Brad

Are there Non-Black Friday Forums here? Yes! The GottaDeal Forums are open year round, not just during the couple months before Black Friday. We have many other forums for you to participate in. Those forums work just like the Black Friday forums, and you'll find that our members are very friendly and helpful. Some of these other forums are: Online Hot Deals - get the latest deals from online retailers, or post your own finds. Offline Hot Deals - discuss deals that are found at your local brick & mortar stores. Deal Finder Service - looking for a deal on a specific item? Post here and we'll help you out. Contests & Sweepstakes - find out about and enter countless online sweepstakes, or post any that you find. Freebies & Free Offers - everyone likes free stuff - find many great free offers and share those that you find. Grocery & Printable Coupons - discuss and post links to grocery coupons, restaurant coupons and more. Surveys & Research Studies - participate in studies and earn compensation for your time. Technology, Computers & Gadgets - discuss the latest technology news, and get help with your tech problems. Finance Discussion - discuss all kinds of topics relating to personal finance and save yourself some money along the way. Discuss GottaDeal.com - need to discuss anything related to the site or forums? This is the place to do it. To view all the forums available, click here to view the forum main page. If you have any questions about the other forums, please reply to this thread :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

Black Friday @ GottaDeal.com has two primary sections - the actual main Black Friday site (http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com) and these Black Friday forums. The forums are the place for continuous 24/7 discussion of all things Black Friday. The actual scanned ads are posted on the forum only, so by having a forum account you will have access to those when they become available. The main Black Friday site contains the database of sale items. You can browse through the lists of individual ad items, search for a specific item, or filter out items that have rebates or are "early bird" specials. You can also create your personalized shopping list, sign up to be notified when new ads are posted, and much more. The main site is also where we will show which items are available online. Keep in mind that for many ads, we will only have the listings of ad items first, and may not get the scanned ad until later, so for those stores, you'll want to check the main site to get all the information. If you have any questions about the two parts of the site, please reply to this thread :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

Black Friday @ GottaDeal.com has two primary sections - the actual main Black Friday site (http://blackfriday.gottadeal.com) and these Black Friday forums. The forums are the place for continuous 24/7 discussion of all things Black Friday. The actual scanned ads are posted on the forum only, so by having a forum account you will have access to those when they become available. The main Black Friday site contains the database of sale items. You can browse through the lists of individual ad items, search for a specific item, or filter out items that have rebates or are "early bird" specials. You can also create your personalized shopping list, sign up to be notified when new ads are posted, and much more. The main site is also where we will show which items are available online. Keep in mind that for many ads, we will only have the listings of ad items first, and may not get the scanned ad until later, so for those stores, you'll want to check the main site to get all the information. If you have any questions about the two parts of the site, please reply to this thread :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

This varies on a store-by-store and item-by-item basis. There is no way to know in advance when, or if, a particular item will be available online at the BF price. As we get closer to Black Friday, we will also have a single page listing each item we find that is available for ordering online at the Black Friday price. We will make sure you are aware of this, so as long as you keep coming back to the site, you won't miss anything. Keep in mind that many of the items will not become available online until Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday itself. If you have any questions about this issue, please reply to this thread :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

This varies on a store-by-store and item-by-item basis. There is no way to know in advance when, or if, a particular item will be available online at the BF price. As we get closer to Black Friday, we will also have a single page listing each item we find that is available for ordering online at the Black Friday price. We will make sure you are aware of this, so as long as you keep coming back to the site, you won't miss anything. Keep in mind that many of the items will not become available online until Thanksgiving Day or Black Friday itself. If you have any questions about this issue, please reply to this thread :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

The Black Friday forums here at GottaDeal have been expanded this year. Here is how they look from the forum home page: Here are some brief descriptions of each of the forums which should hep you understand where threads should be posted: Black Friday Discussion: This is the general discussion area for Black Friday topics. If your thread is not about a specific store or a specific item at a specific store, it will likely go here. Store-Specific Discussion: These are subforums for the most popular stores, and dedicated threads for many other stores. If you are posting about a particular store, or about a particular item in a store's ad, post your thread in that store's subforum if it has one, or find that store's thread in the Other Stores subforum and post a reply. Black Friday @ GottaDeal Basics: This forum contains threads focusing on the most frequently asked about topics, including how to use the forum as well as general Black Friday information. Holiday Discussion: Back again this year, this forum is for the discussion of all non-shopping holiday-related topics including traditions, decorations, food, etc. If you have a question about where a certain thread should be posted, please reply to this thread and we'll guide you to the correct forum. Once there are enough threads in each forum, it should be pretty easy to see where everything belongs, but at the beginning if you are unsure, let us know :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

The private messaging (PM) system is a powerful tool to communicate with other members on the forum. It allows you to send a private message to one or more members and have discussions off the public forum. You are able to receive PMs from the moment you register, however you must have a minimum number of posts to send PMs to other users. The box in the upper right of every forum page shows you how many PMs you have and if you have any new messages. If you don't have any new messages, it will appear with a gray background: However if you have a new message (or messages), it will turn bright green to alert you: To go to your private message control panel, click the "Private Messages" link in that box in the upper right of every forum page. On that page, you will see stats about how many PMs you have, and if you are nearing the limit. You have a maximum capacity, so if you are getting close, you'll have to delete some in order to receive new PMs. Underneath that stats section is your inbox where you will see any PMs that you have recently received. Click on the title of the PM to read it. On the left side of the page are links to list your messages, send a new message, track if messages have been received and to edit your folders: Please use the PM system responsibly. If you receive a PM from someone that you are not comfortable with or that you believe could be violating the rules of the forum, please contact an Administrator or GottaDeal Moderator from this page immediately. If you have any questions about the PM system or need help, please reply here :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

The displaying of signatures on the forum will soon be temporarily disabled at least until Black Friday is over. This is done to decrease page load times and to reduce the amount of time admins and moderators need to spend checking them for questionable content. You will see signatures in the posts of admins and moderators on the forum. Those signatures will contain links to helpful areas such as this "Basics" forum, the Black Friday FAQ, and other useful pieces of information. Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

There are several ways to stay up-to-date on all the posts on the forum. You can go from forum to forum checking for the latest posts, or you can use the "New Posts" feature to show all threads with new posts in one easy-to-use list. To do so, click the "New Posts" link in the blue navigation bar across the top of every forum page (between the "Member Pages" and "Search" links): You will then see a listing of all threads with new posts since your last visit to the forum: You also have the ability to exclude certain forums from appearing in the list of new posts. To do this, go to your user control panel by clicking on the "User CP" link in the blue navigation bar across the top of every forum page (to the left of the "GottaPoints" link): You will then be in your user control panel which will look similar to this: Click the "Edit Options" link and scroll to the bottom of the page and you will see this section: To exclude specific forums from appearing on the "New Posts" list, highlight them in this list. Hold down the control (Ctrl) key to select multiple forums. If you have any questions about using this feature or need help, reply to this thread :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

Member Pages are individual pages that each member can use to post almost anything you want - pictures, text, etc... You can use it to list items you are trying to sell, post links to your favorite sites, post pictures you have taken - the possibilities are endless. Any offensive or obscene content will be removed. To create or edit your member page, click on the "User CP" link in the blue navigation bar on any forum page (to the left of the "GottaPoints" link): You will then see your user control panel which looks similar to this: Click the "Create (or Edit) Your Userpage" link to bring up the page editor: You can enter text, post links, post pictures - just like you can in a regular post. Others can view a link to your member page on your user profile: - You can also browse other members' pages by clicking the "Member Pages" link on the blue navigation bar on every forum page (between the "Members List" and "New Posts" link: Once you click that link, you will be shown a list of members with pages. Click on a member's username to view their page. Each member page also has a "shoutbox" where you can communicate about that page with each other like your own forum thread. Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

One of the ways to personalize your posts here on the forum is by using an avatar. We have hundreds of them available for you to choose from, and once you have made 50 posts and have been a member for at least two weeks, you may use your own custom avatar. To change your avatar, follow these steps. First, click on the "User CP" link at the far left of the blue navigation bar (to the left of the "GottaPoints" link) on every forum page: - You will then be brought to your user control panel which looks similar to this: - On the left side column, click the "Edit Avatar" link to go to the avatar selection page: On this page, you can select one of the many avatars we have on the forum. We have many categories - just use the drop-down menu to browse through them all until you find one that you like. Once you have made 100 posts on the forum, within an hour the bottom section will appear and will allow you to upload a picture from your computer to use as your avatar, or you may also enter the web address (URL) of an image hosted elsewhere to use as your cutom avatar. Please do not use any avatars that would be considered offensive, or they will be removed. If you have any questions or need help, please reply to this thread. Thanks :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

One of the ways to personalize your posts here on the forum is by using an avatar. We have hundreds of them available for you to choose from, and once you have made 50 posts and have been a member for at least two weeks, you may use your own custom avatar. To change your avatar, follow these steps. First, click on the "User CP" link at the far left of the blue navigation bar (to the left of the "GottaPoints" link) on every forum page: - You will then be brought to your user control panel which looks similar to this: - On the left side column, click the "Edit Avatar" link to go to the avatar selection page: On this page, you can select one of the many avatars we have on the forum. We have many categories - just use the drop-down menu to browse through them all until you find one that you like. Once you have made 50 posts on the forum, within an hour the bottom section will appear and will allow you to upload a picture from your computer to use as your avatar, or you may also enter the web address (URL) of an image hosted elsewhere to use as your cutom avatar. Please do not use any avatars that would be considered offensive, or they will be removed. If you have any questions or need help, please reply to this thread. Thanks :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

One of the most important things to know how to do here on the forums is to search. Searching allows you to find what you are looking for quickly, and allows you to check to see if something has already been posted before you make a duplicate. There are several ways to search. The easiest is to use the search box in the upper right of any forum page, under the blue tabs: Enter what you'd like to search for and click the "SEARCH" button. - Another way is by using the search drop down menu. You access this by clicking on the "Search" link in the blue navigation bar across the top of every forum page (between the "New Posts" and "Quick Links" links): Again, just enter what you'd like to search for. You can also choose if you'd like the results shown as threads or as individual posts. - Finally, for a more refined search, click the search drop down menu, and click on the "Advanced Search" link. It will take you to a page that looks like this: From this page you can enter what you'd like to search for, select if you want to find those terms in just the title of threads or in the entire body (including all replies). You can also select specific forums to search within, can search for posts only made by a specific member, and several other options to customize the results. Also, when you are searching to see if something has been reposted, use a few key words as possible. For example, if you are posting a thread for a contest, don't search for: SMUCKER'S® "SQUEEZE IN SOME FUN ends 2/28/07 And instead just pick out the key word(s) and search for: smuckers If you have any questions or need help, please reply to this thread. Thanks :) Please keep all replies directly related to this topic. Off-topic replies will be deleted.

Welcome back for another Black Friday here at GottaDeal.com. If you are new, thank you for finding us! If you are a returning member, welcome back, and we've got some changes this year that you should know about as well. We have expanded the number of Black Friday forums this year. New this year are store-specific subforums, as well as a new Black Friday @ GottaDeal Basics forum. This Black Friday General Discussion forum and the Holiday Discussion forum are back this year as well. If you are posting about a specific store, or an item at a specific store, that post or thread belongs in one of the Store-Specific forums. There are at least 10 stores with their own subforums, and many more stores with official threads for you to post in. If you are posting about general holiday topics not related to shopping, please put those posts or threads in the Holiday Discussion forum. If you have a question about how Black Friday works, how the Black Friday site works, or how the forum here works, please post those in the Black Friday @ GottaDeal Basics forum. Please be sure to check that forum before posting to make sure it hasn't been answered already. Any other topics that don't fit in the above categories should continue to go here. Once we get underway it should be pretty easy to see which kind of posts belong in which subforum. Also new this year are six dedicated Black Friday forum moderators. In addition to the admins and moderators for the entire forum, these individuals are going to be helping out in all the various Black Friday forums. Their names will appear in red, and will say "Black Friday Mod" underneath. Administrators have green, bolded usernames and site-wide moderators have red, bolded usernames. You can view all the forum leaders here. If you have any questions, please contact us and we'll try to help you out :)

Back again this year at GottaDeal is the Holiday Discussion forum. In an effort to separate the Black Friday talk from the more general holiday talk, we've created this forum. Use this forum to post all you'd like about holiday traditions, decorations, food, stories, whatever you want. If your post is about Black Friday or holiday shopping specifically (including requests for gift ideas), you should continue posting those in the main Black Friday forums. If you have any questions as to where something should be posted, contact one of the admins or mods on the board and we'll help you out. Thanks :)

This thread has been moved from the "Discuss GottaDeal" forum as it deals with a semi-private forum and that forum is open to everyone, lurkers included. We try to keep the existence of this and the other semi-private boards hidden until members meet the requirements for access, just so we don't have people posting a bunch of times just to get access.

conj, Your points have been heard. Some responses: * These threads will show up in the New Posts, unless you've excluded the forums from your New Posts results (see User CP -> Edit Options) * The decision to create this subforum was done for a number of reasons. These include, but are not limited to, the following: 1) Often, these types of posts did not clearly fit in any of the existing forums; 2) Non-GD members frequently swooped in to take what members were trying to offer each other; 3) We were having increasing problems with some of the referral programs, especially with non- or brand new members. * The decrease in use for some of these is unfortunate, as is any added inconvenience to members. However, as most here know, this site is a deals site, and a business. Most of the new subforums, and the Lounge, are included as a service to members but do not necessarily generate income. As such, when some part of them becomes a problem for the admins and mods or site overall, steps have to be taken to reduce those issues. Hope this helps :)

If anyone is looking for a referral for ING, you can post in this thread: http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?t=45139 Please no discussion of referrals in any other thread. Thanks :)

Please use this thread to share your previous BF pricematching experiences.

Rate raised to 4.40%. Not much, but it's something...

New forum header added which matches the one on the new main site design. That's going to be it as far as major changes to the forum design. I'm still going to be adding some new features here and there, but the look is going to stay pretty constant for the forseeable future.

Great price :) The previous deal discussion thread: http://forums.gottadeal.com/showthread.php?t=43315&highlight=a350

The chat system wasn't compatible with the new vBulletin version. Once a new version of the chat is available, it may return at that time :)

For those who may be interested, for this board only there are now special post icons available for your threads which can allow everyone to quickly pick out which threads have been posted for either giving things away, asking for things or offering trades. Keep in mind that you don't have to use these post icons :)

This forum was created to give the GottaDeal community a place to request, offer, or trade certain kinds of items. It is also for threads requesting that people vote for you or an immediate family member. This forum is only viewable to those who have posted on the forum a few times already and have been a member long enough. We wanted to give you a place to offer these things to others without people registering just to swoop in and take them. Because this forum is not viewable to everyone, please do not discuss it elsewhere on the forum. So in this forum you can either offer things, request them, or offer up trades. These things are usually going to be unique, one-time use kind of things. Examples include things like Coke or Pepsi codes, those "points for education" box tops, cigarette checks or coupons, formula checks or coupons, one-time use coupons for online stores such as Staples or Dell, printed coupons for brick & mortar stores, etc... If you are looking for a deal on something, you should continue to post those threads in the Deal Finder forum. Also, this is not a forum for buying or selling. If you have something and would like someone to pay for shipping (such as sending a SASE for a coupon), that is fine. GottaDeal.com is not responsible or liable for any problems that occur during these transactions. Updated information: I realize that we haven't been very clear, so here's an attempt at being better at that: The intention behind creating this subforum was to give active members a place to share, give, trade, and ask for the kinds of things that used to take place in signatures back when we had them, to give these things a place they no longer had. By "these things" I mean things like one-time store discount codes, exceptional coupons (such as those for free pet food or double-digits off cosmetics), or Coke codes. Somehow though, it this subforum had started to go directions that we did not intend or want - this is not a surrogate eBay or a coupon-trading/post-everything-in-my-coupon-box forum. As we frequently explain, GottaDeal is first a business. Signficant portions of the site we have created to provide a community for members that do not generate income, but do all take resources, both server- and moderator-wise. So, in summary, this is to share with other active members things that are low in value (nothing worth $100s) and unusual (not common coupons). I hope that this has helped. However, as we also frequently have to find ourselves saying, decisions about the Board are at the discretion of the Admins and Moderators, so this is closed for discussion. If you feel the need to raise any other issues about this, please PM me - do NOT start a new thread to discuss this.