Starting a Gear Review Website - C&C pls!

[waday]

with pretty much no input required from the keyboard monkey.

But, if you had a room full of monkeys randomly coding given an infinite time you'd eventually...



Just grow impatient and pay for a mobile-optimized template?

but then wouldnt the monkeys own the site?

I think it would depend on who hit the "submit" button?

 

[terri]

You state that "No piece of gear is safe from my reviews," and yet you're only reviewing gear that you own. I very much doubt you'll own gear that would get a poor review from you. Why should I trust that you'll be providing unbiased reviews when you're only reviewing gear that you probably researched and determined was a best fit for you?

From a moderator viewpoint, this is the more salient point - that others are also commenting on the, while not illegal, certainly disingenuous nature of so-called “review sites,” where one can expect only glowing reviews since the reviewer hopes to profit from a purchase via a link that he is actually providing.

TPF has some guidelines pertaining to use of the site for self-promotion, or piggybacking on its SEO for personal gain. You might want to re-visit them, as they do get revised periodically.

 

[Designer]

For everybody: Speaking of KR; why is everybody all negative on him? If people can't learn from a variety of sources, then their education will be thin, at best.

some of his reviews are hardly reviews. I get annoyed from his extensive copy and pasting. but it's typically a good source for info.

I don't go there a lot, and haven't checked in at KR for maybe two or three years. However, I was able to glean some information when I first whet digital. Got what I needed and moved on.

 

[DGMPhotography]

OK...

Let me explain some things more clearly.

• ONLY the page I linked is my "review site." The rest of the site is my normal website and that's not what I was asking for feedback on. "REVIEWS" will be a part of the top menu, when it's public. Which it's not yet.
• In regards to the fox and deer image (which has nothing to do with my review page) did you even look at it? It literally says "Guest Post" and includes the photographer's name. And at the bottom of the article are all his social media links. The photos also have his watermark. So....
• Wix is a great host, and the best I've tried so far. I have no plans to move soon, and they are optimized very well for mobile. You have the option to edit layout for mobile separately from desktop. I simply haven't done that yet for the reviews pages. I will visit that soon.
• Again, I was asking for feedback on the layout and menus of the review pages. The feedback about alphabetical order, or drop down menus, is very helpful, and I will be sure to implement some of those ideas.
• As for reviewing gear that I own, I don't see anything wrong with that. Just because I own something doesn't mean I'll necessarily love it. I plan to rate the Nikkor 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 rather poorly, actually. Yes, it won't be completely unbiased, as I am not familiar enough with enough gear to have a more removed viewpoint. But again, I don't see anything wrong with that. But I would agree that to establish trust, I should distance my reviews and any sort of revenue streams.
• On that note, I don't really care about making money from this. I just thought that was a thing I should do. Everyone's aversion to that here has made it clear to me that it's something I should reconsider. I'll probably remove the affiliate links thing, and look at other options. As I said, this is something I mostly want to do for fun, and think it may help people who are considering the gear that I've reviewed. Just because I don't own the Canon, Sony, etc equivalent of every piece of gear that I have doesn't make my opinions and experience with my gear any less valid. Though, if given the opportunity, I would certainly like to review all the others as well.

I'm sorry if I did not explain these things clearly. I don't like being defensive, but it's frustrating when people are talking about things completely irrelevant to my post. That said, I take responsibility for not being more clear in my post.

Thank you all for your time and feedback.

 

[cherylynne1]

I think what you’re actually doing is making recommendations rather than reviews. The word “review” is often used too loosely, and I think that’s the issue that happening here.

A reviewer will always purchase the latest and greatest gear as soon as it comes out. They will use all brands. They will test it in their own unique conditions and they’ll report statistics as well as experiences.

A recommendation is when you are reviewing gear that they personally own and use. You report on your experiences, not just short term but also in the long term. You’re able to show more real world photos from a larger variety of situations than the reviewers. And yes, it will largely be positive because it’s what you’ve chosen for yourself. Both reviews and recommendations are valuable, but in different ways.

Nothing wrong with having a “Recommended Gear” page. Labeling yourself as a reviewer just opens you up to far more criticism, as you’ve seen in this thread.

 

[limr]

OK...

Let me explain some things more clearly.

• ONLY the page I linked is my "review site." The rest of the site is my normal website and that's not what I was asking for feedback on. "REVIEWS" will be a part of the top menu, when it's public. Which it's not yet.
• In regards to the fox and deer image (which has nothing to do with my review page) did you even look at it? It literally says "Guest Post" and includes the photographer's name. And at the bottom of the article are all his social media links. The photos also have his watermark. So....
• Wix is a great host, and the best I've tried so far. I have no plans to move soon, and they are optimized very well for mobile. You have the option to edit layout for mobile separately from desktop. I simply haven't done that yet for the reviews pages. I will visit that soon.
• Again, I was asking for feedback on the layout and menus of the review pages. The feedback about alphabetical order, or drop down menus, is very helpful, and I will be sure to implement some of those ideas.
• As for reviewing gear that I own, I don't see anything wrong with that. Just because I own something doesn't mean I'll necessarily love it. I plan to rate the Nikkor 18-55 f/3.5-5.6 rather poorly, actually. Yes, it won't be completely unbiased, as I am not familiar enough with enough gear to have a more removed viewpoint. But again, I don't see anything wrong with that. But I would agree that to establish trust, I should distance my reviews and any sort of revenue streams.
• On that note, I don't really care about making money from this. I just thought that was a thing I should do. Everyone's aversion to that here has made it clear to me that it's something I should reconsider. I'll probably remove the affiliate links thing, and look at other options. As I said, this is something I mostly want to do for fun, and think it may help people who are considering the gear that I've reviewed. Just because I don't own the Canon, Sony, etc equivalent of every piece of gear that I have doesn't make my opinions and experience with my gear any less valid. Though, if given the opportunity, I would certainly like to review all the others as well.

I'm sorry if I did not explain these things clearly. I don't like being defensive, but it's frustrating when people are talking about things completely irrelevant to my post. That said, I take responsibility for not being more clear in my post.

Thank you all for your time and feedback.

I looked at only your review site. And no, I did not see the fox and deer image because I couldn't even find it. I also told you that I could not see it. Did you miss that part? I didn't even know where it was. I tried clicking on the different reviews and none of them worked except for the first camera review. That's why I was giving you feedback on the format - y'know, just like you asked. Your review site does not work well on phones or Chromebooks. It should be optimized for mobile devices. I am not the only one to have suggested that.

It's true that others are giving you feedback that you did not ask for, but people are just trying to help the site be better, and perhaps they see bigger holes than layout issues. There's no need to be so defensive.

 

[Derrel]

I did not think he was being defensive at all, just explanatory. Just saying...alleging defensiveness if rather overreaching, IMO.

Buuuut...the deer and fox shot...not a shot made by the site owner? Ehhh...not too fond of that.

Anyway...plenty of things could be improved on the layout I think.

Optimized for mobile devices? Maybe yes, but also maybe no. A version that's decent on mobile devices? Most definitely a YES!

Optimized for mobile usually means short sentences and skimpy text; if that's what you want, then so be it. Personally, I think that the site owner needs to determine what the thrust of the site is; is it for people to browse at lunch on a phone? Or to read in-depth information on a real screen? The site is ostensibly aimed at photography enthusiasts, most all of whom have big, kick-butt screens, so perhaps the actual goal of the site needs to be considered when determining things like type size, leading, and line lengths, etc..

 

[DGMPhotography]

I think what you’re actually doing is making recommendations rather than reviews. The word “review” is often used too loosely, and I think that’s the issue that happening here.

A reviewer will always purchase the latest and greatest gear as soon as it comes out. They will use all brands. They will test it in their own unique conditions and they’ll report statistics as well as experiences.

A recommendation is when you are reviewing gear that they personally own and use. You report on your experiences, not just short term but also in the long term. You’re able to show more real world photos from a larger variety of situations than the reviewers. And yes, it will largely be positive because it’s what you’ve chosen for yourself. Both reviews and recommendations are valuable, but in different ways.

Nothing wrong with having a “Recommended Gear” page. Labeling yourself as a reviewer just opens you up to far more criticism, as you’ve seen in this thread.

That is a very astute distinction and not something I had considered. I may look at some different options now. Thank you.

 

[limr]

I did not think he was being defensive at all, just explanatory. Just saying...alleging defensiveness if rather overreaching, IMO.

Buuuut...the deer and fox shot...not a shot made by the site owner? Ehhh...not too fond of that.

Anyway...plenty of things could be improved on the layout I think.

Optimized for mobile devices? Maybe yes, but also maybe no. A version that's decent on mobile devices? Most definitely a YES!

Optimized for mobile usually means short sentences and skimpy text; if that's what you want, then so be it. Personally, I think that the site owner needs to determine what the thrust of the site is; is it for people to browse at lunch on a phone? Or to read in-depth information on a real screen? The site is ostensibly aimed at photography enthusiasts, most all of whom have big, kick-butt screens, so perhaps the actual goal of the site needs to be considered when determining things like type size, leading, and line lengths, etc..

I didn't mean to suggest that the site be optimized only for mobile devices, but that there needs to be a version that is able to work on mobile devices in a visually optimal way.

True, the site is geared towards photographers, but how many of us just browse through stuff on phones or tablets during the day? We're not always sitting in front of our big editing monitors.

 

[Designer]

Let me explain some things more clearly.

• ONLY the page I linked is my "review site."
• 
  
• I'm sorry if I did not explain these things clearly. .

I did not see any fox and deer photograph, either.

 

[benhasajeep]

Anybody gonna give feedback on the layout like I asked?

The video is a Wix stock video, free for me to use. It's just a place holder until I create my own.

The layout is simple compared to KR. But he also has hundreds of reviews if not a thousand or more. So, yes he has to have several layers to get to what you want. I don't go to him so often that I have noticed he copies and pastes from other reviews. As far as I can tell he seems to use the same layout in each review. I have not looked at very many lately.

As for yours, I realize it's a work in progress. But I fail to see the review. I see some specification information on the D750 but no actual review. Just the same information I can get from Amazon, B&H, Best Buy, or any retailer!

Now maybe your just asking soley for the layout. And yes it's cleaner and simpler. But if you do this beyond your own equipment. That first page that lists the gear by camera, then lenses, then accessories will get so full. People will not want to scroll though to find what they want. So, it may be simpler now, but as future items get added, it will get more complicated. I also question the prices on that page. Are they linked so they update automatically? If not that will be a lot of work on your part to update. Also it has the look it's more a sales site than a review site. Back to the review layout. The right sidecar is nice to have since it doesn't scroll with the page. But the background is too busy, with the jump links in plain white text over it. That shadows grey when your at that junction or hover over another one. So you have grey over grey background. The specifications take up a lot of space. And has some important information but misses in others. The video would be nice touch. But also a lot more work. I would expect more views of the camera itself. Maybe even some test charts or graphs. Without actual review information onthe page. It's hard to say more.

 

[DGMPhotography]

Yea, I can see how it would be hard to scroll through everything, and how keeping prices updated would be difficult.

I'll have to revisit it. I think I want to add a menu and search function. And as for the D750 review, you are correct, I haven't finished the review yet. As is, I've only filled in about a third of everything I want to include, so far.

And for those who keep asking about the deer photo.. I addressed it because someone else kept bringing it up. Again, this is in response to those who decided to critique my whole site instead of the review page.

 

[Dave442]

I think it is great that you want to add this section to your site. It is definitely not an easy task to implement and maintain, but I am always enjoy it when I run across a site that can give an interesting read on product.

Regarding the page layout:
1) I don't like the FB popup. Is it telling me to just skip your site and go to FB?
2) Your page looks to be more of a hands-on/long term review of product that you bought and use (used). I think the layout should promote that from the start so people have an idea of what they are going to find.
3) The layout should be set up so it can expand over time. I expect that with each product shown on the fist page it will become too much to go through over time. I would prefer to just select the topic, such as Camera or Lens, from the list and then on the Camera page select the camera I want to read about.
4) The page for Cameras for example should have your take (Experience) on the product right at the start. I would not put down anything else. You don't need to tell people looking at a D750 that they can find the specs somewhere else, they already know that.
5) Don't link off your page unless it's making you money, as I usually don't make it back.
6) With just your Experience listed, that would allow you to put your review of all of your cameras - or lenses, etc. - on one page. It is much easier to scroll down and read all of your Experiences about cameras without jumping back and forth, usually a better option for mobile users.
7) Instead of the multiple topics selection list for one camera (Intro/Video/Specs/Exp) I would prefer the selection list would just be the camera models reviewed. I would not even show this list on the mobile version as you find it all by scrolling down.
8) All product shots, test shots should be yours, always.
9) Your Experience - I like when I find that camera setting that the early reviewers never have time to try out, something about the camera that allowed you to get the shot, what may have led to missing a shot.
10) Good luck, keep at it.

 

[DGMPhotography]

I think it is great that you want to add this section to your site. It is definitely not an easy task to implement and maintain, but I am always enjoy it when I run across a site that can give an interesting read on product.

Regarding the page layout:
1) I don't like the FB popup. Is it telling me to just skip your site and go to FB?
2) Your page looks to be more of a hands-on/long term review of product that you bought and use (used). I think the layout should promote that from the start so people have an idea of what they are going to find.
3) The layout should be set up so it can expand over time. I expect that with each product shown on the fist page it will become too much to go through over time. I would prefer to just select the topic, such as Camera or Lens, from the list and then on the Camera page select the camera I want to read about.
4) The page for Cameras for example should have your take (Experience) on the product right at the start. I would not put down anything else. You don't need to tell people looking at a D750 that they can find the specs somewhere else, they already know that.
5) Don't link off your page unless it's making you money, as I usually don't make it back.
6) With just your Experience listed, that would allow you to put your review of all of your cameras - or lenses, etc. - on one page. It is much easier to scroll down and read all of your Experiences about cameras without jumping back and forth, usually a better option for mobile users.
7) Instead of the multiple topics selection list for one camera (Intro/Video/Specs/Exp) I would prefer the selection list would just be the camera models reviewed. I would not even show this list on the mobile version as you find it all by scrolling down.
8) All product shots, test shots should be yours, always.
9) Your Experience - I like when I find that camera setting that the early reviewers never have time to try out, something about the camera that allowed you to get the shot, what may have led to missing a shot.
10) Good luck, keep at it.

Thanks!

 

[birdbonkers84]

Yea, I can see how it would be hard to scroll through everything, and how keeping prices updated would be difficult.

I'll have to revisit it. I think I want to add a menu and search function. And as for the D750 review, you are correct, I haven't finished the review yet. As is, I've only filled in about a third of everything I want to include, so far.

And for those who keep asking about the deer photo.. I addressed it because someone else kept bringing it up. Again, this is in response to those who decided to critique my whole site instead of the review page.

I think it's great you're wanting to add a review section to your page and good luck with it.

I did spot a small typo on the D750 review, just minor, you say this lens costs X dollars when actually its the body you're talking about.