So You Wanna Add a New Product? Listen Up:
Nov 04 '04
The Bottom Line These simple suggestions will help make requesting new product additions fast and friendly.
Once upon a time there were enchanted forests, fairy princesses and handsome princes, and wart-nosed witches who dwelt in cottages constructed solely of baked goods and leftover Halloween candy. In those same good old days, just about anyone could add a new product to Epinions. But magic disappeared from the world, all the dragons and gryphons died, and the few remaining witches retreated into Victorian houses in the Bay Area. This all happened about the same time that "base royalties" disappeared from the face of the earth, although any speculation that the two phenomena are related is purely of the post hoc, ergo propter hoc variety.
Nowadays only a handful of members can add new products to the Epinions database (besides the new items the company adds all the time), but - without exception - these fine people are glad to do so. They're the Category Leads, a list of whom is posted in the member center. Every last one of these people has an email address posted on his or her profile page, although some (like me) may have it concealed or altered to defeat those accursed spambots.
Since all requests for new items funnel through one to three people, depending on the category, I think you'll agree that it's not fair to expect these people to do all the work. This is especially true in cases that might require mental telepathy: while you know exactly what you're talking about, the person on the other end of your email may not have the slightest idea. So here are some suggestions for getting new items added quickly and efficiently:
Every New Product Request Requires Four Things:
The product's proper name, including model number, and correctly spelled. You might be surprised at how many requests the leads in Cars and Motorsports get to add Infinity cars and Harly motorcycles. Or maybe not.
A URL ("internet address") to a picture of the product. Emailing a picture doesn't work, since the site "scrapes" the picture from the address you give. You also cannot send the address for a Macromedia Flash presentation. If you don't know how to get the address of a picture, try this (instructions for for Windows users only - you Macanauts are on your own):
1 - Click, using mouse button two*, on your chosen picture picture of the product
2 - Choose "properties" from the popup menu
3 - Highlight the information shown in the space for "Address (URL)." Note - the entire address may not be showing. If the last three letters visible are not the file type (jpg or gif), drag downward to show more of the address.
4 - While the address is highlighted, click with button 2 again and select "copy." Alternatively, you may use the keyboard shortcut control-C. Either copies the address to the clipboard.
5 - Before leaving the properties window, paste the address into a document such as an email to make certain that it is correct and complete.
A URL ("internet address") for the manufacturer's website. If this is a type of product that changes frequently - autos, electronics, etc. - you may wish to provide only the address to the manufacturer's "front page." That helps avoid stale links and the dreaded 404 - file not found
A Price. This should be the manufacturer's suggested list price if available.
Every New Product Requested is Different, and the Category Lead will very likely need some additional information about the product you want to add. Before asking him or her to add a new product, get an idea of how the product will be indexed in the EPs database and what subcategory it might fall into. To do this, find a similar item and look immediately below the search box near the upper left hand corner of your browser window. The words connected by the symbol > tell you the proper category and subcategory structure. For instance,
Home > Electronics > Boomboxes tells you that you need to contact an Electronics Category Lead to add a Boombox
or
Home > Cars and Motorsports > Motorcycles says to contact a Cars and Motorsports Category lead to get a motorcycle added. All of these address strings begin with "home," clicking on which takes to the front page of epinions.com.
Besides the four details that are absolutely required (see above), every different kind of item has slightly varying requirements of its own. There is a way to anticipate what information the Lead will need when adding an item for you, though. Find a similar item and go to the product page where you can click on the "View Details" link. The lead will probably need to know this information when adding your request - so including it in your original email will make the whole process faster.
When a New Item is Added the Lead will generally email you a link to the product page. Some even send you a link direct to the "write a review" page. You can submit your opinion immediately, but it takes the Epinions system a few days to catch up with this addition. The new item is immediately available for you (and others) to write about, but it can't be found by the Epinions search engine for several days, and the product picture won't appear for from one to three days. If details on the product page are incorrect, the Lead who added the product for you can edit certain information, but this excludes the product name - so make certain you give it to him or her right.
Several Category Leads have created forms or forums for adding new items, which are often called SAP (for Suggest A Product) forms: check the pertinent category lead's profile pages for a link. As of this date, you can find forms for Health and Wellness, Beauty, Home and Garden, Kids and Family, Education, Games, Hotels and Travel, and Sports and Outdoors. Books and Newspapers & Magazines have public forums where members can make their requests. Check profile page(s) for the Lead(s) to find links. Once you have the information the Lead will need, paste it into the form or send it in an email. Make certain the subject line indicates it's a product request, and only send it to one of the leads.
Hope this helps - not just you, but me, too...
* this is sometimes written "right-click," but that's pretty insensitive to those who are left-handed don't you think?
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