The popular OUTDOORSmagic user review system has had a top to bottom overhaul to make it even more useful and easier to maintain with it. Here's what's changed...
Our tech guys are a bit like Santa's elves, working away in the
background all year then suddenly exploding into an orgy of site
development. And explode they jolly well have with a fully updated
OUTDOORSmagic User Review System.
With over 4500 gear reviews submitted by OM members, the system's a
great way of getting grass-roots feedback on outdoor equipment and
clothing. There's even an option to review pubs, caffs and bunk
houses you know.
What's Changed?
The big overhaul is intended to make the system easier to use and
to help you find as much information as possible from both member
reviews, site, reviews, the forum and other gear articles and we hope
you'll like it.
Anyway, the best way to find out what's different is to go
and have a play, you could even review a bit of your own kit,
but for the diehard pedants and obsessives out there, here's what's
changed.
New Summary Page
When you click on a product category, say 'Approach Shoes', you'll
be taken to a Product
Summary Page with links to related editorial articles
and tests plus five leading user reviews and links to related forum
threads. Also, if there are, say, a second hand pair of approach
shoes in the classifieds, there'll be a link at the top of the page
saying, '2nd
hand' which takes you straight to the classified section in
question or scroll to the bottom for links to the same ads. Neat
huh?
If you just want the User Reviews, simply click on the See
Full List link, which will strangely enough, bring up a full list
of all the approach shoes which you can sort by various criteria, or
simply use the product filter to select a particular brand, like Berghaus.
Then you can read other people's reviews and add your own using
the link at the bottom of the Full List of products. And yes, we know
it needs to be more prominent :-)
Images you'll notice an option to turn images on and off -
where there's a thumbnail, and right now they're just waiting to be
uploaded, you can opt to see it or not. Simple and the system's
bright enough to know that if you turn it off once, it'll stay turned
off.
Archiving is an option we'll be using to clean things up by
hiding, say, waterproof shell jackets from 1867 unless you actually
opt to see them, it'll clear up some of the clutter and is just one
of the behind the scene changes that'll make the whole system easier
to maintain and more responsive.
Feedback as with all new things, there are bound to be some
teething problems. The system's been extensively tested on some of
our sister sites already, but if you spot a glitch or something you
reckon we've got wrong, please let us know using the forum thread
below.
Thank you - enjoy :-)
