Shared Reviews- Expanded Category Descriptions - Recreation

Shared Reviews (SR) is a community-based product review site that shares monthly revenue with writers, and with members who vote for quality reviews. Anyone who has an opinion about products you own (that fit the category structure) may sign up and participate.

There is currently no pre-approval process for reviews. You write it, you publish it, zap! It goes live. But then what? If you did not place your review in the proper category, at some point it will probably be reported to the administrators and the review will be pulled. It will be sent back to you for editing, then it will actually have to be approved before it will go live again. If a review is pulled you will lose points on your Share Score, and so may people who voted for your review. No one will be happy.

However, the current category structure is definitely rough around the edges, and there is no help provided for those who really want to put a review in the correct place. Some of the most active participants at the site have been asking for a short description for each category to help people decide what belongs there, but this is a big task, and the administration is facing many big tasks as they try to get the site on firm financial ground.

So... simply based on several months of experience I will attempt to provide some guidance for the categories. PLEASE NOTE- this is in no way an official statement of SR policy, and using these guidelines does not guarantee that you will never have a review pulled. But I hope that they will help. Some categories seem fairly obvious. Others are problematic for almost everyone.

You should always place a review in the category for which the manufacturer designed it. For example, one successful reviewer placed a hydration pack in ATV Accessories because that is how her son used it. The review was pulled and moved to Recreation / Outdoor Equipment because that is how it is marketed. You are free to describe creative uses for a product, but always choose to place it in the category for which it is primarily designed.

Recreation Category

General Comments: All of the categories for a specific product will include the accessories associated with that sport. For example, Skis & Snowboards can also include bindings, specialized clothing, etc.

Water bottles and hydration packs, unless they have some particular mounting device or special adaptation to a specific sport should be put in Outdoor Equipment.

Recreation Subcategories

Backpacks
Because this is a subcategory of Recreation, you would think that this would be filled with backpacks for hiking. But it is really the only place to put any sort of backpack, so go ahead and put book bags, messenger bags, and slings here. There are other places for laptop packs in Computers / Laptop Cases, for purses, even large ones in Clothing / Handbags & Wallets, and briefcases in Office / Briefcases

Baseball & Softball Equipment
This one is fairly obvious and the title is worded so that it includes all kinds of accessories and gear which would be used for these bat and ball sports.

Bike Accessories
This is fairly straightforward, except possibly in the area of helmets which might be used for any number of sports. The category would include bags, tools, parts, some clothing and other gear, You can probably safely put helmets here or in either of the more general categories Sports Equipment or Sporting Goods. There is certainly some overlap with Outdoor Clothing and with Clothing / Athletic & Sportswear, but since it is so ambiguous you are probably safe to put specialty bicycling clothing in either location.

Binoculars
This would include any kind of traditional binoculars, and probably also monoculars and night vision glasses. There is currently no category for telescopes.

Boating Accessories
Put all kinds of things that you would use in and around boats here. This includes pull-behind tubes, paddles, boat add-ons, safety equipment, etc.

Boats
This is the location for everything from rubber rafts to kayaks and canoes to motor boats.

Camping Equipment
Here is another huge catch-all category. The best rule of thumb is to look for a more specific category before you put an item in here. Your review will always do better the more focused the category is. However, you can include everything from tents to coolers, to campfire cookware here.

Children's Bikes
This includes bicycles and tricycles, but not other ride-on toys. They have their own category in Toys / Ride-On Toys

Fishing Gear
If it has to do with catching fish, this is where it goes. Everything from tackle, line, and lures, to special clothing would go here.

Golf Equipment
This includes golf carts to balls, and specialized clothing.

Hunting and Accessories
This category currently has some hand guns which are unlikely to be used for hunting animals, but they have not been removed. You can take your chances with those if you want. However, the main purpose of the category is for shotguns and rifles, specialized clothing, tree stands, scents, and all those many other accessories for hunting animals.

In-Line Skates
This would include not only the skates themselves, but accessories such as special wheels, or cases. Helmets and pads might be appropriate here, or in either of the more general categories Sports Equipment or Sporting Goods.

Laser Tag Equipment
This would include weapons, specialized clothing, and other kinds of gear specific to laser tag.

Martial Arts
This is for equipment and specialized clothing used for all the martial arts. Reviews of gyms, or training programs are not acceptable. This has been tested, and several have been removed.

Mountain Bikes
This is the category for bikes designed for off-pavement use. Tools and parts should be put in Bike Accessories since it has a separate category

Outdoor Clothing
There is a lot of overlap of this category with Clothing / Athletic & Sportswear. It also makes sense to put clothing which is specific to an activity that has a category in that category.

Outdoor Equipment
This category should be used for items which do not fit one of the other sub-categories. Please look those over before you just throw something in this collection. Remember, the better your product fits in a category the more it will be seen.

Paintball Equipment
This would include weapons, specialized clothing, and other kinds of gear specific to paintball.

Racquets
Tennis and badminton racquets go here. There is a separate category for racquetball. If there were parallel construction of the categories then tennis balls and shuttlecocks would go here as well, but this has not been tested.

Road Bikes
This is the category for bikes designed for use on pavement, including touring bikes. Tools and parts should be put in Bike Accessories since it has a separate category

Running Gear
This is another very ambiguous category. However there are a lot of shoes specific to running that easily fit here, and specialized clothing, and other types of gear. The clothing will have a lot of overlap with Clothing / Athletic & Sportswear, but if has special adaptations for runners, it is a good fit here.

Scuba Diving Equipment
This would include tanks and all their parts, masks, fins, and specialized clothing. Since there is no other place to put it, I would think that snorkeling equipment could also go here.

Skis & Snowboards
This includes not only the skis and boards, but all the many accessories and other gear that go with these activities, including specialized clothing.

Sporting Goods
This is where you can put all that equipment that doesn't seem to have a home anywhere else. There is bound to be a lot of overlap with Outdoor Equipment. Remember that if there is a category with a better fit to put your review there.

Sports Equipment
So now you are wondering how is this different from Sporting Goods. I have no idea. Again, just remember that if there is a category with a better fit to put your review there.

Squash & Racquetball
This includes racquets, balls, protective equipment, and any other items which are specialized to these sports. I would think that handball equipment might fit here too, but you would probably be safer to place it in one of the general categories since this has not been tested.

Stadium & Sporting Facilities
This is supposed to be places where you go as a spectator to watch events, rather than a place to review gyms, or driving ranges, or things like the YMCA. There is no category to review those kinds of places, and currently there is no plan to include them, since they are more in the nature of services.

Summer Camps
This is one of the few categories that is more like a service review. This is not a category for facilities like campgrounds or state parks. This refers to programs which are offered for specific times for particular groups of people. Such programs are most often held at a facility designed for the program.

Winter Accessories
This is another catch-all category. Things such as sleds, snowshoes, skates, hockey equipment, and adult snow toys fit here for sure. Currently snow toys for children do not have a category except Toys / Outdoor Toys. So you can take a chance on which place to put them. Specialty clothing for winter recreation is a good fit here. There is some ambiguity in many clothing categories. There is some indication that the administration wants all gloves placed in Clothing / Gloves, but I think that if the gloves are in some way specific to a recreational purpose that they belong here. Make your own decision, I guess.

AGAIN NOTE- this is in no way an official statement of SR policy, and using these guidelines does not guarantee that you will never have a review pulled.

This is being published as Display Only. It will be updated as appropriate. June 27, 2008

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