Thread: Review section

Originally Posted by 10Pups

II am not sure what the reviews looked like at SRP but from Glen's post I would say we aren't missing much.

We had both ends of the spectrum,, The problem was a balance point between Elitist spouting and Useless drivel, and who was going to make the decision between the two

Like any review you read, in the end the onus is on you as the consumer of the review to use your judgement and critical thinking skills.

Of course there are things that can be put in place to counter shilling reviews, encourage evidence--based reviewing, encouraging reviewers to back up their statements and provide justification of what they say, but in the end a review is simply an opinion. And when you read an opinion you, as the reader, should be reading it critically and with your own needs and wants in mind.

James.

Originally Posted by 10Pups

I have found many tips and reviews within the threads on products as I read. I found a soap and a cream that I like very much because members swore by them. When it comes to reviews you have to consider the source in order to gain more perspective in my opinion. I am not sure what the reviews looked like at SRP but from Glen's post I would say we aren't missing much. Maybe why it's dead. If it was so great where is the outcry and poll trying to bring it back ?
Here is another point >> If you want to know what people here think about something just post a thread and ask. That seems simple enough to me.

A product needs more than one opinion to properly review. If I tell you that I like the clean, soap scent of Arko and someone replies by saying it smells to him like a urinal cake, we need more replies to get a concensus opinion. So one review is useless.

Earlier in this thread I asked about what "notes" meant in evaluating fragrances. I struggled with that term for three years and for some reason it just occurred to me today to ask. Reviews critiqued fragrances without all the jargon.

I'm not saying "just do it" because I don't need them any more. But at one time they were helpful for me and if the moderators think it would be useful in nurturing new members, I will help write reviews.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

We had both ends of the spectrum,, The problem was a balance point between Elitist spouting and Useless drivel, and who was going to make the decision between the two

If that dichotomy is a problem with reviews I think it can be said that it is a problem with forum posts in general. What James says in the quote below is also my thinking. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater isn't the best solution but that is what seems to have been done.

Originally Posted by Jimbo

Like any review you read, in the end the onus is on you as the consumer of the review to use your judgement and critical thinking skills.

Of course there are things that can be put in place to counter shilling reviews, encourage evidence--based reviewing, encouraging reviewers to back up their statements and provide justification of what they say, but in the end a review is simply an opinion. And when you read an opinion you, as the reader, should be reading it critically and with your own needs and wants in mind.

James.

Originally Posted by CaliforniaCajun

I'm not saying "just do it" because I don't need them any more. But at one time they were helpful for me and if the moderators think it would be useful in nurturing new members, I will help write reviews.

I obviously think that the reviews could be very helpful, otherwise I wouldn't have spent far more time than I should have to keep them going for as long as I did.

So, I'm definitely going to get them going again (actually Jimbo would do the heavy lifting and I'll help with what I can). All it took was your willingness to give back to the community - that is the first time in 2 years that somebody says this. In the past all I ever got from senior members was eagerness to make rules for and ideas how to police a review system, but never expressing a desire to write reviews.

Sounds like a success story to me.

Originally Posted by HNSB

Sounds like a success story to me.

There used to be another guy around here of that opinion ..... Ain't seen him lately ....

If you do get it back up and running gugi give me a pm to. I can do a couple of reviews a year till I run out of stuff to review.

If you build it they will come. Does anyone want to build it and do we want them to come?