I find that there is a relatively simple way to identify truly special examples of stupidity, which is to find those in which the precise opposite of the intended result is achieved.
Is anyone surprised that ebay has earned such a dubious distinction?
As anyone reading this post almost certainly knows, for many years ebay allowed users to refine searches for watches by date of manufacture, and wisely used a few, broad categories (e.g 1940-70). This was a simple and effective way to narrow searches, and it's hard to imagine that any but a tiny percentage of regular users of the system felt that it was inadequate.
As some of you have likely noticed, this system has recently changed. Why? Well, presumably some bid'ness skool graduate who works for ebay had an epiphany, and decided that users would obviously benefit from much more detailed refinement. So now, rather than broad categories, single decades of manufacture must be chosen.
The result – a wholly flippin' predictable result – is that the vast majority of listings have now been shifted into the "Not Specified" category, as only a small percentage of sellers are sophisticated enough to discern the exact decade from which their watches emanate.
It's irritating enough to have to take the time to redefine many saved searches, but to end up with far less useful ones adds tremendous insult to injury.
The change is, in my view, an example of breathtaking stupidity.
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