Password protected post. We’re trying something a little bit new here, usually we send out exclusive content via newsletter. The problem with this is there is no where to discuss this content and this usually causes the deal to be spread elsewhere to be discussed.
So what we’re going to trial is a password protected post instead. You’ll need to be subscribed to our newsletter (do that here on in the sidebar on the left), we will then send you a link to the password protected page as well as the password. If you haven’t already subscribed, don’t worry we’ll give you access to previous password protected posts in your welcome e-mail. The first password protected post can be found here and you should have received the e-mail with the password already.
The post itself will not be indexed or accessible by google and neither will the comments. Please do not share the password, we’re not charging for this content we merely ask people to sign up for our free newsletter (we send out one post a week with a recap of of the most important articles from the previous week followed by a list of all of our articles sorted by category in that same e-mail. We also sent out exclusive/sensitive content such as these password protected posts).
- Staples imposes new quantity limit of 3 SPECIFIC electronic gift cards per day by Miles Per Day. Apparently going on since mid may, you can buy multiples of the same gift card in excess of 3 if they are different denominations.
- Turnover Tuesdays An Amazing Gift From The Amazonian Gods by Oren’s Money Saver. This is great when it happens this way, not so great when they lose your inventory. I have a sinking feeling something was wrong with shipping and they ended up sending out 1 piece glass sets instead of 4 or something equally stupid.
- Upromise has some in-store offers worth knowing about by PF Digest. I think this is the same back end other sites use for these in store offers, although I’m not familiar with what that actual back end is (anybody care to remind mine?). Portal offers are usually better, but something to keep an eye on.
- American Reduced Mileage Rewards by Mile Nerd. This is always of interest to some of you.
- Uber Pride Promotion Offering Chance to Win 2 Round-Trip Tickets to Anywhere Alaska Airlines Flies During Pride Week by Uber Codes. I’m sure there will be lots of entries, but doesn’t hurt to enter as it’s not like you’re going to be able to use any other Uber promo code. This is a cool site as well.
- Marriott CEO Interview: Speaking Up on Social Issues and Building a Huge Brand by Skrift. Little bit scraps of details about the SPG merger here, nothing too exciting.
I got the password, but there is no link in the email. Can anyone help?
https://www.doctorofcredit.com/password-protected-post-1/, I’ve fixed it so the e-mail shows the link as well.
the password protect post is already all over other deal sites.
All we can do is ask people not to share. Does anybody else have any other solutions?
yea. switch to forum only FT style closed community. or do that only for sensitive deals. invite required.
We don’t want to move to a closed community, I don’t like that system.
It was out for a couple of days before this email came out on at least 2 sites I visit regularly. Not knocking you, your site is great and I appreciate all you do. Not sure much you can do to hide good deals, even if you send it to members only I’m sure some other websites secretly subscribe to see if there is anything they are missing (I know I would).
It wasn’t on any other blogs, just the deal sites, so I figured it would be better to keep it password protected.
It wasn’t any sort of hour-long-meeting decision type-of-thing.
Cull the items emailed to you that are not likely to be on other sites. If something lights up your room, then use that as the passworded item.
I do not know your email traffic with suggestions for new topics, but it is an idea.
I cant comment on the password protected post, there is no place to comment… 🙁
Yeah, I’m seeing that too. Hopefully, we’ll be able to fix that.
Will try and get this fixed.
I usually get you guys via RSS so I don’t have search through emails. Curious if email is better for the site in some way? Does it give you better metrics on readers or some other benefit? Can’t imagine it’s more secure since anyone can sign up and you can stop posts from being spidered and indexed?
E-mail just allows us to send you the weekly recap as well, just a way of making sure people visit the site more often.
Hopefully that’s not the only reason, since most of the other blogs also post weekly recaps via RSS. Is the conversion rate better through email? I find it just gets lost as opposed to an RSS feed where I am actively making a decision to engage.
You should of course do whatever is beneficial to the site and if boosting your email list is part of that then great but long term it seems a shame to benefit one channel over another if there is no substantive difference.
I used feedly and didn’t like it. Much prefer email. To each their own.
My sentiments exactly, ideally readers can choose what works best for them.
In the two years I’ve read DoC I can’t recall anyone asking for RSS feeds for newslettes.
Sure, there’ll be some, but my guess is your sentiments are far in the minority. Why fix what isn’t broken?
My point isn’t RSS vs email newsletter but a genuine curiosity about the rationale of restricting certain content to email subscribers who are indistinguishable from RSS readers in terms of security given that there is no vetting process to be on the email list and that site posts can be set to not be search indexed. That’s why I was trying to understand if there is some advantage to the site by having people sign up to be on the mailing list. If it helps the site, then by all means they should continue but generally it helps to let folks use the tools that work for them.
We could also look at putting the password in the RSS feed, I’m not sure how difficult that is.
https://wordpress.org/plugins/password-protected/
would this help?
@Chris, not really because we’re doing the new posts on pages rather than posts so they don’t show up in a feed. I’m sure there is a way to add text to a feed though, I’ll look into it.
I’m subscribed and I don’t have a password in my email.
I’m an idiot. Found it.
I truly can’t find it, what was the email titled?
Did you subscribe today? If so, it’s in the welcome e-mail with the eBook. If you subscribed before today, you should have received a new e-mail with the password.
same, i get the email everyday and I shamefully can’t find it. What day is it from?
I have the same problem as Owen. I cannot find the email.
The password and a link was slightly hidden in the body of the email, but it was there.
Like anything you read here, some of the posted suggestions may or may not be something you can use.
It is an interesting concept.
However since the linked information that I was sent to came from another source, I fail to see how Google might not pick it up from the other source. Comment based on giving credit to another source.
Great Idea Doc. The main thing that its not easily searchable on google and therefor doesnt get killed the second its out there.