Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

Flip

Original poster

Mumsnet Shop Bot

19 replies

tisonlymeagain · 16/07/2019 16:19

This darned Shop Bot is popping up on every thread I look at with it's Sistema Storage - and it's never close to being relevant to the thread.

You wanted feedback - it's not helpful suggesting storage as a solution to the question of whether you should go on holiday with an ex....

OP posts:

Original poster

tisonlymeagain · 16/07/2019 16:19

Point made!

OP posts:

Samcro · 16/07/2019 16:21

god its awful. like spam

Proudpeacock · 16/07/2019 16:22

I was really confused when I first saw it as I thought it was a reply to the OP about a any name.

Also the date on the shop bot post being in the American format is particularly jarring for some reason.

MeYouWye · 16/07/2019 16:22

Ironic to see it on your own post! It just appears as very spammy as it is not relevant to the post. Rather puts me of systema too.

DappledThings · 16/07/2019 16:24

Jist awful. Even more annoying than those skim links you tried a year or so ago.

If it at least had some relevance to the thread I might be ok with it but it's just random. And the US dare format, what's that about?

BeTheHokeyMan · 16/07/2019 16:24

Was just coming over to say the exact same thing! It's bad very bad and very insensitive as it's being posted on various threads where op has a serious issue or is genuinely upset

DappledThings · 16/07/2019 16:26

Thought it might be restricted to some of the more general boards but no, it's on every post in relationships too. Come on MNHQ, you know how sensitive threads can be there. This is really not ok.

Original poster

tisonlymeagain · 16/07/2019 16:26

Yep that @BeTheHokeyMan It's appearing on some sensitive threads.

It's just full spammy as it's on everything I open.

OP posts:

Original poster

tisonlymeagain · 16/07/2019 16:27

And on all the threads in Conception, another sensitive area.

OP posts:

QuckTheDuck · 16/07/2019 16:28

I understand being an amazon affiliate can make thousands per month and would make a considerable amount considering your traffic stats (I work with a LOT of bloggers) BUT you have not put a disclosure on the bot at all. As this site is frequented by people from the US, I understand the FTC disclosure rules apply which state that you must (plus it is generally good practice anyway). Additionally, under the terms of your amazon affiliate contract, you must put the exact wording stated by Amazon on each link or a prominent place that everyone who visits the site will see.

Of course, if they are not affiliate links then cool and please disregard!!

BreakfastAtSquiffanys · 16/07/2019 16:29

There's also no way of telling the difference between an intentional link added by a poster and an automated spam link.

Samcro · 16/07/2019 16:31

its even in the sn topic!!!

TheTitOfTheIceberg · 16/07/2019 16:32

I came here to see if there was a thread about how utterly inappropriate this stupid bot is after seeing it pop up on a thread in Chat about someone whose partner has been unfaithful. FFS, pick your audience! Fair enough (up to a point - assuming this has to happen at all as another MN moneymaker) in Style & Beauty or in some of the Home & Garden sub-fora, or even in a post where someone posts a specific keyword string such as "can anyone recommend..." but this current across-the-board testing - far from the 'few threads' the post refers to, I've seen it on every thread I've clicked on so far - is absolutely tone deaf and inappropriate.

Thecatisboss · 16/07/2019 16:37

Make the spam stop! These are awful.

wowfudge · 16/07/2019 16:38

Awful and inappropriate. Really irritating too. Please stop it. The other thing with adding hyperlinks to text is also very irritating.

leghairdontcare · 16/07/2019 16:39

It's ridiculous.

MNHQ

AnyaMumsnet · 16/07/2019 16:41

Hi there all,

We're trying to find why this has gone live - it was never meant to be on for logged in users, or even in whole topics. It was meant to be a very small test targeted at a few specific threads for logged out users. We've switched it off now so do let us know if you still see it anywhere.

We're really sorry about this

Absolutepowercorrupts · 16/07/2019 17:14

Well @MNHQ, I will never, ever buy a Sistema storage system. if my life depended on me having such a system, I would find another storage system pretty damn quick.
It's all over the place

MNHQ

HebeMumsnet · 17/07/2019 10:17

Morning everyone. Thanks for the reports on this. We seem to have got to the bottom of it and the good news is we should be plastic-storage-free now.

The cock up error occurred because we were testing the new Shop Bot. It's (ahem) MEANT to post only in a few areas of the site where it looks for keywords and posts recommendations.

We picked Sistema for the test only because it's a rare keyword (we weren't receiving any cash for this or anything like that). If someone posts about Sistema it be safe to assume they might like some products recommended.

There's also a long list of exclusions (sensitive threads and topics etc) where the test bot was not meant to post. What happened was we changed a bit of code and all the exclusions became inclusions temporarily.

We're on top of it now so things should all be back to normal and it shouldn't happen again but if you ever spot any weirdness like this again please do hit the report button straight away.

We're off to start sweeping up a million plastic storage boxes that are rampaging on the site trying to cure all manner of ills now. Thanks again for your patience with this.

Flip