New rating scale for reviews

[Anonymous]

There have been enough reviews where the reviewer has expressed the view that they would have given product/service "x" a 4.5, 3.5, etc, to get me wondering if it might not be worthwhile to switch to a scale of 1 to 10 for rating products/services. It would allow folks to give that extra .5 to a worthy product or service by scoring it a 3(1.5), 5(2.5), etc. Anybody else think this is a worthwhile idea?

[EndoftheTrail]

In addition to refining the scale, I would very much like to see reviews separated between "initial impression" versus "usage review".

I — and I know many others as well — have posted initial impressions, then posted follow up's after actual usage. Would be nice if the two can be clearly differentiated.

[Mitchell Keil]

Since we are talking about "jiggering" with reviews, why not a wholesale revision?

I would suggest that a consistent format be adopted similar to that used by BackpackGearTest.org. It would provide uniformity of presentation and information appropriate to the type of gear. It would have the potential to provide for more rigorous testing proceedures. It might also encourage reviewers to be more than cheerleaders of their favorite gear. I also hope that it would discourage some BPL members from simply flooding the reviews with two line or half paragraph reviews in an effort to boost BPL rank. (This comment is meant to include responses by other members to an initial review as well. It is all well and good to agree or disagree with a reviewer, but it is more helpful to be substantive in doing so.)

The format could be posted so that it could be copied by a potential reviewer and used as a template.

It would include appropriate biographical details of the reviewer such as physical data and backpacking experience. It would include specific details of the gear in question such as manufacturer's stated info and reviewer actuals. It might include sections about first impressions and first usage as well as long term usage where appropriate for what is reviewed.

There might be different templates for different categories such as company reviews, food and websites.

Frankly, I am annoyed by the many reviews that are not really reviews but are only fluff from inexperienced backpackers seeking to pad their BPL resume and reviews that don't tell me much about the gear in question.

I'd like to hear from others on this issue.
(And, yes, I am a grumpy old man!)

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