What changes to CAG would you like to see in 2007?

daphatty

daphatty

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Cheapy mentioned "expanding" the site in one of the more recent CAGcasts (56 I believe) so I've created this topic on behalf of Cheapy. As Cheapy said last year, "Let's hear em!"

(Thanks to evilmax17 for bumping last year's thread.)
 
Less shit that doesn't have to do with game deals on the frontpage. Which brings me to my second suggestion: More shit that does have to do with game deals on the frontpage.
 
I'd like to see more community involvement with listings on the front page. Perhaps a "blog team" that is responsible for posting online deals from the forums? Also, posting PC Gamer and "gamer lifestyle" deals more often would be nice to see as well.
 
[quote name='zewone']Less shit that doesn't have to do with game deals on the frontpage. Which brings me to my second suggestion: More shit that does have to do with game deals on the frontpage.[/quote]
That is why most of us are here, after all.

But that doesn't mean that more CAG created content is a bad thing. More user editorials and reviews would be interesting, ESPECIALLY if they have to do with shopping and deals. It doesn't really seem like we have an official place for this stuff though, at least not currently.

Does anyone else think that the frontpage could use a full redesign? Maybe something like 1UP, which places a heavy focus on editorials and its users. There could be subsections for CAGcasts, user editorials, videogame reviews, etc.

The main focus of the front page should be on deals though, as that's what we're supposed to be about. That being said, there is significant value in user created material, but the trick is in successfully incorporating it into CAG without it becoming obtrusive.
 
I would like to see more use of the Friend's List, more groups than just the Halo Clan, if either of those are possible.
 
[quote name='zewone']Less shit that doesn't have to do with game deals on the frontpage. Which brings me to my second suggestion: More shit that does have to do with game deals on the frontpage.[/QUOTE]

Winner!

But since the whole site seems to be moving away from gaming deals on the front page I doubt we'll see this....ever.

Another huge sale has come, the TRU clearance sale, with nary a mention on the front page. But of course, the Gamefly stuff is up there, which, while it's still a good deal, we should be posting all good deals on the front page, since, well, that's the intent of this site.

Is there some kind of legal reason I'm not seeing as to why deals don't get posted on the front page anymore?
 
maybe a function that when someone quotes you it lets you know through pm or other messaging service. Like if someone asks me a question in a big thread I might not realize it, but if I get a lil notice about it then I can reply to the person.
 
[quote name='Ikohn4ever']maybe a function that when someone quotes you it lets you know through pm or other messaging service. Like if someone asks me a question in a big thread I might not realize it, but if I get a lil notice about it then I can reply to the person.[/QUOTE]

Holy crap I'd get like 100 PM's a day :lol:
 
[quote name='zewone']Less shit that doesn't have to do with game deals on the frontpage. Which brings me to my second suggestion: More shit that does have to do with game deals on the frontpage.[/quote]
You took the words right out of my mouth. That was the first thought which occurred to me, as soon as I saw the topic for this thread.

Scrolling down the front page, it is quite sad to see that the past few months on CAG have been dominated by....well...fluff. Gaming related, but certainly not gaming deals related crap.
 
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[quote name='Roufuss']Winner!

But since the whole site seems to be moving away from gaming deals on the front page I doubt we'll see this....ever.

Another huge sale has come, the TRU clearance sale, with nary a mention on the front page. But of course, the Gamefly stuff is up there, which, while it's still a good deal, we should be posting all good deals on the front page, since, well, that's the intent of this site.

Is there some kind of legal reason I'm not seeing as to why deals don't get posted on the front page anymore?[/QUOTE]
I know that Cheapy doesn't post all the deals on the frontpage because he wants users to register. But I think at least hinting at what these deals are then linking to the thread (which requires users to be registered) might be a better way of showing people that CAG does find its own great deals.
 
[quote name='zewone']I know that Cheapy doesn't post all the deals on the frontpage because he wants users to register. But I think at least hinting at what these deals are then linking to the thread (which requires users to be registered) might be a better way of showing people that CAG does find its own great deals.[/QUOTE]

Agreed... maybe something like "TRU's annual clearance, many games at 50 - 70% off!" would definitely entice people to register, because the main list would be in the forums.

If I was a brand new user, and someone told me "Hey this site has awesome deals!", I'd never know it looking at the front page.

I like your idea alot... kind of like a teaser.

Still keeps the focus on the reason the site was bulit in the first place.
 
[quote name='zewone']Less shit that doesn't have to do with game deals on the frontpage. Which brings me to my second suggestion: More shit that does have to do with game deals on the frontpage.[/QUOTE]

I agree 100%.
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Agreed... maybe something like "TRU's annual clearance, many games at 50 - 70% off!" would definitely entice people to register, because the main list would be in the forums.

If I was a brand new user, and someone told me "Hey this site has awesome deals!", I'd never know it looking at the front page.

I like your idea alot... kind of like a teaser.

Still keeps the focus on the reason the site was bulit in the first place.[/quote]
Although I agree, that only works with a sale/clearance where a specific amount of games are at a certain percent off, but it doesn't work with most deals. You'd basically be giving the whole deal away saying "All seasons of 24 on sale at BB this week." They wouldn't have to register to find the deal. I think most of our deals are the latter of those two which would make posting them on the front page somewhat difficult.
 
[quote name='Trakan']Although I agree, that only works with a sale/clearance where a specific amount of games are at a certain percent off, but it doesn't work with most deals. You'd basically be giving the whole deal away saying "All seasons of 24 on sale at BB this week." They wouldn't have to register to find the deal. I think most of our deals are the latter of those two which would make posting them on the front page somewhat difficult.[/QUOTE]

Yea, I see your point.

I guess I'm just opposed to the site becoming Kotaku Lite because I came here years ago for video game deals, and I only come here for video game deals... I can go elsewhere for news / reviews / blogs / whatever to places that specialize in it.

Sometimes I think I'm in the minority.

The stuff that Evilmax listed, while good ideas, is just not what I come to CAG for, and I'd rather the focus not be taken off the deals. There is no other site out there that specializes in JUST video game deals, but there are 100's of Kotaku wannabe sites. I think we're unique enough already.

Please notice everything is my own opinion, so I don't expect to be attacked for my ideas, but I doubt that'll happen in this subforum anyways ;)
 
[quote name='Roufuss']Winner!

But since the whole site seems to be moving away from gaming deals on the front page I doubt we'll see this....ever.

I guess I'm just opposed to the site becoming Kotaku Lite because I came here years ago for video game deals, and I only come here for video game deals... I can go elsewhere for news / reviews / blogs / whatever to places that specialize in it.

Sometimes I think I'm in the minority.


[/quote]

Actually, I agree 100%. It seems as if the CAGcast is getting pimped extra hard and the deals are less of a focus on the front page. I usually just go to the forums directly because the front page seems pretty useless right now IMO.
 
The front page area is going to be completely re-done, most likely with a new CMS (content managment system) behind it.

If you only want to see deals, you will have that option.
 
I would like to see more videos reviews and gadget porn. I think Cheapy really hit it right with the Opening of the PS3 and making the video of it. If there was a section of video tutorials of "how to" with deals and opening of new products(gadget porn) like the Zune or vision camera, classic control, etc. I would even step up and volunteer to create some video content. Stuff that is reviewed and ISNT provided by the makers is generally reviewed in a more realistic fashion.
 
This site needs a formal look. It hurts my eyes. A tad bit lighter. It makes me feel emo. Umm... getting rid of these google ads or putting not as many of them would be nice. Umm... I also think that the podcast should gradually steer back to cheap ass games and consoles and the podcasts should be WAY shorter.

P.S. I agree w/ Mr. Ortega
 
I'm not really sure I want CAG to "improve" at all. Not only does the 'garage gamer' aesthetic give it some of its charm, it keeps it from expanding past a certain level of popularity. Now, granted, I'm sure that's kind of the point of CheapyD making this website his full-time gig, but if its audience expands past a certain point, won't it become counterproductive for most of us, i.e. people that can't hit it twenty-five times a day? Most really good deals are already of the 'blink and miss it' variety.

What will invariably happen at a certain point, I think, is that the visitors/users will become of such a number that no one is consistently getting in on good deals online, and the knowledge of "B&M" deals will make the competition too fierce. At this point, people will get fed up with constantly missing out on deals, only reading post after post of "Dead" or "OOS" or "Sold out--that was fast." So, yeah, the site can "improve" and expand its registered user base, but there is that 'point of inflection' to be considered.

P.S. More popular also means more trolls to fend off. Maybe for some of you, I am one of them, but that's your grave misconception, not mine.
 
A section (Not a forum) just a part where you can go to check out reviews for any random game. The reviews should be done by any CAG member, not like links to IGN, Gamespot, ect. There should be a section for member reviews.

Edit: And like the above poster, I don't want this to become Gamefaqs.

Whoever said something about the google ads...They bring in CheapyD moneys to make the site better. Just use firefox and download ad block plus for an extension, it'll take like 2 minutes to get firefox and that extension. It blocks those all the ads except for the ones on the front page.

Video reviews for gadgets sounds like an awesome idea.

Cheapy, when you decide on what kinda layouts (New colors and stuff, instead of the green and gold) you're gonna use, do you think we can have a CAG vote to pick one out of like 4 or 5?

Also, the front page with the most recent posts in certain categories is a must, IMO, that's what I usually look at.
 
[quote name='jollydwarf']What will invariably happen at a certain point, I think, is that the visitors/users will become of such a number that no one is consistently getting in on good deals online, and the knowledge of "B&M" deals will make the competition too fierce. At this point, people will get fed up with constantly missing out on deals, only reading post after post of "Dead" or "OOS" or "Sold out--that was fast." So, yeah, the site can "improve" and expand its registered user base, but there is that 'point of inflection' to be considered.[/QUOTE]

People were saying this 3 years ago when Cheapy was starting to get his first press coverage. One EGM mention and the sky started falling. There were a lot of people who were like, "Don't tell your friends or anyone about this website. It means there won't be any deals left."

The deals were always disappearing in seconds. Anyone else remember the Ebgames morning price changes? Gamecube Wario World for $9.99? Its the internet kids, you can't fight it, information wants to be free, etc. You can only keep hitting that refresh button.
 
[quote name='CheapyD']The front page area is going to be completely re-done, most likely with a new CMS (content managment system) behind it.

If you only want to see deals, you will have that option.[/QUOTE]
nice
 
[quote name='lordwow']More people in the chatroom.[/QUOTE]

I take it back. There are about 40 people in the chatroom right now, and it's awful.
 
I thought of this not too long ago and this is the perfect thread for it.
Let me know your thoughts on why or why this wouldn't work.

Instead of browsing though tradelists we would do an automated system, ie.

If you are looking to get a 360 game you click on the 360 link on the main page. This brings you to a listing of all the 360 games. From there on you search for the game you would like and then it shows all the people who have the game and are looking to trade it. This may make it more efficient to search for games, although it would be a pain in the ass to set up. It would be up to the traders or sellers to keep their lists updated on the database.
 
Reviews section maybe.. possibly some user reviews.. I don't know - I honestly really enjoy CAG the way it is.

I've also thouhght that user pages would be a cool addition to the site. Thats really all I can think of - Though it would be a lot of work to have a game database, we would just need a handful of dedicated people and it would work.
 
Real reviews. This website has the power to get media access to events and for games and other stuff provided from the manufacturers. And I don't mean the same people like Cheapy and Wombat. Not everyone has your tastes. The review forum is nice, but doesn't compare to what other sites have. It also should relate to what we are all here about: cheapness. Have a scale of bang for the buck, or a dollar scale at what price point you should grab it at, etc.

Also, I'm REAL tired of seeing people ignore the weekly ads every week and waste forum space with individual deals. Some may be worth it, but it can easily be highlighted in Speedy's ads. I've already volunteered to help him with it earlier this year when he was short on time.

I also think browsing the tradelists by item would be cool, but I think it would have to be implemented in another way, with the users updating a list manually, such as a list with toggle buttons. You could have an item listed ala pricegrabber with the users listed, with a hotlink to their list. It would be up to the users to keep their list updated or risk being excluded.

As someone with plenty of time on his hands, I'd be happy to help with either of these things, or anything Cheapy or the mod team want me to.
 
I would like a customizable search for new posts .
I hate it when all the trading forum posts comprise 20-30% of the search results .
 
[quote name='CocheseUGA']Also, I'm REAL tired of seeing people ignore the weekly ads every week and waste forum space with individual deals. Some may be worth it, but it can easily be highlighted in Speedy's ads. I've already volunteered to help him with it earlier this year when he was short on time.[/quote]
I'd really like to see a "best of the weekly ads" on the front page, as soon as we get them. That's a unique resource that we have, in that we know what will be on sale weeks ahead of time. If we use our resources correctly, then we could be the website that people link to whenever there's a good deal in the ads (since we would likely have posted it first).

All of this stuff is already being done in the forums, it's just a matter of bringing it to public attention.

Edit:

Interesting little chain of events.

Kotaku posts the full list of TRU clearance games (credits us, but just barely)

GoNintendo posts full list of TRU clearance games (credits Kotaku)
 
[quote name='evilmax17']I'd really like to see a "best of the weekly ads" on the front page, as soon as we get them. That's a unique resource that we have, in that we know what will be on sale weeks ahead of time. If we use our resources correctly, then we could be the website that people link to whenever there's a good deal in the ads (since we would likely have posted it first).

All of this stuff is already being done in the forums, it's just a matter of bringing it to public attention.

Edit:

Interesting little chain of events.

Kotaku posts the full list of TRU clearance games (credits us, but just barely)

GoNintendo posts full list of TRU clearance games (credits Kotaku)[/QUOTE]

You put it on the front page, people don't even bother to register before they steal it from us.
 
I'd also like to see a sticky about thread posting rules in the Deals Forum. Maybe have thread making privledges revoked for two weeks if you see something at the store and run home and make a thread about it when we already have a store-specific thread about it.

Better yet, how about store-specific sub-forums?
 
[quote name='evilmax17']I'd really like to see a "best of the weekly ads" on the front page, as soon as we get them. That's a unique resource that we have, in that we know what will be on sale weeks ahead of time. If we use our resources correctly, then we could be the website that people link to whenever there's a good deal in the ads (since we would likely have posted it first).

All of this stuff is already being done in the forums, it's just a matter of bringing it to public attention.
)[/QUOTE]

CAG isn't the first to get the weekly ad's... they hit DVDtalk before they ever hit us, so I don't think this idea is really going to fly, since we never have it posted first.
 
Like some other people mentioned in another thread, move all the sex threads in off topic over to vs forum. I enjoy reading off the wall posts, but im sick of clicking on the off topic forum and seeing like the whole first page filled with sex threads. Or maybe just one designated sex thread like the ott.

I'd also like to see less of the insult posts and more of the helpful stuff. It seems like everyone gets off on being rude to everyone else lately. It's quite depressing. It's one thing to have a different opinion, but it seems like the majority of posters feel the need to add some really nasty insults along with it.
"Grow a thicker skin" is not an answer. If people stuck to the forum rules, we wouldn't have half the rude responses we do. Maybe we need more mods or something. I just feel this place is a couple steps above gamefaqs now, and it didn't use to be so nasty in here.

I would also like to see more CAG user reviews. The few we have so far are all quite good and IMO are more informative then all the "professional" reviews up. Maybe have a guideline to follow when making them up so that they all have some sort of uniformity to them and contain all the important bits that you really look for in a review. Every month you could give away some sort of incentive to those who post the most reviews. A free game or a GC to amazon or something. Anything to encourage people to send them in.
 
[quote name='6669']Less trolls and more bans (somebody had to say it ;) )[/quote]

2nd

Everything leads to a flame war because certain people are trying to be the "alpha male" of CAG.
 
Call me greedy, but I would like to see CAG not reach out to non-members. Pretty soon every douchebag and his douchebag friends are going to be on here, cluttering up this board for us pure CAG-mericans!
 
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