Hi there. Good to see a fellow collector actively contributing to the community.
Here's some of my thoughts.
1. Now, you probably don't want to hear this. But the name or title of the page is vague in regard to the subject matter of the site (content). You have to know exactly why you are on the site in order to understand it. It doesn't mean that the name isn't OK. It just doesn't do anything to promote your site. "More Than Just Reviews" could basically be about pretty much anything. Still, if you manage to create a steady activity on the site, you might not be handicapped by this. But it will take some extra effort on your part to promote the site. So make sure to optimize your site in regard to SEO and all that technical gibberish.
2. Move the news feed (list of most recent additions) further up on the site. I want to be able to see the latest news the moment I enter/open the site. This also shows activity on your part, and when I feel that this place is a source of recent news etc. I will come back again in the future. Always keep the flow of updates/articles coming in. I need to be able to rely on this page to deliver updates on a regular basis, and by moving the news feed up on the site, I'm convinced that this is what is happening on this site.
In addition you might consider revising the content on the top-half of the site. Do we need all these modules/boxes? I like the idea of highlighting specific news, like Editorial Picks, etc. But do we e.g. need the moving bar (bulletin-thingy) in the top? It does take up a lot of space.
3. Move the list of reviews to a obvious place on the front page. Like in the margin to the right. Make a simple list so that the visitor can always see the latest reviews, and when they were made. Again, if you manage to keep up activity on the page, this will increase the chance that people will return. If they can see progress/activity. So use your reviews as a promotional tool. Be proud of your reviews. Thrown them in the face of the visitor.
4. Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself. Reveal your person (to some extent, you decide). We like to have a face to relate to. Some of the most successful video reviewers are those who sit in front of the camera. Not like myself, hide behind the lens. Tell us your background and your reason for collecting (and creating the site).
5. Provide high-quality media. This being images and/or videos. There's a lack of quality footage on the interweb. There's a lot of handheld, poorly-lit videos and images available on the interweb. Most of this is useless for people who look for information prior to a purchase. Therefore, provide high-res images with good lighting. This is often a quality stamp that will make people come back in the future.
Well, that's just off the top of my head. Good luck with your site, my friend.
Chris,
I want to thank you for the very constructive feedback. I agree on most of what you said in your evaluation of my site and made some changes that I hope makes the site feel better. Please see my responses to your points below and if you are so inclined, please give the site another visit and let me know what you think.
1. Now, you probably don't want to hear this. But the name or title of the page is vague in regard to the subject matter of the site (content). You have to know exactly why you are on the site in order to understand it. It doesn't mean that the name isn't OK. It just doesn't do anything to promote your site. "More Than Just Reviews" could basically be about pretty much anything. Still, if you manage to create a steady activity on the site, you might not be handicapped by this. But it will take some extra effort on your part to promote the site. So make sure to optimize your site in regard to SEO and all that technical gibberish.
Believe me when I say I spent a lot of time on this. Finding available domain names when you come into the game so late is extremely hard. I wanted something to reflect reviews in the name, but I agree it's somewhat vague as to the nature of the site. I am using a lot of SEO on my posts and I've tested it against my reviews I've done so far and they are mostly showing up on the first page or two in Google search depending on the search query.
2. Move the news feed (list of most recent additions) further up on the site. I want to be able to see the latest news the moment I enter/open the site. This also shows activity on your part, and when I feel that this place is a source of recent news etc. I will come back again in the future. Always keep the flow of updates/articles coming in. I need to be able to rely on this page to deliver updates on a regular basis, and by moving the news feed up on the site, I'm convinced that this is what is happening on this site.
I agree with you here. The news feed was way too low on the site. I moved it up so it right under the main slider on the site. Additionally, I took out the middle slider, and the small reviews clicker to make even more room for the news feed.
3. Move the list of reviews to a obvious place on the front page. Like in the margin to the right. Make a simple list so that the visitor can always see the latest reviews, and when they were made. Again, if you manage to keep up activity on the page, this will increase the chance that people will return. If they can see progress/activity. So use your reviews as a promotional tool. Be proud of your reviews. Thrown them in the face of the visitor.
While the reviews were on the main page, I agree they were small and not easily spotted. I moved them to the right side bar and made them larger. I hope this improves on their visibility.
4. Who are you? Tell us a little about yourself. Reveal your person (to some extent, you decide). We like to have a face to relate to. Some of the most successful video reviewers are those who sit in front of the camera. Not like myself, hide behind the lens. Tell us your background and your reason for collecting (and creating the site).
I actually intended to add this all along but just haven't gotten around to including it in the bottom menu as an "About" section, but it will be coming real soon. Thank you for pointing it out.
5. Provide high-quality media. This being images and/or videos. There's a lack of quality footage on the interweb. There's a lot of handheld, poorly-lit videos and images available on the interweb. Most of this is useless for people who look for information prior to a purchase. Therefore, provide high-res images with good lighting. This is often a quality stamp that will make people come back in the future.
I intend to do just that. I am very comfortable with the quality of the photos I've taken for the reviews so far, but I just got a second DSLR that can do Video, so I am still trying to work that in for the video clips and trying to produce higher quality clips than the three I've created so far.
Again I am extremely grateful for the time you've spent giving me your evaluation and I hope the changes I've made with the suggestions you've provided make the site easier to navigate and more helpful.
Regards,
Zaid
