Badmovies.org Forum

Along with reorganizing, I have been thinking about the reader review section of the website.  In general, I think that it is going away and the functionality replaced by the movie reviews section of the message board.  A big part of that is fairness.  While it was running, I would receive several submitted reviews per week.  Out of those, say, twenty or thirty reviews (per month), I would select one and post it - along with doing the captures and editing.  So, for every posted review, twenty or thirty would not be seen at all.  Hardly satisfying for the people who took the time to write them (though some were very badly written and difficult to understand at all).

My intent is to move the content into the movie reviews section of the board and retire the present section.  What I keep working toward is cutting down on wasted effort, while hopefully keeping some of the diversity.

Anyway, as usual, open discussion or thoughts welcome.

Even though I have never submitted a reader review myself, I know a few of the members of the board who have. For them, so it seems to me, that is a pretty big deal to have one of their reviews selected for inclusion in the reader reviews section of the site.

I think one of the main differences between the reader reviews section on the site and the same on the message board is that anybody can submit a review to a message board and get instant gratification on having it published, but it is a special badge of honor to have it included in the reader reviews section of the site.

Another thing which is different is that the reader reviews are attached to their actual names while most of us on the message board use pseudonyms or nicknames (for instance, Scott's real name is Cletus Clowpepper  :teddyr:).

An alternative might be to use the message board for all reader review submissions as you suggested, but also add a sticky to the forum with guidelines on writing a review in BadMovies style. If someone happens to post a really good review, that would provide you with the opportunity to add it to the reader reviews section of the site, and it would be like a reward to them for a job well done.

Redirecting the submissions to the board, as you suggested, might also have the added bonus, for the board anyway, of a potential addition of activity and/or membership on the board. (heh...heh...more victims...uh...scuse me.. :teddyr:).

Ma two cents worth anyway. :tongueout:

Speaking of which...
Andrew, I need to revise some things on my review of "The Ice Pirates".
A few things need to be re-written.
If I submit a revised version, could you post it?

Menard wrote:
"I think one of the main differences between the reader reviews section on the site and the same on the message board is that anybody can submit a review to a message board and get instant gratification on having it published, but it is a special badge of honor to have it included in the reader reviews section of the site."

I couldn't agree more.
I waited something like 3 years for my review to be posted.
Having it permanently put on the message board is like a demotion of sorts.   :bluesad:
And what about the pictures and video?
All that would most likely be gone too.
And the reviews and their layouts would probably not look the same here as they do there.

I feel that there is a certain distinction by having mine and others' reviews where they currently are in the Reader Reviews section.
Putting them here on the message board would take all of that away.

Thank you two for the replies.  Obviously, the course of action I was looking at made me wonder what others would think.  It was frustrating me to come up with a decent solution.  I will work on updating the reader reviews.

Using the message board as a proving ground for submitted reviews is a good idea.  I can certainly make a template if somebody wants to do one in the Badmovies.org style. 

I like the idea too - this way anyone can post a review, good with the bad, in the forum and maybe the old Reader Review section could be the "honorary" or top reader reviews submitted - best of the best or something of that nature.  Perhaps a slight name change on the old reader reviews title to avoid confusion?

I like canary's idea of the name change thing.
Maybe just clearing up the Reader Review page a bit might help get interest renewed in it.
Half of the people who wrote those reviews haven't been seen around here in years.
Maybe a small bit of house cleaning wouldn't hurt.

I do read those old reader reviews.
Most of them are pretty good.
Some of them are so totally and completely biased against the film it didn't make for good reading.
Remember the Alien Resurrection (http://www.badmovies.org/othermovies/alienres/index.html) and Titanic (http://www.badmovies.org/othermovies/titanic/index.html) reviews?

And what about the Star Trek section?
You still taking reviews for it?
I plan to review the absolutely ludicrous episode, "The Omega Glory (http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/library/episodes/TOS/detail/68768.html)" soon.
Remember that one? 
Where Kirk recites the the preamble of the U.S. Constitution and there's even an American flag!
It's definitely one of the hokiest episodes in TOS.

What difference does THAT make?

I would vote to keep the content.  Rename the board and organize the board as needed, but if a review was good enough to post originally it should good enough to keep.

No, if I am going to update them, then I am going to update them all and carry them forward.  It is going to be a mother, because some of them are still in the format from 1999.

The television shows section is one I keep thinking about too.  I am probably going to move that under the new miscellaneous section called "Sideshows" that I am working on.  Stuff like "How to find a bad movie" and the Random Thoughts are being consolidated there.  Half of what I am doing is intended to help me stay organized and also to help new visitors find their way around.

I just wanted to say thanks for keeping the Reader Review section.
It is an important part of the site and yes, people do read it!   :thumbup: