Posted 5 days ago
Introducing our new Code of Conduct
Update 1
Our new Code of Conduct is now live
Hi everyone đ
Weâre very pleased to announce that the new Code of Conduct (v2.0) is now ready to go live in a âsoft launch/trialâ mode. Out of all the Pepper sites, hotukdeals is going to be the first place we launch these so weâre looking forward to getting your feedback to evaluate the impact.
Our new Code of Conduct is now live
Our goal is to make a subtle shift in how the interactions between members, and between members and our team, take place. Currently, the Community Support team spend a lot of time moderating - that is reacting to your deals, comments and inbox messages.
Weâd like to spend more time reaching out and engaging with you to understand how things are going, explain our point of view, and generally have more quality conversations. move the needle with our communities from âmoderationâ (reactive) to âcommunity managementâ (proactive),
To support that change, we will be using a new model. Itâs called CATS (because, who doesnât like cats?) and you can see the core values here:
We want to look at ways we can loosen the moderation restraints where reasonable and appropriate. If we can be a little more liberal in our approach without opening the door too far, all the time aiming to make our communities more pleasant and engaging to be part of, thatâs the balance weâll strive for.
The TEST part might be of most interest, here are some examples of what you might see us looking at:
In both these examples, we currently have a zero tolerance approach. The CATS model would allow us to run test periods, communicated with members with some clear guidelines around loosening the rules and seeing what happens. The responsibility is then very much shared with you.
If we get mainly positive feedback, we can look to extend it. If itâs clear itâs not working or causing more issues, we can revert and update accordingly.
We need to be able to remain current in an ever-changing world and not be afraid to try new ideas and experiment (sometimes failing fast, learning and iterating). We also want you all to be part of that process.
Lastly, our âhouse styleâ is so important. How we all interact with each other is fundamental to what makes our communities so popular and successful. Being mindful of our communication style will help all teams be more confident to speak with members and create engaging posts on a more regular basis.
Moderation and community management is a constant balance of multiple things, reflecting the diversity of everyone who uses our platform. Weâll never find a perfect balance that works for every member, but weâll keep testing, collecting feedback and learning.
This only works if we have trust, and see the Community Support team and the community itself as being on the same side - wanting to create an amazing place to share deals, feedback, knowledge and have fun.s. Sometimes we make decisions based on overwhelming data, sometimes we try things to help us grow revenues without having a negative impact on the user experience (this is still a business underneath), and sometimes itâs a pure âwhatâs good for our communityâ decision.
Most commonly, itâs a mixture of all of these.
Please remember that real people work behind the avatars who genuinely care about the community and its members. You might not agree with us, thatâs OK. However, please provide feedback constructively and accept that sometimes some decisions wonât be right for you.
Some helpful additional information about our Community support team:
Lastly, thanks to each and every one of you for the continued support and contributions you give to us. Itâs an amazing community that has not only saved people tons of money, but has provided insight, experience, reviews, support, friendship and a home for so many.
Weâre very pleased to announce that the new Code of Conduct (v2.0) is now ready to go live in a âsoft launch/trialâ mode. Out of all the Pepper sites, hotukdeals is going to be the first place we launch these so weâre looking forward to getting your feedback to evaluate the impact.
Our new Code of Conduct is now live
Our goal is to make a subtle shift in how the interactions between members, and between members and our team, take place. Currently, the Community Support team spend a lot of time moderating - that is reacting to your deals, comments and inbox messages.
Weâd like to spend more time reaching out and engaging with you to understand how things are going, explain our point of view, and generally have more quality conversations. move the needle with our communities from âmoderationâ (reactive) to âcommunity managementâ (proactive),
To support that change, we will be using a new model. Itâs called CATS (because, who doesnât like cats?) and you can see the core values here:
We want to look at ways we can loosen the moderation restraints where reasonable and appropriate. If we can be a little more liberal in our approach without opening the door too far, all the time aiming to make our communities more pleasant and engaging to be part of, thatâs the balance weâll strive for.
- CORE - these are the foundational rules we believe keep the community safe and secure
- ADAPT - For certain topics (often emerging ones) Pepper communities diverge in how they engage, so weâll be flexible
- TEST - In collaboration with members, we want to test new approaches to thorny issues, such as âoff topicâ or âpolitical postsâ
- STYLE - we want transparent and clear communication, so everyone knows where they stand
The TEST part might be of most interest, here are some examples of what you might see us looking at:
- Language: We get feedback that we should give more leniency in our comment moderation to allow some more natural language, including some light swearing.
- Political: We get feedback that people should be allowed to politely debate some political issues.
In both these examples, we currently have a zero tolerance approach. The CATS model would allow us to run test periods, communicated with members with some clear guidelines around loosening the rules and seeing what happens. The responsibility is then very much shared with you.
If we get mainly positive feedback, we can look to extend it. If itâs clear itâs not working or causing more issues, we can revert and update accordingly.
We need to be able to remain current in an ever-changing world and not be afraid to try new ideas and experiment (sometimes failing fast, learning and iterating). We also want you all to be part of that process.
Lastly, our âhouse styleâ is so important. How we all interact with each other is fundamental to what makes our communities so popular and successful. Being mindful of our communication style will help all teams be more confident to speak with members and create engaging posts on a more regular basis.
Moderation and community management is a constant balance of multiple things, reflecting the diversity of everyone who uses our platform. Weâll never find a perfect balance that works for every member, but weâll keep testing, collecting feedback and learning.
This only works if we have trust, and see the Community Support team and the community itself as being on the same side - wanting to create an amazing place to share deals, feedback, knowledge and have fun.s. Sometimes we make decisions based on overwhelming data, sometimes we try things to help us grow revenues without having a negative impact on the user experience (this is still a business underneath), and sometimes itâs a pure âwhatâs good for our communityâ decision.
Most commonly, itâs a mixture of all of these.
Please remember that real people work behind the avatars who genuinely care about the community and its members. You might not agree with us, thatâs OK. However, please provide feedback constructively and accept that sometimes some decisions wonât be right for you.
Some helpful additional information about our Community support team:
- Our actions and decisions are not affected by merchant relationships; we are distinct from editorial, commercial or other related departments.
- Our actions are guided solely by the Publication Rules, Code of Conduct and our general moderation processes around good content.
- The Community Support team have no financial or money-incentivised targets.
- We never remove good deals so other teams (including our editorial colleagues) can then repost.
- If youâve had a comment removed or have a further community-related a query you can contact us again via
- If you have been on moderation for 3+ months you can request a review via
Lastly, thanks to each and every one of you for the continued support and contributions you give to us. Itâs an amazing community that has not only saved people tons of money, but has provided insight, experience, reviews, support, friendship and a home for so many.
Community Updates
526 Comments
sorted byPeople are moaning and rolling their eyes because the moderation could be a bit overly judicious and inconsistent on a post about making it more laid back and consistent.
I've had a couple of comments eaten in moderation over the years. And sure, nothing disincentivises interaction more than comments getting deleted.
But overall, this place is kept pretty darn clean and tidy. We've all likely experienced places that have a more hands-off approach to moderation, and more oft than not, it's not pleasant.
Moderation is a balance.
Most people are good, decent, helpful and civil. Some people are just a word that is still against the code of conduct.
With most people if you push the right buttons, their claws come out. Some excel and delight at pushing buttons of others.
You have to take out the trash or rot sets in.
I'm not saying the balance has always been perfect in the past, neither are they.
But these changes are about giving us all a bit more rope to do with as we please. Treating us as responsible adults despite the fact many of us occasionally act like angry children.
Good. And to the moderators, "good luck herding cats".
It's the main reason I only simply vote hot or cold as there's little point in commenting when discussion is so restricted,usually unnecessarily.
That a certain level of moderation is needed isn't really up for debate,just that it needs applied equally to all users.
What would count as light swearing? Sounds silly to ask, but I do think the severity of swear words does differ depending on the area of the country you may reside. ( Not trying to get you to type a lot of swear words for a giggle, honest. )
I wish you guys all the best with the moderation of political posts though. I'm not hopeful that one will work out. Society still seems a bit too divided and angry when it comes to political beliefs.
Some examples below of what would be allowed and what wouldn't be allowed under 'profanity':
â It was a bloody good meal / it's still not bloody working
â it was shitty quality / Oh shit, I forgot about the deadline
â No strong profanity under any circumstances
â No negative comments used to belittle / bait / attack another individual or group
The current moderation dilutes the usefulness of the website by blocking and obstructing useful views and opinion, that has turned it into something very bland and bordering on useless at times.
I hope the new code of conduct protects ordinary UK people with ordinary normal views, from the woke perpetually offended that degrade everybody's life and experiences. HOT-UK-Deals could be so much better. It needs to understand UK values and expectations and manage the website accordingly.
Do people still manage to say this stuff with a straight face? Use of these phrases tells everyone to ignore your opinion and move on. You may think that, but find a more cerebral way to say it. Just some free
life advice!
This sounds like a great idea and hopefully allows HUKD to flourish and allow people to speak freely - a basic staple of our modern society where hopefully everyone can get along
Core Response Adaptive Process is another good modern moderation method I hear
It should be moderated to a fixed rule, not some prissy opinion
Most of the HUKD's negative trustpilots reviews have mentioned issues with moderation.
Lets hope the site will now be able flourish again.
uk.trustpilot.com/revâŠncy
I think it would be ideal to implement some kind of filter that changes the common ones to %%%% or something, and have logged in users able to toggle it. That way if it bothered anyone they could opt out.
Another potential option would be a "It looks like you may have used this word, and this is our policy. Would you like to change that before posting? Change. / Post without changes."
Does make me wonder if Mods just couldn't be bothered to moderate per chance they were criticised for heavy handed moderation.
I'm a gamer and I see sites shut down comments sections preemptively. You get usual misunderstanding bleating about 'free speech' on other threads which normal people have to roll eyes at and ignore, but it makes the sites less depressing to navigate overall. I can see why the mods here do it and I support that.
Re. a cat tree deal:
"It's a bit low, cats prefer looking down on everyone"
...deleted
Re. a colourful crayons deal:
"These have no flavour at all, disappointed"
...deleted
\o/ ???
I remember when this site was fun (in fact fun enough to have in-jokes like Loughborough man & Sony), but now pretty most every joke comment is removed. I get that they aren't exactly 'relevant to the deal' but this is still Britain, it's kinda what we do...?
We are way past polite political debate in the West, just accept that there are two kinds of people with two vastly different sets of social values and it's tiresome to engage with each other. Nobody has ever had a political epiphany in the last ten years and I'm bored of the same people shoving their social causes into everything via "book deals". There are plenty of other sites where people will furiously clap your political opinions, I don't see why we have to put up with them in here too
It's going to make comments on some deals unreadable.
And that mod deals won't delete user posts that are critical of it something really is a good deal?
Lastly, will good user posted deals keep getting deleted (as several of my deals have been in the past years)?
This website has turned into a hollow shell of what it used to be and it's likely that users will break off to make their own website where all deals will be allowed and judged by the users only
So if the community team do review a new merchant for example, that review is based on our Publication Rules. Is a misconception that Community team will review a new seller posted by a member of our community based on the 'incentives' offered by that seller. We have no access to or knowledge of that information.
Re how selected content is incentivised, you can read more on the link below in our help centre article:
How does hotukdeals make money? (edited)
For example. "Deals" have been posted on this site of free kindle books that are only posted to highlight someones particular opinion on current World events. This obviously receives many glancing hot votes from people that do not understand the politics behind those books & the deal is just clickbait & often than not contains information of the "deal" that is factually incorrect but those who have an alternative view on the matter cannot post the corrective information that is in their mind information that can balance the opinion posted.
This has happened time & time again on HUKDs and as a result gives the impression that a majority of people on HUKDs support a particular opinion, when in fact, do they really? & even if they did they are not allowed to post particular facts on the matter because their opinions are censored.
These type of "deals" either need removing completely or alternative opinions & factual information needs to be allowed.
First I will say, we want to allow as many deals as possible. Kindle books are popular here, often go very hot (whatever reason people are voting for - we cannot judge intention accurately) and many people go on to buy them. So we'd be loathe to not allow them.
So then, if we allow them, how should we moderate? In the past, we have tended to removing comments that cause a lot of complaints. I think there is some sense to this, as we don't want people to come here and be offended. But obviously it also annoys those having their comments deleted.
So our general direction here is to give you guys some clear expectations - don't make personal comments, please try to see both sides, back up your points where you can - and in turn we'll try to allow more comments on deals where the topics are relevant. We need to work together with members to get the right balance though
Lastly, it's probably fair to say that some topics simply cannot be dealt with this way, at least right now. The Israel-Palestine topic for instance. Even prior to October 7, it was nigh on impossible to moderate - and ever since we simply shut the comments. Personally I really do not want to shut down any comments, but the resource required to keep it civil was way way more than we have available.
It's a skill issue. A good mod needs to be a paid employee with the relevant skillset. Unpaid mods lack the required skillset and compensate by being confidently wrong.
So I don't cry I just make sure I don't use their links for products I see listed here but can find in google.
If people wanted to get their attention they need to understand how this site generates revenue. (edited)
I think we could keep iterating our Code of Conduct but it would never ever be perfect because of the environment. So this is why we have the CATS model to help us. Two main reasons I say this:
1. Individual judgment - one moderator might consider something fine whereas another might consider it unacceptable. While not ideal, it is to be expected when you have a team of human beings working around the clock to do what they think is best. What I do think this updated Code of Conduct will do is encourage our teams to be more lenient or relaxed about the decisions they take. Maybe we (the people responsible for this team) have created a situation where they would rather be overcautious or fear taking the wrong decision and we take responsibility for that. This is why we created this project.
2. Competing parties - so many of the decisions our team has to take will come as a result of one member reporting another member for having done something. When this happens there will be one party happy with the decision and one party unhappy with the decision. This is really difficult to manage because the unhappy party feels aggrieved for a while and more often than not the situation does escalate. The team will try to explain the decision but when we have a ton of other member requests and work to do it isnt always possible.
---
One other point I want to make is that I get to see behind the scenes the work done by the support team and they get through a ridiculous amount of work on a daily basis. Not once have I witnessed them harassing members (if this is really what you're alleging) or displaying a bias for a topic or member. Sometimes we do get stuff wrong and we should never be afraid to acknowledge that but I want to make the point strongly that the team have never (in my 10+ years working with them) done anything which would cause me concern.
I see them working when they shouldn't be (I should ban them when they're off shift!), reaching out to members they are concerned about, getting upset about certain topics and some of the really unpleasant parts of the job like receiving some vulgar abuse.
Our community is so generous with their time and we're so lucky to have so many amazing members wanting to post deals, comments and engage. We never take that for granted.
Do you miss misc and fs/ft?
I do.
Humour is fair enough but not if it's adding more to an already very negative thread. This is a Deals site and it just puts casual readers off and / or makes the forum seem unfriendly. (I know Misc and Discussions exist but I rarely wander over to those..)
Mostly I agree with mods decisions but there isn't always consistency.
As for swearing, I noticed a few days ago the s word on one comment - people were asking why it hadn't been modded (they weren't complaining, just querying), so maybe that's why! It's fair enough as long as it's not an attack on a member.
edit: 'polite' is really important, though that applies to every corner of the internet, where it's very much lacking. Even MSE has its wandering trolls and snipers at times. Reddit and Twitter are (debatably) worse. (edited)
For example, I've had comments against Amazon subscribe and save deals that mention some of the things you have to be careful of with S&S repeatedly deleted as "Not relevant" because the deal poster complained (presumably because they might not get as much heat).
If that improves I'll consider using HUKD properly again, but if I see the same old I'll be off again.
A - My daughter created her account and posted a deal, one day later it was banned. Emails went unanswered. Why are we not allowing two family members having account at same IP address? I did ask this before but never got a response.
B - It's been nearly three years since we are not allowed to share under finance and savings. Initial response was that you are getting permission / licence from Financial authorities. Will it ever be allowed back to share or not?
Thank you
Sorry this may seem off topic, but it's really need an answer.
Really miss the Monese deals the most & every Very suggestion I have made since for the extra codes & discounts especially for new Very registrants gets deleted.
Training Video:
It was intended for employees eyes only.
Who leaked it!?
And how the colours orange and grey make me feel
Is this something separate from this new project?
It was sent for moderation early that particular day and approved and remained there for the majority of the day - 7 or 8 hours.
I got a message after 9pm that evening that the comment had been removed because it was deemed "off topic and not useful to thread discussion" - despite being approved 8 hours earlier.
At the same time, a comment was made on the same thread also earlier in the day that simply read "MR JUMP SHIP" so I posed the question as to how that comment was deemed to be "on" topic and useful to thread discussion compared to my one. Of course no answer was forthcoming.
It's clear that the moderator on duty that evening received the reported comment and just summarily removed it without a second thought - I'd wager they probably didn't even read the thread itself either.
I hope this Code of Conduct can address things like this.
I focussed mostly on HUKD when I found it but I used to post on MSE a lot years before I joined here - not really Deals, just chit-chat. And internet shopping was embryonic and just evolving when I first got an internet connection...
One of my rare 'internet shopping' MSE mentions was on an MSE bargain thread and it was a (reputable) UK perfume company. Someone came out of nowhere and said 'do you work for them?'
And they kept on and on at me - my post didn't read like an advertorial, it was just: here's a great deal, link and price.
After a while I did say 'I tend to post more on Hotukdeals' (thinking that it would support the fact I do post bargains here and there online - and they'd back off. I didn't give my profile name) and they actually told me to burger off there then! And I absolutely did!!
Sure, some people might be right on the money if it's self-promotion but I was a mature enough member of MSE to not show up on anyone's radar. Or so I thought! It was likely because I was new to that sub-thread, but that person was just horrible.
You can usually tell by someone's posting style if they're in it for themselves - people always show themselves eventually. If someone's new, give them the benefit of the doubt!!
TL;DR: It's happened to me, don't let it put you off. Though - I avoided MSE bargain threads after that! (edited)
Yes good point, so please update us on this thread instead of ignoring everyones questions.
hotukdeals.com/shaâŠ400
I'm very sceptical about this and just see it as a way for the moderation team to allow political comments that fits their agenda whilst continuing to shut down everyone else.
When a comment is deleted, is the commentor notified by PM? Is there policy (change) on this?
'Don't buy this model' is useful in PC components sometimes if there's a known or historic issue would be another example. Not everyone follows PC building to the same extent, that kind of knowledge can be helpful. 'Letting people judge for themselves' means they find out too late and it costs them money, time, effort and stress.
Hi.
when comments go into moderation, is it ALWAYS approved by a human(mod)? The reason being, I had a comment approved, then removed in this thread
''We've removed your comment from the following thread "Shared unlimited 2 year vpn,anyone intrested ?" as it contains unsuitable content.''
So I couldn't really make sense of it?
Also, no idea why it was removed, my comment referred to an app? the app itself hosts no illegal content for streaming, it's just an app. You can use it for local media etc. Now, the site Real debrid was allowed to remain in the convo, which is ironically which pulls the streams, so make sense of that if you will.
More commonly, a comment might be moderated if it contains a blacklisted word, phrase, or link, requiring manual approval by one of the community team members. Regarding the specific comment:
Comments like these, where details aren't shared in the thread but members are invited to get in touch via PM, often involve referral invites, self-promotion, or links to unsuitable URLs or merchants, such as illegal streaming services. Even unintentionally, they can generate PM inquiries. Therefore, the advice would be: if the information is suitable to be shared with the community, it can be shared in a thread comment. If it's not suitable, then it cannot be shared via PM either. There is an option to add further clarification to a deleted PM if the team feels further details would be helpful, but you're always welcome to drop us a PM reply to the message with any query you may have.
If you have any further questions or concerns, feel free to let us know.