Update and Review of ReviewMe
So I’ve already received two review requests through the new ReviewMe pay-to-blog service. This happened less than 24 hours since I wrote about signing up this blog into the system. I’m surprised and flattered.
I’m also a bit frustrated, and since the ReviewMe gang (Andy and Aaron) asked for reviews of ReviewMe, I’m going to put this out there as a suggestion for improving the service. And for those of you who are waiting to get your first review order, or haven’t signed up for ReviewMe yet, you’ll learn a bit about how it works so far. Here’s the scoop:
1.) With each “review order” that was submitted for this blog, ReviewMe sent a generic notification e-mail with no specifics about who wants me to write the review nor about what I’m supposed to be reviewing. I’m okay with that. The e-mail, though, only tells me that a review order has been placed and that I have 48 hours to accept it. I’m smart enough to figure out that I should login to ReviewMe to learn more, but my suggestion about this e-mail is simple: Include one more instruction telling people what to do next and include a direct link to the blogger’s account page.
2.) I logged in to my account and came upon this page with alerts about each review order I’ve received. (I’ve blurred out the details to protect the requesting parties, since I’m not sure yet if I’ll accept the orders.)
The blurred text is a direct link to view the product that the user wants reviewed. The problem, in both cases here, is that the “product” is a web site home page URL. Does the person want the whole web site reviewed, or am I supposed to look for something specific when I get there?
3.) Needing more information, I clicked on the 2nd link — the one telling me I can view the “product details.” Here’s a sample of what the detail page looks like:
As you can see, there’s really no more detail than what I was told on the previous page, aside from the time clock at the bottom. All I have is the name of the submitter and a web site URL. Am I supposed to review the web site design? The content? The business idea? Do they want an SEO review?
In both cases, I have no idea what exactly is being asked. My suggestion: Add a text field where the person submitting the review order can tell the blogger what specifically s/he wants reviewed, give some background on the product, the company, etc. As the potential reviewer, I need that information before I click the ACCEPT button. It might also be cool to send quick messages back and forth before a decision is made.
As it stands now, both review orders are sitting in my account, waiting for action. I’ve gone to the web sites in question and found a “contact us” page to find out what specifically they’re looking for. Frankly, if it’s a full review of their web site, I don’t have the time at the moment to help….
(As part of the ReviewMe launch giveaway, the preceding was a paid review.)
[tags]reviewme, blogging, pay per post, pay-per-post, online marketing[/tags]
Great post. Your gripes are completely valid. They should be making the reviewer’s task as clear and to the point as possible. You should want to review the site/product, but if you’re not clear on what you need to do, you’re less likely to want to do it in the future.