News and Announcements

**Shey** · 12-28-2011, 10:14 PM

Hey everyone,

We'd like to announce that we have updated our website review rules. We've added some guidelines in an attempt to improve the length and the quality of the reviews.

Our new website review rules can be found through this link:
http://tycoontalk.freelancer.com/web...ules-read.html

Tycoon Talk is continuously improving. Feel free to send us your feedback.

Thanks!

**vangogh** · 01-03-2012, 02:48 PM

Thanks Shey. Hopefully this will lead to better reviews and help people get better feedback about their designs.

**chrishirst** · 01-08-2012, 12:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

Thanks Shey. Hopefully this will lead to better reviews and help people get better feedback about their designs.

Not working yet though http://tycoontalk.freelancer.com/web...ml#post1196652

**Jim Gillum** · 01-09-2012, 10:04 AM

Maybe a sticky could help....

For those who take the time to read rules....

))

**Shey** · 01-21-2012, 06:38 PM

I know I used a strong glue to keep it in place

**kujtimne** · 07-28-2012, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrishirst

Not working yet though http://tycoontalk.freelancer.com/web...ml#post1196652

Works fine

**Jim Gillum** · 07-28-2012, 10:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kujtimne

Works fine

Does not...

**Mystical Pippin** · 06:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Gillum

Maybe a sticky could help....

For those who take the time to read rules....

))

Read you say? lol we're lucky if they write a full sentence in english.

**vultren** · 09-23-2012, 04:45 AM

I'll just come out and say it- I feel reviews are completely pointless unless we can get critical about them. Being nice isn't what I would want to hear if I'm trying to make a good UI so why would I do that to others?

**Mystical Pippin** · 09-23-2012, 08:07 AM

Brutal truth eh Tony? I hate to admit it but I agree. There are far too many ugly, meaningless & impractical sites out there as it is - hurts my eyes! I've only reviewed a couple here - wasn't one of them yours? 3 different designs you made for a client?

besides if you're going to take the risk of starting your own business you should want to get it right and that means, man up and take the criticism if needed. I would rather hear the truth then put a lousy .

**vultren** · 09-23-2012, 02:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mystical Pippin

Brutal truth eh Tony? I hate to admit it but I agree. There are far too many ugly, meaningless & impractical sites out there as it is - hurts my eyes! I've only reviewed a couple here - wasn't one of them yours? 3 different designs you made for a client?

Those were for some college garbage I was apart and everyone in the class liked the ugly ones so I wanted to come to the boards and get a few other opinions. I was outraged!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mystical Pippin

besides if you're going to take the risk of starting your own business you should want to get it right and that means, man up and take the criticism if needed. I would rather hear the truth then put a lousy .

I agree 100% with what you said.

**Mystical Pippin** · 09-24-2012, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mystical Pippin

besides if you're going to take the risk of starting your own business you should want to get it right and that means, man up and take the criticism if needed. I would rather hear the truth then put a lousy .

oops it appears I didn't finish my sentence....I was tired. like I am right now so it might happen again.

Ah...I see now said the blind man, as he spat in the fan it all comes back to me now! except I thought this was your company and you were "discussing" it over with your employees and/or client - which one to use.

Then I went to your site and was impressed by what you said in your.... (for lack of a better word) mission statement. I told you this right? Yours is the first site I've seen that speaks honestly about SEO.

Speaking of honesty, I was honest with you of my opinion of those designs. I know I critiqued the things I did not like and was detailed about why I didn't like them.....and you took it well. not sure but I think we even disagreed on which one was the best.

well my point is......no wait, what is my point? oh well it was there a minute ago..... oh yes, brutal honesty is in fact necessary when it comes to feedback. It should be intelligent and constructive criticism not some 3 word pansy sentence that says: "Me like this too"!!

**vangogh** · 09-24-2012, 03:15 PM

Quote:

I feel reviews are completely pointless unless we can get critical about them.

I think it depends on the person offering the review. Most are pointless because the person doing the review doesn't put in the effort. It's sad, because you can learn a lot by spending the time doing the review.

An exercise I picked up in a writing class a few years back had us review the work of fellow students in a certain way.

1. You underline things you like
2. You put a squiggly mark under things you didn't like
3. You circled anything you thought was a grammatical error
4. You write out 3 things you liked and why
5. You offered 3 suggestions for improvement

The last 2 were really the key, particularly the very last. Finding something you don't think works and then figuring out how to make it work can be a great way for you to understand how to do the same in your own work.

I took the above exercise and applied to offering designing critiques. Here are some I've written on my blog. If you go back a page or two you can find a couple of posts discussing the exercise in more detail.

You can still be nice in the reviews, while being honest too.

**vultren** · 09-27-2012, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mystical Pippin

oops it appears I didn't finish my sentence....I was tired. like I am right now so it might happen again.

Then I went to your site and was impressed by what you said in your.... (for lack of a better word) mission statement. I told you this right? Yours is the first site I've seen that speaks honestly about SEO.

Speaking of honesty, I was honest with you of my opinion of those designs. I know I critiqued the things I did not like and was detailed about why I didn't like them.....and you took it well. not sure but I think we even disagreed on which one was the best.

Thank you. I plan on adding more soon here and doing some actual research/press releases on what I find in regards to shady SEO companies.

Your critique, because of it's honesty, was actually one of the good ones because it was honest.

I feel the review section is an easy advertisement section on these boards...

**Mystical Pippin** · 04:37 AM

I agree it definitely has the potential for that but lately no one has posted anything in there. (the last time I looked anyway) I think you struck a chord in me in your original response to Shey because I've been talking about this to another graphic designer friend.

I did one critique here a long time ago. I thought the site was awful I didn't say that but I did tell the OP the things I thought were wrong. She didn't acknowledge my post - probably because all the others were saying it was a great site..... some kind of site selling cars & other stuff. it wasn't very organized, pale grey text on white background, this annoying flickering thing that followed as you scrolled down a very long page, the product pictures were extremely tiny, I thought it was a mess so I said it was too busy.

She thanked everyone individually except me.... that's what I get for being honest!

I stand by words, I may be wrong but I don't believe that giving compliments for a crappy job is right. and I'm not trying to be condescending or anything its just that I am an artist and a designer after all and I believe my experience and training has given me some knowledge in this area. I've set the bar high for myself as well.

**Mystical Pippin** · 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vangogh

I think it depends on the person offering the review. Most are pointless because the person doing the review doesn't put in the effort. It's sad, because you can learn a lot by spending the time doing the review....................

You can still be nice in the reviews, while being honest too.

Of course! I wouldn't just say "this sucks" and thats it. That would be rude and wouldn't carry any credibility if you ask me. As long as you're specific and detailed when critiquing something and like you said make alternative suggestions that's being helpful which is the whole point. I do that, I don't sugar coat it but I talk about space, fonts, content, especially color because thats my most knowledgeable area. (my teachers would always make the whole class critique each others work too)

**Jim Gillum** · 09-30-2012, 10:48 AM

I stopped doing reviews a couple of years ago.......
The truth, even when sugar coated, is hard for many to swallow.....

When they start asking why they get no conversions then....time for the truth....

**vultren** · 09-30-2012, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Gillum

I stopped doing reviews a couple of years ago.......
The truth, even when sugar coated, is hard for many to swallow.....

When they start asking why they get no conversions then....time for the truth....

That's fine, the arrogant ones someday always find out the problem wasn't other people, it was them!