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September 28, 2005Product Review Mini-Series: FeaturesReview Features Below is a line-by-line comparison of the features of product review formats at the major shopping engines.
Most sites are using extra sections such a Pro and Con, which brings me joy. But these are of limited value, at least for products with many reviews, if there is not any kind of alternate "summary skimming" navigation scheme, IMHO. Only a few sites support follow-up comments, which would seem like a logical early step in fostering community. + + +
All of these sites include an overall rating, and all of them except for one (CNET) base it on a 1 to 5 scale. Nearly half of the sites have some kind of sub-ratings. Most of them, such as quality and value, are generic. More interesting, in my opinion, are the category-specific ratings at Shopping.com, such as Battery Life. Better yet, would be if category-specific ratings could be sliced and diced like any other product attribute... + + +
I cannot understand why any site would not have the option to sort a search by the highest-rated products. Why not? Sorting the reviews within the product-view is not a big deal, unless there are many reviews, in which case it is handy. + + +
The time spent with product is an interesting qualifier. Perhaps other user-information such as product expertise level could also be useful? [i.e. novice, intermediate, expert] + + + more later...
Product Review Mini-Series: Features
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