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Am I the only one that has no idea what this is talking about? Even the "About" section just dumps a ton of jargon about something being a problem for "pubs" -

by lacoolj 9mo ago

Am I the only one that has no idea what this is talking about? Even the "About" section just dumps a ton of jargon about something being a problem for "pubs" - which, very unclear from the homepage, is actually talking about bars/places to drink beer/etc in the UK. But again, now I know it's talking about that kind of pub, what is the actual issue? Some sort of rate being added to something? What rate? Is this related to a rating system? Taxes? Is it affecting the consumer? The owner? So confused.

crazygringo 9mo ago
Nope, I have utterly no idea what "rate increases" are being referred to. Doesn't seem to have a single explanation or link anywhere that I can find.
- rzzzt 9mo ago
  A form of property tax it looks like, charged on businesses: https://www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates https://www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates
- alexfoo 9mo ago
  To be fair, I'd say that most people in the UK who would be interested in the contents of this site are aware of the context and know what phrases like "rates increases" actually mean. It's been in the news quite a bit over the years since the pandemic. Not every site has to provide an ELI5.
  - crazygringo 9mo ago
    The homepage doesn't even say it's about the UK. For a generic ".com" domain that isn't American, it's generally a good idea to yes, have a kind of minimal hint that tells you at least which country it's about, and at least a single link you can follow to get the broader context. I'm following a link to it on HN. When I get there, I have zero context. Visitors to your site can come from anywhere, so it's generally considered a good idea to provide basic context.
    - alexfoo 9mo ago
      > For a generic ".com" domain that isn't American, it's generally a good idea to yes, have a kind of minimal hint that tells you at least which country it's about, and at least a single link you can follow to get the broader context. Umm, I take it you didn't click the "About" link at the top right of the page. That gives you some of that context and names the countries involved in the first full sentence. Alternatively clicking on the "Map" link should give a sizable proportion of people a big hint about which countries it involves. Three seconds of scrolling out on the map makes it obvious.
      - crazygringo 9mo ago
        "Umm", yes, that's why I referred to the homepage specifically. It's generally a good idea to make the subject of your site clear on the homepage, without requiring people to start clicking around to hunt for it.
    - messe 9mo ago
      Or how about the US starts using ".us"?
lacoolj 9mo ago
lol for so many negative points this question has, there sure is seemingly a lot of support too. I guess I found the divide in our community

by lacoolj 9mo ago

crazygringo 9mo ago

Nope, I have utterly no idea what "rate increases" are being referred to. Doesn't seem to have a single explanation or link anywhere that I can find.

rzzzt 9mo ago
A form of property tax it looks like, charged on businesses: https://www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates https://www.gov.uk/introduction-to-business-rates
alexfoo 9mo ago
To be fair, I'd say that most people in the UK who would be interested in the contents of this site are aware of the context and know what phrases like "rates increases" actually mean. It's been in the news quite a bit over the years since the pandemic. Not every site has to provide an ELI5.
- crazygringo 9mo ago
  The homepage doesn't even say it's about the UK. For a generic ".com" domain that isn't American, it's generally a good idea to yes, have a kind of minimal hint that tells you at least which country it's about, and at least a single link you can follow to get the broader context. I'm following a link to it on HN. When I get there, I have zero context. Visitors to your site can come from anywhere, so it's generally considered a good idea to provide basic context.
  - alexfoo 9mo ago
    > For a generic ".com" domain that isn't American, it's generally a good idea to yes, have a kind of minimal hint that tells you at least which country it's about, and at least a single link you can follow to get the broader context. Umm, I take it you didn't click the "About" link at the top right of the page. That gives you some of that context and names the countries involved in the first full sentence. Alternatively clicking on the "Map" link should give a sizable proportion of people a big hint about which countries it involves. Three seconds of scrolling out on the map makes it obvious.
    - crazygringo 9mo ago
      "Umm", yes, that's why I referred to the homepage specifically. It's generally a good idea to make the subject of your site clear on the homepage, without requiring people to start clicking around to hunt for it.
  - messe 9mo ago
    Or how about the US starts using ".us"?

lacoolj 9mo ago

lol for so many negative points this question has, there sure is seemingly a lot of support too. I guess I found the divide in our community