Why is Mumsnet insisting that I log in?

[CrispEater]

I spend quite a lot of time browsing Mumsnet on my Samsung tablet, not logged in. I rarely post anything but if I do, I do that on my PC because I can type quicker on a proper keyboard.
Just now I was in Mumsnet on the tablet and kept getting a pop-up that insists I should either log in or join. As far as I can see, there is no way of getting rid of this pop-up except by logging in or joining or giving up on Mumsnet. It looks very genuine to me.
I really can't be bothered to keep logging in when I only want to browse and I hate being forced into doing something I'd rather not do.
Is there some reason why Mumsnet now wants everyone logged in all the time? Or have I missed something?

For those that are still seeing popups after logging in and out again - as MrsVamos says it could be affected if you're resetting your browser. We made this change to try to help people who were feeling particularly irritated by the test but didn't want to log in so if it's not working we're keen to fix.

If you're still seeing the popup could you please let us know what browser you're using and we'll keep investigating.

it means there is a very limited space to showcase stuff and experience shows us that users tend to be much more interested in some content areas than others. We'd rather show people the stuff they're likely to want to see than stuff they aren't. Of course won't be 100% accurate but it should be an improvement for the majority of people.

Why aren't we capable of looking for stuff 'we want to see'?

I see a pop up with my Safari, ipad, but none with Chrome, laptop. Finding it difficult to log in with ipad.

My ipad is password protected and I have no idea how to browse history on it! Recently updated as well.

Another one who hates it here.

I never bother to log in unless I want to respond, which is rare.

I always search threads for parenting advice, most of these are zombies so I don't need to respond therefore I don't log on.

I'm a casual user and far too lazy to want to log on every time. I certainly don't want to stay logged in all the time on every devise I have, some of these are shared household devises I don't want DH to find any moaning posts. It's all very big brother and advertising lead to me. Yuk

"We do need to run tests in order to find out what works and what doesn't and sometimes we can't really announce these ahead of time because that can impact how people behave. ".

When you're looking at the stats don't forget that some users will have been lagging on specifically to try and understand what's going on, or to complain on the various threads like this one, but may not bother in the future.

What about the automatic checking of the "remember me" box too MNHQ? This was an issue in the past and after much discussion MNHQ agreed to leave it unchecked. Why the change of mind?

The idea that logging in will personalise content makes me more likely to log out (I'm logged in permanently on my (own private) laptop, which is mostly where I browse from).
I hate the way in which the internet increasingly shows me what it thinks I like or will agree with. How can my opinions develop? How can I discover new things?

@BungoWomble

So glad to find this thread, I'll add my name to the list of those who don't want a more personalised service thanks. I'll log into specific threads if I have something interesting/ useful / relevant (imho) to contribute, and not otherwise. In fact if mumsnet is now going down the personalise-and-track route I will really start to think it's had it's day. I'll lump it in with the rest of the privacy-invading social media and avoid.

I have logged in today and am still getting the pop up, not sure when the change mentioned was supposed to take effect?

Thanks BungoWomble, this seems a pretty common theme.

Tracking is something most websites do to greater and lesser extents. Nearly all use Google analytics for example which monitors user behaviour across site. Some go further (e.g. Facebook) where virtually all content is personalised - news feed/ads/sponsored messages.

As Mumsnet continues to grow we have more and more broad content which we think is interesting and useful but alerting people to its existence is a challenge when there's so much of it and not all of it is relevant to all people. Among the ways we've been tried include slider alerts, popups about webchats, competitions and new content. These can be annoying too to users if they're not relevant or interesting.

We'd like to improve experience by signposting more relevant content we think people would find interesting and when people are logged in there's more opportunity to do so.

Advertising on Mumsnet is already targeted in various ways. We use google ads in some places (in common with many websites) and those ads are different depending on your browsing history. We don't currently target content but it's an area we're exploring. Everything we publish would still be available to everyone but perhaps showcased more specifically.

I haven't RTFT but I have read enough to know that I agree with everyone else. I haven't suffered from the pop-up because I am an existing member and leave my laptop logged in but I do know that occasionally I get directed to pinterest and get the exact same treatment.
For your information my reaction is "ODFOD" and I close the link. I have yet to think "I must join pinterest".
This is alienating your advertisers' customers.

@whenwillsummercome

The idea that logging in will personalise content makes me more likely to log out (I'm logged in permanently on my (own private) laptop, which is mostly where I browse from). I hate the way in which the internet increasingly shows me what it thinks I like or will agree with. How can my opinions develop? How can I discover new things?

A few people have mentioned this approach creating a kind of bubble of opinion. We wouldn't want to go down that route and aren't considering for example, only showing threads from people you've interacted before (the Facebook news feed approach) it's more about adding to what content you can discover. Mumsnet is pretty big in terms of content and some of it might be genuinely useful to you but easily missed - think reviews, offers, local. If we could expose more relevant parts we think it would be more useful and engaging.

Jessica, I work in SEO & understand the importance of tracking, but what about the point that's been made several times about people wanting to be able to browse MN for a while before they actually join?

@Elendon

I see a pop up with my Safari, ipad, but none with Chrome, laptop. Finding it difficult to log in with ipad.

Thanks Elendon, we'll take a look at that specific scenario.

@EmpressOfTheSevenOceans

Jessica, I work in SEO & understand the importance of tracking, but what about the point that's been made several times about people wanting to be able to browse MN for a while before they actually join?

It is a very valid point and one we agree with. We used 10 pages as a limit in this test because based on our data that seemed a good proxy for average time to look at a few threads and know you're interested in Mumsnet before joining. 10 pages is only one potential trigger though and we'd need to do more experimenting before we could uncover the best approach.

Mumsnet is pretty big in terms of content and some of it might be genuinely useful to you but easily missed

Well design your site better instead of intruding on my anonymity!

@MardyBra

What about the automatic checking of the "remember me" box too MNHQ? This was an issue in the past and after much discussion MNHQ agreed to leave it unchecked. Why the change of mind?

Thanks MardyBra, we'll look into this for you. It's checked on in the regular log in pages too so not different on the popup specifically.

I expect the facebook problem is happening because Facebook on mobile uses its own browser to open links. When I follow links from there on my phone I'm always baffled that the pages are suddenly so short until o realise I'm not logged in on that browser.

I definitely don't want to have to log in if I'm browsing from work or someone else's device, which I do occasionally.

Another note. Aside from that this doesn't affect me directly as I always tend to browse logged in. But, it most definitely would have put me off browsing and most likely joining back when I first found the site. Being forced to join to read something feels exclusive, snooty and unwelcoming. At the time I first found MN, I wasn't yet a parent and I felt self conscious about signing up to a parenting site. When I did become pregnant I was really put off by sites which forced you to register. I did register, of course, when I wanted to join in and post. Which would have been well after 10 posts. Maybe 100 would be a better limit if you must have one.

So while you won't see me leaving the site because of this I'd like to register my concern that as a new user I definitely would have been put off.

I have logged in and out on two different computers and still getting the pop up to log in.

Why did Justine say yesterday this was going to be stopped and it has not been?

Surely the amount of threads about this is telling you that YOU WILL LOSE posters. And before somebody says about how many thousands of posters there are and so on so Mumsnet will not miss a few remember all the thousands of future posters that will be lost as people will not join before they lurk.

I have been on three different sites today, each would not let me browse before logging in, I have not joined them.

I am not going to be forced to log in. In order to post this, I created a false user name, no personal details , using a brand new unused email account, also with no personal details. I do have a Mumsnet account but I refuse to be forced to give up my personal information and risk my anonymity by being forced to log in at all times.
If I am forced to give my personal details then I will NOT use the site.

For now, please know that that none of my log in details are genuine. And I'm going to install an ad/cookie blocker

Very angry about this

Yes, I agree user1471.. and I'm tempted to do the same. I'm posting as myself because I want it to be clear that as a long term user I find all of this infuriating and unscrupulous.

Thank you all, we're going to stop this test shortly.

We really do appreciate those of you who have taken time to post your thoughts. This has been a very useful test for us both in terms of test stats and also (and especially) hearing your reactions. We're sorry it's caused some folk pain and annoyance but we've been listening and that'll inform any future tests or decisions.

Just got a new ipad. Can't log in on it as I've had to change my password so many times due to MN security issues that I no longer know my password.

I've made the special effort to get my lap top out today to login to add to this thread to say I won't be visiting the site anymore if asked to login. Agree with the poster above who said she never thought "I MUST join pinterest". This is really going to put people off.

Also, why not focus on customising content for users who ARE logged in first before focusing on forcing people to log in. Not everyone needs to be logged in for you to experiment. In fact, the point of testing is that you test on a small segment rather than risking alienating all of your users.

Bye for now!

Thanks for responding Jessica (and others) - it is good to have concerns responded to :)