[Sigia-l] SV: [Sigia-l] new Yahoo! search

[Boniface Lau]

> From: sigia-l-admin at asis.org [mailto:sigia-l-admin at asis.org]On
> Behalf Of Stig V Andersen DR-INTERAKTIV
>  
> At Danish Broadcasting Corporation we recieve many user comments
> every day.  95% are negative like the kind of stuff Boniface and
> others enrich us all with. And they almost always just complain.

As if they shouldn't complain. But user complaint is very valuable
feedback. People who are NOT taking complaint personally often express
appreciation toward the complaining users. 

User complaints are like failed test cases. Instead of shooting the
testers for creating the failed test cases, level-headed product
owners are grateful.


> Never suggest solutions.

Knowing that something doesn't work does not mean a person is aware of
a solution. Thus, I do not expect solutions from the complaining
users.


> E.g "Why doesn't it work on Linux?", "Your Shockwave-games runs slow
> on my Mac", "IE 5.5 isn't supported" (dialogue with user almost
> always show they have a wrong client setup).

Unlike desktop applications, web sites such as Yahoo! Search are
supposed to work with a broad spectrum of client setups. Therefore,
using cross-domain form for search term submission is asking for
trouble.


> You never hear from the majority of users that looove your site.

Even for their own body, people seldom pay attention to the various
body parts that are working just fine.


> 
> One should listen to user comments, but don't let them get keep you
> awake at night.

What is keeping a person awakes is not the user comments, but the
mind's inability to let go. A very important distinction.


> They are very biased. 

If you were the users in their shoes, chances are you too would have
similar comments. Thus, I wouldn't say user comments are biased. They
just reflect a different perspective.


> Chin up!

"Chin up" mentality distorts one's perception of reality. I much
prefer "level chin". ;-)


Boniface