Blog Reviews or Regular Reviews?

Contributor: Sera Sera
Which would you prefer to see more of, and to read more of- reviews that link to someone's blog or personal website, or regular template reviews that are on Eden's site? What is your reason?
Answers (public voting - your screen name will appear in the results):
I prefer seeing them on Eden.
Sera , El-Jaro , Coralbell , SexyTabby , Bunnycups , ZenaidaMacroura , DeliciousSurprise , meganthomas , cherryredhead88 , TheSexista , Love Buzz , ~LaUr3n~ , Airekah , darthkitt3n , Shellz31 , Lady Marmelade , Happy Camper , Redboxbaby
18
I prefer seeing them on personal pages.
Carrie Ann , Alan & Michele , gone77 , Jul!a , Sammi , mllebeauty , Kayla , Pixel , Lady Marmelade
9
And the infamous Other.
Lady Venus , J's Alley , ToyTimeTim , ToyGeek , Darling Jen , SexyTabby , leatherlover , namelesschaos , Waterfall , Danielle1220 , Just Jen , Xavier7 , Pleasure Piratess
13
Total votes: 40 (38 voters)
Poll is closed
11/18/2010
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Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
I like offsite reviews. I feel like more personality shines thru and like I'm getting a more personal tour of both the person and the toy.

That said...

I really fucking wish people would NOTICE the link that says "read entire review here" and read it, rather than voting poorly because they are not attentive and observant enough to realize there is a full review there, not just a summary. That chafes my ass like you wouldn't believe.

People should also remember that review placement should not effect how you vote. I cannot vote less useful just because I dislike onsite reviews or the extended template and people should not vote less useful just because they don't like blog reviews. Voting should be based upon the review itself, not the place, the person or your interest in the product.
11/18/2010
Contributor: El-Jaro El-Jaro
I only put down "on site only" because I fear/dread/hate the black screen/white font web layout that occasionally burns its way on my screen.

Carrie Ann's blog is great, but I've seen some pretty bad blogs too, ones that make myspace's layouts look toned down.

That being said, it's also easier to proof off-site reviews since the requirements are a LOT less than on-sites.
11/18/2010
Contributor: Lady Venus Lady Venus
I clicked Other because I don't have a preference.

I will admit that Sometimes I am too lazy (no other excuse available) to go off-site, so I save reading and rating those reviews for other times.



BTW, Carrie Ann, I love the new look of your blog!
11/18/2010
Contributor: J's Alley J's Alley
Ok, so I really prefer offsite...however, and it is big...I prefer offsite when I visit the blog regularly anyway. Also, with blogs you can get very awful layouts that mess with you and make you want to stop reading.

I do agree that more personality shines through with a blog post versus a basic review.

I also like doing offsite reviews because others (besides just EF community members) can benefit from reading them.
11/18/2010
Contributor: ToyTimeTim ToyTimeTim
I do not care either way now, but when I had dial up the off site ones kind of turned me off. No problems now.
11/18/2010
Contributor: Darling Jen Darling Jen
I completely second Carrie Ann's pet peeve, even though I haven't published a review offsite myself (well, yet hehe).

And I definitely don't judge a review better or worse based on where it's published. But I do appreciate ease of reading. I've seen some blog reviews where the text was horribly microscopic or seemed to wind around the page instead of being in paragraph style formatting. If I can't read it or I get seasick from trying, that definitely won't help a score.
11/18/2010
Contributor: ToyGeek ToyGeek
They're fine either way, but I'm very cautious about reading offsite reviews at times when I might be interrupted -- it's easy enough to clear Eden out of my history when it's necessary, but with blogs it's easy to forget one. Therefore, it's easier for me to miss commenting/voting on a review that's offsite. Of course, sometimes I go days without reading any reviews, too, so it's not really an isolated problem that I can blame on offsite reviews. Or a problem at all, really -- if I want a product, I'm going to read all its reviews before the purchase, so I'm not missing out in the long run.
11/18/2010
Contributor: gone77 gone77
Quote:
Originally posted by Carrie Ann
I like offsite reviews. I feel like more personality shines thru and like I'm getting a more personal tour of both the person and the toy.

That said...

I really fucking wish people would NOTICE the link that says "read entire ... more
I second this so hard.
11/18/2010
Contributor: SexyTabby SexyTabby
I like reading them here on Eden but I choose the other as well cuz it's not that I really mind going to the link it's that the links don't automatically pop up in another window and I loose the screen I'm on...I don't like that. I also like the standard set up and personal blogs are personalized so they may have colors or fonts that are hard on the eyes.
11/18/2010
Contributor: DeliciousSurprise DeliciousSurprise
I prefer them to be on-site but I will not penalize someone for having their review off-site.

If there's something on the off-site page that's problematic for me (flashing images, for example, are hard on my neurology) then I just chose not to rate that review; but I'd never rate someone down because of how they chose to set their stuff up.
11/18/2010
Contributor: leatherlover leatherlover
I prefer reading on site reviews, but it doesn't really matter to me either way. To me it's another window to open up, then go back to vote and comment on the review.
11/18/2010
Contributor: TitsMcScandal TitsMcScandal
Hmm. I don't mind either way. I like offsite reviews because it can lead me to new blogs and because I follow a lot of the reviewers here who do offsite reviews so I would read them either way. However I also realize that some of the offsite reviews mean the potential for a headache and I don't like that. But also sometimes I just like the ease of browsing on EF
11/18/2010
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by Lady Venus
I clicked Other because I don't have a preference.

I will admit that Sometimes I am too lazy (no other excuse available) to go off-site, so I save reading and rating those reviews for other times.



BTW, Carrie Ann, I love ... more
Thank you!
11/18/2010
Contributor: Jul!a Jul!a
Crap, I voted wrong. I prefer reading them onsite, just so I don't have to worry about being accosted by some layouts (most are fine, but some are scary), and I don't have to worry about opening a new tab, and etc. I'm lazy on my internets.
11/18/2010
Contributor: namelesschaos namelesschaos
I voted other because i have no preferences really. Off-site reviews can have their pros (more of a reviewers personality) and cons such (some bad lay outs) while EF's are a bit more uniform; but it doesn't make me like one more then the other.
11/18/2010
Contributor: Sammi Sammi
I like offsite reviews better, because (as several have said) I think personality does shine through better with the style and setting of the review.
11/18/2010
Contributor: cherryredhead88 cherryredhead88
Quote:
Originally posted by Sera
Which would you prefer to see more of, and to read more of- reviews that link to someone's blog or personal website, or regular template reviews that are on Eden's site? What is your reason?
I don't mind off-site reviews but I tend to read the ones on Eden more, probably because it's already there and it's easier for some reason.

The thing I like about the blog reviews is that you can see all the awesome blogs that people make!
11/18/2010
Contributor: Waterfall Waterfall
It doesn't matter to me, I just enjoy reading reviews!!
11/18/2010
Contributor: mllebeauty mllebeauty
I'm a blogger, so I really enjoy reading other people's blogs. It does sometimes pull me away from Eden but I can always come on back. I learn a lot about people from reading their blogs. Of course, I like the onsite reviews as well.
11/18/2010
Contributor: ~LaUr3n~ ~LaUr3n~
On sight totally...but there are a few exceptions. The reason I like them onsite is because I know they are easy to read, usually in a good format etc.

Carrie Ann's new blog is a good example of a well organized page that is easy to read. Those I don't mind in the least bit.
11/18/2010
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by ~LaUr3n~
On sight totally...but there are a few exceptions. The reason I like them onsite is because I know they are easy to read, usually in a good format etc.

Carrie Ann's new blog is a good example of a well organized page that is easy to ... more
Thanks!
11/19/2010
Contributor: J's Alley J's Alley
Know what I am bad about, and why I read off site last? Because once I am off site I have a tendency to wander on the blogs...oops.
11/23/2010
Contributor: Danielle1220 Danielle1220
It totally depends on the writer. I don't mind blogs as long as they are organized and not all over the place. I prefer reading on Eden because the setup and format is almost always good, but there are always exceptions to that. I enjoy reading Carrie Ann's blog. It is a perfect example of the kind of blogs I enjoy, very organized and beautifully written with a lot of information, and some humor thrown in there.
11/23/2010
Contributor: Carrie Ann Carrie Ann
Quote:
Originally posted by Danielle1220
It totally depends on the writer. I don't mind blogs as long as they are organized and not all over the place. I prefer reading on Eden because the setup and format is almost always good, but there are always exceptions to that. I enjoy reading ... more
Thank you.

Readability and a clean look are what I go for in my blog themes these days and it seems to work. The easier it is to read, the more people who read it.

There should be a "how to" website for this stuff so we're not assaulted with blinkies and clutter when we leave EF!
11/23/2010
Contributor: Kayla Kayla
When I'm writing a review, I prefer off-site. Hardcore. Because 800 words is never enough for me. Like, ever. I don't want to get uber-detailed, but I don't want to leave people wondering about details. For those of us who read 10 reviews a day, 800 is enough. For someone who is thinking about spending $50 on a sex toy that they could instead put in savings? I imagine they want the whole deal.

I prefer reading off-site (while it's a pain to click the link) because they almost always have pictures. If there's no pictures, I prefer on-site, but off-site usually has pictures since EF's way of including pictures is a bit annoying. Plus, it usually has other information and is easier to format headings and whatnot.
11/23/2010
Contributor: Just Jen Just Jen
I don't really care one way or another. If the review looks good, I'll click and read!
11/23/2010
Contributor: Shellz31 Shellz31
I prefer onsite cause I usually have enough windows open as it is. I hate clicking on the link and then having to go back if I don't open it in another window.
BUT - I will click on an offsite review link if I KNOW the reviewer is a great writer cause I know it's going to be worth the read. And once there, I do enjoy the atmosphere of most blogs.

I don't understand how some people can't see there is an offsite link there. And it is totally off to vote low because of it. Perhaps some people need to visit a optometrist!
02/26/2011
Contributor: ScottA ScottA
Quote:
Originally posted by El-Jaro
I only put down "on site only" because I fear/dread/hate the black screen/white font web layout that occasionally burns its way on my screen.

Carrie Ann's blog is great, but I've seen some pretty bad blogs too, ones that ... more
The light-on-dark that you fear/dread/hate is sometimes chosen intentionally for readability purposes (it is on my blog). Studies indicate that white-on-black for a screen causes less eyestrain than black-on-white (usually chosen because print (a reflective medium) is black on white).

I recently encountered the thing I had been dreading for a while about offsite reviews: a "404 error: not found". It would be nice if there was some way for EF to have a copy that could get patched in when/if the blog disappears.
02/28/2011
Contributor: Xavier7 Xavier7
Quote:
Originally posted by Sera
Which would you prefer to see more of, and to read more of- reviews that link to someone's blog or personal website, or regular template reviews that are on Eden's site? What is your reason?
I personally like seeing them on both.
02/28/2011