I have just gone to add a site review and noticed this can no longer be done without grading the facilities on a 1 to 10 basis. Personally I find this a very difficult thing to do and would prefer not to. Also, unless I have missed the information there appears to be no guiding criteria for the grading system. Is it possible for this requirement to be optional?
Hi David - yes it's a new thing (we had so many requests for it to be included)
I realise the grading can be very subjective, and can only be the reviewer's feeling for the site. I'd say just rate it as best you can, compared to other sites, and with consideration for price, expectation etc. The ratings can't be missed off at present, but don't show on the actual published review at the moment - we're probably just going to publish an average score once we have a certain number of ratings. But it's a work in progress, so any feedback is appreciated.
The grading of a site depends entirely upon personal preferences, and in my opinion this means nothing to the majority of other people. Some people will give a high rating to a large site with entertainment, childrens playground etc, whereas others prefer quiet or basic sites.
Exactly. Which is why we keep the actual site reviews, which are much more informative. But over time, with a larger number of ratings, we can get an average which is then useful. You can't leave ratings without including the review itself. Nothing has changed in that respect.
The more reviews we get from members each time they visit a site, the better....
Sounds like a very fair way of doing it Ian. For some of the larger sites it can be very time consuming reading all the reviews so a sterred rating is a good starting point. Would also give a better feedback to the many site owners that frquent to inform them where they can improve their sites.
I found it very hard. But I am glad an overall rating isn't based on an average of the others. For me a small perfect site with no facilities can still be bang on.
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I am slightly happier that it will be a cumulative score rather than an individual review score. As I have voiced in the past I am not convinced its a useful measure, how do you compare a Haven site with a Caravan Club site? Anyway I will have a go.
Quote: Originally posted by David Klyne on 28/4/2009
I am slightly happier that it will be a cumulative score rather than an individual review score. As I have voiced in the past I am not convinced its a useful measure, how do you compare a Haven site with a Caravan Club site? Anyway I will have a go.
David
As Ian said above i think you would be better rating a CC site against an equivelent similar site and a Haven site against other big sites. Your main points can still be made in the review.
I think this is a good idea because it gives a fairer picture. It can be easy to remember the not so positive points about a site but the grading system enables you to give a fairer view.
I have submitted a couple of reviews using the new system. I am still of the opinion that a written review is more worthwhile as it explains the individual viewpoint of the site. I expect the real reason for people wanting a grading system is that they will make a judgement on that alone. If the grades don't look good they will pass over to an alternative site. So if they see a site which is poorly graded for say children's facilities, as a sizable number of CC sites would be, they could ignore a gem of a site. An example of what I mean is Rowntree Park. No on site facilities for children but within walking distance of one of the greatest museums in the country, The National Rail Museum which is not only free but suitable for children between 6 and 62! That information can be included in a written review but more difficult to encapsulate in a grading system. So for those of you that think I am wrong in questioning the idea of a grading system I though I would expand the reasons why it is my view.
I agree David, and do understand your concerns, but the point is the written review part is unchanged. You can't just rate a site, and not leave a written review. The individual gradings are not shown, so the end result is exactly as before, with the review text being the important part.
When you said that the grading would not be applied to individual reports I took heart from that. I am not sure if you are familiar with a site could Zoover which does reviews on hotels as well as campsites. They use a grading system. What is fascinating about that site is the difference in grading between the nationalities! Could I ask that when you are ready to show the gradings that you post a message here so we can all have a look. Will the gradings apply to European campsite reviews? Off to Italy soon so should have a few different reviews from there.
Hi David, yes of course, once we have enough to make it mean something, I'll put on a post, so we can get feedback, and see how it's looking / working. I'll take a look at Zoover too.
petunia20 - I'd say include the attractions / activities in the text, but they would also affect the rating you give to the location, so kind of covered in that section I think
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Topic: Campsite Reviews / Gradings
