My Alpha Ah-hahs
The last time I wrote was last Friday. It seems like forever ago. I really missed writing in my blog. I have realized that it is a great way to keep track of what's going on and an even easier way to disseminate information. I guess you can say that I am a believer in the medium. I wish I just had more spare time. (getting a new business off the ground can be time consuming ;))
While I believe in blogs, I am an even bigger believer in reviews as a medium to help others. Over the last week or so, we launched our alpha and invited about 20 people in to test the site. I have had such a great time being on the site with actual users. Here are a few of my key takeaways.
- People are insightful. Really insightful. The people on our site are really great. The review quality is very high and people are thoughtful about what they share. They have such deep knowledge and a really compelling voice. I am so impressed with the caliber of people that have been willing to join and help build the community. I really want to thank them for their amazing contributions to date.
- I am really enjoying writing. I have written about 50 reviews since January and although I dont really want to admit it, I am really enjoying it. I feel compelled to share my research and experiences with other people. I have written about everything from home workout equipment to baby bath tubs to shoes to silver. Cool!
- Rating and reviewing any product or service is so compelling. We debated the topic of having an open platform for a long time. After lots of thoughtful conversations, we decided to take the leap and let people tell US what was important to write about. I think this is so compelling. And, from what I have heard from reviewers, a huge breath of fresh air.
- Photos tell the story! Photos have made all the difference in the world. Real photos help close the gaps on the story. They fill in the blank. They make the anonymous world of the Internet more personal. Photos have gone a long way at building the community!
- It is a great way to keep track of my favorites. I love that I can now direct my friends to my personal page (well, after launch) and they can sort by topic and see my favorite travel destinations, baby products, home fitness items, etc. It saves me a ton of time. And, it lets me leave a bit of an imprint on the larger world.
Oh, did I happen to mention that I am now poor? With reviews from about 20 people that I trust, I have spent more money over the last few weeks than I have in months. These writers are great! They have opened my eyes to so many valuable products and services. I have to curb this quickly!
All in all, I am really excited to introduce more of you to the community. The next round of invites will likely come in mid-April. Many of you have reached out already asking to be included. For those that havent, let me know and I can see what I can do. This is great fun! But be careful, because it really is addictive!
4 comments:
Two of my favorite features are being able to write about anything I want. I love that but there are so many things to review my list is growing and growing and growing!
The second one is the picture feature. I love it. Not only can others experience what I experienced but for me it's fun to share that.
Review reading is very expensive. You have NO idea how much stuff I have bought since I began reading reviews in the areas of my interest. I have so many bath and body products as well as cosmetics and sporting goods and ... well, you get the idea. I could never use it all but those reviews just grab me and I am whipping out the credit card!
I LOVE the ability to add anything we want. It is SO refreshing. My only worry is that there will be duplicates. That is, adding something already in the database(Shopping.com's titles and search are both somewhat inaccurate) or adding something someone already added but just named it something slightly different.
Duplicates can be a real pain to merge and can cause confusion. But I still love the feature and find it the most compelling and unique feature on the site(although I do like the picture one too. I added pics only once but they were deeply personal and I felt they were important to my review).
I love the site. I didn't think I would like it as much as I do so quickly but it has been a lot of fun!
I'm with Jo & Patty on the flexibility being a key factor. So many times, at other sites, I've been inspired to write a review, only to find the product wasn't in their catalog. So I'd request that it be added. And wait. And wait. And wait. Sometimes because of the site's beauracracy, it would take up to 6 months to be added, and by then that inspiration is long, long gone.
I also love it because I can review quirky things. I used to immediately dismiss out of hand little B&B's, knowing they wouldn't be in a review site's database. Now everything is possible!
The photos are great too. Especially for the hotel reviews. And limiting them to 3 is a smart idea. Places like TA don't restrict the number of photos, and for some odd reason people seem to feel that a hotel review is a great place for them to upload 15 vacation photos! Gah.
You made some excellent points there. I did a search about the subject and almost not got any specific details on other sites, but then happy to be here, seriously, appreciate that.
- Lucas
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