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Last post Author Topic: good software review site  (Read 17437 times)

urlwolf

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good software review site
« on: August 12, 2006, 05:47 AM »
This site looks good. But I wonder why they keep different areas as different domain names...
Have you ever been confused about which software to buy? Have you spent hours online or at the store trying to decrypt the marketing mumbo jumbo? We provide in-depth product reviews and comparisons so you never have to wonder again.


boothSiegler2006-016.png



from http://www.toptenreviews.com
« Last Edit: August 12, 2006, 05:49 AM by urlwolf »

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #1 on: August 12, 2006, 05:53 AM »
that is really quite nice..  :up:

ps. in the future please resize images to be a more manageable size :)

brotherS

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #2 on: August 12, 2006, 05:58 AM »
This site looks good.
Yes - but they only compare software to buy, no freeware :(

But I wonder why they keep different areas as different domain names...
Easy - to get better Google results.

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #3 on: August 12, 2006, 06:22 AM »
Yes - but they only compare software to buy, no freeware


yeah that's a bit suspicious.

Easy - to get better Google results.
agree, it's probably one of those search engine optimization advert-money things.

mitzevo

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #4 on: August 12, 2006, 10:02 AM »
yeah mouser you know :D lash at that bs.  :-* :'(
The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That's why it is called the present.

dk70

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #5 on: August 12, 2006, 10:13 AM »
Not nice at all though Ive mainly looked at AV "reviews" and that was 1 year ago. Reviews are obviously poor and quickly made but many of the "Buy" links showed (shows?) why they dont care for freeware. Affiliates deals is why... Nice idea if you are into internet marketing - anyone who know forums like this and similar places can spot the intend in 2 seconds but Ive seen "Toptenreviews" mentioned many times as a buying guidance, here and there you see it. Setup is working, if not for actual buying then as taking part of the "which is best or get most stars on some site" show you see, in ads for example 8)

Any review shaped as Toptenreviews where author dont feel like stating details like name is most likely "screwed". http://www.toptenrev...ws.com/about-us.html Faked ambitions/BS in the year 2006  8)

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #6 on: August 12, 2006, 11:04 AM »
i looked at one review briefly and it looked quite reasonable..
didn't appear to me that they were one of these fake review sites.. but if it turned out they were one of the fake "top hosting provider" sites, where companies pay to be listed, i would be very unhappy.

dk70

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #7 on: August 12, 2006, 01:22 PM »
Money, or expected money, involved does not encourage deep thoughts or necessarily the right ranking among products. Besides, with so many categories you can only make quick and easy to consume snapshots and throw up some stars (based on ???) and that will be it. Not good enough considering they encourage you to pay up and interested buyers should be aware of interests.

As an example of the intend you will notice plenty of links to http://www.hermanstr....com/store/index.php when you click "Buy" and information pages - and they of course link back to Toptenreviews Does not really give trusty impression. Or the many affiliates references in other "Buy" links. Nothing wrong with that but in this case (review/promotion bundle!) you cant be sure they dont favor best deals (for them!) because review is more like a description than actual test of product. They claim something else but if that was the case they would need 10 people to review on a daily basis. More or less one big advertisement but sure there are some easy to consume information value under the "Buy" links  8)

There is a bit more to me not digging Topten stuff, details comes flashing. Like taking programs on and off list as they please (again I would think that has to do with money/deals) I leave it up to Google and perhaps http://www.dslreport...k,11654960~mode=flat There was also a story about Topten refusing to test S&D and yet testing a program which S&D author claimed used his code (see rogue list http://www.spywarewa...gue_anti-spyware.htm but I expect Topten to have taken that progam down by now - Im too lazy to google story but I remember it clearly so available somewhere and it is not the only one as you can guess from a site hosting a shady spy-scanner!) You can floor Topten easy, marketing dont strike back, just move on to new adventures and consumers.

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #8 on: August 12, 2006, 01:32 PM »
you've convinced me to be wary of this; im removing this from our blog.

app103

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #9 on: August 12, 2006, 01:55 PM »
This page really bothered me:

http://anti-spyware-...yware-downloads.html

Besides bashing Spybot and all freeware in general and practically calling it all crap just because it's free, there was other gems like this:

The Price of Freeware

Everyone has to make a buck, even freeware programmers. And who can blame them? Programming is time-consuming work worthy of compensation, and they have hosting costs to cover too.

Say you happen upon free anti-spyware and you’ve determined that the software is legitimate. You decide to download. With the download, the freeware programmers will—without fail—request a voluntary donation from you to keep their freeware “free.”

Once you make a donation, the software is no longer free. You’ve simply paid money for freeware. You could spend a similar amount on commercial anti-spyware to receive more for your money.


mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #10 on: August 12, 2006, 02:10 PM »
thats a strange thing to say.. and especially suspicious that they are citing anti-spyware when, as has been pointed out above and in the security link, they seem to have worked out some deal to promote some anti spyware tool on their website.  >:(

zridling

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #11 on: August 12, 2006, 03:42 PM »
I was immediately skeptical when I didn't find Screenshot Captor among the screen capture reviews, they trashed Terabyte's Image for Windows, and then this line stuck out:

Once you make a donation, the software is no longer free. You’ve simply paid money for freeware. You could spend a similar amount on commercial anti-spyware to receive more for your money.

Also, their "reviews" are nothing more than PAD file information put in a tabular rating form. Reminds me of FileForum — very slick, but not too deep.

Veign

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #12 on: August 12, 2006, 04:00 PM »
But I wonder why they keep different areas as different domain names...

Because Google likes Subdomains.  Subdomains are an easy way to get higher rankings - Just an SEO thing.  I have seen many 'software' sites do this in an attempt to gain higher ratings in Google over the software's homepage which typically would not use a subdomain.  When I see something like this I usually start off very skeptical of the sites purpose...

JavaJones

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #13 on: August 12, 2006, 06:54 PM »
Sad that this site is not all it seems, or at least all it could be. I really, really want to do a proper review site one day. None of the ones I see online really satisfy me. :D Especially for software - hardware is usually covered a bit better (Tom's Hardware, Anandtech, Ars Technica, etc.)

- Oshyan

zridling

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #14 on: August 12, 2006, 07:12 PM »
[OSHYAN]: I really, really want to do a proper review site one day.
If and when you do, consider site design, speed (of navigation), and attractiveness. Ugly sites won't get a good start. Maybe that's the one thing that TopTenReviews has in its favor: it's easy on the eyes.

JavaJones

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #15 on: August 12, 2006, 07:24 PM »
You can bet I will. It will be an extremely well thought-out venture and I will not embark on it without ensuring that I can do a better job than existing sites. One thing I would particularly like to include - which ties in heavily with another long-term project of mine - is benchmarks. Ever wonder which video editing app takes longer to load a given video file type for editing? I have. Or how about which is faster to load and edit an audio file: Audacity or Soundforge? The answer might surprise you. Although these are not the things one should necessarily base their use on, they *do* have significant impact. Furthemore I see the value of review sites not only in advising people on what to buy, but also in pointing out to the developers what may be wrong with their app or how it might negatively compare to a competitor, and thus how they can improve and grow their market share. So you're potentially providing a valuable resource to both consumer and developer alike.

- Oshyan

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2006, 02:14 AM »
hmm..
this sounds a lot like what we are trying to do with the DC reviews, we just have to do a better job at it..

nudone

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2006, 02:37 AM »
i have to lend my voice to what mouser is saying.

Javajones, it seems all too obvious to say such a thing but have you not considered writing your reviews for DonationCoder?

i know that there are many of us around here that have wanted to create the 'ultimate' review site on the web. if you could kick-start the process then i'm sure it would be greatly appreciated. of course, if it is a very personal project that you have in mind then i understand your desire to create a separate web presence.

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2006, 02:48 AM »
I very much want our review subsection to be THE review site for software on the web.
Goals:

1) More comprehensive and deep than any other site.  Our reviews should aim to help users pick the best tool for their job.  As such, we want to make sure we don't miss any good tools.
2) Without bias.  We want to help people pick the best program for the task.  No affiliate fees or comissions.
3) Always attempt to point out freeware alternatives.
4) Try to point people to alternative reviews
5) Try to provide some info both for novices but also for pros.  Introduce them to the category and tell them some stuff even the pro's might not know.

Veign

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2006, 11:54 AM »
Maybe that's the one thing that TopTenReviews has in its favor: it's easy on the eyes.

What I like is the ease at which you can take in information from the review.  In todays age people are reading more and more online 'news' sources and have less time to devote to each one.  Therefore, consuming the same amount of information in a shorter period of time is essential.  TopTenReviews provides a very easy to use tabulated review (even if its just comparing check marks) which provides more information at a quick glance than a typicall drawn out review.

A review site that will out perform all others will, IMO, get more into tabulated reviews, charts and graphs, and other visual review elements.  Then let the user drill down to a more detailed free-form review.

Want to make DC review better?  Then provide a review to which a user can consume the information quicker and easier and drill down further if required.  Honestly, the reviews are *great* but too long to read at times.

These are just my opinions so take from them what you want.

nudone

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #20 on: August 13, 2006, 12:03 PM »
good comments, Veign.

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #21 on: August 13, 2006, 12:20 PM »
yup, agreed.  very good points.

rjbull

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #22 on: August 13, 2006, 04:24 PM »
A review site that will out perform all others will, IMO, get more into tabulated reviews, charts and graphs

I would beg and plead, be sure to state version number, .EXE date and date of review.  Things change over time and you need to know how out of date the review is.

counter

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #23 on: August 16, 2006, 06:39 PM »
Here is my two cents. 

Microsoft chose to add TopTenReviews logo to their boxed version of Microsoft Student with Encarta Premium 2007. Here is the box shot you can see at Amazon. If companies like Microsoft are willing to endorse TopTenReviews as a legitimate review source.  When will the blog/forum community start?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GD8WKG/

mouser

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Re: good software review site
« Reply #24 on: August 16, 2006, 06:58 PM »
I think TopTenReviews is doing a lot of stuff really well.  I find the layout of their reviews and just the basic approach to describing features in a matrix but also providing tips for choosing a tool really nice.  Much to be admired.

And I'm not at all saying that it's not a great review site.

I think some of the posts above have suggested that we be cautious and consider the possibility of bias in the reviews to favor affiliate sales, etc.  Such stuff is unfortunately rampant in the review industry, and it's always important to be on the lookout for it.