First I need to point out some of the “GREAT” ideas eBay has has over the years. These are all things I complained about for years before they were eventually removed or turned into class action law suites.

At one time, they thought it was a great idea that you were able to see not only what someone had purchased, but what they were bidding on and what they had in their watch lists.

Couple that with this one… eBay thought it was a great idea that everyone knew who you are with physical address, email and all.  There is still a bunch of mined data out there someone is making money from while other suffer from it unknowingly.  Others still use that mined data to trick folks into revealing account passwords with this data. I guess if you FACEBOOK, you probably don’t care about this sort of stuff as it has been well known that “partners” of theirs have continued this practice after a big deal made of it some time ago.

At one time, eBay thought it was a great idea that when you placed a bid and were currently the high bidder, and you were thinking you needed to bid a bit higher, and did so,  it would force a bid against yourself. Taking the bid one higher increment against yourself. This I believe was settled in a class action law suite.

Of course now a days, your agreement with them says you will not be able to join a class action suite against them. I see where the cell companies felt left out on this as they followed eBay’s lead.

That’s just a couple for demonstration. But I could speak of more, but I only have a hour to write this while I watch the local news before dinner.

So what is on my current “terrible idea” eBay list…

Let’s start with the pop-up, pop-over, slide out/up/ in messages. I’m speaking of the message that “3 people are watching this item”

or “You have been outbid on that item” you just quit bidding on and are trying to read the next listing except for this damn pop out is always in the way.

While I’m sure there is some study they have made to justify effectiveness to coerce someone not very smart to bid or bid more, but these pop-ups and “pop-outs on mouse hover” are so annoying that I end my shopping session in aggravation and go to amazon now for most new items. I’m sure they have some effect on those that are new to this or are just stupid.

They have done this informational statement of watchers for a while, but it was just a static text in the bid area of the page. I guess they feel nobody was seeing or at least acting on it so they made it a pop/slide-out now that is hard to miss and often in my way for reading or viewing photo. Now I have to click to make it disappear. Go figure…

… how do you spell ANNOYING !

A missed opportunity to know how interested that user was in the item as I would have made it a click to find out how many watchers there were on the item. Instead of everyone seeing it, you would know if this viewer was serious about it and be able to display other relevant listings that might lead to a sale and better statistical info.

That aggravation extents to other items as well. Such as…

Not knowing where I can place my mouse so something does not pop-up in the way of what I am trying to read. A missed opportunity because distractions do not lead to sales.

It’s kinda like the modern version of a old fashion car salesman or commission salesperson telling you a bunch of BS while you are trying to read the MPG’s of the car or what add-ons are in the price. Since it is what is written not said  that really matters.

Boy… I can see a big opening for hackers to trick folks while they are using ebay as they will not know if the pop-out is a valid ebay information or a hack in their browser window. Watch what you click…

It should be easy to spoof a ebay’r from a pop-up because for 3 days in a row, the same page was publish 3 different ways to me. I can’t tell if it is the real thing or my browser has been hijacked ! The delay while I check-it-out shortens my shopping time.

To continue…

eBay thinks it is a great idea to allow 3rd party vendors to help the seller in listing and messaging. These third party vendors have been collecting your email addresses and purchase habits and mining/selling that info. Even if they are not selling it, it is open to being hacked from their sites.

How would I know?

I have had good security habits since before ebay started.

I have many of my own internet domains, and email accounts and can change my email address on the fly and do so often.  I also keep track of when I have used individual addresses ( I have a unlimited supply). When I notice those using 3rd party providers that I have bought from in just a month, I start getting spammed and change it again. I also  block the emails coming from some of them like @auctivia.com for a example. Any messages of importance need to travel through ebay messages. (the one thing they have done right in a while)

I have a separate email for paypal and get the same junk from these 3rd party folks after the sale.

So, most of the sites that hold this info are targets for being hacked because whatever else they might do with that data, it is worth more to phish and spoof those addresses. LOTS MORE !

The other annoyance that is costing eBay a good customer experience and money because of their guarantee to the buyer of a good sale are these.

When selling, they want you to list a manufactures part number (if you have one) and they list all this compatible stuff that works with this item.

This is to increase visibility in other searches buyers might make. Don’t use this unless you can verify that the information is absolutely correct. It becomes part of “YOUR” description. If the part number did not translate well and you did not know better, the buyer will be very unhappy and you will be issuing a refund even though the part of the description you wrote is absolutely correct.

Besides that it just stuffs-up a otherwise simple and clean listing.

OK, speaking of stuffed-up listing and 3rd party providers…

I am surprised they have no rule for those that provide there own HTML from outside eBay because some of them force screen resolutions higher that you can display inside of the iframe area that eBay allows you to insert your own web text hosted at your own website or other provider.

This means you see no scroll bar at the bottom and are not aware of other important information on the page as you do not know it is a much wider page than you are seeing.

This only leads to bad shopper experience and bad seller experience. However, it is the fault of their 3rd party listing helper service and the seller not understanding what the 3rd party helper is actually doing. And eBay for not paying attention to what either of them are doing and not forcing a horizontal scroll-bar when page exceeds existing iframe window.

Want to see this… just set your screen resolution to 1024 or 1280 pixels wide as more than 60% of home PC’s are still using and look at listings on ebay. Nearly all of 3rd party helper listings will have this problem when viewing at 1024 and 1280 pixels wide. Why would I notice so much…. because of my web authoring, I keep my display resolution at 1024×768 till 85% of folks are using something higher. Then I know my pages will be viewed properly by the majority.

Also in this same idea of manufacture data (model number) you will get all this information of the specs of this item inserted. Well if you are selling  damaged, broken not working item, why is any of this data needed as it only confuses the buyer to think this is a working new item.

One could argue that the item does not match the description if it does not work because of those specs hogging up the page.

I mean to say why is it valid to say that this video reorder records at 60 frames per second if it does not even power-up or is missing parts that would make it function? It does not record at 60 frames per second because it does not record, it is broken !

Those looking for a broken item do not need to know the specs on it.  It only confuses the buyer that is looking for a good item. No wonder so many sales go wrong creating dissatisfied sellers and buyers.  It’s all about user experience ! And a good user experience leads to repeat business.

One other item I have been complaining about for 5 years or more is when paying for a purchase, I am required to log-in to paypal even if I am already logged-in. But when the transaction is completed, it takes my away from paypal without logging me out. I go there manually and log myself out. It is a hackers dream come true and probably already being used and the blame is certainly going to the users security or lack there of.

The point here is why, when people come to shop, let them buy, help them buy what they are looking for. Anything outside of that is abrasive.

Amazon, while not being as informative has a nice flat, interface. It’s no wonder I find myself on their pages shopping now-a-days.

Again, while I’m sure there is a study they have done that will show that their tactics are generating revenue.  I can say there is no study to show how much this costs them in the long run for poor user experience.

I also don’t understand why, when the pop-up pop-out pop-under issue was determined to be detrimental to sites user experience a long time ago and was not the method of a top notch site, it has all been ignored. But it keeps some IT departments in a job. Proper etiquette is for pages to be flat and only when the user clicks, should a function on the page change. Folks know how to click.  Perhaps the IT dept does not know how to properly organize the layout ?

eBay at one time was a near proper flat menu driven lay-out. I guess it is probably being done by the marketing dept reading a bunch of data statistics. We all know you can derive what you are looking for in these statistics but the problem is they are  not looking for the right or complete information.

Most folks now have grown up now on the net, they know what a link is. If the IT dept wants to put a bunch of ‘on hover’ statements in the html code, and if they do more than just change the color of link text, they destroy the very objective they started out with.

I can show no study,  but I can show the results of 18 years of web pages that are constructed with a simple and  clean interface will consistently outperform those of a cluttered one. And have less confusion and a happier repeating user. It was the story of the arcade game of PAC-MAN in the early 80’s… KEEP IT A SIMPLE CONTROL & A CLEAN LAYOUT.

Boy, for those that remember that, it shook the gaming world when many games that cost so much more and did some far out things were being outplayed at all arcades by a simple game with nothing more than one button and a stick.

I guess the new IT pro’s are going to have to learn this one all over again.  It reminds me of the WebMasters of the 90’s when some thought if they could do something “cool” they should just do it because it is “cool” and since nobody else was doing it, they must be smarter than the rest…..  show it off and get more work, make yourself important.

What a hard lesson to learn for the site owner being pizazzed. What is that old saying   …  all that glitters …

This MOOTNEWS.COM  site is NOT a  example of simple and clean. It’s just quick and easy for me. I actually took a bunch of functionality out of it for security reasons. Easier to manage. Flexible but flat. I am selling nothing but the spread of ideas to be mooted.

So what does eBay have in great ideas for the coming year…

I’m not sure but I think they need to take some lessons from the past before they implement any more “new great ideas”.

The eBay site is virtually turning into trash at a time when they have made much progress with “some” fair rules for the benefit of the buyer and seller! All to waste in the end if what you are doing creates more problems that are perfectly avoidable.

They have POLLUTED searches so that I can’t look-up a LCD TV without seeing 10000 power supplies and parts and wall mount brackets. I’m sorry, I don’t have 2 hours to browse the listings to find a few dozen items to “maybe” save 5 – 20 bucks over Amazon.

led tv westinghouse -mount -swivel -wall -replacement -cord -board -remote -pcb -supply -parts

Example 2000 results then with the extra stuff minus’d out yields 40 items and only 24 tv’s and 7 did not work or no power/broken but I know there are more than 24 Westinghouse tv’s listed… but I’m not spending any more time looking for them here…  To Amazon I go !

They are going to GREAT IDEA themselves to the poor house ! They are busting the foundation that allows them to grow.

Ever herd of SHRINKAGE ? Get’n cold down there eBay !

Fire either your Marketing Dept or your IT Dept or both… or  who ever is responsible for this travesty for the last couple of years.

 

The two largest Cable Company’s looking to merge making the single largest Cable, Internet, Phone and Media Content Owner.

While there is a very large laundry list of reasons not allowing the merger, It would be hard to find one reason this would benefit the public at large.

After all it was the Higher Rates that they charged over a decade long merger and accusation that made Comcast one of the largest media content owners and deliverers. How could anyone not assume that this trend would not continue.

We are at a breaking point in merger activity. If this is allowed it would be very hard to reverse after it does not go well for the consumer.

What is needed here is for Comcast and Time Warner to be competing for MY Internet and Media Dollar. I have no alternative for internet and this deal would surely seal the deal that I never will have a choice in my lifetime. 

You may/should take this argument to your congressman !

Since the internet is the only competition for the Media portion of that mix AND the recent rejection of any form of “net neutrality” allows the cables company to keep that monopoly on media content  no matter what by being able to place a hold on internet speed and charging those who want to go fast enough to watch media via internet more money or suffer from poor quality video and charge those who want to supply it even more for that speed.

Let me say it another way for those that do not understand.

They own the media content (movie production and movies/shows from the past)

They own the way that media is delivered. (cable tv)

They own the delivery system that the only realistic alternative can be presented. (internet)

What part of this is in your best interest ?

Why merger now ?

If you want to keep growing, they are at the point they need to directly compete with each other in there respective markets (only the most profitable) and they don’t want that. It would reduce profits considerably which is why they never intrude on each others turf to compete.

If you own a would be competitior, you will not have any competition. Think of how much money it would take to create a new competitor for such a mammoth. I’m not sure Google or Apple could pull it off.

Comcast feels they have the advantage after their latest merger with NBC Universal AND Net Neutrality being a no-go, they must have some pretty powerful lobbyist in Washington. A bunch of money spread around provided by the high rates the consumer has had to pay over the years for unwanted services part of packages you are forced to take. Subsidizing channels not one wants for profits.

After all, we broke-up AT&T for such a lessor monopoly and remember they were regulated and cable co’s are not ! Least not forget that cable co’s also provide unregulated phone service.

What is in this for you, the consumer ! Just name one thing ! The guarantee of no choice most likely for the rest of your life ?

Think about what kind of news you might not hear if they control that much media. There are plenty of profits for going soft on reporting. As if we have not seen enough of that in the past 15 years. Both cable co’s have control in many news organizations now.

I would go so far as to say that they need to break-up these company’s and split the internet and media portions of their holdings.  Most especially if Net Neutrality is not written in stone.

If they had not stopped the AT&T -T-Mobile Merger, Do you think you would now have competitive practices in the cell phone market ?

Tesla Motors has been in a battle with dealerships in certain states for some time now. At the heart of the matter is Tesla’s ability to sell Cars directly to the consumer.

Here is the latest news on that if you are not up on the matter.

I have never seen a better argument for free markets here in the U.S.

After all, what is more free and fair for a company to sell a product without someone else getting in the way for a cut of the action.  It also removes control of the manufacturer to ensure exacting customer service that relate to their brand name.

If “you” made a widget, and “you” sold that widget directly on the internet, would you like to be required to sell it only to big box retailers where you can not necessarily control how customers service is preformed? That has a devaluing effect on the name of your product.

Big Box retailers are able to buy directly from the manufacturer and sell to the public, eliminating the middle warehouses that would normally distribute to many retailers. So why should anyone get upset when the manufacture, who has all the rights concerning their product, wants to sell it directly to the folks that want to buy it?

But where are those folks always promoting the free market? It appears that they are not really for free markets unless the argument involves markets that can be manipulated like energy and and publicly traded goods. Yes, in those cases, they want anyone out of the way of folks who could manipulate the price and profits.

It is worth pointing out that the overwhelming majority of the states dealers fighting Tesla are in “RED States”. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

I will add that without Tesla shaking up the market to force everyone to “INNOVATE AGAIN”, where do you think we would be ? As long as there is a “COMPETITIVE FACTOR” in all of this, we will continue to see advancements that benefit us all.

Tesla can not keep up with the demand for their product. This was a unthinkable situation just 5 years ago for a 4th U.S. automotive company, but a 4th car company that survives all the anti-competitive rules we have in place.

If I were Tesla Motors, I would not sell in states where I could not control the customer service of my product. Customer demand would not doubt change the rules with political leaders. But, I’m not sure they can afford to stay out of those states that place anti-competitive rules on them.