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Post by daennera on Jan 12, 2011 16:52:40 GMT -5
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Post by daennera on Jan 12, 2011 16:53:19 GMT -5
Let me know if it's not showing up so I can change..........whatever it is I need to change.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 16:53:57 GMT -5
No, I meant you didn't put a link on bundle to this board - but you did call it out by name. Hilarious!
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 12, 2011 16:54:52 GMT -5
I see your link. I felt the need to respond to that one too after looking at the source for the data & the actual questions asked in the survey.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 16:55:59 GMT -5
By the way - how long should we keep up the harassment of that board? It is starting to feel played out already. I was hoping we could hit them with a lot more participation, and then completely pull out - so they might see us as a desired market. But instead, we have had just a little participation, and we are more like annoying flies at a picnic, rather than being sunshine on a January day.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 12, 2011 17:02:33 GMT -5
I was wondering the same thing. I am kind of getting tired of it. The format isn't any good & most of the articles suck.
I feel like we really gave them a good chance, along with a lot of advice for improvement, but nothing has changed.
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Post by daennera on Jan 12, 2011 17:10:14 GMT -5
But at the same time, we are trying to interact with their people using the "YM" way.
And for some silly reason I get the feeling that the YM way does come off as a bit arrogant. I may be wrong.....correct me if I am.
I mean has anyone heard from a person at Bundle with a more detailed description of what they are actually trying to get their website to be? Maybe they don't WANT to be anything we would be interested in.
Maybe they learned from MSN and realize that they can't make any money catering to our way of doing things.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 12, 2011 17:14:10 GMT -5
We are definitely arrogant at times & tend not to show compassion for people who make the same stupid money mistakes over & over again.
Think about the guy who posted about turning down a $30K while owing student loans & credit card debt. He would have been thoroughly questioned & torn to shreds for stupid answers over here. On there, he mostly got responses about how he did the right thing & other feel good crap.
It is true that we are trying to interact using the YM way & this website seems to be more like facebook. You make a post & then people provide some comments. We are trying to have conversations in a format that just doesn't work.
You are probably right....they don't want us or to change to the format we are interested in.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 17:20:19 GMT -5
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 12, 2011 17:22:05 GMT -5
LMAO
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Post by daennera on Jan 12, 2011 17:24:19 GMT -5
Angel-
And there's nothing wrong per say with the YM way. We are just as unforgiving as the numbers we work with. And we are that way because we realize that is the only way to succeed at this game.
"The man who refuses to judge, who neither agrees nor disagrees, who declares that there are no absolutes and believes that he escapes responsibility, is the man responsible for all the blood that is now spilled in the world. Reality is an absolute, existence is an absolute, a speck of dust is an absolute and so is a human life. Whether you live or die is an absolute. Whether you have a piece of bread or not, is an absolute. Whether you eat your bread or see it vanish into a looter's stomach, is an absolute."
~Ayn Rand
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 17:29:09 GMT -5
I have stated this before, but here is my take on their marketing plan. Bundle is Microsoft's answer to Mint.com. It is being given as the alternative to people who were using MSMoney. The most important thing to them is getting their money management software working and in as many hands as possible. I believe they are gearing their articles towards people who would likely be early adapters of their money manager - young people, maybe someone who doesn't already have a system for managing their money, or people who are tech savvy and willing to jump on the latest thing.
I don't feel we fit their demographic, but they are either too inexperienced or too chicken to say it. Maybe Microsoft has discouraged them from defining themselves too narrowly. Maybe they have a young group and their marketing plan isn't intentional - so they don't know what they are actually doing.
We were definitely told that they are excited about their tools. (No, not their writers, their money management tools.) I also think they really think they have good content. But outside of that, I don't think they really have a plan at all. I think MSN hoisted us upon them, and they were not given time to consider what they were going to do with us. I don't think they know anything about us, and I'm not sure they care. They have given us a "take it or leave it" ultimatum, with a minimal amount of lip-service. Mike only promised they would "discuss" possible improvements. Given his repeatitive statements, I believe he was given an inadequate script and sent into the lion's den.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 17:37:29 GMT -5
I think I might send an email to Mike at Bundle. What questions should I ask?
1) Do you have a written marketing plan? If so, who is your target demographic? 2) Do you believe in the message board concept, or does Bundle view it as a necessary evil? Are you pleased with the traffic your posting area is generating? 3) Do you feel your current article selection adequately addresses people from many stages in their financial life? Will there be any changes to offer more articles for people who are in a more mature phase of their money management life?
What else should I ask?
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Post by daennera on Jan 12, 2011 17:40:01 GMT -5
4) Did you read ANY of the YM posts while it was still on MSN?
Seriously, I'm really curious as to who they thought we were.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 17:43:40 GMT -5
Maybe I will also ask if they have a mission statement or some other primary purpose, and what is it. I would like to know if they really are just a website with money tools, and poor Mike has to sit in the corner and generate a bunch of articles to make them look legit. I wonder if they are trying to bite off more than they can chew. Mint doesn't do any of that bull-zitty articles and comments crap - just the tool - load your checkbook. Done.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 12, 2011 17:44:09 GMT -5
5) Are there any plans to change/improve your message boards?
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 17:48:00 GMT -5
I might phrase that something like "When the announcement was initially made, you stated that changes and improvements were being discussed. Have any decisions been made on what improvements could benefit Bundle and the YM community?"
(Does that sound corporate bullshitty enough? I'm a little out of practice at this.)
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 17:51:17 GMT -5
And danerra - I might say something like "Would you share with me the amount of time you were given between finding out you would be offered as the alternative for the YM Community and now? During that time, did you do anything to understand who we were, and what we were about? Did you adjust any of your focus to accomodate a broader audience?"
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 12, 2011 17:52:42 GMT -5
I think you are right in that this is just another version of mint.com. I've tried Mint & spent some time playing with the bundle tools, but have found I just don't like it. I spend more time trying to figure out why my accounts aren't pulling & sorting transactions & trying to create rules than I get any value out of the product. I can keep track of my budgeting/goals easier just using excel. Maybe it is because I haven't bothered to spend enough time to get things properly setup, but the whole thing frustrates me.
Bundle is also behind mint because they don't even offer any apps. How are you going to draw in young people when you don't give them an easy way to access the info instantly from their phones?
Maybe once they are out of beta, then they will have things running more smoothly & make it easier to use.
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Post by daennera on Jan 12, 2011 17:53:13 GMT -5
Hell, should just start our own website.
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Angel!
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Post by Angel! on Jan 12, 2011 17:57:40 GMT -5
At least then we could create something we would actually use. Although, maybe no one else would like what we put together.
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Elderkind
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Post by Elderkind on Jan 12, 2011 19:00:33 GMT -5
Thyme4Change, Angel D & Daennera: I just wandered over from the WIRR board today and have enjoyed reading your posts. I think ya'll are absolutely right about Bundle. Damn but that is a wretched site... not fun to navigate, the articles are mostly useless dribble that a monkey could write and the format is awful when you are trying to have a meaningful interaction with another poster... So, is Bundle owned by MSN or is it a dumping ground that we were shoved into?
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 19:01:10 GMT -5
ummm - didn't we start our own website? At least our own version of message boards.
As much as I didn't like Mint, I don't think it was an ill-conceived or easy program to put together. Recreating that would seem difficult to say the least.
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thyme4change
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Post by thyme4change on Jan 12, 2011 19:02:22 GMT -5
Bundle is a joint venture of Microsoft, Citibank and Morningstar.
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Post by mtntigger on Jan 12, 2011 21:16:35 GMT -5
LOL! I've been following you since you started and, Thyme et al, you're doing great! I think you are tilting at windmills, but I've joined your battle.
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Jan 12, 2011 22:09:38 GMT -5
Glad you enjoyed it. I have been in a bad mood and maybe taking it out on them. I also have been taking it out on one coworker and may have helped her get fired today. Yesterday I told her to do her own job I wasn't doing her work for her. She cried and went home with a headache. Today she didn't come to work or call, she has been on probation since before she took a FMLA leave for drug rehab last summer. They think she will sue if they fire her for normal things since you must save an equal job. She has been bank since September, fights with everyone and doesn't do any work and takes off early or comes late or calls in sick several days a week. Not calling today will have been her final straw unless she was in a hospital unable to talk. I told the boss she hasn't saved me a single minute and I will be glad if she is gone. I do bookkeeping it is January, I am working long hours and she is worthless. Helping her learn to grow up and earn a living instead of being entitled will be good for her but she is like the Bunglers her mommy won't make her grow up. She is a 32 year old child with a 5 year old child, she and boyfriend were on drugs, she is passing drug test we keep making her take. Her family has the courts on her case trying to save the child so she has drug test for them too. If she doesn't straighten up she will lose her job and her kid and perhaps her mom will cut her off.
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Elderkind
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Post by Elderkind on Jan 12, 2011 23:44:14 GMT -5
Thanks for the info on Bundle Thyme! Cronewitch: I know your pain.... I work at a university and do the hiring and managing of student workers in my office. Well, I hired a gal two summers ago that interviewed wonderfully and was dressed professionally. Three weeks into the job, she starts showing up to work with low cut tank tops and cut off shorts. She is tatted up to her neck, has multiple piercings in places that just ain't normal and dyes her hair a rainbow of colors. She informs me and everyone else that she is a drug & alcohol addict and oh, by the way she has Hepatitis to boot. She also filed with our Office of Disability Services. She starts showing up late or not at all and tells us it's because of her long therapy sessions and doctor's visits. My boss, who has zero backbone, is terrified to fire her because of her ODS status. Well, I was scheduled to go on vacation and was gone one day when I get the call that said student worker has posted PORN all over the receptionist computer in the Chair's Offices. So, I call my boss and say "Your firing her immediately, right?" No backbone boss says "Oh, I don't think so, this might not be porn but research for a class" HUH??? Now, I am yelling "Are you f'n kidding? The porn is of HER with other guys, if it's research she's getting paid for it (if you know what I mean)". "These are technically State of Texas computers and if they get wind of this WE could be fired!" NB boss says "I just don't feel comfortable with firing her and I don't want you to be mean to her either"..... After bashing my head into the wall for five full minutes, I call back and tell the other Admin to start documenting every little mistake, tardy arrival (more than 15 minutes), early departure and no show she pulls. It took three more weeks but I was finally able to get the NB boss to let me fire her for more than 10 tardies and no shows in that time period. Man, I could go on and on with the stunts this woman pulled but suffice it to say that sometimes it's the little things that will get you hung... Go for it!
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Jan 13, 2011 9:57:29 GMT -5
money.bundle.com/everybodysmoney/cheapest-sex-sex-healthiest-sex-cost-12464#/spending/bubbles/U.S./201003/5/4/1/104I decided what irks me most about the bungle site. None of the posters can or will think or do any criticism of the articles. This article was wrong on facts yet each and every poster said good job to the writer. She stated you will get UTI and yeast infections from sex like it was a fact of life. I point out she is dead wrong and yet the posters keep praising her writing saying it should be used as a training document in schools. None seem to be able to see she is wrong and if they did they wouldn't risk hurting her feelings pointing it out.
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jdnstl
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Post by jdnstl on Jan 13, 2011 10:17:27 GMT -5
I loved this comment: Actually it's easier to save than spend... it can take a lot of effort to go out spend money.. you have to go to a shop, bar, search online, etc... To save you just need to not do the stuff above. I also don't think that being a youngin' gives anyone an excuse to not save. There are many examples of young or young(er) people who are very responsible. That comment speaks volumes of someone who's looking for a justification for behavior. Sroo4 / Posted: 2011-01-11 17:56:53if i wanted to actually participate on bundle i would give a huge thumbs up to Sroo4.
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jdnstl
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Post by jdnstl on Jan 13, 2011 10:56:13 GMT -5
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