I am afraid this is going to be a rant mainly because there are already 134 reviews mostly extolling MS’s virtues.
So on to the rant.
Rant #1 - No clear distinction between Product Rating and Review Rating.
I find it inexplicable that mouthshut has still not addressed this problem. A lot of members are rating the reviews and not the products and this probably gives a misleading rating for the product. The simple solution is to have separate ratings for products and reviews. That way , people who have not used the product need only rate the reviews. This is a serious drawback and should be rectified soon.
Rant #2 - Poor Navigation
If you know the product you are looking for , it is easy to locate it through the search option. But if you are only browsing , it is a nightmare to navigate the site. For instance , if I am looking for a good book , I would click on Books and be presented with categories sorted by alphabets , authors and so on. This is not very helpful since I am looking for a category sorted by Rating. Naturally I would want to browse through the HR books first. Secondly , with the existing views , it is frustrating to drill down to the book you are interested in and then find that it has not been reviewed ! Some kind of indication is required which gives the no. of reviews present in each category , this will save a lot of time for the user.
Rant #3 : No HTML Please , we are Indians !
Seriously , I find it ridiculous that mouthshut should limit reviewers to just two miserable HTML tags , Bold and Italics. What is the problem with embedding links directly into the page or using any of the other HTML features which makes writing for the web so much fun and exciting.The way it works now , posting links looks downright ugly. I can’t bear to read my own reviews again , leave alone others because they look so drab and dull. I think reviewing will get much more interesting if this problem were addressed.
Suggestions :
A lot of newspapers carry an Interface column through which readers can air their grievances which are then forwarded to the respective authorities like BMC , MTNL etc. This is an incredibly useful service offered by newspapers and I think mouthshut should take a leaf out of this idea and start forwarding RANTS and SUGGESTIONS from members to the companies reviewed. Maybe if the company responds , it can be posted in the comments section. This would open up a channel of communication between consumers and the Companies which can be mutually beneficial.
How about a Dynamic / Personal Rating which indicates the average rating of a product reviewed only by people in your trust list. For instance , take something like a camera. There are 25 reviews and the average product rating is Recommended. Out of these 25 reviews , 5 people are in your trust list and their average rating is SR. So you can be more careful and check out the product.
P.S : will update this review as and when I can think of anything else. Or if mouthshut actually ( gasp! ) implements any of the changes suggested.