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Proposing a Review Section

MRGisevil

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:idea::idea::idea::idea::idea::idea::idea:

While going through this whole endevour to get Tim into new skis and boots, I've been thinking alot about whether it might be useful to start some sort of a review thread or forum or something along those lines here. Not anything the moderators should be worried about (don't hurt me...), but a user created, ongoing project; basically just something simple.

Example:

Title: Lange Fluid 80 FR


Specs:

***Insert specs or price or whatever the heck you want about the boot/ski/glove/pole/t-shirt here***


"Bought a pair of Langes last week and not sure if I like them or not. Comfort was not immediate, and while the insole seems to have conformed to my toes and there's no problem there, they feel a bit too tight around the base of my foot. On the mountain they're very supportive. Went four hours and saw a big difference from my old boot. Only problem is I'm not sure I could ski 8 hours in these..."

(disclaimer, the poster has no evidence this boot is uncomfortable- she just picked a random boot off the net and rolled with it. Feedback was most likely negative due solely to writing it prior to having her morning bowl of cocoa puffs.)

Example of what I'm talking about can be found at a biking forum I frequent in the off-season:

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/allmtn_full_suspension/

Although this one is a bit more complex than what I'm thinking of, it gives you the general idea.

If we each write a blurb about an individual piece of gear or a new ski we've purchased and designate said blurbs to a specific area, I think it might be a good starting point for people when they go on the hunt. Alot of us do that already, so why not stick all these threads in one spot?

What do you guys think? Am I on the mark with this one, or should I shut it and go have my puffs now? :dunce:
 

Greg

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Well, this was one of the things the gear forum was initially designed for. We encouraged folks to post reviews and not many did. :( Anyway, all are welcome to post gear review threads there.
 

wa-loaf

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Well, this was one of the things the gear forum was initially designed for. We encouraged folks to post reviews and not many did. :( Anyway, all are welcome to post gear review threads there.

It's not a bad idea. There's a lot of stuff in the gear forum and putting reviews into their own subsection will make it easier to find them. Currently as its set up now, reviews quickly disappear into the back pages. An established review section might also encourage more people to post reviews.
 

Paul

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ILC2.jpg



Lange Fluid 80 FR?





HATED IT!
 

Greg

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Example of what I'm talking about can be found at a biking forum I frequent in the off-season:

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/allmtn_full_suspension/

Although this one is a bit more complex than what I'm thinking of, it gives you the general idea.

I was talking to Mr. Evil more about this on Saturday night. So, this is a separate review section, not necessarily associated with the forums? Interesting. Could be pretty cool, although we are not set up for it programatically. Perhaps there's an add-in for vBulletin or something. I'll look into it.
 

Greg

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I was talking to Mr. Evil more about this on Saturday night. So, this is a separate review section, not necessarily associated with the forums? Interesting. Could be pretty cool, although we are not set up for it programatically. Perhaps there's an add-in for vBulletin or something. I'll look into it.

Found this:

http://www.reviewpost.com/indexpro.html

Which is from the same developers that wrote the Gallery script we use here which works pretty well. Looks like this review software integrates into vBulletin similarly.

Thoughts?
 

Paul

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It Stinks!



Srsly, I've used the review at MTBR as well. Its a pretty nice feature. I would think it would take a really large, diverse community to get it to work optimally. It may be worth a shot here, as most of the equipment reviewed would be more geographically specific. It would be nice to not have to weed through reviews of K2 Pontoons etc...;-)
 

thetrailboss

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As said, we were hoping that folks would post those reviews in the gear forum and have gone so far as to posted a suggested format (I am not seeing it now for some reason....)

Feel free to have at it...
 

wa-loaf

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I think just a sub-directory in the gear forum would be sufficient. Just to keep the reviews separate and easier to browse.
 

skibum9995

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I like the idea. I think that having reviews separate from the rest of the gear threads will encourage more people to post a review, in addition to being able to browse reviews much easier.
 

MRGisevil

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I think just a sub-directory in the gear forum would be sufficient. Just to keep the reviews separate and easier to browse.

Yep- this is exactly what I was thinking of. While the full blown review-o-rama they've got going on over at MTBR is nice, I don't think it'd apply well to this site as it takes a lot of time to maintain, and alot of people to maintain it.

I'm really just thinking something simple. A sub section where, when you buy a new piece of gear, you type up a little blurb including your likes, dislikes, etc. that'll help people make a decision based on your experiences with the product.
 
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