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    Private Question Shutdown

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    • Andy.Drinkwater
      Andy.Drinkwater @PropertyPortal last edited by

      Not sure about sour economists... Your post sounds a little like sour grapes!

      Do remember that the staff at SEOmoz are still going to be answering questions in the Public section - just that you don't get the private 1-to-1 now, that's all.

      You still have access to a wealth of information.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -1
      • Gamer07
        Gamer07 @Andy.Drinkwater last edited by

        ..........

        Andy.Drinkwater 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote -3
        • Andy.Drinkwater
          Andy.Drinkwater @Gamer07 last edited by

          At what point have I suggested it was a useless feature or anything approaching that? I also never said it wasn't useful, just that the staff are still going to be on hand, but in public, rather than private. It's not all doom and gloom and there is still a silver lining.

          I really suggest you calm down and read things properly next time. No amount of caps or rants are going to change the fact that they are removing it.

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • BlueprintMarketing
            BlueprintMarketing @NeilInFrance last edited by

            Currently most answers are done by staff at SEOMoz, distilled and affiliates. I agree with you it would be nice if we could opt to pay more and have that option still. Maybe distilled will open up a Q&A in their current paid membership program. However I think because of the tightknit nature of these companies that the business model is that stated just is not effective and can no longer be sustained. I think that's extremely unfortunate and would love to see a win-win for everyone keep up the good thinking man. I would love to see more thinking and ideas like this you never know if one might actually work until they hear it.

            Sincerely,

            Tom

            KeriMorgret 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • KeriMorgret
              KeriMorgret @BlueprintMarketing last edited by

              A quick note to everyone: it's our SEOmoz staff and associates that answer questions, not our affiliate members.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • jjgonza
                jjgonza last edited by

                I will certainly miss the feeling that most of my competition is missing out on some great SEO secrets. I have been on both forums and I feel that some of the Q&A's that are asked in the private forum won't be asked in the public forum. I can certainly see why people are upset. I know Rand has his reasons for shutting this down and it probably comes down to time and money. But like others i love the private Q&A and it was a major park of my reasoning for joining the MOZ community. I hope you guys reconsider  your decision. Please.

                Thanks James G

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                • McTaggart
                  McTaggart last edited by

                  From my point of view, private is very useful when you're tangling with a little yet specific issue and you want to ping across a website URL privately. Perhaps you could simply specify the nature of private (so users expect a quick 'steer' on a specific issue rather than consultancy-level responses to broad questions) instead of doing away with the service.

                  The 'private' offering was the main reason I joined SEOMoz in the first place.

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                  • jjgonza
                    jjgonza @randfish last edited by

                    I understand this is a business decision but couldn't you guys figure out a different way to manage the Q&A. Make it easier to manage (less man hours), you guys are smart I am sure you could figure something out without getting extreme and just shutting down a really cool blog. Hey this community is smart I'll bet some of these Oracle's and Guru's would be willing to give you a hand. Think outside the box. That is what SEO's do.

                    respectfully

                    jjgonza

                    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • Vinnie
                      Vinnie last edited by

                      For all of the reasons cited by Keri I can understand. I can also see the impracticalities of keeping a private Q&A going. However, the downside to closing the private Q&A would be -   for example if I was to provide to show a client’s site we were working on I would be more comfortable doing this in private – it may transpire  that I have to show the site as an example to the question I am asking.  I am only ever going to use the private Q&A for complex questions which may involve a client’s project directly.

                      I would not discuss a client’s project in public, it would be unprofessional and expose the client to their competitors.  What an agency does not want/should not want - is having their client’s website dissected on a public forum.

                      To recap – I understand why you are closing down your Q&A – and I also believe it is a loss to the community.

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 2
                      • ron_adease
                        ron_adease @BlueprintMarketing last edited by

                        "I'm not attacking your stance on not wanting to lose private it is a special thing however we can't ask everyone associated with this company to spend their extra time answering our questions without compensating them more than we compensate them now."

                        He agreed to pay a certain amount for a particular level of service. SEOMoz set the price  and level of service, not him. He is not asking for anything in addition to what was originally promised.

                        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                        • KeriMorgret
                          KeriMorgret @BlueprintMarketing last edited by

                          Chad, as Jamie Steven mentioned, individuals in his situation can contact us and we will happily work out a refund.

                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • ResourceLab
                            ResourceLab last edited by

                            I just asked a question because key features in my Pro subscription simply don't work.

                            Now that you no longer have to pay for those experts AND are growing your revenues, are you going to have a customer care desk?

                            Do you really think that tickets should be of puclic concern?

                            Do you believe other members should be exposed to this post?

                            KeriMorgret 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • KeriMorgret
                              KeriMorgret @ResourceLab last edited by

                              Hello ResourceLab,

                              Our hep desk, and numerous help desk resources, are located at http://www.seomoz.org/help. We've had a help desk for years, and using it has always been (and remains) free. When people ask a private question that should have been asked at the help desk, we refund their private question credit.

                              This post you have made is public, and has had about 65 comments on it, and has been viewed over 4,000 times. Yes, we do believe other members should be exposed to your comment. Most of them are subscribed by email to comments, and have already been notified of your comment.

                              I'm so sorry for your frustration. Do let me know if there is anything I can do to be of assistance.

                              Keri Morgret

                              ResourceLab KeriMorgret 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
                              • ResourceLab
                                ResourceLab @KeriMorgret last edited by

                                Too bad I've been confronted with helpdesk issues several times, used the questions as I didn't find anything else, received replies from your people (for instance about re-establishing the adwords data in keywords analysis) and just found out today about this url.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • KeriMorgret
                                  KeriMorgret @KeriMorgret last edited by

                                  Hello Yves,

                                  In Q&A, be sure to check out the My Q&A section, especially if several people use the account. You can review questions you've asked and answers you've received. You may have missed it, but I actually responded to a question of yours in November with this same URL. In any case, I'm glad you've found it now!

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                  • jombay
                                    jombay last edited by

                                    It says it will shut down on March 15. But I cant ask now. Why is it so?

                                    KeriMorgret 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                    • KeriMorgret
                                      KeriMorgret @jombay last edited by

                                      Have you already asked a question in February? At the PRO level you get one question a month, and it resets at the first of the month. You should be able to ask a question again tomorrow.

                                      jombay 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                      • jombay
                                        jombay @KeriMorgret last edited by

                                        I did. I suppose I did not factor the time difference. In my place, it's already March 🙂

                                        KeriMorgret 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                        • KeriMorgret
                                          KeriMorgret @jombay last edited by

                                          It's manually reset by someone in our time zone, so it may be 12-18 hours yet before it's reset. Don't worry though, everyone will get one final question credit (at the PRO level, and three for Elite).

                                          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                          • Futura
                                            Futura @KeriMorgret last edited by

                                            I don't think so , this should be removed whether you folks decided to shut down the private questions because such questions have explained and shown us some awesome clarification & experience and we never want this to be gone away after this.
                                            Make this exceptional actions only for pro members who have been discussed with you directly.

                                            KeriMorgret 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
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