XCat wrote:

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Okay taken (sorry about the cookie ), and I'm slightly confused about the similarities part…

qwertyuiop123457 wrote:

May I ask, what is this shop about, is it about reviews on certain projects?

RedGuy7 wrote:

oh when i asked for a review i meant a shop format review

BGMead's Shop Review #1 - April 2020
Preliminary Inspection (9.5/10)
The first thing seen before clicking on the topic is clearly the topic title, which is attractive and utilises symbols effectively. The “3 years on Scratch” also generates interest by showing the experience level of the shop. Fancy fonts could be used in the title, however with the symbols it isn’t really a big deal.

The banner is a highlight, with a clean but attractive design that fits in with the rest of the shop and the title of the shop stately clearly. The table of contents is then set out attractively, utilising BBCode gradients as well as symbols to create interest. The only change I would suggest is to replace “Order Something” with “Order” to be more professional.

The introduction is well set out and comprehensive, and the links add another dimension of organisation, with consistently correct spelling and grammar. The list of services offered, utilising BBCode, is a nice touch that means customers can immediately see what is offered. The “Happy Customers” section also adds to the credibility of the shop nicely, though for greater professionalism could be changed to “Reviews” or similar.

The individual headings are also clean and attractive, generating interest by being different from the title but still fitting in with the design of the shop.
I also had a brief look through the various content pages and found that they were informative but concise, and there were no spelling or grammar errors that I could spot. The “go back” link was also a nice touch, preventing customers from having to scroll up and down constantly when looking through content pages.

Overall, the shop is well-designed and informative, maintaining viewers’ interest. Really the only improvements that could be made, aside from the ones mentioned above, would be to use BBCode, fancy fonts, symbols or infographics more frequently, but I suspect that may happen after renovations are complete anyway. Excellent job!

Service (9/10)
When I placed my order, I was pleased with the extremely fast response time, with my order being taken in a little over ten minutes. The order was also completed on time and staff seemed friendly and efficient.

The only suggestion I would make is to consider implementing a system of notifying customers through their profile comments, or another area of the customer’s choice. This could include order confirmation, a notification when their order is taken, a notification when the order is complete, and an extra notifications needed.

But overall, the service was excellent and timely, as well as staff being friendly and active. Excellent job!

Product (9/10)
This time, I ordered a profile picture to see how that area of the shop was functioning. The icon was definitely above the standard of other shops, and since the order didn’t really specify the style of the art on the icon, I’m inclined to say it was a very good job. Clearly the profile pictures department is running well. Excellent job on this too!

Overview (9.5/10)
Overall, BGMead's Shop is clearly a high-quality and professional shop with friendly staff and high activity levels. They are clearly one of the best shops operating right now, and with a few minor changes could easily be a prime candidate for the best shop on Scratch. Excellent job!

XCat wrote:

BGMead's Shop Review #1 - April 2020
Preliminary Inspection (9.5/10)
The first thing seen before clicking on the topic is clearly the topic title, which is attractive and utilises symbols effectively. The “3 years on Scratch” also generates interest by showing the experience level of the shop. Fancy fonts could be used in the title, however with the symbols it isn’t really a big deal.

The banner is a highlight, with a clean but attractive design that fits in with the rest of the shop and the title of the shop stately clearly. The table of contents is then set out attractively, utilising BBCode gradients as well as symbols to create interest. The only change I would suggest is to replace “Order Something” with “Order” to be more professional.

The introduction is well set out and comprehensive, and the links add another dimension of organisation, with consistently correct spelling and grammar. The list of services offered, utilising BBCode, is a nice touch that means customers can immediately see what is offered. The “Happy Customers” section also adds to the credibility of the shop nicely, though for greater professionalism could be changed to “Reviews” or similar.

The individual headings are also clean and attractive, generating interest by being different from the title but still fitting in with the design of the shop.
I also had a brief look through the various content pages and found that they were informative but concise, and there were no spelling or grammar errors that I could spot. The “go back” link was also a nice touch, preventing customers from having to scroll up and down constantly when looking through content pages.

Overall, the shop is well-designed and informative, maintaining viewers’ interest. Really the only improvements that could be made, aside from the ones mentioned above, would be to use BBCode, fancy fonts, symbols or infographics more frequently, but I suspect that may happen after renovations are complete anyway. Excellent job!

Service (9/10)
When I placed my order, I was pleased with the extremely fast response time, with my order being taken in a little over ten minutes. The order was also completed on time and staff seemed friendly and efficient.

The only suggestion I would make is to consider implementing a system of notifying customers through their profile comments, or another area of the customer’s choice. This could include order confirmation, a notification when their order is taken, a notification when the order is complete, and an extra notifications needed.

But overall, the service was excellent and timely, as well as staff being friendly and active. Excellent job!

Product (9/10)
This time, I ordered a profile picture to see how that area of the shop was functioning. The icon was definitely above the standard of other shops, and since the order didn’t really specify the style of the art on the icon, I’m inclined to say it was a very good job. Clearly the profile pictures department is running well. Excellent job on this too!

Overview (9.5/10)
Overall, BGMead's Shop is clearly a high-quality and professional shop with friendly staff and high activity levels. They are clearly one of the best shops operating right now, and with a few minor changes could easily be a prime candidate for the best shop on Scratch. Excellent job!

Name of shop reviewed: BGMead's Shop
Rating: 10/10!
Any suggestions? My only suggestion is a minor one for your shop menu - instead of having links look like this: https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/discuss/post/3941891/ make them look like this: https://scratch-mit-edu.ezproxy.canberra.edu.au/discuss/topic/395997/?page=3#post-3941891
You can get the second link by clicking on the first and copying the URL. The second link is better because then when the url is clicked, you'll be instantly taken to the post, and you won't have to wait for it to load each time
Extra: I love this shop! I got great feedback and areas that could use improvement were noted appropriately. I think my shop will greatly benefit from the monthly review service! Thanks!!

BGMead wrote:

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XCat wrote:

BGMead wrote:

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Okay thanks - especially for the tip about the links! I'll be ready for your review next month!

clove- wrote:

Shop Name: Buzzy Bee Banners
Shop Link: here :)
Owner: me! (clove-)
Permission From Owner: well, uh, I'm the owner so… xD
Extra Requests: we'd like a monthly review please! thanks so much!

XCat wrote:

clove- wrote:

Shop Name: Buzzy Bee Banners
Shop Link: here :)
Owner: me! (clove-)
Permission From Owner: well, uh, I'm the owner so… xD
Extra Requests: we'd like a monthly review please! thanks so much!

Okay, thanks! And what day would you like the monthly review on (e.g. 2nd Sunday of each month, 16th of each month)?

clove- wrote:

XCat wrote:

clove- wrote:

Shop Name: Buzzy Bee Banners
Shop Link: here :)
Owner: me! (clove-)
Permission From Owner: well, uh, I'm the owner so… xD
Extra Requests: we'd like a monthly review please! thanks so much!

Okay, thanks! And what day would you like the monthly review on (e.g. 2nd Sunday of each month, 16th of each month)?

how about sometime in the last week of the month? the exact day doesn't really matter thanks so much!

XCat wrote:

clove- wrote:

XCat wrote:

clove- wrote:

Shop Name: Buzzy Bee Banners
Shop Link: here :)
Owner: me! (clove-)
Permission From Owner: well, uh, I'm the owner so… xD
Extra Requests: we'd like a monthly review please! thanks so much!

Okay, thanks! And what day would you like the monthly review on (e.g. 2nd Sunday of each month, 16th of each month)?

how about sometime in the last week of the month? the exact day doesn't really matter thanks so much!

Okay, I might do the 27th of each month then.

clove- wrote:

XCat wrote:

clove- wrote:

XCat wrote:

clove- wrote:

Shop Name: Buzzy Bee Banners
Shop Link: here :)
Owner: me! (clove-)
Permission From Owner: well, uh, I'm the owner so… xD
Extra Requests: we'd like a monthly review please! thanks so much!

Okay, thanks! And what day would you like the monthly review on (e.g. 2nd Sunday of each month, 16th of each month)?

how about sometime in the last week of the month? the exact day doesn't really matter thanks so much!

Okay, I might do the 27th of each month then.

perfect! would you be able to do the first review sooner than that? we're in the process of training our newest hive members, and so I kind of want to see a before and after. is that possible? thanks so much!

Perfect Pearls Formatting Review
Preliminary Inspection (8.5/10)
First, the title using fancy fonts and symbols is a good sign, as I know that will increase traffic. Good job on that! However, the next thing I see is the banner. It’s well-designed, which is also a good sign, but unfortunately there’s a blaring spelling mistake in it. Most people probably aren’t as pedantic as me about that, but it might help to fix that up!

The table of contents is well set out, another good sign, though it could be improved by using BBCode for an exciting colour, using fancy fonts or symbols, or using an image-based link. However, it is perfectly fine as it is.

The information about shops is a nice addition, likely to increase orders from Scratchers not experienced with shops, and the giving Internets / promoting area is also a nice touch to increase the shop’s visibility.

To be honest, I’m not entirely sure about the Scratchblocks. The first set does look attractive, serve a purpose, and also increase viewer interest, but I’m not entirely sure what purpose the second set is meant to serve. It does increase viewer interest, but the content isn’t really interesting or could be a bit off-putting. I would recommend changing the Scratchblocks possibly to something related to the shop, such as services offered or some kind of promotional message.

I also had a brief scroll through the pages, and determined that they are well set out and comprehensive, with a few spelling and grammar errors, but I would not consider this a big deal.

Overall, this shop is more than satisfactory in its layout and design, and the information is comprehensive and helpful. However, this shop could still lift by exploring options like BBCode, fancy fonts, symbols, and infographics to increase viewer interest.

Good job!

Overview (8.5/10)
Perfect Pearls seems like a great shop which, with some extra improvements, could improve their formatting even more to attract more customers and staff membres. Great job!

The Koppa Shop Review
Preliminary Inspection (8/10)
Clearly, before a Scratcher clicks on the topic, the first thing they’re going to see is the title of the thread. The title is great, featuring symbols as well as fancy text. The only thing I’d recommend with the title is to be a bit cautious with using a smaller font, as I know from experience that bigger fancy fonts are more eye-catching. Moving on, the second thing seen is the banner. The banner is quite good, though it is a bit difficult to see, so possibly consider making it a bit brighter. The text down the bottom is also a bit hard to read, though again, brightness may be the issue.

The table of contents is also quite well set out, however it could be improved using BBCode, fancy fonts, symbols, or image-based links to make it more exciting. The “Current Rating” section also adds interest and reliability, however it would be good to see where this information is from or to emphasise it by jazzing it up a bit. The welcome message is also a nice touch.

I’ve got one little pedantic thing on the first post: I’ve noticed that the About Me title has a full stop after it, though the other titles don’t. Most people probably wouldn’t notice or care about though! Another thing which could be done is to make the first post less cluttered. The activity checks list takes up a large portion of the first post, and could easily be relocated to the Jobs section or a new Staff post. The first post could also be improved by making it more visually attractive with eye-catching elements like BBCode, fancy fonts, symbols, and infographics and image-based link.

I’ve had a look through the rest of the shop’s posts and I’ve determined that they are usually helpful and accurate. However, they are a bit brief and like the first post could use a bit of jazzing up. In particular, I would recommend putting the banner at the top of each of the posts to add a bit of interest, and I would also recommend adding a list of requirements or recommendations for job applicants so they know what’s expected of them. I’d also recommend hiding a codeword in the terms and instructing employees to read the terms when applying, so you can clearly see who has read the terms.
But overall, the shop’s layout is neat and the information provided is also good, if a bit concise. As well as the specific suggestions above, I would recommend utilising BBCode, fancy fonts, symbols, infographics and image-based links to improve the attractiveness of the shop. But good job!

Service (8.5/10)
My order was finished in a bit under 24 hours, which is fantastic. Well done on that! However, I initially was a bit confused to hear that my order was completed, because no-one had actually said it had been taken. In the future, I’d recommend responding to the order saying “taken” so the customer knows their order has been taken. If you wanted to go the extra mile, you could also send an order confirmation message on customer’s profiles confirming their order has been taken.

However, I did receive a notification when my order was complete, which was rather helpful, though I would also recommend posting it on the thread as well. But good job on the speedy service!

Product (8.5/10)
I ordered a profile picture to test how that area of the shop was functioning, and I was rather pleased with the result. My order was followed to the letter, and the profile was clean and rather cute! There was a little slice of white down to one side, but other than that, great job!

Overview (8.5/10)
Overall, The Koppa Shop clearly is a promising shop with lots of potential to improve, by exploring more eye-catching ways of formatting, such as BBCode, fancy fonts, symbols, infographics, and imaged-based links, as well as considering implementing a more steady order notification system. I would also recommend getting a new, flashier banner as part of renovations too. Great job!

XCat wrote:

The Koppa Shop Review
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