Here's an idea how to make the review lists easier to browse if they contain long reviews (>1000 words):

- Provide two text areas for reviews. The first is limited to - say - 200 words. That is easily enforceable using javascript.

- The second text area is unlimited.

- In the list of reviews, only the content of the first text area will be shown. If the reviewer entered text in the second text area, a "read more" link is appended, leading to a page - or a popup window - where the full review (both text areas) are shown. Alternatively, the additional text could be included in the page and then dynamically made visible using javascript/css.

- The main benefit would be short blocks of text in the review list. Those who want to write a long review can do so, but would have an incentive to give a short summary of the review in the first text area, which would give the reader a hint of the full thing, and enable him to decide if he'd like to read it. Even if the reviewer doesn't want to write a review, he can simply stop typing in the first box and continue in the other one. So for the reviewer, the process of reviewing is not much more difficult than before.

I see the site has been changed today, so that only the first few lines of reviews appear on the main page, with a read more link.

Personally, I don't like this. I think people will generally be too lazy to click on the link, and a lot of good reviews will go unread. I preferred it when the whole review appeared on the main page, regardless of length.

What do others think?

So far it's just one the home page, the album's pages have the full reviews.

I like this change for the start page, for the albums ... I was thinking more like 3-4 times the length of the text that is currently displayed on the home page.

I agree -- post it all, at once!

Another reason to post the entire review is because the last paragraph in any essay/review (the well-constructed ones, anyway) is generally a conclusion, and a concise summing-up of the entire review and rating. (I write mine that way.)

Can't be bothered reading the entire review? Just read the last section -- there is my overall opinion of the album, in easily-digestible, "capsule" form for the reading/attention span impaired.

Also I was VERY unpleased to see the new chopped-down front page. Even when the whole review is short, it's been done that treatment. WHY ON EARTH? It's really irritating to click to and fro, especially to see there's not much text left. It's more comfortable to scroll the page up and down than to click-click-click-click....

I'd say that ONLY LONG REVIEWS SHOULD BE CUTTED, but not necessarily even them. 

PS. Thanks for leaving the list of collaborators' reviews uncutted. Maybe I read only them completely from now on.

Peter wrote: I agree -- post it all, at once! Another reason to post the entire review is because the last paragraph in any essay/review (the well-constructed ones, anyway) is generally a conclusion, and a concise summing-up of the entire review and rating. (I write mine that way.) Can't be bothered reading the entire review? Just read the last section -- there is my overall opinion of the album, in easily-digestible, "capsule" form for the reading/attention span impaired.

Newspaper articles work the other way round - the summary is given first (usually in bold letters), and then the less important information is given in descending order.

I don't mind your approach, but how do people know that you write your reviews that way?

MikeEnRegalia wrote: The most luxurious solution would of course be to provide a switch like the one toggling the display of album art (Abbreviate reviews/Show full reviews).

Yes. Or maybe simply by increasing the number of words in which the review is cut (with "read more" link) would please everyone: shortest reviews would fit completely. I think so short visible intro is too short to see whether it's worth careful reading. Therefore many worthy reviews will be unread more often than before.

 Maybe just double the word number, or triple? How would that seem to you?

Matti wrote: MikeEnRegalia wrote: The most luxurious solution would of course be to provide a switch like the one toggling the display of album art (Abbreviate reviews/Show full reviews). Yes. Or maybe simply by increasing the number of words in which the review is cut (with "read more" link) would please everyone: shortest reviews would fit completely. I think so short visible intro is too short to see whether it's worth careful reading. Therefore many worthy reviews will be unread more often than before.  Maybe just double the word number, or triple? How would that seem to you?

Actually, I like how it is done now on the start page. Obviously the idea was to limit the text so that it fits the album art height.

Only 6 members in total have expressed their feelings about this change in the front page (while some musical topic collects dozens). That surprises me. At least to me the new look seemed quite radical this morning and it may, on the long run, decrease my interest towards the Archives in general. I would like to hear how others feel about it.

Hey folks, do you have any opinions?

Off for a weekend, as usual...

I preferred the previous method, viz. display the complete reviews. I find it less user-friendly having to click on a hyperlink to read each review and then click on another to return to the Home Page - it's more time consuming (and basically a drag, in my opinion).

I don't like the current break off.

I do agree it's more easy to scroll through the page to find a review you are interrested in reading, but it does get annoying when you like me like to read all reviews, and to click on every link is indeed very time consuming.

And most of the times the reviews are only a couple of words longer than what's displayed.

Maybe there is an intermediate solution, When a review is over 150 words, than cut it short at the 100 words mark, this way, most reviews will be displayed complete, and the ones with a link, will have at least 50 more words to read, so you don't go through all the trouble of clicking on a link to find two ore three words to complete the review.

BTW I like the suggestion from Mike, on the first post

All you guys complaining should try the RSS feed. I use it with thunderbird and never miss a review, and you're directed right to the album page.