Rijk - Review Opera at download.com!

Review Opera at download.com!

Monday, August 9, 2004 8:52:06 AM

Asa Dotzler, a Mozillan, has been campaigning to get lots of positive reviews for Firefox at download.com:
<http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/005970.html>

Of course, Firefox is a great browser. But Opera is even better! So it might be smart to get Opera's number of reviews and rating up as well.

Exclipy called for action in the opera.general newsgroup.

Just drawing everyone's attention to a thread at MyOpera.
<http://my.opera.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=60748>
Basically, we're calling for Opera lovers to post a review at Download.com to boost our user satisfaction percentages, after a similar tactic in the Firefox community.

At the moment, Opera has about 100 reviews (78% good, 22% bad) and Firefox has about 1100 (96% good, 4% bad). So I think we're being a bit outnumbered, and need your support. But keep it clean! There's been a tendency to bash Firefox, and basically, Don't Do It because it makes the Opera community look bad. And anyway, we should be bashing IE

All you have to do is:
1. Go to <http://www.download.com/3302-2356-10301035.html>
2. Use the form in the top-right corner.
3. It'll ask you to register. This is very easy and quick, don't let it put you off.
[end quote]

I couldn't agree more!

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Comments

TreeGo # Monday, August 9, 2004 8:52:06 AM

What effect does download.com rantings/ravings/reviews have on the big picture?

Is Opera concerned that it will lose potential customers or market share because of the download.com voting/poll results possibly?

TreeGo # Monday, August 9, 2004 8:52:06 AM

We should bash IE, but not bash what many would consider an inferior product, also, in Firefox?

I quite frankly don't follow your line of thinking at all!

Rijk # Monday, August 9, 2004 8:52:06 AM

Opera needs to get the word out. More 'common' users should try it. And there is of course the friendly rivalry between the alternative browsers. We have a common goal: make the number of non-IE users significant, so webdesigners stop making IE-only sites.

IMHO, Firefox is an improved, open source version of IE. Opera is a different beast alltogether, offering more and different stuff. BTW, bashing any product is a bad idea, it will not convince any IE-user to switch to an alternative browser. In a review, you should concentrate on what is great in Opera, not on what is wrong with other browsers. Maybe I should have added some more of my own opinion after Exclipy's quote.

TreeGo # Monday, August 9, 2004 8:52:06 AM

Opera needs to just come out with a point-by-point comparison chart of some sort, too, I think.

It is difficult to just tout Opera without "bashing" the competition, though.

People will not consider Opera until they know how it's "better" than IE or Firefox or Mozilla.

Good salesmanship when you are in "last place" in sheer numbers of users requires aggressive tactics that show specifically how/why you are better than those that are currently more widely used.

"Bashing" does draw strongly negative connotations, agreed. But, I liken it to the politicians who piously make pleas for no more "dirty" campaign tactics by their opponent. My immediate reaction when hearing this is to consider what is the pleaing politician trying to cover up by accusing his opponent of being dirty for exposing the "flaws" of the other candidate.

Simply saying, Firefox is horrible and Opera rocks is juvenile bashing. But saying something like favicon support is woeful in Firefox but flawless in Opera is NOT bashing, for example.

Knuckleheads abound on both sides, Opera and Firefox fanatics ... but aggressive, detailed explanations, comparisons are necessary for Opera's success, I think.

NonTroppo has done an excellent job in this regard as has Tim Luoma.... it's amazing to me that Opera itself is so far behind Opera fans in this regard in making clear distinctions between itself and the competition and in so doing displaying its competitive advantages for the public.