What do we want in Member Reviews?

[golfinnut]

 

1. For those of you who have reviewed - is the process too involved, too superficial or just right?   I think it's just right, but any process can be improved.  It should be involved, and there should be some hard work put into it by the reviewer.  

 

2. Are the templates too complicated? Do we ask too much of you? If this year was your first time reviewing, was the process clear enough?   Templates are very important.   We need a guideline to work off of, even if it's not something that needs to be followed 100%.   Sometimes, it's those first words that are the hardest part, a good template helps us get going.   I will say there is some repetition between Stage 1 and Stage 2 that could probably be cut down.

 

3. How many testers do you think is the right number for each review?   I think it depends on the product....When it comes to clubs, it's nice to have a mix of handicaps and ages I believe.   What works well for a 5, might not work well for a 15.   When reading the reviews, I try to pay special attention to the ones coming from golfers I believe to be on a similar skill level to me.

 

4.What are your thoughts on the 3-stage process? Do we need Stage 3?  I think stage 3 is important, 'you gave it great review, but a while later, is it still in the bag?'....I think the problem with Stage 3 is, by that time, the thread is getting so old, I"m not sure how many people are actually reading it anymore.

 

 

Just my 0.02

 

 

 

Pretty much agree with everything here.  I do think Stage 3 is important, but I don't think it has to be formal.  I think it is better served for the reviewer to post constant updates in the thread (as individual posts) to keep the discussion going and to keep the review thread fresh with content.  I think by the time stage 3 rolls around, readers are more likely to read individual posts as they come up rather than go back in the thread to read a formalized Stage 3.  For example - when pertinent, I still make posts in the Sun Mountain and EvnRoll threads and I plan to do the same for the Mizuno irons as well.

 

 

I agree with pretty much everything said here.  With that being said, I think Stage 3 should be "optional" ... meaning throw in a few parting comments like "I'm still loving this ball or club" or "does anyone have any specific questions"  

I do like the idea of "pinging" a certain MGS'er .... like if you have a certain question, to keep it in the thread so they don't have to IM the certain person.  

Templates are very good idea ... keeps them simple and straight forward so we are all concentrating on the same aspect of the review, whether it's balls or clubs or whatever.  Some people like to get off on a tangent & not concentrate on what people want to hear about the product.  It's best to keep everyone focused on the job at hand. 

I believe active posters should be picked more often than just "skimmers" ... the people that seem genuinely interested in the product & not just looking for free stuff.   

 

Just my .02 worth .... I'll post more later when I have more time to think about it.

[Rtracymog]

I haven't had a chance to be a reviewer yet, but I can't really find any complaints about the review or selection processes. The people that review the new gear do an awesome job. If you're good at it, you should get more opportunities. I realize that working in a golf shop gives me opportunities that many others don't have, so I only apply for things that I can't get my hands on or that fit my game. Keep up the great work on all fronts!

 

 

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[STUDque]

At least it's the right day of the week, but I wanted to bump this one so those that missed it can comment. This is a good time of year to incorporate changes into the testing process.

 

 

Sent from #throwbackthursday

[Shankster]

I personally would have liked some sort of critique from a MGS staff member. Was my review good enough to be considered again?

 

Another thought I had is I wouldn't mind running a review, I know these are left for the MGS staff, but helping members out with pictures, and formatting was actual fun. That way you fellas could take a vacation.

[GolfJunkie302]

I personally would have liked some sort of critique from a MGS staff member. Was my review good enough to be considered again?

That's a really good point, Shankster. I would love to have just a quick follow-up for every review. Here's what I'm thinking: Good-Better-How (I've used this method before and I think it would work great with product reviews). The mods can quickly report what they liked about the review, what needs to be improved for future reviews, and how that can be accomplished. I think that is something I would have benefitted from. I want to do the best job I can, so if I'm doing something incorrectly, I'd like to know about it. MGS staff, what do you guys think?

 

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[Golfspy_CG2]

That's a really good point, Shankster. I would love to have just a quick follow-up for every review. Here's what I'm thinking: Good-Better-How (I've used this method before and I think it would work great with product reviews). The mods can quickly report what they liked about the review, what needs to be improved for future reviews, and how that can be accomplished. I think that is something I would have benefitted from. I want to do the best job I can, so if I'm doing something incorrectly, I'd like to know about it. MGS staff, what do you guys think?

 

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I'm obviously the new guy (one of) on the Staff, so i'll let one of the others answer.

 

But as someone who's done a couple forum reviews i would say, i sent my review to a couple friends for them to give me some input before i published it.

 

I intentionally didn't share it with the other testers as we all agreed in the beginning we didn't want our thoughts and comments to be influenced by what one of the others had said about it.

 

Therefore, it was kinda funny when i and another tester had almost word for word the same comments on a particular aspect of one of the products.

 

During the review process i didn't hesitste ro reach out to the staff member that was heading it up to ask a question if i had any doubt on how to do or say something.

 

So by the time it was done i felt pretty confident in what i had put together.

 

I saw many reviews last yesr where Barbs or Meyer singled out a review for being very well done.

 

Also i really only recall seeing two last year where I felt a bit more effort could have ben put into it.

 

Sorry for the long answer.

 

 

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[null]

After my reviews I've pmed the staff and asked how I did. They were more than happy to provide feedback

[yungkory]

After my reviews I've pmed the staff and asked how I did. They were more than happy to provide feedback

 

Your JPX review was super rad dude. I was proud of our whole team

[HardcoreLooper]

... Good-Better-How ...

That's a TFT Ace if I've ever seen one. I love that you're using that technique away from The First Tee. Sorry to digress.

 

I've been extremely impressed with the vast majority of the forum reviews that I've read.

[GolfJunkie302]

That's a TFT Ace if I've ever seen one. I love that you're using that technique away from The First Tee. Sorry to digress.

 

I've been extremely impressed with the vast majority of the forum reviews that I've read.

You got it!

 

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[Peaksy68]

If review opportunities are restricted to certain countries, could it be made obvious in the OP, not just on the blog post. It will save people applying when they aren't a candidate, and reduce the number of applications that need to be looked through.

[grad2004cca]

that is actually how I like to read the threads. I follow the comments and then I go to the stages when updates appear in the thread. I find I following things easier that way.

 

Like I said, might not be a great idea for the general public.

 

I am pretty new to navigating forums. I have googled things in the past and the information that I am looking for pops up in a thread of a forum and then I go down a rabbit hole trying to find what I am looking for. I have seen on the top of the forums page you can filter by recently updated, trending, etc. This may be a way to generic question, but is there a legend/guide anywhere on how to navigate through MGS? The only way I've been able to find targeted info on something I am interested in is by typing it in the search box and then bouncing in and out of threads until I found some relevant info. I'm sure that I've posted questions that have been already answered by jumping to the last couple of pages to find the most current response.