Lexmark P350
One of the things I love about this site is the way members can get involved. You all know about the forums and the galleries but there's another feature that some of you may not have come across yet. It's called “member reviews”.
The idea is really simple - tell us what you think of the kit you already have. Professional reviews are great and we are very proud of the in depth reviews we do of new products but you can't beat real world reviews by people who actually use their cameras and other accessories day in day out. It doesn't have to be a great in depth article (though there's space!) and you don't have to be a professional user - everybody's opinion counts. Not only do you get to tell us exactly what you think you can also rank various features out of 5. Your score will be averaged into an overall mark for that piece of equipment. Sounds complicated but I bet you figure it out in two minutes. A quick guide to writing member reviews follows this article.
Of course we do still have our site reviews. You may remember our review of the Lexmark P350. This fantastic printer gained one of our first ever Editor's Choice awards and we reckon it's the best 6 x 4 printer money can buy. So we twisted the arms of our friends at Lexmark and got them to sponsor a competition.
Here's the deal: write a member's review of anything you own or have used in the month of November and you'll go in a draw. The winner gets a brand new Lexmark P350 printer. Even better, enter as many times as you want. The more kit you review (different kit please!) the more chance you'll have to win. Competition runs until the end of November so the lucky winner should have their new printer in time to print their Christmas snaps.
HOW TO WRITE A GOOD REVIEW
Writing Style:
Try to write as comprehensive a review as possible, any length is fine but the more info you can give the better. Think about a long forum posting as a guideline. Imagine that you are thinking about buying the product, what would you want to know about it, why is it good, what are the pitfalls, how does it compare to other products in its category etc?
Think about what you like most about the product and what lets it down, how good value it was, and how well it has lasted. Try talking about the following things in terms of the strengths and weaknesses of the product.
Experience/ Test Log / Conditions:
Tell us about your experience using the product. When did you buy it? How hard have you used it, and in what sorts of conditions?
How does it perform overall?
What do you really like about the product? How does it perform? What conditions does it work well for, when is it not suitable? What sort of person is it best suited for? Has it met your expectations? How is its weight? Its look?
Value for money:
Obviously a £1000 product tends to be better than a £300 product. But the question is how does this product compare to its price category peers? Is it good value for money? What else did you consider when you chose this product? Why did you choose this one over the other options?
Durability:
Finally, think about its reliability... has it lasted well? Has anything gone wrong with it? Does it take much looking after?
HOW TO RATE PRODUCTS
Our rating system allows you to rank products on several criteria. We then average these scores to get your % overall score for the product, which is displayed alongside the product.
We take all the ratings on a 1 to 5 scale - to keep it nice and simple. When you average lots of peoples' votes you end up with a precise % which is what makes up those ratings bars.
The rating system is very simple:
1 - Really Terrible
The product has seriously let you down, been poor quality, or it's just not fit for its purpose. You would certainly never advise someone to buy one.
2 - Poor
The product is not great. You've been disappointed with it in some way. It might be ok for other people, but you certainly would never buy another one for yourself.
3 - Good
The product met your expectations. It was just fine, not fantastic, but certainly not disappointing. (Most products should fit this grade). If someone was looking for something in this category you would mention it as one of the options as you are perfectly happy with it.
4 - Great
The product has pleased you. It exceeded your expectations - think about that, did the product really exceed your expectations? You are actively recommending it to friends when they are looking for something in this category, and you wouldn't hesitate to buy another one for yourself if you had to replace it.
5 - Truly Excellent
This product has been a delight to you, and has surprised you with just how good it has been compared to its peers in its price group. You actively tell friends about how good it is, and you would definitely have it in your top list if you were to buy again. You should only be giving roughly 1 in 5 of your products this accolade - don't overdo it!
WHAT IF MY PRODUCT ISN'T THERE?
Don't worry, you can suggest a product if it isn't there. At the bottom of the product pages there is a "Suggest a Product" link. Just put the product name and a short description (if you don't know the price or year don't worry, we can add this later.
You can write your review at the same time. It may not go live immediately because we have to check it.
The "Suggest a product" link is at the bottom of the product pages, like this:
