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Can you give me feedback on my website?
8 points by svanikss 3510 days ago
Hi I created http://www.didyouhearyet.com I was wondering if I could get some feedback on it and suggestions on improving it.

Here's a little bit of information about the product:

It is a content/link aggregation site similar to reddit/hacker news. The things that makes this different from other sites is that after 24 hours the post is deleted from the site, also there is no voting system in place so when people comment is it actually contributing to the conservation rather than a competition for internet points.

Let me know if you have any other questions regarding the product. Thanks in advance.

6 comments

What's the advantage of removing posts and comments after 24 hours? I'll list the negatives.

1. You kill all of your organic traffic. Google isn't going to index your deleted posts and comments, so no one is going to be visiting your site through search engines.

2. If I write a thoughtful comment, I can't return the next day to see replies, because everything is gone.

3. I can't bookmark interesting discussions, or share them on social media.

The voting system is actually a positive for Reddit/HN, since it separates the interesting submissions and comments from the low quality ones. That's the reason most people sort submissions and comments on Reddit/HN by 'Best' instead of 'New'. However, you took the 'New' section that no one likes to browse, and made it the only way to view your site. That's not good.

On a side note, the navigation drop downs don't open when viewing a post.

As for positives, you made a basic Reddit/HN clone, congrats. I'm not being sarcastic, the site is functional, it's easy to browse, and easy to read. You have the skills to make a successful project, you just need a different idea, or a much better spin on the Reddit/HN concept.

What is your concept for this? Why did you make it so it deletes everything after 24 hours?

I have been on email lists with no archive. It was done to protect the privacy of individuals. I have also run an email list with no archive. It was done to protect privacy and also to make it a live conversation.

What are your goals here? Are you just trying to "be different" for the sake of being different? I don't think that works. I think there has to be a purpose to the difference. It has to be done for a reason that creates value.

Some errata:

3) One a post is 24 hours old the post... 3) Once a post is 24 hours old, it...

1) Anything illegeal 1) Anything illegal

3) Threatens, harrasses, or bullies other users 3) Threats, harassment, or bullying on other users

3) Removeal of content from the site 3) Removal of content from the site

Some bug report:

I couldn't comment (I wanted to post a test spam comment), plus the "Subhears" and "About" links in the comment window wouldn't work.

IMHO needs polish and a sound spam strategy, but you may get an interesting feed if you get some traction, good luck and congratulations!

I fixed the 3 points you said. Also regarding the issue where you couldn't comment. I currently have it set to where you can only reply to a comment anonymously but I think that based on feedback people have given me I will be making it to anyone can comment. Also I am looking into the issue where Subhears and the About links won't open in the comment window.

Also regarding the spam strategy do you think passing it through a filter would work? Or should I implement a moderation system?

You need to briefly introduce your product first before asking for opinion. Others might misunderstand what you wish to achieve if you never claim about your mission.
Thanks for the feedback, I updated the main post with a little bit of information regarding the site.
If the content will be deleted after 24 hours, what about the comments and all the discussion? I think this is not the case like Snapchat, which has been a chat/messenger app. Comments and discussion for certain contents needs to be preserve. If you are deleting the content after 24 hours for a clean interface, why not just remove the comment?
Thanks for your feedback!

Currently I have it set so bot the post and comment data is wiped from the server. If I decide to keep certain comments and discussions preserved for certain contents where do I draw the line and wouldn't that go against the goal of the site?

Seems like this might be useful for people who want to remain anonymous... perhaps you could emphasize that?
So currently you do not need an account to post a reply to a comment but do you think I should make it so you do not need an account to comment in general?
That would be interesting, but would it be economical?