We’ve been doing this for a little over two years now and I’d like to see what you guys think of the site as it stands today. Feel free to excoriate or laud us in comments or email me directly at john at crunchgear.com. What can we do differently? What needs to change? What should we add?
Honestly when it comes to the sites that I visit at least every 10 minutes at work for an update, this is probably number 3.
1. GMail
2. CNN
3. Crunchgear
4. Digg
5. (insert random shopping site)
I have always valued CG over and above Engadget and Gizmodo mainly because I like the writing here more. However the CG site is a lot less busy than those other two and the community here isn’t a whole load of d-bags. It seems visitors on this site will actually have a rational argument rather than other sites where they just talk out of their asses about topics they barely know.
Plus I rule at your contests. =P
I’d like to see more side-by-side comparisons of similar products where you would list the specs on each. Sort of like this:
http://reviews.cnet.com/4504-4_7-0.html?id=33248628&id=33259222&&tag=boxcoco
Is there any way to place all your Apple posts into a separate site, like you’ve done with Mobile Crunch? I mean, I know you love Apple, John, and that’s never-ever going to change. But could you create an “iCrunch” or “AppleCrunch” or “CrunchyApple” site to house your affection and ardor? It would also make it that much easier to ignore those posts for those of us still furtively clinging to Microsoft products (XP at work, Vista at home, WinMo 5 on my phone).
Otherwise, I <3 CrunchGear. Consistently great content, writers that don’t all sound the same, and fun contests that I never win.
Thanks!
I go here because commenting is very streamlined, and i am very interested in the site content.
As far as making improvements my biggest gripe is that i can’t really go here as much when using Chrome since i can’t update my flashplayer at work…obviously that isnt’ Grunchgears fault.
Otherwise maybe moving the resource link that is currently below the ads to be between a set of ads. Also a better ad layout would be interesting since stacking two vertical banners side by side doesn’t make much sense.
-Joe
You guys do a wonderful job… but there is one thing that I find slightly annoying:
I’m subscribed to CrunchGear, TechCrunch & MobileCrunch RSS and I understand how some posts apply to all 3 sites. But when that happens, all most the EXACT same post is made on each site or it just links to the other websites article.
I’d like to see these articles feature a little more commentary on the author’s perspective. So if CrunchGear is commenting on a TechCrunch story, have that author write a paragraph on THEIR view of the situation rather than just reciting and linking.
Its a really, really, really small complaint and only because I’m an RSS obsesser. Either way you guys are doing an excellent job… keep up the great work.
If we had more hours in the day, MR, we would add unique content to each site. Sadly, we never seem to make it and we end up with duplication. It also helps us drag cranky TC readers over to our site where they can gain a little of our rainbows and sunshine. It’s annoying for RSS readers, obviously, but not so bad for folks who still visit sites.
Actually, I never read the articles in my RSS Reader… I always click through to the actual website and read it there. I completely understand the “hours in the day” thing and feel the pain there.
Like I said, it was a miniscule complaint and overall, you folks are doing a bang up job. I read the site every single day and plan on continuing that habit.
I would like to see the same theme changes the other crunch sites have. Also I think sometimes content goes by so fast I don’t even get a chance to comment. So spacing out is the key. I know that its sometimes easier said than done.
Also your reviews get lost, so I would be nice to have a page or something to help find the hot product reviews. Believe it or not some of your readers respect your opinions on gear ;)
Oh and you need to bring that writer back that likes to talk about Bacon all the time… What was his name again… ;)
Keep up the good work guys and Enjoy Bacon!
Writing:
The individual style and attempted humor are there, but who is being targeted? The 12 year old who just wants to win contests, or people who may actually buy the product themselves based on your information (or not, in a “lack there of” situation). Proof-reading and editing should always be done and speech to text posts (you know who you are) shouldn’t go up just because you’re done talking. We all misspell or sometimes use the wrong word entirely and sometimes revert to lolz speech, so no faults there, this iz teh internetz afterawl. It’s the frequency. Is this not a business with professional writers and should be represented as such? Or is tech-blogging just one long hangover until the next party so if quality suffers it’s ok? If it is, then sign me up, I’m drunk most of the time already anyway! Not that we want it to read like Consumer Reports, but at least intelligibly.
Products:
(Original)
For items we’ve not seen elsewhere a hundred times, it almost seems as though you would want to put as much information about the product in the review. Many times I’ll follow the link to the product page (Yes, I know I’m special to do that, but I shouldn’t have to. That’s the point.) and see a couple more things I would have added in the review that would answer certain questions for the readers, may help in seo rankings, and may even offer more exposure to increase cpc. A one sentence fifteen word post is nothing more than a cop-out (and even a bit, dare I say: “spammy”). Product diversity is great and breaks things up a little but it seems as though there’s no more control with some of the crap that gets posted. For all that is scientifical, there’s a reason no one else is posting certain products, hint-hint.
(Duplicates)
There is absolutely no avoiding cross-posting products with other blogs, we know that. I love getting different points of view, that’s why I read them as well; however, I cannot stand idly by while the whole blog starts to become follow the leader with no originality whatsoever (even if my posts do get deleted and it leaves a bad taste on my palette). Also, with items that we know are going to be cross-blogged, it would be nice if they were at least posted the same day. Sometimes, because I already know the jist of the product, I don’t know whether I’m psychic or went back in time. Alright, that’s stretching it, but old news doesn’t often get read, which is the point, isn’t it?
Personnel:
Touchy subject, for sure, so I will not link, use names, or call anyone out here (I’ll do that in your post to your face sucka!), but it should be said that some of the selections have not been in the best interest of the blog or the readers (ie, You get what you pay for.). Every writer needs time to develop and will inevitably improve with direction…wait, there is direction, isn’t there?
All in all, I feel as though CG is partially mine (though Captain Crunch would disagree), and want it succeed as if it were. And you should feel that way too, after all, you (readers) are what keeps it going. There’s always room for improvement; however, this is a very good site. If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have been here with you over the last 2+ years…
Word.
I love you guys…in a strict, heterosexual, blogger to reader type relationship…but if I was female and/or able to have a baby I’d have all of yours. Just sayin’.
Anyway, the only thing I’d like to see is a next page/previous page at the top of the page somewhere. Knowing where the post I’m looking for is and having to wait for the page to load, scroll down, then click is just far too much work for me.
Another thing is tags, I think they can be improved somehow. I don’t search for stuff too much, but when I do I get crazy random results sometimes that has nothing to do with what I searched.
ditto
Beat me to it.
Best tech/gear/gadget/toy blog on teh interwebz!!!
You guys wrote about us so that makes ya’ll top dogs in my book!
But less selfishly I’ve actually grown to rely on CG to keep up on the latest news, and actually read quite a few of your reviews. I’ll be honest, at first I was pretty ‘meh’ when you first launched. After meeting you in person and seeing you were good folk, I started checking out the blog more often and it’s now become one of my favorites.
Kudos to you to turn a cynical and cranky Internet bastard like me into a big fan.
Where did the podcasts go? I loved em! When you guys said the phrase “oh, the daughter’s a cutter!”, I nearly drove off the road! I subscribed to the podcast feed, but there haven’t been anymore since early September. Hell, Engadget brought their podcast back from the grave; you guys should too.
We do a live podcast every Wednesday at 3:00 Eastern. You can click on the audio player in the sidebar on the right-hand side of every page to listen to the latest episode. Also, the RSS link for the show is:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/CrunchGear/feed
You can find more subscription options (iTunes etc.) and show info at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/crunchgear
Thanks for listening!
Well ##^&%*@!!!! my increasingly flaky podcatcher had all Crunchgear podcasts set to Skipped! Thanks for listing the link as confirming it lead to this discovery. Now I can again enjoy all your twisted, sweatery banter.
Okay, I listened to the last two podcasts and it’s great to have them back. But, I would humbly appeal for normalizing the volume levels of everyone on the call. Nicholas and Peter where really quiet, but when turning up the volume to hear them, Devin just about blew out the speakers.
More Sweater Friends (please…)
Ditto.
If you have ideas to roll out, go ahead, but you’re pretty darn good as you are right now.
This question is haunting my dreams: is Serkan Toto a Turkish guy living in Japan?
Otherwise it’s all peachy keen with CG.
he’s german turkish, yes.
My fav tech blog site over engadget or gizmodo
Hey, you’ve made my bookmarks toolbar =)
How are we doing?
The Future of Content in the Age of Information Overload
Design Your Dwelling: http://newblogtopic.blogspot.com/
Great writing and perfect scope. Other tech sites post so much that it’s all off the main page every five minutes. This site I feel like I’ve gotten the jist of many major things in the tech world, and if I miss a day or two, it’s actually feasible to click back a few pages and catch up.
I am a big fan and an avid reader of both CrunchGear and TechCrunch. I probably visit your site/s 100+ times a day.
I loved the layout makeover that the rest of the TechCrunch network has implemented and I would love it if CrunchGear followed suit and also changed to that new layout.
Just wondering, do you guys have any plans of doing that?
I am an avid reader of both TechCrunch and CrunchGear.
One suggestion I have is that CrunchGear also switch to the layout makeover that can be seen on the rest of the TechCrunch network.
Do you guys have any plans of doing that in the future?
I like how the comment system isn’t ‘usually’ run down into the thousands of replys. It makes me feel like someone is definitely reading my comments instead of them just being lost somewhere at the bottom of the page.
How about a redesign, and a different comment system.
I think that you guys are doing great so far!
but I personaly think that it might be a good Idea to let us have our own section where we post… posts related to technology and you guys pick and choose which ones you like the most!
(i.e. Community collaboration FTW!)
we have crunchgear.com/bff. You can post all you want, we’ll make more.
I think that you guys are doing great so far!
but I think that it might be a good Idea to let us have our own section where we post… posts related to technology and you guys pick and choose which ones you like the most!
(i.e. Community collaboration FTW!)
also an iPod app would be nice…
crap double post…
Love the Japanese addition and the watches slant… stock price commentaries could be left out me thinks (but they are rare anyways)…
CrunchGear is a land of mirth and whimsy. I likey.
This place sux. It never has any of the music I want to listen to, just crappy indie rock bands I’ve never heard of.
One suggestion comes to mind.
When looking over your entries, always curious to see responses so I’m naturally watching the “comments” tab next to the story. Recently, “trackbacks” have started being included in that number, although they’re not comments.
Would be great to see those trackbacks not included in comments.