KayakGearReviews.org – Documents

If you wish to become a member, or a reviewer at KayakGearReviews.org, please create a login here. If you have any issues please drop an email to admin.

Getting Started

In order to get started with writing your own reviews for inclusion on this site, it is best to first join the site and read a few of the reviews, check out the forums and set up your personal profile page so others may get to know you.

Writing your First Review

It is important to note that what you write must be your own original work that reflects your own personal use in a kayaking environment. You must tell the truth about the gear in an honest, insightful and impartial manner as readers may be basing their future buying decision on the report you have written, gear that they may one day have to trust with their lives. The reviews on this site are written by kayakers for kayakers, never forget that.

Your first review should be on a piece of gear that has been used numerous times, that you are familiar with and that is still available for purchase. If you are unsure if the gear qualifies for inclusion, please visit the forums and ask.

Your review should include the following:

• your name, location, contact info, date and a brief bio of your personal paddling style.
• manufacturer’s information and website
• product description including what it looks like and how to use it
• impressions of the item and how to use
• a few trip reports to demonstrate how it was used on the water
• a wrap up section of long term wear and any issues
• brief list of pro’s and con’s at the bottom for readers to quickly browse
• at least one picture should be included in the review to help give the reader an idea of what the item looks like.

Submitting your Review

You must have a login to the KayakGearReviews.org site before you can proceed forward. All reviews are edited before they are available for everyone to read. Reviews must first be added as a post to the KGR – Reviews site. In order to do that, you must first log in. In the top tool bar, mouse over the “My Blogs” link and select the KGR – Reviews site. From there you can select the “Posts” link in the left sidebar and add the review as a new post. Once you have pasted your review into the text field and formatted as you wish, it is time to submit for editing. If you are a contributor, select the “submit” button. If you are an author, editor or admin, select the “save as draft” button. Next send an email to admin requesting an edit.

Receiving your Edits

All edits will follow a set guideline. Edits will be in the form of spelling, continuity or grammatical errors but should not cover style issues. Each person should be allowed to express themselves in their own style. Edits will follow these guidelines:

• EDITS -> these edits are required to be fixed as they are generally spelling mistakes
• Edits -> these edits are more for misunderstandings or clarifications
• Comments -> are suggestions for improvement or just that, comments

Once you have received your edits, you must go back and update your post. The editor will also give you the category and tags for your review. Please ensure you have checked off the correct category and selected the correct tag to ensure your review files in the correct location on the site. If you are a contributor, please select the submit button again, then inform the editor that your edits are complete. If you are an author, editor or admin, select the post button and upload to the site

Writing your next Reviews

Once you have successfully written your first reviews, it is time to write another review. The process is similar as above. Once you have completed two reviews and are in good standing, you will be promoted to author and will be able to post your own review after your edits have been received.

What does an Editor do

An editor keeps an eye out for edit requests and responses to the request for an editor. The editor will then go over to your post and preview the post, reading through and looking for any errors and continuity flaws. The editor will highlight sections of the text and using the system outlined above, will point out what is wrong with the section and either suggest fixes or correct spelling. Once everything is pointed out, the editor will post a reply to the request with the edits required.

The most common errors are grammatical spelling errors, projecting and missing information. What an editor does not do is rewrite your report to make it better.

How to be an Editor

If you wish to be an editor, please send the admin an email and request a change of status. Then you can wait for an edit request. Then you will edit as outlined above.