A review section / category?

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Hello everybody!

How about a section / category dedicated to reviews? We already got many reviews here and I think it would be better to have them organized in their own section / category. This could also be a sub-category of General.

We will only get more reviews by time, either be it new toys released or sleeves, onaholes, fleshlights etc. Maybe an own section / category will get more members to write their own reviews.

What do you guys think?

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I was almost expecting a review section for scripts (which i would find useless), but since its about devices, i would say its good if there is a more general review section.

However, i do see some potential issues:

  • if its multiple threads, it might get cluttered, as popular devices might dominate the section, while its often the niche that you want to make them aware of.
  • if we mix all of 1 device/sleeve in a thread, historic reviews might not be relevant anymore. Some devices change without there being an explicit new version.
  • how do we seperate different versions? the osr2 has already quite a number of options it can have and each can change the effect and durability. Not all servo’s are the same, so even the seller matters here.
  • Do we standardize some rating system? As i can imagine tags being very helpful at giving a quick glance of a certain product.
    If there are 6 reviews with most being 2/5 there might not be a reason to read all of them, but the one that is 4/5 might still matter just as much as the 2/5 ones. Maybe its an anomaly, or a newer version? Or the 2/5 are the recent versions and they just reduced quality over time.
  • Do we require standardized naming? For reviews i think that clickbait titles should be disallowed. They dont help, as no matter who posts the review, its an n=1 situation, or in other words: just because someone has a youtube channel doesnt make them a better reviewer than the random blog site on the web. In most cases its actualy the opposite: The more clickbait, the worse the quality.
  • What about sponsored reviews? Scriptmakers that promote a handy discount code in their signature making a handy review is obviously going to be a biased review. While this might be harder to track, its something to be aware of, as some companies could realy push in this (and degrade review quality as a result).
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Thank you for the reply!

I don’t see much of a problem here. It will sort itself and I think even niche things will get views.

People can make an update to their reviews if a device gets a (software)update and if they want to cover that in their review.

That is something that is up to the member. Every member should make clear what version they are reviewing. If they make a review of an OSR2, they should clarify in detail what kind of OSR2 they are using and which parts.

I am absolutely against any kind of standardization. Standardization limits freedom of expression and creativity. Members should individually come up with their own ideas on how they make their reviews. If we enforce any standardization, members are hindered way too much and they forced into a review style they may don’t want to make. By being forced in a certain style, they might not even make a review, which leads to less reviews. I think we all agree that having more reviews is a good thing.

Also not a fan of forbidding certain things. Yes, I agree that clickbait titles are annoying. But just forbidding something right away doesn’t bring us further. The community always should and will decide themselves if they trust a review or not. If there is an obvious clickbait title, I am sure the community will point that out somehow.

That is pretty much the only rule I would say we should imply: If it’s a sponsored review in any way, there should be disclaimer in the beginning, stating that this review is sponsored.

In general I would say, just let it flow, let it evolve. The community will make it by itself. Don’t enforce too many unnecessary rules and don’t force any standardization for the reviews. Reviews should reflect the opinion of the member for that product and should be written as the member wishes to.

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I actually like the idea of a review section for a specific reason.
once I’m able to install the self-service-delete plugin, users can delete their own topics.
I’m aware how this can be abused so placing that control outside topic owners is a good idea.
I think the way it should be structured is based on device-version/script creator.
have one thread for a script creator and have a given reply structure such as:

[[script thread link]] - media name
[
review body
]

this way it’s easily searchable
and for devices it can be just a normal thread, the topic title can be just the device name

I still think people should voice opinions in the thread below the actual posts, and users found delete abusing should result in punitive actions, but the review section could make things easily searchable to get a fast opinion on making a potential purchase.

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Yet for scripts we already do involve some standard format. People can choose to do their own style, but it does hint towards it.

You can highlight some key aspects that a review should have, and standardize for example where the score gets summarized. This doesnt mean they need to have one, but it does allow people to get a faster overview of a review in case they are comparing some.

Here a few examples of what i mean
[device]: I have never seen something this bad
Why the [device] isnt optimal
The worst device ever made
Some devices do it right, yet some dont, this time we will look at the newest device of [brand]: [device]

The first 2 clearly show what they are reviewing, and do indicate something while also screaming with vagueness. This is still acceptable since you can easily see what you are reviewing, and get a decent idea of what the reviewer thinks.

The 3rd one however doesnt even mention the device, and does require clicking to know this, and i think this should be forbidden.

The 4th one on that is also one i think is bad and depending on how the interface handles it should also be banned. As this naming format is often used in such way that when a title gets truncated it loses the critical information.

For that last one you could after all have reworded it:
[brand]: [device] - Some devices do it right, yet some dont

And yes, in the worst cases moderators can fix this. But that requires effort. Making a clear standard from the start that at least prevents certain offenses is welcome. And then if someone made such title, at least after an edit its clear again, and the reviewer should at least be aware of this action having taken place for that reason.

On a last note: i dont know if it will show images, but that should not be considered for thread titles. Images might show the device well, but the name is generaly critical for a device. Texts on images dont get indexed in searches.
And if those images are clickbait in youtube style. so be it. Thats a clickbait freedom i do allow and can definitely be a form of creativity.

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Again, I am not a fan of too much standardisation or to forbid certain things. I also don’t think we need to overthink or overanalyse a simple thing like a review section.

I would say this more like a helping aid for new people. It makes it easier for them to create a thread and they get some guidelines.

I’d say just make a rule that if it’s a sponsored review in any kind, it has to be clarified in the beginning of the thread. The rest will evolve itself and should be made up by the community.

In the end it’s up to @VladTheImplier of what he wants to have for a potential review section.

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I actually agree with you. The less guardrails the better.
I do think we should have some standardization in the form of “where to put reviews” for greatest visibility, but otherwise leave things alone.
Like I mentioned earlier the only thing I think we should have a “standard” for is including the link/media name so it’s clear what someone is talking about.
Otherwise putting too many guardrails makes things too cludgy and many will just opt out.

1 Like
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Any eta on when you can create the review section?
I gladly help moving all the existing reviews once the section is created.