Your input needed: what user review upgrades would you like?

[FatalGlory]

Thanks Sothis, this sounds like a great idea. Finding useful user reviews is always something that I find very hit or miss. Maybe having certain authors rank higher in a "review section" would help too. Anyway these changes sound exciting.

[EverElegance]

I like where this is headed.

In order to encourage better quality posts, it is important to give the quality posts the attention they need. If quality posts are allowed to "rise to the top" so to speak, others will see what type of writing/reviewing is rewarded and will imitate it (theoretically). So that will help decrease the time-waster reviews.

Also, would it be possible to have a place for user reviews to put pictures of the anime they are reviewing, something like what is done with the official site reviews (next to the animation section)? Just a thought.

[xxjacobxx3]

If the review template was structured a certain way, it would force people to write a more practical review while still allowing them to put their opinion I think you could have more a win/win scenario. This would help to eliminate those people that think a review is a thumbs up button. You could incorporate some things like "does this review contain spoilers?" into the format.

Take the story, animation, sound, characters, overall and make seperate boxes with titles that ask a question that forces/helps people answer in such a way that it helps others:

Example: What was unique about the story?
<text box>
Example: Was the animation fluid and of good quality? What about the environment?
<text box>
Example: Were the songs good and what about the in-anime sounds?
<text box>
Example: Did the characters have distinctive personalities?
<text box>
Example: Overall, who would you recommend this anime to?
<text box>

Does this review contain spoilers?
<check box>
Do you mind if your review is voted to be featured?
<check box>


Peace

[Aranneas]

I don't know if I agree with the exact structure above but the concept is good and anything is better than trudging through a hundred more one-liners

[PinkyIvan]

I think it would be great if a user review with most thumbs up could count as an official review

[CrazyAce01]

This would encourage me to write more reviews, actually, as I try to put a lot of thought into it; it's nice to know you helped people find something they'd like to watch or avoid something they rather wouldn't waste time with. Having a <3 button or some voting mechanism sounds excellent.

I love the helpful/cool/funny voting system. Why not have several slots at the top of all reviews for each anime: most helpful, most cool, most funny, and most hearts overall. Below those would be the rest ranked in order of hearts.

[Naga]

<3/</3 option sounds great...

[Wyntta]

I think it would be a bit much to have strict requirements for user reviews, because everyone should be entitled to their opinion regardless of their grammar etc. Maybe one of the reasons for really short one liner reviews is the lack of other ways to communicate. Like, if there was a comment system on the page where you could discuss the anime with other users, less people would feel the need to write reviews for thoughts that could easily be put in one sentence.
Having a specific format that must be adhered might also be a bad idea, as this might feel restrictive to users. Likewise, although requiring users to include sections on animation, plot, characters etc may result in a more comprehensive review, not all users will feel comfortable reviewing the more technical aspects. Perhaps you can include optional templates to help reviewers?
I'm not too keen on the idea of <3 and </3, because it would make it seem a little like a popularity contest. Instead I like the ideas of 'most helpful' and 'funny' etc. buttons. This would mean users would have to stop and think about what they liked about the review before voting as opposed to just liking everything.
A level up system for reviewers would also be pretty cool :3 So if you get a certain amount of votes (in any category) you go up a rank. To go up to the higher ranks there could be more specific requirements, for example, at least 10 reviews, and a certain amount of votes for the 'well written' category. If possible there could even be different paths you can take, like the comedian path where you have to get a certain amount of 'funny' votes to obtain the rank of master comedian! Yeah, I get a little too excited about technicalities -_-"

[NicoNicoDesu]

Originally Posted by PinkyIvan

I think it would be great if a user review with most thumbs up could count as an official review

While this does sound like a great concept, it might mean that the official review count goes through the roof.

[Calahan]

Can I please ask what the current status/situation is regarding the ideas mentioned in this thread. And indeed the general status/situation regarding improving the user review section of the main site.

As I personally think the review section of the main site needs to be improved, and at the very least it is in need of a good clean. Since there are simply far too many junk reviews IMO (I've been bookmarking the ones I've come across since the New Year, and I already have over 50 bookmarked, and I haven't even been looking for them).

Originally Posted by BrainBlow

But indeed, getting rid of the "comment" reviews would help a lot...
...It's just frustrating with these "reviews" that aren't any longer than this very comment here.

Originally Posted by BigOnAnime

So does this mean the 1 paragraph/few sentence "reviews" that aren't really reviews will be gone? I just see too many of them at times where someone is like "This is my favorite anime, go watch it because it's my favorite anime." without going into anything else. No what's the story is about, no what are the characters like, no what is the pacing like, etc.

I agree with the above sentiment wholeheartedly. There are too many "Comment Reviews" on the main site, and IMO something should be done about them, because they both devalue the site, and put people off using it (or at least the latter two apply in my case, but I doubt I am alone)

Originally Posted by Wyntta

...because everyone should be entitled to their opinion regardless of their grammar etc. Maybe one of the reasons for really short one liner reviews is the lack of other ways to communicate...

There are not that many cases I have come across where "Comment Reviews" were the first dated review for an anime. Meaning the "Comment Review" could have, and should have, been placed into the comment section of an existing review. As IMO "Comment Reviews" should be written in the comments section of an existing review, not used as the basis for an entirely new (and useless) review.

As while it is correct that everyone should be entitled to their own opinion, and to express that opinion (within reason), IMO it is not right if doing so causes other users to become frustrated and have their time wasted. Which is exactly what happens when a user comes across a "Comment Review". Since I can see no reason why if someone does want to express a brief opinion about an anime, that they can not do so in the comment section of an existing (genuine) review. (given the occasions when this is not possible due to there not being any current reviews for that anime on which to place a comment)

Originally Posted by coffeebreath

In all fairness, user reviews have been peddled for a long time as something no one is required to put loads of effort into. There is definitely a guide somewhere that says (paraphrasing) "even a small paragraph about why you liked or disliked it would do"!

I have not seen a reference like that personally on this site, do you have a link please?

Although if what you say is true, I would like to see such a guide either removed, or reviewed asap. As I would not like to think there is an official guide that is encouraging users to write "Comment Reviews" (Fanboism Review). Or if there is, can I please kindly request some sort of official explanation as to why "Comment Reviews" are seemingly being encouraged? Do they possess some value for the site that I am overlooking? (because to me they are nothing but extremely off-putting, and discourage me from using the review feature of this site).

Originally Posted by roriconfan

Tasogare Otome x Amnesia Anime Review by DJCooL4 | Anime-Planet

What are you supposed to do in this situation? If you ignore it, he will keep doing it. If you tell him to cut it out, he will say the mods don't mind. If you tell him to delete it, he will tell you to go to hell. REVIEW POLICE NAOU!

Originally Posted by Raven

Lol, a review like that should never get up voted. If it somehow does, a mod could just remove it from the cycle.

A review like that shouldn't even exist, as it does nothing but degrade the value of the site IMO. But sadly it does exist, and hundreds more just like it. And IMO this is one of the worst aspects of this anime site. And personally such reviews are becoming an every increasing turn-off for me everytime I come across one (in regards to wanting to use this site). And the worst part is such reviews are really not that hard to find :(


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RE: What feature(s) would improve the user review section.

I would like to see all user reviews meet a basic requirement before they are allowed to be published/read by the regular site users. As this would help ensure both quality control, and that a review was actually fit for purpose. ie. So something along the lines of making sure each review contained some basic information regarding the anime in question, and that it was either free from spoilers, or had spoiler warnings where applicable. All reviews shouldn't need to be structured in a specific way, but they should all contain the basic ingredients required to classify it as a review.

This is along the same lines as previously mentioned ideas/comments in this thread.

bold text is mine and used to highlight

Originally Posted by sothis

if there's an admin step where we have a team of people (maybe the site reviewers, but probably not as they are generally MIA and i could find a group from the community), where reviews had to be approved after they are heavily voted on, or could be promoted by admins (me) individually, that might work better.

Originally Posted by roriconfan

Find some trustworthy people to be review judges. They will have the privilage to delete a review if they find it useless or troll....

And in relation to this suggestion, can I please ask how many reviews on average are submitted to the site per day/week? As from being a fairly active user (not contributor) of the site over the past year or so, there doesn't appear to be that many reviews for each anime. And so I would be surprised if there was more than 2-3 new reviews submitted to the site per day.

And if that is the case, I would imagine it was possible to find a group of trusted community members who could check a review before it was published, meaning each review would require their authorisation before it was allowed to be published and read by regular site users. And if a review is rejected, then I'm sure some sort of standard response template could be written highlighting why the review was rejected. So that the writer could correct their review accordingly (if they still wanted it to be published).

A process like this should eliminate "Spoiler Reviews" (that had no spoiler warning), obvious "Troll/Fanboism Reviews", and "Comment Reviews" that have no business in being a separate review, when they should be a comment on another users genuine review.



Thank you for your time and patience in reading all this. And apologies for the volume of text.