Hi!
First of all, I requested to do this, so don't blame Fishuu for anything! Jadeite is sole responsible for this thing...
Second, I'm not trying to be mean or snobby, I just wanted to show that a reviewer can (and should) try to be fair at all times. We'll see if I manage to prove my point...
Besides, the webmaster want's to be reviewed, and I'm a sucker for challenges ^_^
Okay, main page. Loads nice and fast, and has a clean and sharp look.
About the welcoming message, I'd like to point out that I don't see myself, or any reviewer as a representative of the Sailor Moon community, just as I don't see a film critique as a representative for the large mass of cinema visitors. The amount of hits you get, the feedback and the general response when you talk to people on the net... that's where you can find the representatives. WPR's are just a way for webmasters to improve their sites, and visitors to find links with more detailed descriptions then the average "This is a Sailor Moon site that I like."
I'd add the 'Join the cause' link in the link list as well, so it's easy to spot once people have surfed the rest of the site.
The color changes on the updates page, but it has the same style and I really like this (and some other) tones you use. Makes it look stylish without being boring.
Hmm... it seems I caught you in the middle of updating and re-arranging, so I won't nag as much as usual about broken links if I run into any.
Well, what do you know... lil'ol us are on the WPR stories page! You should really take a copy of those pages and post on your own site (maybe with comments?) since sub-pages have a nasty habit of disappearing when the owner of the site does a larger makeover.
I managed to miss the entire Nightdragon thing, mostly since I have very little interest in RP'ing, so I can't comment on that post.
However, just because one moronic newbie flames us, doesn't mean you should write "Reviewers Flame Each Other!" as if it's an everyday occurrence. A suggestion would be something like "Reviewer has flamed another Reviewer" or something (I know, that was lame, but I'm a bit tired)
Moving along to the "What to do..." page.
The banner image is broken, and the background image is nowhere to be seen.
What kind of observations are pathetic? The positive ones, the (hopefully) entertaining ones, the so-obvious-that-everyone-but-the-webmaster-has-seen-it ones? Be specific, please.
The advice on taking everything with a grain of salt is very good, and if it was used more often when people did their info hunting I hardly think WPR's would be needed. A suggestion: It's wise to read the 'About us' section before/after reading the review and thus find out if the reviewers have any knowledge of Sailor Moon or html, and other useful info. The website tips hold true, but a webmaster should also try to consider *why* people don't like splash pages, huge images, loads of Java. Sometimes, a page can be made by a newbie with a kick-ass comp and a super connection, and they might not understand the problems some people can have with their pages. Which is where a reviewer can be helpful, if they do their job correctly.
Would like to add a thing here myself, that one should think about when it comes to reviewers.
When one submits for a review (yes, completely out of ones free will), waits patiently for two months, and then gets the review, it's not fun to discover that it consists of one paragraph of text, most of which a friend could've pointed out anyway. If you feel the review isn't detailed enough, or way to sugar coated and useless, you can and should tell the reviewer (politely) that you're disappointed. Of course, if all their reviews are in the same style, it's a pretty hopeless case.
I agree completely with the last two sentences on this page, but I personally think they apply to all reviews, good or bad.
Next section, letters from the WPR's.
In the oldest letter, you say that "You don't like anti-shrines? Oh no, I guess no one can own one now because a reviewer has clearly stated that they are bad." Critical point here is that she was talking about anti-shrines to real people, which are illegal (at least if they look like most SM anti-shrines) not the ones that are against Usagi/Beryl/Chibiusa/the odd dude from episode 79.
In the reply to the next letter, you write that "self nominations are great". Maybe you could clarify that a bit earlier in the site, that you don't have so much against reviewers that only accept self-nominations? This way, it feels like you're just grouping all reviewers, no matter they actions, under one flag and then label them bad.
*reads rest of the letters* Hmm... the fact that you are more or less assuming that reviewers are lying can probably aggravate a few people.
The fact that you aren't stating clearly in the beginning of the site (and many people don't bother the read everything) exactly what kind of reviewers you don't like is also a bit confusing and annoying.
About SSR, I checked their source code and while some of them use html-editors, some don't (or they clean their code very well) and neither does the main page. Once again, you're generalizing heavily, that's not god when trying to make a valid point.
Your WPR list needs updating, for instance Small Lady should go under the extinct header.
I also think it would be good if you pointed out, at least in a few words, what bothers you with a particular WPR. Like, These are mean, these know zero Sailor Moon, these act bossy etc, so people know the worst ones to avoid (I shudder to think where we would end up ;)
Remove the Closed WPR's header until you have anything to put under it. Now it just takes unnecessary space.
Very few people in the members list, weren't there more? One should always keep a back-up or two of documents like that, it's so annoying when they get lost.
*reads the join page*
Oh, okay, you scrapped the list. Could give a better explanation of this in the members/links page, since the current text isn't really explaining the situation.
Also, never updated members lists aren't exactly giving a professional look to your site, which lessens the impact of your words. One should remember (*before* creating a members or clique page) that things on the net have a habit of escalating wildly, if people join at all, that is.
A idea could be to use either a guestbook or something like the 'add a link' thing that Bravenet offers. That way, you only need to clean out the spam once in a while and the members list will be updated immediately.
The contact me link leads back to the main page, fix please. The FAQ has a different font than all the other pages, fix that too while you're at it.
What you write in answer to the question (okay, statement) "But there are good reviewers too!" doesn't always hold true. If you read many reviews for the same site, it usually means that the owner has gone out and submitted to a bunch of reviewers. The only way to avoid that would be if all reviewers compared notes before taking on any job, and that would be pretty lousy.
While some places seem to go purely on the esthetical side, many others go for the content, the originality or just the damn fine coding. It depends on the reviewer. The term elitist is also a bit harsh, I find, and I'd like to see examples to support your words here before I'm ready to accept what you say.
Ah. Here comes the statement that made me want to review you.
Q:"I'm a SMWPR, and I'm going to review you for this page!!"
A: "HAHAHA, oh please do! Prove to me that you are really what I am making you out to be."
Well, if that's what you want, then by all means...
The second-last question is outdated. Also, if a WPR only gives 'nice' reviews, then what good does it make? That's what you have the guestbook for, to get positive comments (flamers are morons and therefore don't count)
Heh, fun credits! I think you should add 'Sailor Moon is owned by Naoko Takeuchi' on your credits page, since your site only considers SMWPR's.
Lots of banners on the link me page. It would be nice to your visitors if you provided pre-made linking code; if nothing else they could see what the address is.
The text on antiban.gif could be better anti-aliased, looks a bit jagged as it is.
Well, then I think I'm done, more or less. Some suggestions: Add your e-mail to every page, so people can quickly and easily come in contact with you (especially important on a page like this). Clear up a few of your wordings, your talk is very fuzzy here and there. Try to fix the members list asap, and the WPR list when you have time. I've seen some references to a 'members stories' page here and there, whatever happened to that?
Also, I think a site like this could profit from an update mailinglist.
Overall, this is a very original and opinionated site, that pulls it off without being too rude, even if it's aggravating to be assumed a mean liar as reviewers are portrayed on some pages. It never hurts to be polite, even if it can be very difficult at times.
If anything, I was expecting a few more editorials about why reviewers are so bad, other ways to improve a site (it's easy to complain, harder to find a solution, ne?), stories from people getting harassed, the worst things a reviewer can do etc.
Stuff to keep people on the site, get them to really think about what you say instead of just joining something in a spur of anger at reviewers (not saying they all did that, but I bet some did).
Also a graphic or two to lighten up your page would be nice, as well as more constant updates, so that you keep up with the stuff happening. I also believe your stories page could get a lot bigger, it's seldom there's a lack of stupidity amongst people, be they members of a WPR or not.
So, final judgement? Keep updating, add more news and stories, and, even if you don't agree with us, remember that very few reviewers actively think they do something wrong. Your layout is, while not very fancy or beautiful, functional and has a distinct look that makes it stand out without being an eyesore.
Just as bad SM pages might need us, we might need someone like you to remind us that we're not that important after all.
