2010 at 5:52 pm

“Same thing goes for offers on upgraded accounts that you receive when you are, get this, already upgraded! It seems really silly, and can add to confusion. Wait a minute, I thought I was already upgraded!?”

Yep that’s the one that annoyes me the most, yet many TE owners do it and it remains on the front page of the login page for ever!. I don’t know why.

Jeff.

Ellen Thorp April 20, 2010 at 8:14 pm

I am a TE Owner and have not run into someone being upgraded and then being requested to do so again. My members are extremely important to me, so if someone who is a member has run into this. I would welcome an email to correct the situation. I have the most incredible programmer alive and I’m sure if this did arise, he would do everything possible to prevent it from happening again.

Have a successful, wonderful day!

Scott April 21, 2010 at 12:13 pm

The one that got me a couple of weeks ago is I signed up on an exchange because they were giving away free upgrades to so many members.

When I sent a suport ticket in to find out about the upgrade the only thing the upgrade had above the free member was a couple hundred credits for sign up.

Needless to say I posted my site and banners to use up the free credits but will probably never go back.

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