Open forum …. got any suggestions for tweaking the site?

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It is now nine months since Head for Points got its fresh new look, and – for want of a better word – started looking ‘professional’. I have continued to change elements here and there – some big changes, such as adding the ‘Hotel Offers’ page, and many small changes which on their own don’t really get noticed.

However, I am fully aware that there is an element of ‘snow blindness’ in what I do. After all, I look at the site every day for a considerable period of time, and I can only second-guess how you, the readers, respond to the different elements.

As we start a new year, I’d like to open up the floor to any suggestions you have about the layout of the site. Remember that I need to cater for two audiences at the same time – the regular readers and the hundreds of people who come here via Google each day and who I want to convert into regular readers.

Is it clear to a newcomer what the site is about and why they should keep on reading it?

Are there too many menus at the top of the page? Too few?

Are there too many ads? (Probably not, most sites would run ads inside posts as well, which I don’t)

Are the sidebars too confusing? Should I push the social media links more?

Should there be more ‘sticky’ information for newcomers?

Does the current format of running a fixed number of stories at fixed times every day – with a ‘lead’ story and two less important ones below – work for you? (Most sites just post at random times throughout the day, but I am middle-aged and grew up with the newspaper tradition!)

If there is anything about the way the site currently looks that annoys or confuses you, or if you have any ideas for improvements, please post below. You can also email me at rob at headforpoints.com if you’d prefer.

Anything from your dislike of how I punctuate the headlines in the sidebars through to ideas for new ‘sticky’ pages are welcome – no idea is too small!

Thank you, and a Happy New Year for 2014.

Category

General

This article is closed to new posts. Discussion continues in the HfP Forums.

Mark R says:

1 Jan1 January 21:41

Happy new year Raffles, Great blog. I understand some people are not keen on Hotel postings, I like to have a look and sometimes take the advantage of deals highlighted. However could you give people an opt out of what type of posts to receive. For example hotels or credit cards. Most people prefer to receive all but others maybe don’t.

I agree some posts could be open longer eg a Tesco offer that lasts 10 days it would be handy for the post to be open for the same length of time.

Finally what about some posts with ideas on spending all the avios your blog has helped us earn !
- Kipto says:
  
  1 Jan1 January 22:32
  
  Great website and as others have mentioned the timing of the three emails each day is excellent.
- Rob says:
  
  1 Jan1 January 23:29
  
  Unfortunately the email system is not that sophisticated, so you can’t opt out of certain ones. However, the titles of posts do usually make it clear what they are about so they are easy to delete.
  
  Spending posts – I don’t want to start giving trip advice, except for reports on places I visit myself. The spending posts are usually along the lines of unusually cheap ways to get to a certain place, either due to low taxes or fewer than expected number of Avios. Ironically, the post today on Thomas Cook Sport redemptions, even though it was top of the page for most of the day, has not proved popular and was the worst read post of the three today.
  
  The cut-off date for comments is already 14 days, as it happens. I think beyond that, the additional benefit vs the increase in spam comments would not be worth it.
FlyingChris47 says:

1 Jan1 January 23:45

Keep up the fantastic work Rob. Like many others, HFP is the first port of call in the morning and in a world of randomly updated blogs and constantly online social media – the regularity of 3 (insightful) posts a day @ pre 7.30 is a breath of fresh air.

Likewise I personally find both the tone and the content of the posts spot on. As a traveller who only travels by plane (world traveller) irregularly and spends approx 25 nights/year in chain hotels – appreciate the knowledge of how to maximise Avios/IHG/Hilton/Tesco Clubcard into Business class flights and luxury hotels. The mix is just right. Through reading HFP already have booked Upper Class Virgin Atlantic Flights for 2014 and looking forward to some nice upcoming Intercontinental reward nights. Many thanks Raffles!
Matt Hirst says:

2 Jan2 January 01:11

Happy New Year, personally I wouldn’t change anything, especially at the design and colour scheme that you used. The site is very pleasant to read and easy on the eye, there are a lot of multinational companies that haven’t achieved such a good website.

HFP fills a definite niche and the comments are always pleasant and helpful unlike some other forums.

I personally think the articles are appropriate to the target market and the balance you have is what makes the site so readable.

I’ve had three first class flights off the back of the advice on here, I genuinely don’t think that anything needs to change. Thank you and keep up the good work.
AviosNewbie says:

2 Jan2 January 07:45

Hi Raffles, can there be a section where people can post questions? Like a discussion forum on some of the other blogs
- Rob says:
  
  2 Jan2 January 09:12
  
  Some blogs have an ‘Ask me’ page, which is a random list of posted questions. The problem, for me, is that they are totally random questions and the page – to a general reader – is unintelligible. In my view.
  
  Feel free to email me with any general queries, 90 per cent get a response within 24 hours. If the kids are in school, that rises to about 98 per cent!
Polly says:

2 Jan2 January 07:51

Good morning…. Just a thought, maybe if you have space, could you please keep the last 8 comments instead of just 4. Sometimes I miss a comment as more people post quickly…all great otherwise. Happy hunting, and thanks again for all the great advice.
- TimS says:
  
  2 Jan2 January 08:28
  
  I would echo the request for more of the latest comments to be identified on the sidebar.
  
  If comments on a particular thread move quickly, useful comments on another thread may go unnoticed as they quickly drop off the bottom of the sidebar list.
  - Rob says:
    
    2 Jan2 January 09:08
    
    OK. That is easily fixed. It was 6 at one point and then I reduced it to 4. I will try a couple of things out.
Aceman says:

2 Jan2 January 08:39

Love the site as is, in particular looking forward to the hotel roundup, currently fairly well off for avios so interested in reducing the cost of that side of travel. Best non-Amex cards hotels/airline is also interesting.

Honestly I think you should add a “my referrals” header or side bar. You do a bugger load of work on the site and I think it more then fair that you have a permanent reminder to folks which referrals you offer.
- Rob says:
  
  2 Jan2 January 09:07
  
  I prefer to keep referral plugs to posts, because there are 1,700 people on the email list who wouldn’t see them on the front page even if they were there,
  
  Referrals are also plugged on the main card pages, so I think anyone researching a card will see a plug along the way.
  
  Plugs on the home page are limited to the Amazon, eBay, IHG links, and I will try to keep it that way.
Mark B says:

2 Jan2 January 08:45

It’s a superb blog in every respect Rob, the only change I’d like to see is comments open longer for topics that run on (e.g. 3v cards) but understand the spam problem and you do get round it frequently by publishing an updated article
Jeremy I says:

2 Jan2 January 10:14

To echo previous comments this is a fantastic site, Rob, and thank you for all your hard work over 2013.

I love the 3 posts a day feed (real treat to read in the morning) and the occasional breaking news extra emails are also very good. For what it’s worth, I love the blog as it is accessible to all – and hate the secrecy, exclusivity and general b1tchyness of FT and other forums. Some above have suggested this should mirror FT more and become more ‘exclusive’, but I much prefer an open-to-all culture.

My favourite posts are those aimed at the oft-ignored economy loving , cash-poor traveller. On occasion I think your posts havent done justice to the fuel surcharges associated with some of the Avios deals, which make them prohibitive . It also makes some of the redemptions with US carriers who do not charge fuel surcharges seem a lot more attractive.

My favourite posts this year were the series on sangri la, the ex-cairo business class fares on Qatar (didnt book but my goodness I wish i could have), the redspottedhanky codes, and the new united credit card sign up deal.

Finally I do wonder whether any proactive contacting of the airlines for promotions would work? Is this something which has worked? I’m thinking of the MSE exclusive deals – would any airline marketing reps be interested in offering HFPs readers one or two treats?

But my main message after a bit of rambling is thank you rob and please dont change what you do!

Jeremy
- Rob says:
  
  2 Jan2 January 11:00
  
  The issue here is that it is tricky to actually earn miles (from the UK) in programmes which don’t charge high taxes on redemptions. You end up needing to buy the miles you need, which outweighs the benefit.
  
  I am also very nervy – given that the experience level of the HFP readership goes right down to total beginner – of encouraging people to buy miles in foreign programmes which could devalue overnight or which may catch them out with crazy change fees, one-way and stopover restrictions etc.
  
  You will pay BA fuel surcharges with whoever you redeem, and of course Virgin is not in an alliance anyway.
  - Alan says:
    
    2 Jan2 January 11:04
    
    Hehe that’ll pretty rule out Lifemiles posts then 😉
  - Simon says:
    
    2 Jan2 January 12:50
    
    As an economy traveller my favourite post was the American Airlines 35,000 credit card offer one, there is no way I’d have known about it without the seeing it here and I didn’t realise the taxes would be so low.
    
    More articles about economy travel would be welcome but as long haul Avios is such bad value it’s hard to know what you could write about.
    
    I wonder if some of the articles could have a bit more focus on economy though. 12,500 United miles is enough for a one way economy flight in North America (e.g. New York to LA is 12,500 miles plus $2.50 in taxes). Reading the article on the United Credit Card offer of 12,000 miles I think most people if they didn’t collect United miles wouldn’t consider the card but if you are on economy traveller going to the US on holiday it could be quite attractive.