Mouthshut.com...
I was looking on the net for reviews on mobiles phones, during the course of which I chanced upon this gem of a site. The first thing I noticed was its presentation, which was very
comfortable. Then, when I went into the reviews, I noticed that the content was better laid-out and superior to the other sites and reviews I had read
That was the beginning of the interaction with
Mouthshut.com. In the first day itself, I noticed that one paticular flaw on a popular mobile handset was not known to the peope. Seeing that, I signed up to write my first review.
And I was hooked!
I started visiting the site regularly to read various and sundry reviews, as I found it invogorating, entertaining and informative. It stimulates my thought processes, thus aiding in my development as well as my awareness.
With increasing usage of the site, I realised one thing: there are areas even an well-educated man such as myself has a long way to go
even in fields where I hold expertise, and I can tell you that was a jolt. The wide range of problems, views - cynical as well as positive, attitudes of the contributors etc, were an eye-opener. Human nature lay exposed here in the by-play of words among members- in both the magnanimity & humour as well as in the pettiness, the views of all and sundry... I could go on and on. I can only say it was an education, the learnings from which I am beginning to put to good use at my worklplace. This site has been a great university in that way!
That was when I started contributing meaningfull tips and reviews on whatever little I knew, as I realised that it was all going towards building a body of knowledge. {
It was also a great personal satisfaction to read the response of my peers- educated, responsible Indians like myself to my reviews and comments}. The one good rub-off has been the improvement in my written presentation skills and anlyses. I have always been said to have good presentation skills, and so had developed a little bit of an ego. Well, people like paulbs02 and hakoonamatata soon put paid to that. There were others, but these 2 names spring to mind immediately
The Pros:
Far too many to recount here, and far too obvious. Also covered in countless earlier reviews. I would rather give my views as a user &contributor to add whatever value I can to this site.
The improvement areas: {cons sounds too negative}
1. The presentation:
While the presentation is indeed good, it could be worked upon a little bit more in terms of colour schemes and fonts used.
2. The reviews ratings:
There is some scope of subjectivity in member reviews, as well as uninformed ratings, I too might have been guilty of the same... One solution could be that the overall rating be decided upon certain pre-determined parameters, which could include ratings by star writers being given increased weightage, or only the latest 50 or so ratings being used for the overall ratings . I am sure that others would think of better ideas than the ones I have submitted. But the one thing that I do realise is that the current system can be improved. Another Idea could be having a panel of industry experts to rate products... but that is something that would require massive planning and effort, and is way beyond my brief. A third suggestion: expert ratings as well as consumer ratings.
I cannot think of any other improvement area as yet...
Best of luck as well as congratulations to team mouthshut.
Best of luck because this is only the beginning of the information age, and there are miles to go and lots to do yet! Congratulations because the start has been phenomenal...