The influence of Gransnet Daily

Maw although it’s done by algorithm (what isn’t ) ‘they’ do have something of a hand in it.
They edit the titles and make sure the more controversial threads don’t make the cut.
(I was watching hopefully to see if the one succinctly titled ‘Oral Sex’ would ‘hit the jackpot’, as it were)

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

FannyCornforth

Maw although it’s done by algorithm (what isn’t ) ‘they’ do have something of a hand in it.
They edit the titles and make sure the more controversial threads don’t make the cut.
(I was watching hopefully to see if the one succinctly titled ‘Oral Sex’ would ‘hit the jackpot’, as it were)

Controversial titles - even threads wherethe OP was deleted have been known to feature in the top right hand corner - which some people have referred to.
Do you remember the lengthy Vietnamese thread?
EP needs to substantiate his claim with more factual evidence than an observation on his “own” thread for it to be a phenomenon

Hi Maw, I meant the Gransnet Daily email.
Yes, I do remember the Vietnamese thread!

ElderlyPerson
Did you really feel the need to inform us of the Delia effect, really?

As I’ve said before, GN Daily is just an advert.
If it didn’t produce more clicks, it wouldn’t exist

I don’t subscribe to the daily email. I’m assuming it’s just sponsored product promotion telling me what I should wear or wash my hair with.

I don’t imagine that anyone at HQ is looking at the quality of debate and discusssion. What they want is traffic. I’m surprised at some of the threads they are said to be highlighting. Length seems to be a key. They need to be more discerning.

The longest threads are not necessarily the best. A thread in which a neverending stream of people post that they call their mother-in-law Mum or Mary or Mrs McGonagle or that they haven’t spoken to her in a decade is not that interesting.

Silverbridge yes, it’s apparent that they don’t give a stuff really.
I complained to them earlier this year about it (why do we bother, eh).
A thread titled ‘Boris and Carry get married!’ hit the jackpot’.
The Johnson nuptials took place on a Saturday, and the thread was highlighted the following Tuesday.
I was told that more care would be taken in future.

Silverbridge
You wait ‘till it gets to the price of eggs in Tesco’s, then it really rocks.

H1954

ElderlyPerson did start a thread, I've just noticed it in Unanswered, which no one obviously commented on. This also asks rather an odd question imo.

I’ve just taken a look. You’re right. Sponsored discussions are a complete sham. The recent one sponsored by a private health clinic springs to mind. It was an utter disgrace

I’m starting a thread about a thread
To see if the thread about thread will be read
And maybe a follow up thread will be better
It might even show on the GN newsletter
To feature on there is the name of the game
It makes me feel good, I can glow with the fame.
But then . . . oh no . . . No matter how hard I try
My thread will dry up and eventually die
Just wait! Once again I feel happy inside
I’ll start a new thread, about how my thread died!

Mollygo ????

??

Very good Molly ?⭐️

MerylStreep

Silverbridge
You wait ‘till it gets to the price of eggs in Tesco’s, then it really rocks.

Ooh, are they on special offer? ( )

Somewhere is the MN/GN mission statement, the company says its aim is to market products and services that will make our lives easier - or words to that effect.

I accept that his free forum would not exist but for advertising revenue but I dislike the way products are pushed under the guise of sponsored discussions even when it’s a benevolent cause such as Cancer Research. The one before that was promoting a high street bank. We’ve had private healthcare, retirement apartments and park homes and a plethora of other products and services. Money, money, money as if the over 50s think about nothing else.

Having said that, a discussion sponsored by an energy provider that will still be in business by the end of the week and a prize draw for a fuel voucher would be useful right now. Or maybe a nice duvet company or a yarn company (knit your own blanket before you fingers are too frozen to do so) or a raw food diet or a candle-making course or how to make you own bicycle-powered generator.

Silverbridge

What jackpot? There’s no prize.

There is also a phenomenon on GN and other social media sites where a hundred people feel obliged to say pretty much the same thing about something that the previous hundred people have already said. It’s tedious repetition rather than the development of discussion.

What’s concerning me is that you almost always use the threads you start (and have even started some specifically) to promote links to a certain socal media platform owned by a US tech company. Is this why you keep drawing attention to yourself? Maybe your jackpot is a nice line in sponsorship? It’s tantamount to spamming. Please stop.

I assure you that I have never done sponsorship nor put sponsored links on my website either.

Ít is a matter of pride to me that I do not do so.

If I say that I like a product it is because I genuinely do, no reward for doing so. I never put on my website any of those click through links that would give me some reward if someone clicks through and buys something.

Reading your post I notice the indirect reference to YouTube. I get nothing from YouTube, I just like listening to the music and watching videos, such as those by Mark Felton. I mention his videos as they are interesting, mentioning them is not any sponsoring activity. Perhaps some readers will now search for them.

Yes, I suppose that threads like the one about various videos about the song Waltz across Texas could give the impression that I am trying to generate traffic to YouTube, but that is not the case. It was just me enjoying writing and trying to share information in the hope that some readers would enjoy it.

I suppose that by posting that I am drawing attention to myself.

Here is a link to a video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAEppFUWLfc

FannyCornforth

H1954

ElderlyPerson did start a thread, I've just noticed it in Unanswered, which no one obviously commented on. This also asks rather an odd question imo.

I’ve just taken a look. You’re right. Sponsored discussions are a complete sham. The recent one sponsored by a private health clinic springs to mind. It was an utter disgrace

The one with the questions about Wills is interesting and if they do answer in detail all the questions that have been posted it will be a very useful source of information.

Silverbridge

Somewhere is the MN/GN mission statement, the company says its aim is to market products and services that will make our lives easier - or words to that effect.

I accept that his free forum would not exist but for advertising revenue but I dislike the way products are pushed under the guise of sponsored discussions even when it’s a benevolent cause such as Cancer Research. The one before that was promoting a high street bank. We’ve had private healthcare, retirement apartments and park homes and a plethora of other products and services. Money, money, money as if the over 50s think about nothing else.

Having said that, a discussion sponsored by an energy provider that will still be in business by the end of the week and a prize draw for a fuel voucher would be useful right now. Or maybe a nice duvet company or a yarn company (knit your own blanket before you fingers are too frozen to do so) or a raw food diet or a candle-making course or how to make you own bicycle-powered generator.

Well there is a thread there for you to post those suggestions.

EP The word ‘if’ in your post is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
After the private health care debacle, I’ll be giving sponsored threads a wide berth.
After I and others complained, the management did say that they would rethink how sponsored discussions were managed.

EP I think that your thread about sponsored discussions has gone

FannyCornforth

EP I think that your thread about sponsored discussions has gone

Apologies, it’s still there

Lizzie72

MerylStreep

Silverbridge
You wait ‘till it gets to the price of eggs in Tesco’s, then it really rocks.

Ooh, are they on special offer? ( )

Lizzie
I’ll get back to you on that. I have to watch some paint dry.

FannyCornforth

EP I think that your thread about sponsored discussions has gone

I have just checked. It is still there. Two posts thus far.

Yes, you’re right. It’s not the place for ‘us’ to post though