Forums > Site Announcements > Announcing an important but mostly transparent change...

I have implemented a change on the site that affects reviews. For the most part this should be a transparent change and self-explanatory, but I thought I'd explain it here anyway in case any of you have questions.

The change pertains to how feedback displays. For the most part, things work as they have. You can still tell from the front page if a review has feedback on the forums, still click through to go right to that thread. Or you can view the review itself, and scroll down to see comments. That's where the change has taken place, though. Now instead of just one option, you have two.

Option 1: This is the new default option. You can see comments that people have left using Facebook. It's the option that is active on your account right now and it's the option that any casual visitor will see by default. This allows people to easily comment on what they've just read, even if they don't have an HonestGamers account. This should increase the number of people who comment on what you've written, and it should also lead to increased exposure for your content because whenever someone comments on your review using Facebook, that puts a link to your review on their Facebook wall (unless they choose otherwise). The long-term impact could be enormous.

Option 2: You can view comments left as forum posts by registered HonestGamers users. Only registered users can post on the forums, as you are aware. This means that comments are likely to be posted by a more limited number of users, but the comments also are actively moderated by staff and that means you have to put up with less spam and such. If someone wants to leave a line crit, they can do it here. In short, this option works precisely as it has for months now.

Switching between the two options is easy. On the tab just above where feedback displays, you simply click to switch between Facebook and Forum feedback. The site will reload the page with the chosen setting in place. There's no need to head to your account settings page or anything like that; the change is instant.

The page also lets you know if there is feedback under the 'Forums' tab, because a count displays in parentheses. So you don't have to wonder. I haven't found a way to do that on the Facebook side, but if I do, that'll happen too.

This change was brought about to increase the amount of exposure that your content gets. I believe that we produce quality content here, and now it'll be easier than ever to share that content with others and to receive comments on what we have written. I don't expect to see a massive number of Facebook comments for any of our content, but this is a case where previously we had an important door closed and now it is open. I'm always looking for ways to bring our content to the wider audience that it deserves, and I'm excited about this change (largely transparent though it is) and the possibilities that it represents. I hope that you will be too!

"Too often we enjoy the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." - John F. Kennedy on reality

"What if everything you see is more than what you see--the person next to you is a warrior and the space that appears empty is a secret door to another world? What if something appears that shouldn't? You either dismiss it, or you accept that there is much more to the world than you think. Perhaps it really is a doorway, and if you choose to go inside, you'll find many unexpected things." - Shigeru Miyamoto on secret doors to another world2