What format do you want the reviews to be in?

[Ioman]

When we put up the new site in a month or two, we might change the review format as well.

Do you like reviews Cnet style with a link to the forums where they can be discussed or would you like then Anandtech style where they are very technical?

Personally I enjoy Cnet style where it is a bottom line: Is it good or bad? With the specifications listed below it.

What do you guys think?

[ECA]

Do it, we can ***** about it later, and make you change it...
LAMO...
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=gbkt400&page=1&cookie%5Ftest=1&bhcp=1

[Ioman]

Originally posted by ECA
Do it, we can ***** about it later, and make you change it...
LAMO...
http://www.gamepc.com/labs/view_content.asp?id=gbkt400&page=1&cookie%5Ftest=1&bhcp=1

OMG this is one of the longest reviews I have ever seen. Do people actually read through all of this?:confused:

[LinkDJ@School]

I love the technical depth of anandtech's articles. I sometimes wish they went into even more depth. In my opinion, anandtech style!

[dugbug]

Originally posted by Ioman
OMG this is one of the longest reviews I have ever seen. Do people actually read through all of this?:confused:

I do :)

Id say you have two types of reviews: The Hands On mini review (like the Danger hiptop you have up) and a "Complete" review. In the case of hiphop, it would be quite long since it is a multifunction device.

As you all know, howard chui can say a hell of a lot in a cell phone review, now add PDAs, digital camera, etc. on top of it. So a "complete" hiptop review could get long but would be (IMHO) a big draw for readers.

In both review formats you could have a Forum dedicated to all reviews (for convenient searching), and a thread started for each review, that each review article links to at its conclusion (for "further discussions"). Seems a good use of the forum software anyway.

Id be more than willing to write a comprehensive/technical review or two, Im sure a lot of people here would. Send me your hiptop :D:D

[Ioman]

Does anyone like the Cnet format? I am assuming the general population does since Cnet is so large.

[dugbug]

Originally posted by Ioman
Does anyone like the Cnet format? I am assuming the general population does since Cnet is so large.

For me, I like the anantech's detailed reviews. No on the CNET review style, yes on the forum integration for discussions.

An example:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1694&p=1

[Ioman]

Originally posted by dugbug


For me, I like the anantech's detailed reviews. No on the CNET review style, yes on the forum integration for discussions.

An example:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1694&p=1

We have a forum dedicated to reviews and site articles. We also have a link at the bottom of each review pointing to the corresponding thread. Is it not noticable? Maybe we should change it?

[dugbug]

Just making comments on your question:


Do you like reviews Cnet style with a link to the forums where they can be discussed or would you like then Anandtech style where they are very technical?


The link is clear.

[llbbl]

Originally posted by dugbug


For me, I like the anantech's detailed reviews. No on the CNET review style, yes on the forum integration for discussions.

An example:
http://www.anandtech.com/mb/showdoc.html?i=1694&p=1

I like the format now for first looks. It was taken from Edgereview.com. They were formatted almost exactly like Anandtech with the table at the top, but I like the new one better because it presents a cleaner and easier to read interface.

The problem on some of the reviews that I have read is they are not very technical. Now this might be a problem of the reviewer or the editor. In any case we want to come up with a standard for the site and stick to it. I am hoping for a cross between Cnet and some of the more indepth hardware sites.

The major problem is that we are not able to test every product on the market. It is hoped that in the future we will have a system where you can browse through indepth reviews written by other sites. More on that later .. still very far off.

[IronSerif]

Personally, I'm torn between the two.

Very technical reviews have it's advantages, and there is that "group" of users who will appreciate it .

For example, I've been contemplating which Pocket PC device to get, and in this situation, technical in-depth reviews were really appreciated, as they helped me gain new insights on the different products available.

But I am also a big fan of the so-called "Cnet" style of reviews. I've probably read more reviews at that site than any others. Yes, some of their reviews weren't too helpful, but most of the time I just needed a users opinion on a certain product, and then a bottom-line on if they liked it or not.

OT: After taking a couple HCI courses up at school, I'm finding usability studies very interesting as of late :)