I would like you to help me out. I don’t ask for much from the people who read this site, but you can help me out now by replying to this thread. If you think about the subject matter for a bit before replying it would be even more helpful!
As you may know from previous threads, I am working on a new site, tentatively (though this is less-tentative than before) called Christian Media Review. This site will feature reviews of just about everything with a Jesus label on it: books (fiction, nonfiction, children’s, teen’s), DVDs, music, software, t-shirts, etc. Just kidding about the t-shirts. In case you’re wondering, I will probably not be doing the bulk of the reviewing for this site, but will be asking others to do this.
As you ponder a site that contains reviews of products you might just want to buy (since we all buy Christian books or music at least occasionally) what would be helpful to you as the discerning Christian consumer? What features of review sites do you absolutely need to have? What features do you despise?
I will kickstart the discussion with a list of popular features that may or may not be included:
Ratings – Do you like a numerical or star rating of products (where the reviewer indicates that this is a 5-star book, but that is only a 3-star) or do you prefer just to read a well-formed review and draw your own conclusions?
Reader Reviews – Do you like to read reader reviews (like at Amazon)? Do you like the ability to express your opinion of a product by clicking a simple star rating?
Forums – Do you like to discuss the products in forums right on the site?
Multiple Buying Options – Do you like to have the ability to compare prices directly from the site?
That gives you a few to work with. Now let’s talk about this. Help me build a site that will be most useful to you, the reader.