How can we improve our reviews?

[Julian]

<font color='#000000'>Pyro Pete....

I've been reading the reviews carefully - with a view to 5th November and New Year's Eve this year. Over the past few weeks I've been round and done some buying. But apart from a few fireworks set off on 16th October as part of my children's birthday party, I won't be using any of the fireworks just yet. So it will be after 5th November and again after New Year's Eve before I can contribute any e-mailed comments. Maybe that holds good for many of us?

Julian</font>

[djliam]

<font color='#F660AB'>I never really see mine, so I can't really comment on them. Unless you want everyone else's reaction of course.

For example;

Shellscape F2 Fan Cake.
Reader Second opinions.

Oooooh!


Happy Monk.
Reader Second opinions.

Aaaahhhhh!

DJ</font>

[chartley101]

<font color='#000000'>With the users second opinion option, I think part of the issue for me when looking back at fireworks, is I can remember really good, and really bad fireworks, but not necessarily enough to write an email them.

What I would suggest would be a simple "Your Rating" option, 1 to 5 stars, which can then be averaged. So rather than a 1-10 rating being allocated by the official test, it is slowly accrued by readers opinions. I would be much more inclined to simply select a * rating for a given firework.

The other benefit of this, is it could be completely automated, without requiring constant moderator intervention.</font>

[Stillsy]

<font color='#810541'>I think a star rating system would be good (limiting one rating per reviewer)

Also, just out of curiosity, how often are the prices reviewed as obviously these are changing each year by a quid or so?

Also, you have a section for SIB's, Rockets etc... could we have one for Fan Cakes seeing as though there are so many around nowadays and I personally think they warrant their own catagory due to the specific effects these produce (Mat, of course this would also include your Z cakes ) ).

Cheers
Stillsy</font>

[Andy_P]

<font color='#000000'>My fivepenny's worth....(mostly covered already!)

1) A search facility would be marvellous.
2) A rough price guide. I know that prices vary, but at least you would know whether you are looking at an £11 cake or a £45 cake.
3) A couple more categories (fan cakes etc.)
4) Suppliers sorted by region and wether they are "all-year" or "seasonal".
5) Listing of suppliers sent in by members (as opposed to/ in addition to, links from them). maybe even with a little review?
6) More reviews!! (I'm always available, just send the goods......)</font>

[Andy_P]

<font color='#000000'>What a prat....
Of course there's already a price guide.
As someone once said "I'm sorry, I have a cold." http://www.fireworkforum.info/iB_htm.../ghostface.gif</font>

[gazwozhere]

<font color='#000080'>Have to agree with AndyP

4) Suppliers sorted by region and whether they are "all-year" or "seasonal".
5) Listing of suppliers sent in by members (as opposed to/ in addition to, links from them). maybe even with a little review?,

and I would also add, why not some form of running league table for suppliers?

we get to choose simply good/average/poor,

under the headings of (lets say) ranges held / availability / customer service. Something like that.

Would give us an anonymous way to signify what we like or dislike about certain suppliers without going into specifics,

and would let the suppliers see how they fared against all the others, perhaps encouraging them to improve in any areas found to be lacking.?

Gerry</font>

[Zedsquared]

<font color='#000000'>All good points so far.. have you considered maybe running a wiki section for members to add content?

Also what would be *really* usefull would be an alphabetical index of firework reviews by name (linking to the full review of course) so a newcomer (like me :-) ) could look up quickly what was meant when viewing posts along the line of:

" I fired a couple of Happy Chihuahuas Dancing With Dragons last night and have to say the review is bang on! "

and the reader hasn't a clue whether to look under cakes, candles, rockets or whatever to find out what's actually being discussed here :-)

Not to mention that so many of the names are similar that having read a load of reviews and then gone to find an online catalogue you just can't recall what's what.

Otherwise keep up the great work!

Cheers,
Robin.</font>

[londoner2001]

<font color='#000000'>Hi, Pete, first I just want to say the site is excellent and it has been majorly useful to me but a couple of things I have though of.

1.When people write their reader reviews like Graham with that incredible stash he has in the picture, they could have a list at the end of the report with the fireworks they let off and a star rating and small sentence about them just to give people an idea on fireworks that you yourself haven't had the chance to review as there is loads of stuff on offer that you have not reviewed and a lot of the things you review are really hard to get hold of in London like MLE and Vulcan and Sandling.

2. I think it is unlikely that you would do this because of the anti firework brigade but have a section on bang on a stick rockets or just put them in with the noise/airbomb category and get people to write up how loud they found them compared to others.

3. I was looking the other day thinking I could send in a review for this as lots of people send in reviews, I thought oh you can't??!!!!! I looked and in not so distinct font was the email me your opinion bit, it just does not stand out and peopel then can't be bothered to email it to you. It would be better if there was just a form at the bottom like on a message board where you filled in and it went directly in neat order to the reviews and then you could edit as you saw fit any bad language or anything. My main gripe is that some of the recommendations on here I watched the videos an thought they were cr*p because they were slow paced and then I look and there amy be only one reader comment and then it just pi**es you off.

Personally I am not bothered about bore size or anything like that, one of the thing though is if you could rate on a one to five scale of stars the tempo of the firework as I like very fast paced things and it would be far more convincing if the rating was in stars. You could even have a system where people fill in say five categories in stars and don't write anything or just put one sentence with it, for example if I were reviewing a cake I would have:

Tempo/Speed: ****
Colour: **
Noise: *****
Height: ***
Overall: ****
I thought this was a superb all round firework, had a high tempo with a little colour and loud reports, good build up to the finale.

If everyone just did that and you provide the weight, duration and bore size and your own review people would get a really well rounded opinion as they would hear what the firework is like from different people. IE. I think if I remember right it is Tony who likes to let stuff off one by one, he ma ythink this firework x is cr*p but I may think because I let it off with two others it was a great compliment, so you get varied opinions.

Anyway, I have rambled on far too long, sorry about the lentgh but hope it helps a little.

Nick</font>

[londoner2001]

<font color='#000000'>One other thing on the supplier front.

It's a bit dull looking at a load of adverts and having to open everyone to see what is there.

Have you thought of running a section on suppliers special offers?

IE. Newsbox say they will do ten super blitznalls for 80 pounds for one month only.

Millenium say they will do 2 Mars Nuke Attack for 30 pounds.

ETC ETC.

WOuld make it a whole lot more fun having special offers that run for say a month and makes the market a lot more competitive in terms of winning our business this also could be a very big subscription winner for you Pete as people are getting concrete evidence that by being a member of the Firework Review they WILL be able to get discount on their fireworks.

Hope that helps.

What does everyone else think?</font>