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Is this Huddler email legitimate or is it spam?

post #1 of 24
8/28/09 at 5:09pm
Thread Starter 
I just received the following email:

Quote:

Greetings, Nicholas Martin.

 

You've been an active member of the Home Theater Forum, which is why I'm contacting you.

 

My name is Benjamin Keyser, and I'm from the Huddler Platform team. We build the software for HTF, and we're trying to find ways to make it better and improve your experience.

 

To help us make HTF better, we've got some screen designs to show you on which we’d appreciate your opinion. To provide feedback on these designs, we’ve set up an online survey (link below). Viewing the screen designs and giving us your opinion will be very helpful in shaping how HTF can improve in future.

 

Please view the screen designs here:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AZJ9CFXjv9vGZGczYndzZDdfMTFjOWZ0OGNjZw&hl=en

 

Once you've had the chance to look over the pages, please follow up by taking a quick survey. It should take no more than a few minutes of your time, but it will be a tremendous help to HTF.

 

After reviewing the screen mockups, please take the survey by clicking here:

-------Link removed------

 

Your participation is very important to us, so you should know that your answers are confidential. Please feel free to be as direct and honest as you can.

 

Both the design documents and survey will only be available for about a week, so don't forget to participate soon! Thanks in advance for your help and feedback!

 

-Benjamin and the entire Huddler Platform Team

Is this real or will clicking those links lead to some kind of spam scam? 

Curious, and cautious.
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post #2 of 24
8/28/09 at 5:53pm
I am more curious, so I followed the link. Yes it is legit!

The survey is a good one and gives you a chance to express your opinions. I would like to thank Huddler for asking and caring about the members experience at HTF.
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post #3 of 24
8/28/09 at 7:03pm
Thanks HTF / Huddler for selecting me to participate.  I know my suggestions haven't always gone over well.

To start off with I think the new paper layout looks much improved.  There are still things I would do differently but you guys definitely are listening and working to bridge the MANY vastly different kinds of input im sure you have received.

My input was generally favorable but I will list here the things I put at the end (and two I forgot) of further refinements I'd like to see:

Quote:
Improve ability to actually post from an iphone with line breaks included
custom skins and color schemes
choice of screen widths that recognize that monitors are getting bigger and wider while not killing those on disadvantaged platforms like mobile.

To that I would add these items, which are probably antithetical to the huddler philosophy:
Don't overload core browser functionality like Cut and Paste and Spell Checking
Don't use pop-ups and Pop-Overs, like the new one for seeing avatars is particularly grating if it is too easily engadged when scrolling.
Re-allow users to have animated gifs in avatars and allow images in signature lines.

Regardless of where things go UI wise I'm in HTF for the long run even if I get grumpy and touchy along the way.

Thanks again.

Sam
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post #4 of 24
8/28/09 at 9:17pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for confirming that it's the real deal.

I apologize but being the internet, sometimes one just doesn't know!

Overall, I like the proposed space changes and I didn't mention anything I don't like, because there wasn't anything for me to mention at all. I'm quite happy here and enjoy learning from everyone here - experts, fans and hobbyists alike.
Edited by Nicholas Martin - 8/28/09 at 9:31pm
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post #5 of 24
8/29/09 at 7:02am
Ditto. I did the survey earlier this morning. I generally liked the proposed format change. But I can't be 100% positive without actually using it.
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post #6 of 24
8/29/09 at 12:01pm
Haven't done the survey yet.  Still digesting the proposed changes.  Have some mixed feelings about it even though it probably benefits IE6 (and smaller/lower-res display) users more than others.

And to be honest, since Sam brought it up above, it doesn't actually bother me one bit that HTF currently won't display images in sigs.  And if we go to that proposed change, allowing images in sigs (and thus likely allocating more vertical space to sigs than right now) would probably make the proposed layout change look worse.

If people *really* love using sigs (and put all sorts of "junk" in there), maybe HTF/Huddler might want to break out of the old mold and attempt to provide a profile info area that effectively integrates w/ the traditional sigs area so we don't end up wasting more screen/page space than necessary.  Some of the info in the profile info area probably doesn't need to be showing 24/7 anyway -- and if we're gonna have popups, might as well put some of that into popups.

_Man_
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post #7 of 24
8/31/09 at 3:36pm
I filled out the survey today. The only thing I did not care for in the new, proposed format was that the forum jump navigation box was no longer on the top of the page. I use that feature all the time.
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post #8 of 24
8/31/09 at 3:57pm
Thanks for asking the question as to whether the email was/is legit or not. I will pass on to the team that we need to do better at letting you know it is legit.

Parker
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post #9 of 24
9/2/09 at 1:05pm
I think I like all of the proposed changes. It definitely improves things. I'd like to add though that they should decrease the space between the columns. There is way too big of a gap there. The difference can be added to the post body width for an even larger column.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Scott Merryfield View Post

I filled out the survey today. The only thing I did not care for in the new, proposed format was that the forum jump navigation box was no longer on the top of the page. I use that feature all the time.
 

It looks like the navigation box has been replaced with the mouse-over on the "More Forums" link. This popup is definitely improved over the simple combo box setup. The only problem I foresee is that it's not immediately obvious that this capability is there. But, once people figure it out I think they'll like it.
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post #10 of 24
9/3/09 at 1:56pm
Hey, this is Benjamin from Huddler. I want to assure you the survey is/was totally legit! I personally wrote the email and can attest to it's authenticity!

We thank EVERYONE who participated, and you should be seeing some changes soon based on your feedback! I can't be too much more specific than that right now (or I might get dope slapped over here) but stay tuned.

Cheers
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post #11 of 24
9/3/09 at 2:10pm
I removed the link to the survey from the first post.  If anyone here took it that wasn't invited to that isn't a problem, its just that we had created a few different, specific targeted audiences and to correlate the results we need to consider response rates from the various groups. 

I'm glad that you guys participated, your opinions matter.  I really enjoyed this thread and the fact that you all enjoy HTF and want to make it an even better place. 

Sam and Man-
Just because not all the things you have been talking about made it on the survey doesn't mean that they aren't being discussed or even worked on.  We just want to take the time and do it right.
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post #12 of 24
9/3/09 at 2:12pm
SLAP! 
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post #13 of 24
9/3/09 at 2:20pm
 ouch!
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post #14 of 24
9/7/09 at 9:12pm
Adam, how long have you been one of the owners? I hadn't noticed that before just a few days ago.
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post #15 of 24
9/8/09 at 9:42am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Adam Gregorich View Post

Just because not all the things you have been talking about made it on the survey doesn't mean that they aren't being discussed or even worked on.  We just want to take the time and do it right.

Groovy, thanks for the heads up.  And congrats on the "promotion"??!?!?
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post #16 of 24
9/9/09 at 3:42pm
Thanks.  I've been working with Ron and Parker behind the scenes for a long time.  We talked about taking it to the next level a few weeks ago.  I made them an offer, and feel honored that they accepted. 
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post #17 of 24
9/10/09 at 7:45am
Wow.  Congrats!

I didn't mean all those really rude things I've been saying about you the past eight years! 

To celebrate, why don't you splurge and run out and get yourself one of those really nice Sharp BD-HP21U Blu-ray players? 

Good luck, Adam!
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post #18 of 24
9/11/09 at 12:08pm
Congrats, Adam!   Now, you really get to be in the *HOTSEAT* as if you weren't busy enough addressing issues w/ the software/format change so far already. 

BTW, thanks for getting on the case of that obnoxious Montreal tourism ad.  Looks like I'm no longer drowning in that popup-and-across flash mess here -- and I'll let you breathe a little before I report the next potentially problematic ad issue.  

_Man_
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post #19 of 24
9/11/09 at 12:37pm
Thanks for letting me know it died.  Some times I sound like a broken record....Is it still there, is it still there, etc.  If there are any other ads please let me know as I don't work on a quota system  We are working really hard behind the scenes to improve the advertising which is a bit of a challenge in this economy...  As to hotseat my official position is that I'm the new guy and am not sure about that, let me get Ron or Parker for you...
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post #20 of 24
9/11/09 at 12:46pm
Man, are you shopping for unmentionables?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadath/3909775077/

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post #21 of 24
9/11/09 at 1:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Posten View Post

Man, are you shopping for unmentionables?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadath/3909775077/


 

Hehheh.  I guess I'm not as lucky w/ ads as you.   Haven't gotten that one/kind yet.  In my case, I'm seeing some more prominent looking baby/prego ads instead, not that I find them particularly objectionable, just a bit odd here -- maybe they would've been appreciated a couple years back when we were having #3.

Now, if only Huddler would send some non-HT ads of real interest (to me of course) along my way...

http://www.cozio.com/Instrument.aspx?id=130

_Man_
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post #22 of 24
9/11/09 at 3:14pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sam Posten View Post

Man, are you shopping for unmentionables?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kadath/3909775077/

 

Yeah, I never get any good ads like that either. All I get is the text based one asking to help clear my Illinois criminal record. Jeesh, don't they know I cross over to Indiana for that stuff?  At least it's text based so it's not annoying.
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post #23 of 24
9/12/09 at 4:09pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bill Buklis View Post


All I get is the text based one asking to help clear my Illinois criminal record. Jeesh, don't they know I cross over to Indiana for that stuff?

Try to get me, coppers! 
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post #24 of 24
9/12/09 at 8:27pm
If my pal Mugsy was in the oven, would I turn on the gas?

You might wabbit, you might!
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