Comments on: Wiki Fever http://www.thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/ Making Things in Portland, OR Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:09:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: C Jo Morgan http://www.thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1284 C Jo Morgan Mon, 08 May 2006 18:46:17 +0000 http://thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1284 I see the point about keeping it updated. This is a problem of consumer guides in print form, too. A lot of Consumer Reports' top-rated products are no longer available by the time they've tested them and published the results. I've written some reports for ConsumerSearch, a site that bases its product recommendations on an intensive review of both professional and user reviews. I can tell you that one of the most laborious parts of writing the report is checking for new models, then figuring out which ones correspond to the ones recommended in the reviews. Often I end up phoning the main manufacturers, talking with tech support, and calling local dealers to really understand the product and the current models. Without this kind of labor-intensive work, product recommendations end up being very frustrating. ConsumerSearch isn't perfect either--it's tough to keep all the reports updated, but at least they have a system for making the effort. I see the point about keeping it updated. This is a problem of consumer guides in print form, too. A lot of Consumer Reports’ top-rated products are no longer available by the time they’ve tested them and published the results. I’ve written some reports for ConsumerSearch, a site that bases its product recommendations on an intensive review of both professional and user reviews. I can tell you that one of the most laborious parts of writing the report is checking for new models, then figuring out which ones correspond to the ones recommended in the reviews. Often I end up phoning the main manufacturers, talking with tech support, and calling local dealers to really understand the product and the current models. Without this kind of labor-intensive work, product recommendations end up being very frustrating. ConsumerSearch isn’t perfect either—it’s tough to keep all the reports updated, but at least they have a system for making the effort.

]]> By: tim http://www.thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1131 tim Thu, 27 Apr 2006 05:32:20 +0000 http://thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1131 yeah, mark, i read the article (duh). i believe my comments still stand, do you have a specific criticism you'd like to share? or just sniping? i agree with kamikaze that wikipedia is big, but it's still very young and hasn't reached its full potential -- on many topics, wikipedia is weak, but it will get better because the majority of its topics will stay relevant over the years. i like wikipedia, myself. but shopwiki's topics are products and they don't last. nobody cares about what was written about a 2-year old product. if you can't buy it, you don't need to read about it. and if you have to make the product generic and not cover specific model years, then you've eliminated the real value. products do change year to year. if you can't address that, then it's not that useful a service. there are product guides everywhere, and there are hardcore reviews everywhere. what's shopwiki bringing to the table? i'm sorry if i seem too cynical, but i've been around the block a few times, and this one smells fishy to me. yeah, mark, i read the article (duh). i believe my comments still stand, do you have a specific criticism you’d like to share? or just sniping?

i agree with kamikaze that wikipedia is big, but it’s still very young and hasn’t reached its full potential—on many topics, wikipedia is weak, but it will get better because the majority of its topics will stay relevant over the years. i like wikipedia, myself.

but shopwiki’s topics are products and they don’t last. nobody cares about what was written about a 2-year old product. if you can’t buy it, you don’t need to read about it.

and if you have to make the product generic and not cover specific model years, then you’ve eliminated the real value. products do change year to year. if you can’t address that, then it’s not that useful a service.

there are product guides everywhere, and there are hardcore reviews everywhere. what’s shopwiki bringing to the table?

i’m sorry if i seem too cynical, but i’ve been around the block a few times, and this one smells fishy to me.

]]> By: kamikazi http://www.thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1057 kamikazi Tue, 25 Apr 2006 21:23:20 +0000 http://thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1057 I love many products of the "lazyweb," but it's all very, very niche. Where do you go when you want a complete, reliable resource? The big boys, like Amazon and Shopwiki. I doubt the Shopwiki community, or its editors, are going to allow spamming or marketers -- or at least I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. My optimism stems from Wikipedia, which, despite what you say, is a well-developed community that keeps things (at least on the articles I read) relatively fresh and clean, and it has one million articles. How hard will it be to manage some 5,000 shopping guides? Also, Shopwiki and Amazon's ProductWiki are two (very) different products. I love many products of the “lazyweb,” but it’s all very, very niche. Where do you go when you want a complete, reliable resource? The big boys, like Amazon and Shopwiki. I doubt the Shopwiki community, or its editors, are going to allow spamming or marketers—or at least I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt for now. My optimism stems from Wikipedia, which, despite what you say, is a well-developed community that keeps things (at least on the articles I read) relatively fresh and clean, and it has one million articles. How hard will it be to manage some 5,000 shopping guides?

Also, Shopwiki and Amazon’s ProductWiki are two (very) different products.

]]> By: Mark http://www.thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1052 Mark Tue, 25 Apr 2006 21:01:50 +0000 http://thinkcorps.com/2006/04/25/wiki-fever/#comment-1052 Haha- did you actually read the article? You obviously have no idea about this website. Why don't you learn a little bit more before you write something like this? Haha- did you actually read the article? You obviously have no idea about this website. Why don’t you learn a little bit more before you write something like this?

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