Rate and review anything- but where do I start?

Some of the feedback we have gotten on www.viewpoints.com is that people LOVE -- yes, L-O-V-E being able to write about anything they want! Everyone has different passions-- from gardening to art galleries to musical instruments. And, how great that everyone can co-exist at www.viewpoints.com and find their own voice.

But my hunch is that some new people dont know where to start. The endless options are overwhelming for some. So, if you find yourself in that camp, dont despair. Let me lend you a helping hand.

First, think about something you love. What are you passionate about? Is it is the movies? books? cycling? gadgets? Macs? Then, start there!

Or, think about a product you cant live without. Is it your car? your scooter? TV? tevo? HDTV? Computer? Wireless? WRITE ABOUT IT. Tell everyone how great it is.

Now, what about a product that left a bad impression? Do you dislike your razor? How about a recent hotel stay? A movie you recently saw.

And, even easier, surf around. Scan our home page. What are other people writing about? Get inspiration from others.

You can also scan our categories. Are you a new mom? Write in baby! Are you an athlete? Write in sports!

It actually doesnt involve all that much thinking. Jump right in! You're an expert if you own something. So, spread the word. It is easy and FUN!!

Oh, and here are a few categories you may want to think about: cookware, movies, cars, gardening, bbqing, facial cream, fitness equiptment and more!

The first press release is out the door!

Check out our first press release here.

If you want just a snippet, I am including the below...

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Opinions are like noses, they say—everyone has one. And for those of us who have way more than one (opinions, that is, not noses), there’s now an online home just for you.

Viewpoints.com, a recently-debuted Web site, gives people who enjoy reading or writing reviews a one-stop outlet for topics ranging from laptops to hotels, blenders, even hospitals and schools. Nearly 700 categories, in fact, make Viewpoints.com the most comprehensive “citizen review” resource on the Web.

“Through more than 100 hours of interviews with people who like the review process, we discovered two major sources of frustration,” said Matt Moog, founder and CEO of Viewpoints.com. “First, reviewers are frustrated that there is no single web site where they can build their reputation by reviewing products and services across a broad set of categories. Second, while most people favor user reviews, they would like to know more about the reviewers.”

Moog, former chief executive of Q Interactive (formerly CoolSavings), a leading interactive marketing services company, realized the need for such a site back in 2005 when his father was facing serious health issues.

“I wanted to find the best specialist in the world for my father, and was shocked at the lack of information online. I was forced to work the phones for recommendations,” he recalled. “It occurred to me that the Internet fell short on reviews for topics that aren’t in some way product-related.” He later resolved to build a site where people could review anything and everything—a true community for the sharing of thoughts and opinions.

“Reviewers are not one dimensional—one day they might be moved to write a book review, the next day a hotel review, and the next a review of their favorite restaurant,” Moog observed. “Why should they have to go to three different web sites to do that?”

father's day is around the corner- present ideas!

Like me, are you trying to figure out a good present for Dad's day? Well, why not tap into other Dad's to see what they like? We have all kinds of Dad's on the site-- single dads, gadget geeks, magazine enthusiasts, mac addicts, and more. Here are a couple of ideas from them... and in many cases, you can buy directly from the site.

1. Magazines. What better gift for Dad than magazines? Check out our magazine reviews. Be sure to read reviews from Bryan- our magazine enthusiast. My personal favorite is MENTAL FLOSS.

2. New digital camera. If Dad is in the market for a new digital camera, check out all of our great, highly personal reviews on the topic.

3. The latest new cell phone/smart phone. What Dad doesnt like gadgets? Cell phones and more. Read reviews from Dad's like yours in our cell phone category.

4. Custom picture of Man's best friend. Read the review of an artist that does inexpensive renderings of your dogs. They are amazing!

5. A few other ideas: Computer Software, (check out Libby's review on learning Italian) Grills, Home Office supplies, and more....

Or, simply come browse the site and I AM tags and find a great, personalized present for your Dad or husband!

Babies need to learn to crawl, walk and then run! So, do we...

First, I wanted to say thank you to everyone that has participated in our community to date. I know how easy it is to jump on the bandwagon once a business is soaring. It is much harder during it's infancy. SO, THANK YOU! Thanks for helping make the Viewpoints community possible.

For those of you that are joining us now, I wanted to let you know that we have been live for 2 weeks. Yes, 2 weeks. For lack of a better analogy, we are learning to crawl right now. We are quickly getting our bearings and will be walking soon. And, before you know it-- running and hopefully doing a marathon.

Some of you have noticed that your stats are pretty low right now. It may be a bit of a surprise to you, but definitely not to us. That's because:

1. Most of the stats are driven by members-- not page views! Far more people are reading your work. (in fact, I had someone call me the other day to say they read Patty's review of her fathers nursing home and were in tears... but they werent a member! So, they didnt leave feedback for her. BTW- if you havent read the review, check it out...)

2. We have not started advertising yet. We are still working on some features before we make a huge blast to the public!

3. Google hasnt totally found us yet. So, the "search" game isnt on yet.

Right now, we are really in a "soft" launch. We are testing the waters, meeting all of you, and laying the foundation before we really get our game on! :) Coming soon-- in June and July, we will be ramping up! So, please be patient with us during the infant stages.

We are learning and we are happy to have you here learning with us. We really appreciate your patience.

Get ready for a great journey!

Let's Review: Mother's Day is this weekend- some last minute gift ideas!

What did you get YOUR MOM for Mother's Day? If you want to go beyond chocolates and flowers and are scrambling for a last minute mother's day gift (Yes, it's Sunday), I wanted to highlight for you a couple of great things to consider that are still doable and will blow her away--depending on her interests...

• Is your Mom a BEAUTY DIVA? If so, check out what our beauty diva's have to say... Read our top rated BEAUTY PRODUCTS . Many you can order online. And, if you do it today, you can still get it tomorrow.
  
• Does Mom like to travel? Plan a future spa getaway for Mom. We have reviews on some of top rated spa destinations including Candance's review of Miraval and Jo's review of Canyon Ranch. Now that will impress her! Or, check out our travel guru Libby's top picks and go to a destination that may be new and fun!
  
• Does your mom like to shop? run? swim? If so, we have something for her! Check out our top picks in women's clothing. There is everything from intimates to swimwear to shoes to athletic wear. Check it out for inspiration and ideas.
  
• Is your Mom into gadgets? Read about the Ipod Shuffle or how about a New Digital Camera?
  
• Does Mom like to read? If your mom likes to read, how about getting her a magazine subscription? Magazines make great gifts that keep on giving. Check out all the options there .

Happy Mom's Day to all of you Mom's out there. And, for those buying presents, hope this helped a little.

What's in the hopper at Viewpoints?

Never a dull moment here at Viewpoints.

New Tools
We have a long list of projects that we can't wait to roll out! Over the coming months, we will be introducing everything from email updates to RSS. And, if you can believe, we will also introduce tools that will make it even easier to write reviews (imagine that!). Dont worry--we havent forgotten about your friends too. We know you want to connect with them more! We promise to give you all the tools that will make it easy to stay connected to your friends at Viewpoints. :) We think we have lots of great ideas, but if you have specific ideas of your own, take a moment and drop us a line. We want to know what you think.

Friends
Have you invited your friends to Viewpoints? We are waiting for them.... Wouldnt it be great if you could swap favorites with the people you trust most? If we all invite 3 friends, we will triple the size of the community and referrals over night. Give it a try. Your friends just might have fun!

Here is some text you can forward along to them...

I wanted to tell you about a great new website called www.viewpoints.com.
I joined. You should join too. It’s a review site and people want to read our reviews!
What’s the best brand of camcorder? Where can you find the tastiest pizza in Chicago? Who makes the most comfortable running shoes? I know you have an opinion on these topics. And thousands of others. After all, you’re the kind of person who knows the score. You’re in the know. And, you’re ready to show others the way. So…. join me and let’s swap favorites.

Look me up when you get there. My webpage is: {ADD YOUR PROFILE PAGE LINK}.

See you there.
{NAME/SCREENNAME}

Congratulations to our spot bonus recipients
Last week we gave out 6 bonuses to VP contributors! And, we have more in the hopper. We want you to know that we appreciate you and your contributions. And, that's why we are committed to giving away thank you presents whenever we see someone going above and beyond in our community.

Write a review or simply comment. The more you write, the more we will notice. The more you comment and compliment, the more we will notice. The more fans you build, the more we notice. Check out our member center for last weeks award winners.

As always, thanks for helping make the VP community a great one! Let's review............

Are you looking for Anime Reviews? Meet our self proclaimed "Anime Geek"

Meet Scorpioeyez's. (photo: copyright Joysha Fajaro)

He is a new contributor on the site describing himself as an anime geek, movie guru and fantasy nerd. Check out his Viewpoints profile.

In the last week alone, he has posted 40 reviews in the wee-hours of the night on all things anime. Read about the Princess Nine complete collection and more.

Thanks for sharing your "geek", "guru", and nerdy" side with us. Your words, not mine....

Do you "digg" their answer? Did they do the right thing?

Here is an interesting post from TechCrunch the other day. It brings new meaning to community rules. It's a tough spot to be in. Im glad Im not there... yet! :)

Digg Surrenders to Mob

Posted: 01 May 2007 11:48 PM GMT-06:00
To say what happened today on Digg was a “user revolt” is an understatement. The Digg team deleted a story that linked to the decryption key for HD DVDs after receiving a take down demand and all hell broke loose. More stories appeared and were deleted, and users posting the stories were suspended.

That just got the Digg community fired up, and soon the entire Digg home page was filled with stories containing the decryption key. The users had taken control of the site, and unless Digg went into wholesale deletion mode and suspended a large portion of their users, there was absolutely nothing they could do to stop it.

Digg CEO Jay Adelson responded on the Digg blog earlier this afternoon but it was clear he did not yet understand the chaos that was coming. The post only added fuel to the fire. Just now, co-founder Kevin Rose posted yet again on the Digg blog, effectively capitulating to the mob’s demands: He says

But now, after seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear. You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company. We hear you, and effective immediately we won’t delete stories or comments containing the code and will deal with whatever the consequences might be.

If we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying. Until today, it seems, even Digg didn’t fully understand the power of its community to determine what is “news.” I think the community made their point crystal clear.

Vive La Revolution.