User Review Forum FAQ

Closely moderated reviews by forum members willing to share their experience and accept stiff peer review. Open only to registered forum members.

Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee, Devonavar

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MikeC
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User Review Forum FAQ

Post by MikeC » Sun Feb 13, 2005 11:50 am

User Review Forum FAQ

Q: What is a User Review? Why have them?
A: A User Review is a post by a forum member that describes or compares a product potentially useful for PC silencing. The point is for members to share knowledge about relevant products not covered officially by SPCR in a way that everyone can benefit.

There are way more products than can be reviewed by SPCR, even counting only products we know about. This is where User Reviews come in. The thousands of forum members represent a huge resource of firsthand information about products that may never be officially reviewed by SPCR.

There have always been posts that wonder about a product not reviewed or recommended by SPCR. Sometimes, someone with first-hand experience responds. Other times, people start a new post describing their experience with an unreviewed product, often taking pictures and posting measurements. This is part of the friendly helpfulness of the SPCR community. User Reviews are meant to increase the value of our natural helpfulness, to improve the sharing of firsthand knowledge by establishing clear rules and guidelines.

BTW, much thanks to Steve, sthayashi, who was instrumental in the creation of this forum, the FAQ and the Rules. He is one of the mods here.

Q: How and Who can write a User Review?
A: Any member of the SPCR Forum can write a User Review. Just follow the Rules in writing your review, and post it here with an accurate heading.

Q: If any Tom, Meiling or Johann can write one, why should I trust a User Review?
A: Any post made here will be assumed to be an attempt at a user review and quickly scrutinized by moderators to ensure the User Review Rules are followed. If not, a mod will move the post elsewhere and contact the poster explaining the reason(s) why. The poster can then modify / rewrite the post and request the mod to reassess the post. If it meets the rules, then the mod will move the post back into this forum. A post that breaks all the rules may be deleted without explanation.

In truth, you should take every review here with some skepticism, as most people don't have the equipment to back up their claims. However, you don’t need special equipment to tell you whether a component is loud or quiet, just decent hearing and a quiet environment.

If you're not sure if you can trust the review, read the subsequent posts and see how it stands up to peer review and criticism. If you have problems with the review, either with the details or the conclusions, be sure to post your concerns. If your point is made constructively, it may help the review poster improve his review.

Q: I want to post a User Review. Show me the rules?
A: The Rules for Posting a User Review are in the next announcement thread.

Q: Why did you delete my review? It was awesome.
A: You either used harsh language or had nothing intelligent to say. You should write in a manner that wouldn't make my Grandma faint. You should also be able to explain why you think a product is noisy or quiet. Read on for a third possibility

Q: Why are people questioning me? This component is silent, I can't hear it over my stock heatsink / generic power supply / old non-FDB hard drive / etc.
A: Your system is not quiet by SPCR standards. If you can't hear the noise your setup makes, you may live in an area with high levels of ambient noise. This can range from strong winds to traffic to even loud HVAC systems. It's harsh to say, but your review isn't useful to us.

Q: Why did you delete my post? This reviewer is a moron/idiot.
A: It's alright to be critical of a review, but use constructive criticism next time.

Q: Why did you delete/edit my post? I wasn't even criticizing anyone.
A: It was off-topic; every post in this forum must be on topic. Off-topic chatter is not helpful to the reviewer or to other readers . If you want to go off-topic, we have a forum for that. You could also send a Private Message. Note: Compliments, like “Good Job” or “Excellent Review” will be permitted. We do want to reward good work. Just don't overdo it.

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