Sazze Blog

New Feature: Lists

It's been quite some time since we last updated this thing. That's not to say we've been lazy, though. Since our last update we've been working on numerous subtle (but still important) fixes to the site, and have added several small new features. You may or may not have noticed them! Today we're proud to bring you our newest feature, Sazze Lists™! This new feature allows you to organize your reviews into...well, lists! You can only create lists of your own reviews, but can add the same review into multiple lists. The lists you create will go into a "Related Lists" section in the product's respective product page. Below is a screenshot of the list creator in action: You can create your own lists by going into your profile, selecting "Lists" from the left sidebar, then clicking on "Create a new list". And now, without further ado, I present: The Top 10 Items Calvin Can't Live Without

New Feature: RSS Feeds for Reviews

I'm pleased to announce that we now have RSS feeds for all our reviews. You can now subscribe to these feeds to keep up-to-date on the latest reviews. In addition to the daily review feed, there is a feed for each category of reviews as well. So, if you are only interested in reviews on books, then you can subscribe to the feed for the Books category. To do this, just go to the reviews page, and click on the category you would like to subscribe to. The link to the RSS feed will be displayed to the right of the reviews for the category you clicked.

New Feature: Portable Reviews & Polls

Everyone loves widgets, right? They're those little things spread across the web that lets you utilize a certain service easily, customize your page, or provide users on your website with something useful. I'm proud to announce the launch of Sazze's new widgets, the Reviews Widget and the Polls Widget! Some of our developers pulled out chunks of hair trying to get this feature out to you guys in a timely manner, so enjoy it! Both widgets are extremely easy to use. Under each review or poll, you'll see a "Get Embed Code" link. Simply click on the link, then copy and paste the code wherever HTML is accepted. This will work on your MySpace page, Facebook, Hi5, etc. It will also work on your personal websites and blogs. Here's an example of the review widget:

Sazze.com Blog: RSS Feed

When we launched our public beta, we did not have a feed for our blog (as at least one reviewer noted). Well, now you can get your fix of Sazze related news hot off the press via RSS feed. The subscription link is to your left as you read this posting. I'm sure you can take it from here ;) Calvin, myself, and everyone else on the Sazze team will be using this blog to keep you all up to date on everything coming down the pipe here at Sazze. Subscribe to the RSS feed today so you don't miss out on any of the exciting things that will be happening in the very near future! Sneak Peak: Sazze.com API (coming soon.....)

iPhone/iPod Touch Giveaway

As many of you may have already seen in the Chat section, Sazze (in partnership with DealsPlus) is giving away a FREE (as in beer) iPhone or iPod Touch to anyone who posts a review on Sazze by March 25th! For details, check out: http://dealspl.us/DealsPlus-iPod-Touch-iPhone-Giveaway_82283 Good luck everyone!

Sazze: Adding a Social Component to Consumer Product Reviews

Source: mashable.com Product review sites are a dime a dozen. There are those that exist as integrations with broader online storefronts, like Amazon. And then there are others which specialize primarily in cataloging consumer impressions. Epinions is one such site. Yelp is another, albeit with a heavy emphasis on service reviews (restaurants, stores, etc.). Now there is another name to add to the list: Sazze. Its primary focus is the consumer product market. No real surprises there. But its aim is to offer more of a social, well-networked atmosphere for its users than the average consumer is likely to encounter through many existing services. Full story: http://mashable.com/2008/03/12/sazze/

Sazze.com Launches Open Beta

Sazze.com officially opened its doors today! As of March 11, 2008 @ 4:48PM PST, users can now access the site without an invite code. For those of you in the closed beta, keep in mind that certain features will be available to the public (those without registered accounts). Unregistered users will be able to vote and comment on polls. As this poses somewhat of a spamming risk, we have allowed users to be able to manage the comments in their own polls. You now have the ability to delete comments from your poll as you see fit! Also, please note the new "Featured Reviewer" section on the front page. We will be rolling out with new features in the very near future, including an improved search engine, some very cool elite-only features, product widgets, and an XML-based API so you can grab feeds of product reviews straight to your site. Stay tuned! Calvin

Sazze.com Gets Personal With Online Product Reviews

Utilizing a social algorithm common amongst "Web 2.0" sites, online product review website Sazze.com hopes to encourage its users to write honest reviews based on personal experiences. By providing honest, real reviews from real people, Sazze.com hopes to grab a share of the online shopping/review market. Pleasanton, CA (PRWEB) March 11, 2007 -- Sazze Inc., the company managing the website of the same name, opened its Sazze.com (www.sazze.com) website to the public today. It had been in development since mid-2007, running a closed beta and only accepting limited users since January 2008. The site will continually be developed while in public beta. Sazze.com's main premise is to attract online and offline shoppers to the site by providing real and honest reviews from real people. Americans today are spending more than ever on consumer goods and retail products, and are also getting smarter about their purchases. According to research results conducted by Sazze, Inc., a company managing a consumer product review website, one out of every four shoppers reported using online reviews prior to paying for a service offline. Additionally, the results of another recent study show that consumers who research, or "pre-shop", online spend 41% more in-store than those who do not pre-shop*. By these premises, it would then be pertinent to state that higher quality information would increase offline shopping. According to Jason Lee, lead developer of Sazze.com, "Shoppers rely on online reviews and information when they are looking for the right products to purchase. There is no doubt about that. However, we believe that digital consumer product information can be refined to improve on quality as well as keeping that information up-to-date." To do so, Sazze.com has implemented a series of social web concepts designed to encourage users to write real, honest reviews. "By allowing users to interact with one another on a personal, competitive, and entertaining level," said Lee, "we're able to see drastic changes in both the quantity and quality of reviews being written by users." Sazze.com's social model is highly influenced by Yelp.com, a local listings website where users gather to socialize and review restaurants, bars, and other local businesses. Sazze.com's social model works in much the same way: putting the emphasis on social interaction between users in order to promote higher quality reviews. Additionally, Sazze.com plans on launching an "elite user" program in which users who have proven their expertise in a certain type of consumer product will become "experts" in that category. Perks for elite users include moderation privileges, and reception of various products sent by manufacturers to review. Readers report that they feel more confident buying a product if they have read reviews that are relevant to their personal lives. "Eddie D.", an active member of Sazze.com, says, "The reviews on here are great. [They're] much more detailed in the fact that people give their opinions on specific products, rather than just selling it to you." Sazze.com's future plans include the distribution of a product rating API, useful for retailers, as well as cross-site embeddable polls and reviews. ### Sazze, Inc. creates social web software to help improve the flow of information to consumers. For more information, visit www.sazze.com, or e-mail help@sazze.com. *comScore, Inc. & Yahoo!, Inc. Study 2007