Taking Reviews to the Next Level: Scrobble.life
Writing reviews is a pretty big part of blogging. In fact, you could say it is the other major aspect of it. Posting about all the amazing things we've been doing and making ourselves is one side, but then we also like to share all the things we've enjoyed (or not), that others made: Books, music, movies, TV series, podcasts, you name it.
"Do you know xyz? What did you think about it?"
I know, I have written my fair share of reviews, and it turns out, many of you got to read them. They either inspired you to share your own opinion of whatever I was reviewing, if you were familiar with it, or check it out yourself, if you weren't. In some cases, you also had written a review of the same thing, and you linked it in the comments, so I (and others) could compare them. That was the most fun part, honestly.
How reviews get lost - quickly
But that's where it also stopped. A few weeks (or days) later, the review was drowned in the flood of new posts, even in my own account. One great solution to this was making a post collection, where you could list all your film reviews, or posts about books. The other one was posting it into an appropriate community. Eventually they would also go under in the flood of new posts, but until then they would be visible to other connoisseurs of the same topic. ...Until that community would go belly up due to the failure of a project, which probably has some very human, interpersonal reasons.😫
A possible solution?
So here we are, with a bunch of written reviews, typically about the same movies, music, books, and stuff, and even more ideas about new reviews to write. Each one on its own, floating around in a sea of posts over time. Is there a way to bring it all together? Yes, finally there is! With a brand new project called Scrobble.life. I know, that name takes a bit of getting used to. But it's totally worth it!
Keeping reviews active
What's new and different about scrobble.life? It's that it's centered around the item that's reviewed. Take a TV series, for example The Queen's Gambit. First of all, the site gives you all the relevant background information, such as the cast, genre, and the year it was released, based on sources like Wikipedia, IMDb, etc. There is even a link to the trailer. Then, you can see how many people have posted a review on it on Hive, and who they are. You can open their posts right in there, including the comments. Then you can rate the show, even by episodes, if you want.
What this means for you
This means, your review will stay active and relevant for as long as the particular subject remains in existence. After all, that's the whole point of a review, right? Also, it will be listed along with other reviews, so you can compare them right away. If you happen to be looking for a new film to watch, or were recommended one, you can check out what reviews have been written about it. Once you are done with it, you can also add your own review, either in long form, or as a comment.
Automatized search of your posted reviews
In my personal experience with scrobble.life I was offered to have my whole account searched for reviews I have written in the past. It went fairly quickly, but very comprehensively, at least in the film and TV genre. Each review was matched with the background info, making it all look very streamlined. Though I had to watch out! For example, I noticed Twin Peaks appearing twice: One was my review of the original series, the other one what I wrote about the final season appearing twenty years later. So I had to correct that one before applying. What I did not notice, is that for my review of the TV series Das Boot what came up was the 1991 techno song by U96. I should have corrected that, but now it's too late. Or at least, I can't figure out how to do it...
A work in progress
This also brings me to the room for improvement on this site. You can see that it's fairly new, as there are a number of things that need to be ironed out. (The trailer shown for Das Boot is also not the TV show but the 1981 movie. Which is all acceptable, as both the song and the series are based on the film.) The other issue I have, is that I can't repeat the scanning function, and apply it to my book reviews. But I'm sure all of these things will be addressed, since the site is amazing already, and there are many other exciting functions in the works.
Where this can take us
One thing I'm not sure how I feel about for myself, but I am certain it will be great for others, is how the corresponding browser extension can track your musical tastes by following what tunes you listen to online. Since I prefer listening to downloaded music, this does not apply to me. But I'm glad to see it's one of its features. Other things I can potentially see this concept including, would be reviews of places we've been to, ranging from such vast entities as "Southeast Asia", or "the Rocky Mountains", to individual cities or neighborhoods like "Melbourne, Australia" or "Kreuzberg, Berlin" down to businesses, for example "Tío Toño Tacos in Tijuana". Kinda like a mix of pinmapple and foursquare. But that's just my own inspiration.
A fun contest, anyone?
Since I'm already promoting this new project, I should mention the contest going along with it, organized by @wiseagent. The idea is to write a review of a film that brings back a particular memory. So I suppose the focus is on the personal emotion this movie caused, whether good or bad. The post should be 250 words at least, and be published in the scrobble.life community. The deadline is July 15 and there are some grand prizes to be won. Take a look at the prompt post for more details. I will certainly write a review, but first I need to think of a good film for it.