Writing Reviews (particularly for CLs)
We are staying more and more on CLs these days and have found many really lovely sites after reading reviews on CT. But I'm sure there are many, many more that we miss. The problem, for me anyway, when I look at latest activity, is the number of reviews with titles like "perfect" , "a real gem" , "lovely site" and so on.
So, and this is just a suggestion for folk writing reviews, these days I try to include the name of the site in the title when I write reviews. It makes it easier to distinguish between CL reviews and main site reviews which I don't tend to look at much.
Just wondering if others think it would be helpful to do that.
Comments
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We had a brief discussion about this earlier on so since then I've tended to put the name of any site as the review title. However when I see CL reviews, whatever the title I still have to look up the CL via the link as I often don't know where the CL is situated etc. So I don't know what is the best answer to your suggestion. I've certainly spotted some good CLs via reviews.
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I entirely agree M, I did suggest to the Club many moons ago that the titile of the site should automatically be generated e.g." xxxxxx created a review for xxxxxx". but they have done B all about it. They appear to be struggling to do anything at the moment. Site upgrades were promised for early in the year and throughout the year, I've not noticed any other than plenty of downtime.
peedee
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I will try and remember to put CL name. I might even try to create a personal template to use withCL reviews, rating things like views, dog friendliness, media links, cycling links, mobility issues, etc..... things that will help other folks. We use a lot from very basic to lots of extras. 🤔
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Like Brue I've clicked on many a CL review and am none the wiser, having then to remember the name (tough one that, and getting tougher) and then look it up. So unless you put something like:-
"Great Stop at Old Farm House, Abingdon"
I will still have to make an effort to locate it. I would hope the club would be more proactive in helping CLs but am not holding my breath.
Edit - Anyway I've seen far more reviews from non CT users than the other way so we'll still have the same problem unless the club does something.
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I suspect most people writing reviews start from the web page for that site or CL so it would probably be counter intuitive for members starting from that point to do as suggested. I am not sure why we even have titles for reviews as its probably the biggest challenge to come up with a snappy title compared to writing the review? As Wherenext acknowledges the reviews are mainly written by members who generally don't visit CT so how you would communicate the idea I have no idea. I seem to spend a lot of time deleting reviews posted in the Story Section. Even when left up for a while with a note asking for it to be posted in the correct place, 99% of the time there is no response.
David
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I click and read the review, I then click on the site name - club together/ reviews/ funny Farm
So click on the funny Farm part, that brings up reviews and and a green button saying view site, address on the top lines. Simples 😉
Because I can't save this any other way I'll post and check I've remembered my facts correctly. If there isn't an edit I did remember correctly 😉
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Yes, that's what I do as well. But very often it brings up a club site rather than a CL. I was really just mulling over a way of saving a bit of time. I did intend at one time to create a list of CLs with good reviews in areas we'd be likely to visit so I could check them out quickly. (But as Mrs M would no doubt point out, that's just one more thing I was "going to do"! )
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David I see your notes on reviews and discussions on the story section 😉
I would suggest that these are posted there because of this website, which we all know isn't intuitive.
And I agree with you about the necessity of a title for a review. I struggle to find the button to leave a review even when on the site I wish to review page 😲
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Same here about looking up the sites mentioned, at this time of the year there are lots of reviews, places I've never even thought about and probably wouldn't find easily so I enjoy reading them... and I hope I remember them! Probably should have done a list too as even today I spotted one that sounded good.
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Know what Bakers? All these years and I've never seen the VIEW SITE button!
Mrs WN doesn't seem the little bit surprised. I forgot the waste bucket on a quick 3 night trip last month. The thing is, I moved the thing out of the way in the garage to look for it! Couldn't see it, then got called away on another matter and completely forgot about it! You couldn't make it up.
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That's why we need a virtual brochure like the one on the UK Campsite website☺....Every time you view a site you like the sound of you can save it to the brochure and come back at a later date to view all of your saved sites. It is such a useful tool and I would have thought a basic element to have on this website? On most websites there is a facility to save items in your shopping basket or wishlist, so I struggle to understand why our club can't create one!
I often come across a site that I'd saved and forgotten about until I'm looking for sites in a particular area and I discover a couple of possibilities I'd noted for future reference.
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I agree with the fact that we've discussed this in the past, and since than I've tried to post the site's name before adding a comment then completing the review. However I don't know where to find the "latest activity" listings....I guess that I'm just dumb... and so must be missing a lot of reviews of CLs that might well be of interest to us. All I do is search out those in the area we wish to visit then read through each site's reviews. The suggestion for a listing of favourite/favourable sites looks a good one to me.
This damn network I've lost this post again and had to rewrite it.
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It would greatly help if all CL's were allocated a reference number that remained the same instead of changing with each new handbook.
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I post reviews on the relevant site/CL page on the CAMC website, not latest activity. The review tool gives a compulsory 'title' box to infillI, hence the commonality of words in titles I suspect, due to the review being of that particular site/CL
I also copy a review to the far better resource UKcampsites.co.ukWhen looking for prospective sites google maps is a useful tool where 'nearby' with keywords such as 'certificated location', 'caravan site' will bring up listings with google reviews and images.
Unfortunately the least useful tool is the CL search on the CAMC website.
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“Unfortunately the least useful tool is the CL search on the CAMC website.”
If only the search function was that good. We recently stayed just for one night on a CL called Elgar’s view. Lovely site had all the facilties you could possibly wish for A tap and a CDP. However if you place the term Elgar’s view into the search box It returns 2,760 results! It seems to pick up every single ‘s
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I tried to find my last site review from 28/05/2019 using the method you employ via the latest activity log. I gave up after 45 minutes of constantly clicking to expand the log. It would have been easier to go to the site page ie Black Knowl.
The default is 5 latest records. Would I need to be constantly logged on with that page open to see every record as it appears??
Ive screenshotted and attached as images that using the method of 'latest activity', then 'latest reviews' as you open 'view this review' at the top is a directory that has the CL / Site name in the file tree.
In this example the CL is 'Bunkers Hill Farm' with a title of the review 'Lovely and quiet'.
If you click on the 'Bunkers Hill Farm' in the file tree the page opens giving a 'View Site' green button that opens site page.
Different strokes for different folks, I guess
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You misunderstand what I was saying, KS. Yes, if I want details of a particular site or even a site in a particular area I'll go to that site/area - I don't go scouring back through the latest activities to find it.
I'm perfectly aware of how to use the view site button.
But what I meant was that, when I go onto CT, the first thing I look at is the latest activity. It is there that the plethora of reviews with vague, though complimentary, titles is time consuming. I was meaning, in my OP, that a title such as "Bunkers Hill (location) - lovely and quiet" would be more helpful than just those 3 words.
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How do you find reviews from the period you've been offline for a few days or weeks as you've been out touring? Is there a time slot part to the search function? On other fora I use you can search by keyword and date range.
Do you not read the reviews, just the title?
The 'latest activity/reviews' only gives the first few words of a review. By clicking 'view this review' it opens with a page that has the site/CL name in the displayed file tree.
To write a review can you do it without going via the individual site/CL page?
Perhaps the software would be best modified to insert the CL/Site name/location that displays in the latest activity/review display, then the review title free text box.
When I write reviews its from the site/CL individual page, why should I have to enter the name/location as I'm following a link to write the review on the site/CL I've taken time out to write a review about. When the email from CAMC arrives asking me to complete a questionnaire or a review it contains a link to the site individual page.
Perhaps your request would get better responses in the snagging list section
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I'm obviously not making myself clear to you, KS. I'm not talking about reading reviews for a specific site.
Out of interest I like to read reviews, often at random, of CLs (not club sites so no email from the club inviting them) which other folk have appreciated. We've stayed on quite a few now in areas we wouldn't necessarily have thought of visiting otherwise.
It was just a suggestion which might help folk, sorry you seem to be interpreting it as some sort of criticism!
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I get it, M. I saw a review this morning in LA which, although it didn’t have the site name in the title, was called something like “Lovely CL near Tavistock”. It struck me then that it could be instantly recognisable and of use to someone planning to visit Tavistock. I wish I’d looked up the site name.
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Yes, and I've just noticed two this afternoon. So maybe my suggestion was not so obscure as some have suggested!
Edit - the Tavistock one was Lumburn Court which we've pencilled in when we visit friends in the town later this year, so very, very helpful.
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https://www.caravanclub.co.uk/certificated-locations/england/devon/tavistock/lumburn-court/
Found by clicking 5 times on the bottom of the latest review section in CT
to get to it.or putting 'Devon' & 'Tavistock' in the CL Search tool:
Different strokes for different folks. More than one way to skin a cat (metaphorically speaking)
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Thanks WN. I've just done that and of the last 35 reviews there only 2 of them have the site name in the title.
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