Evan and I have configured Community Reviews on the test & training server and would like you to take a look and tell us what you think. The "add a review" icon will actually say "write a review" once the updated icon arrives, and it only shows on the full record. If there are reviews available for a particular item, links to the reviews will appear under the "add a review" icon. Clicking on the title will make the review appear and clicking again on the title will make it go away. For a good example of a record with reviews attached, go to http://tstils.owls.lib.wi.us/record=b1593785.
You must log in to your patron account before you can write a review. In the patron account, you will see a new button added called "My Reviews." You can see your reviews and delete them from there.
All reviews are moderated and so must be approved before they are added to the catalog. There was no option available to allow reviews to be immediately posted without moderation. If patrons feel a review is inappropriate, there is a "Report Review" button at the bottom of every review that takes you to a form where you can contact the moderator. (I imagine OWLS staff will be responsible for moderating the reviews, but don't know who at this time.)
Feel free to add your own reviews and check out your patron account to see how it all works. I'll try to moderate new reviews over the next couple of weeks, but keep in mind that I leave at 3 p.m. each day. Post your questions and comments here on the blog, so we can track what needs fixing.
I'd like to hear back from you by Monday, March 31st. If everything looks good by then, we'll make plans for going live. Thanks for your input!
Beth
P.S. The test & training server is EXTREMELY SLOW, so please be patient while checking things out. It won't be this slow on the live server.
Comments (6)
I like it--
The idea is good; I like to read teen reviews , like those at the Hennepin County Library website, to see what teens like about a particular book.
The process looks simple, the fact that they need to log in keeps track of who's writing a review in case of problems.
Will the icon look like that just with different wording then? I like the bubble, and the fact that it's purple makes it stand out on the page, just like the place hold button (when you're instructing over the phone it's sure nice to say "look for the purple button" because they see it faster).
Looks good!
Posted by Diana Sandberg | March 13, 2008 8:06 AM
Posted on March 13, 2008 08:06
Diana - The new icon is loaded now, so if you refresh the page you'll see it now says "Write A Review" but basically looks the same. Glad you liked the purple color - did that on purpose to make all purple icons on the page action points and easy to spot. Thanks for your comments!
Posted by Beth C, OWLS | March 13, 2008 8:33 AM
Posted on March 13, 2008 08:33
I dig the review option.
I wonder, can we view the reviews @ the bottom of the record instead of having just a couple words off to the right?
The report review button isn't very self explanatory for inappropriateness. Maybe different wording?
Posted by Dominic | March 13, 2008 5:33 PM
Posted on March 13, 2008 17:33
Once again, we have limited control over how things can appear. The review icon and the links to reviews are all tied together in one widget (to which we don't have access) and can't be separated. We also can't dictate if the reviews show right away vs. just the links. We thought putting it where it is would at least let people see the icon on the first screen and that they'd figure out the links on their own or we could do a screencast to show people how it works.
The report review button can say something else, but it has to be brief. I changed the heading on the form that opens once you click on the button to be more descriptive. Again, this could be addressed in a screencast.
Thanks for your comments, Dominic!
Posted by Beth C, OWLS | March 14, 2008 8:32 AM
Posted on March 14, 2008 08:32
I think this is a fantastic service. I also like the icon. Overall it's a great implementation, especially given the constraints you're working under. I think "Write a Review" is clear and self-explanatory. As for the short links underneath, most people click on links if they're not sure what purpose they might serve; once they do that, what they are will be very clear. I actually like your abbreviated form of presenting the reviews, rather than listing everything all at once -- but everyone is different. Nice work, OWLS. : )
Posted by sara | March 18, 2008 10:40 AM
Posted on March 18, 2008 10:40
This feature is cool cool cool. Infosoup--of the people, by the people, for the people. I LOVE the personal ownership our patrons will experience once this is live!
Posted by Elizabeth | April 1, 2008 5:40 PM
Posted on April 1, 2008 17:40