Community Connection- Let's Review!

"May the Force be with you" Fardreamer

2008-06-27T14:49:00.006-04:00

Fardreamer is all over the net... mostly on Amazon, Star Wars Official Site and thankfully, Viewpoints! He's an all-knowing Star Wars fan who has written so many movie and action figure reviews it would make R2-D2's head spin and Princess Leia flip cartwheels. Yes, his reviews are that good. Here's an example of rare Hasbro Star Wars action figures of the aforementioned R2 and Leia.

Are you a Trekkie or a Star Wars fanatic? Check out Fardreamer's Star Trek vs. Star Wars comparison, then add your own 2 cents. By the way, does anyone know the slang name of a Star Wars fanatic? Trekkies are the Star Trek heads. What's the equivalent for Star Wars lovers?

Anyway, Fardreamer's passion for reviewing began at a young age making him quite the seasoned professional. His interest range from classical music and movies to WWII history and popular books. We're certainly happy to have him in our VP galaxy.

Cool New Functionality- Community Features Galore!

2008-06-25T10:39:00.003-04:00

Last night we did an overhaul of the community page! If you didnt see it, go visit it now! :)

We launched a few cool features:

1. We now list the most recent reviews there

2. We also list the most recent posts to the message boards

3. But, perhaps the coolest functionality is the latest Viewpoints activity feed. It will show you all the new reviews, new members and new happenings on the site. Check it out.

4. You can also now look up a friend by their email address from this page too!!!! (you can also invite friends from here too)

Let us know what you think!!!
Jolie

GeorgeChabot's reviews promise to get your motor running!

2008-06-20T15:24:00.004-04:00

George was born to be wild. Two of his favorite things on Earth seem to be movies and motorcycles.

Movie Mania

George's movie reviews run the gamete from older, film noir classics like Laura to new releases like Charlie Wilson's War. Be sure to read his picks for Top 10 Movies of All Time too.

Motorcycle Mayhem

To say George is a Harley lover would be an under statement. Looking for a Harley Davidson bike of your own? Read his motorcycle buying and riding advice on Viewpoints. Reviews of biker gear like riding boots, gloves and other paraphernalia are part of his repertoire as well. Explains why Foghat is one of his favorite bands huh?

"Slow ride... take it easy."

Buggedy, Bugg, Buggin... Check out Buggheart

2008-06-13T16:54:00.004-04:00

LUSH addict, bath & body products lover and cosmetics junkie are just a few of the I Am tags that represent one of our most famous beauty divas... Buggheart. She writes some of the most witty, honest and just plain cute reviews you'll ever read. Take Healing Your Relationship with Food for example. Bugg is able to take a serious topic and review it in a creative, informative and funny way.

With 40+ reviews of LUSH products, she's not kidding about the LUSH addiction. Looking for the best and worst beauty products by top brands like: Philosophy, Burt's Bees, and Bare Escentuals? Bugg is your girl.

Fellas... don't worry. Her reviews are not ALL girly-fied. Bugg also writes about more coed stuff like Books and Movies too.

Cool new functionality- Weekly Friends Activity Email!

2008-06-09T12:09:00.004-04:00

This past weekend, we went ahead and launched our new weekly friends email. It is great way to stay on top of the activities of your friends at Viewpoints. It tells you what changes they have made to reviews/ratings, comments and profile settings. They will be sent to you every week unless you opt out of them on your email dashboard (located on your profile page).

Here is a sample of what it looks like. I love it! :) Let us know what you think.

Where in the world is Steve now?

2008-06-06T16:54:00.006-04:00

Have you met our globe-trotting, Corvette-driving, picture-taking friend steve9631? Let me introduce you to him and his reviews! Steve has pretty much been all over the place. We love travelers who not only write about the travel experiences but also add photos from their trip. Pictures truly do add 1,000 words.

Here are some of Steve's highest rated travel reviews by fellow Viewpointers:

Portobelo, Panama
Sistine Chapel
Venice, Italy
Washington, DC
San Antonio's Riverwalk

Steve's reviews are not limited to travel only. Check out his profile page for more.

A fruity, fun, foodie... Meet AnnaBanana!

2008-06-02T17:47:00.004-04:00

AnnaBanana is relatively new to Viewpoints. She's quickly climbed the ladder to Writer 3 as she creeps closer and closer to reaching 200 reviews. Looking for organic food ratings and recommendations? AnnaBanana reviews several top health food brands like Lean Cuisine, Amy's Organic and South Beach.

Anne is a retired, Chicagoan who spends her time "here there and everywhere." Lucky for us... she spends some of that hard earned time sharing advice on our site. She's one hip lady who likes to live healthy and hopes to help others do the same through her reviews.

AnnaBanana is quite the movie lover as well. Check out these film ratings:
10 Movies to Light Up Your Life
Best British Films
10 Great Movies about Buddies

Anna's a banana with apeel. Ha!

Meet ChrisJarmick, movie guru extraordinaire!

2008-05-16T15:34:00.007-04:00

With the 2008 summer blockbuster movie season quickly approaching... We immediately thought of one of our top movie fanatics, ChrisJarmick. You can find Chris "hosting poetry readings in Seattle, watching a movie at Harvard Exit, or taking a photo" in his spare time. He's a professional writer (http://www.PENWA.org), photography lover and poet.

Check out his Top 10 Movies of All Time to get a sense of his extensive knowledge of film. His followup list, Top 10 Movie Masterpieces of All Time will have you Netflix-ing to catch up on stellar selections.

Chris's natural pull toward movie-making land, aka Los Angeles and Hollywood, has allowed him to meet several famous faces like Helen Mirren, a couple Baldwins, and Rainn Wilson (Dwight from The Office.)

Heading to the theaters soon? Wondering what you should see or skip? Be sure to read these reviews that are sure to help you make that ticket selection:

Speed Racer

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Stay tuned for more...

In a movie rut? Need suggestions? Read about the Best Movies You Have Never Seen for ideas!!

Things that make you Hhhmmmmm...

2008-05-14T12:01:00.001-04:00

Wondering what products people love and hate? Check out our latest press release to see what people are saying!

Reviews that make ya wanna shake your groove thing

2008-05-11T17:04:00.009-04:00

Gitbean is a music fanatic who has become our resident DJ at Viewpoints. His album reviews run the gamet from new releases like Madonna's Hard Candy to classics like Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life.

Gitbean may also be in the running for our best smelling reviewer. Yes, I said best smelling. He specializes in fragrance reviews as well. Nice combo of rhythm and aroma huh?...Two treats for the senses. Read his best and worst picks for men and women's fragrances here.

Can't wait to read what he's spinning (or smelling) next :)

Find out what other members are listening to by visiting the Music & Trivia thread on the NEW message boards!!

So, how much do people actually read?

2008-05-09T10:38:00.002-04:00

Okay, so it isnt exactly the same thing as reviews... BUT... we came across an interesting study that shares insights as to how much text people read on a blog during their visit. It is INTERESTING as we discuss how long or short a review should be. Check it out.

For those that dont want to read too much (the irony!) here is a quick summary:
There seem to be two styles of bloggers. Those that drop shorter snippets into posts but do so once or twice a day and those that like to write longer posts but do so once a week/month.

Reasearchers concluded that the average web page has around 600 words and the average reader only spends time on around 100 of them (about 20-30%). To them, this means you should keep the posts to under 100 words...Interesting!

Now this doesnt exactly relate to reviews, especially if it is a big ticket item, but it definitely shows you that:

Clear headlines are important- so make 'em meaningful (and include the name of the product or service you are reviewing to remind people what they are looking at when they get distracted).
People read a little in the beginning and then scan a page. So, offering a quick recap at the top is probably meaningful and helpful.
Know that writing 4 pages does not really appeal to most people. Do you have that kind of attention span anywhere on the web?

Hope this helps!!!

Look who's back in action... Say hey to Cyndi, ya'll!

2008-05-02T15:40:00.005-04:00

CyndiA just hit her year anniversary with Viewpoints this March. She's kept our members laughing for well over 365 days now. Her witty and brutally honest reviews appear on our most helpful list all the time. If you can read her Ass Blaster Hot Sauce review without falling out of your chair laughing, then you should see a doctor. (You may also need to see a doctor if you actually try the sauce she's writing about.)

Cyndi's a southern belle who knows her way around the kitchen. You can find her reading, writing, teaching class or riding her Harley! How cool is that?

Luckily, she made it up to the Windy City last year for the Viewpoints Launch Party!! We were sooo thankful she shared her photography skills and some true, southern-style goodies for our shindig like Cheerwine and Pork Skins.

She's one sweet lady who helps make our community feel welcoming. So as they say down south... that just butters our biscuit.

Say Hello to Wellow

2008-04-24T17:13:00.006-04:00

Let's have a round of applause for Wellow!! (Seriously, start clapping your hands please.) She joined Viewpoints in November of 2007. In the past 5 months she's made quite the impression on our community. She won the Simple Thanks award for her quality contributions, community participation and overall enthusiasm ;) Wellow's most frequently used "I Am" tags describe her as a Christian, movie-lover who's very picky about TV, always online, and totally into bargain hunting. Wellow has written 99 reviews to date. I dare you to visit her page and help coax her into hitting that lucky number 100. OR just leave a mellow hello and ask if her favorite color is yellow or if she likes Jello. Okay, I'll stop. That was beyond cheesy. All in all, we're just really glad to have her here.

Good-bye Goodpoints, and hello lots of new features

2008-04-23T15:13:00.002-04:00

The day has finally come!

We have officially decided to retire good points. DO NOT FALL OFF YOUR CHAIR. The bottom line is that we listened to you. We know you think they are kind of confusing and not widely used. So, we will be replacing them with HELPFUL RATINGS. You will now have the ability to give a review a helpful or "not helpful" vote. Now you can tell us if you think a review is really great, or really poor. Your feedback will partially control where/how the review displays. Oh, and did I mention that everyone can vote -- even unregistered members?!

Also note, you will not be losing all of the good points you have earned to date. Instead, we will transition them into "helpful votes". We are working hard to make this change today and set the changes live tonight. So, be on the lookout. Worst case scenario, it will be up by weeks end.

Also in the works (to give you a sneak peak)
1. We are putting the finishing touches on STATS. We have the basic funcionality built. Now, we just need to port in a lot of historical data. That's the hard part since we didnt always track "reads" at the review level. We hope to have that ready in a couple of weeks-- at the latest. We will keep you posted.

2. Message Boards. Next week we are hoping to have our own message boards. That means, NO MORE NEEDING TO VISIT YAHOO. You can just come to viewpoints to chat. The other major plus is we will have an announcements section where you can see all the latest and greatest product updates. We are super excited about that!

Those are just a few of the highlights! As always, we really value your feedback and very much look forward to hearing what functionality you like, dont like and cant wait to get!

Where in the world is Mark Stevens? Luckily, he's on Viewpoints.

2008-04-17T14:42:00.003-04:00

Meet Mrkstvns, our resident rambling man and Tex-Mex know-it-all. He's visited places all over the globe. He spends lots of time sharing his favorite (and least favorite) "south of the border" & "Lone Star State" spots in particular. Pretty sure he's earned the "I Am a family traveler" tag with over 200 reviews in the Travel category! Are you heading to Mexico anytime soon?? If so, you better check out all Mark's reviews of Mexico Hot Spots for great, insider tips. He's covered the cultural spectrum with tourist-filled places like Cancun and Los Cabos to remote locations like Oaxaca and Huatulco!! Mark's shared his knowledge about anything from Mexican Airline advice to Best National Parks in Mexico.

Need a chuckle? Many of our users are especially enjoying Mark's creative use of Scribbles for daily joke posts! Check 'em out :)

We heart Jo... So we're featuring her this week!

2008-04-10T16:13:00.008-04:00

Jo's extensive involvement at Viewpoints includes Publisher Circle member, Message Board leader and outstanding review writer to boot. She's super busy balancing many important roles... daughter, mother, wife, travel goddess, fitness guru and dog lover (Shout out to Hanna... Woof!). Lately, Jo's most demanding role, "daughter", involves caring for her mother in Florida. Our VP community wishes her well through this very challenging time.

Jo shares knowledgeable advice within her special niches of interest like Best Books for Mother's Day gifts, touring the Best National Parks on the East Coast, and a guide to buying the best treadmill. Don't forget to check out her slice of the web pie at: http://josspaceontheweb.blogspot.com/!!

Meredith's Featured Reviewer of the Week... Meet Telpher!

2008-03-28T16:09:00.004-04:00

Meet Telpher. This Brooklyn native turned West Coast-girl keeps us informed and interested with her quirky reviews. Take these for example: the Best Movie Theme Songs EVER! and Ten Depressing Movies Worth Watching... Both creative and funny reads. Telpher joined us way back when in August 2007. She contributes helpful reviews in various categories like Travel, Food and Home & Garden. She's a frequent flyer, avid online shopper and movie connoisseur who earned her Writer 3 status quickly on the site. Folks who read and posts comments on her reviews can always expect a thoughtful reply back from Telpher. She always keeps the discussions going with other Viewpoints members... That's important in our book!

A strong voice and valued friend... Meet TheBard

2008-03-23T19:56:00.006-04:00

He's a poet, movie buff, world traveler and family man (just to name a few). He's also our featured reviewer this month... Meet TheBard. He has been with us for a while so he's practically family by now. He has a large following of Viewpoints fans out there (including our entire VP office staff) who truly look forward to his contributions each week. Whether it's the latest software, faraway destinations, or a good read... TheBard has wise words to share about them. I encourage you to seriously read his thought-provoking Scribbles and phenomenally-written reviews (there are 594 of them!) Also, drop by to meet TheBard's lovely wife, Loveisjoy! We feel extremely fortunate to have these two wonderful folks in our community.

Changes keep rolling in! Check 'em out.

2008-03-20T23:41:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to give you all a heads up on some of the new changes on the site:

1. Check out VIDEO REVIEWS on the home page. This will give you a sampling of what video reviews look like. Todd and Scott are our featured video reviews and they are great!!!!!!!

2. Take the video review survey-- it is at the bottom of the videos page. Tell us what you think. Do you like them? Love them? Hate them? Can live without them.

3. Check out the VIEWPOINTS VIDEO. It is on the video page in the welcome tab.

4. Have you noticed our new product page? Here is an example. We now feature a favorable and critical review prominently. We also give you a summary at the top as well as few graphics on whether people rec the product or not. Last, but not least, we are now adding your photos to the product page. Check 'em out.

5. Ratings no longer appear on your profile if you havent written any. The 0 was really bugging us- -and, Im sure you!!!

6. Ratings now automatically filter to the bottom on a product page. A review should always come above a rating.

What's coming next? A few more page redesigns and then stats!!!!!!!! WOO-HOO. The next month will be busy at Viewpoints.

If you have ideas for what you like and what you dont, we want to hear from you. We welcome any and all feedback, so please feel free to send your ideas along to us. We are here to listen!

Happy Easter to those that celebrate this weekend.

We are influencing the world of products!

2008-03-18T09:56:00.005-04:00

Hi all.

Thanks to all of you who have reviewed the apple Iphone and participated in our survey. We have summarized the feedback from your reviews and survey and published a Press Release on the Iphone. It is definitely an interesting read.

Happy reading!!!

Raise your glass for a St. Patty's Day toast!

2008-03-13T20:08:00.012-05:00

What's the first thing you think of when St. Patty's Day rolls around each year? Leprechauns? Pots of gold? Ireland? The color green? Of course not, silly... You think of BEER! That's why our featured reviewer this week is one of our own resident beertenders (not to be confused with bartender)... Aleconner. He's a hops enthusiast and mad brew scientist who has reviewed over 100 different beers!! Are you bored with traditional Irish stand-bys like Guinness and Killian's? If so, Aleconner has a long list of alternatives for your St. Patrick's day libations.

Sit down, pour yourself a big ole' pint of goodness and read up on Aleconner's recommendations. Be sure to check out his Scribbles to find out what the heck an Aleconner is. I'll give you a hint - It's NOT his name.

Here's a fun Irish drinking toast to use this weekend:

Here's to a long life and a merry one.

A quick death and an easy one.

A pretty girl and an honest one.

A cold beer—and another one!

Happy St. Patrick's Day weekend!

Salute to Friends/Family referrals

2008-03-09T19:56:00.005-05:00

Meet TracyAlana... She joined Viewpoints back in Nov. 2007. She managed to not only start writing great reviews, but also recruited friends and family members to the site!! She won the Simple Thanks award for her contributions and community interaction. Tracy had no hesitation reaching out to other members of our site for helfpul information and advice. She's just another warm and welcoming member of our VP community and we're glad to have her (and her crew) on the site. Cheers to Tracy!! And Cheers to Friends and Family referrals!!

Quick side note: In the spirit of friends/family referrals... Big thanks to Jo for bringing up this topic on the Community Message Boards: http://groups.msn.com/ViewpointsCommunityChat.

A few changes we released last night

2008-03-07T10:41:00.002-05:00

Hi Everyone.

We are going through a redesign of the site. We are moving some boxes around, adding some new functionality and looking for ways to highlight our best content.

As of late last night, we released a new REVIEW PAGE. Hopefully the changes are subtle but helpful. A few changes to note:

1. We added tabs to the page with details and price information
2. We changed the star placement on the page. We used to have two sets of stars
3. We made the name of the product clickable. So, you can easily go back and read more reviews
4. We added orange to the page to highlight when you can buy the product at VP
5. All the way at the bottom of the page, we added links to the authors other reviews (we eventually want to be able to show other reviews you have written in the category)
6. When you dont have pros or cons, the space just moves up
7. We added a thumbs up or thumbs down at the bottom of the review showing whether or not you rec the product or not

I know there are a lot more minor changes, I just cant think of them all right now!!!!

Let us know what you think. We love getting your feedback!!!

Happy Friday.
J

Meet the Dynamic Duo --> Lisa & Bryan Carey

2008-02-29T13:11:00.007-05:00

Heed the famous saying... "The couple who reviews together, stays together." Okay, maybe the quote isn't exactly famous yet but it's only a matter of time. Meet Bryan Carey and Lisa Carey... my featured reviewer picks this week. Bryan joined Viewpoints back in March 2007. He is a member of the Publishers Circle who shares MANY fantastic reviews in his top areas of interest: BEER, family, books, computers, finance and much more! (Interests not listed in any particular order.) Bryan's lovely wife, Lisa, joined us just this January and has already become a strong voice in our community. This super mom and avid writer shares her consumer experiences within the education, baby and toys categories!

The busy, Mom and Dad team also manage to find time to share professional writing services to businesses and individuals... Please visit their slice of the web pie: Newcreativewriting.com

"Holy Guacamole, Batman!" Bryan and Lisa are one dynamic duo!

Meet Patty Therre - My Featured Reviewer Pick this Week!

2008-02-20T22:50:00.009-05:00

She's here, there and everywhere on the net! But most of all, she's part of our Viewpoints family which gives us permagrin. Check out Patty's profile by clicking here (as if you don't already know her!) No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Patty has actually shared a wopping 1,029 reviews to date on Viewpoints. She's a self-professed "beauty diva" and "cosmetics junkie" who will help you make some spectacular buying decisions. However, her expertise does not stop at the makeup counter... From breaking wrestling news to today's hot (or not) electronics... Patty knows the deal. She hit the double jackpot this week as a Simple Thanks recipient and Featured Reviewer!

Patty is a writer with a capital W! See all her current endeavors and MORE here on her MySpace page !!

Special Message to Patty: I'm speaking for the entire Viewpoints team when I say...Thanks for always sharing your opinions with an added dose of spunky character and genuine honesty. We appreciate you for spreading the love across our community each week too.