Mac Guild Reviews
The following commercial software titles are the most recent titles released to the Mac Guild. Please note the availability status next to each title. If the title is listed as available, you may request to review the software by sending an email to the Mac Guild mailing list or use this form. Posted reviews of any of these titles are worth 10 Mac Guild points (plus you get to keep the software).
Status is current as of 3/31/08:
In addition to software reviews, the Mac Guild posts book reviews for books related to the Mac and/or Mac related technology. Book reviews differ from software reviews in that less is required to write a book review, and if you obtain the book through the Mac Guild, you can get a refund of the book purchase price after your review is published. Plus, all book reviews earn you 10 Mac Guild points towards your membership.
How does it work?
- Select a book which is related to the Mac in some way.
- Contact me to find out if the book has already been reviewed or not. If not, and the book is available to us, you'll pay me for the book, and I'll order it for you (it will be shipped directly to you).
- Read the book, write a review on the book, and once the review is published, I'll refund your purchase price.
NOTE: If you already own the book, we won't be able to get you a refund, but please turn in a book review anyway. It is still worth 10 points, plus everyone benefits from your review.
Click here to see a list of Publishers that the Mac Guild currently has a review agreement with.
The Mac Guild is proud to provide unbias and thorough reviews of Mac-related products. The benefit of Mac Guild reviews is that they reflect the perspective of Mac users like yourself.
You do not have to be a professional writer to write a review, but you should have a decent command of the English language, and serious intent to spend the time and effort to complete the review. Before signing up for a review, take a look at the reviewer guidelines below.
BEFORE YOU START:
- The review should be broken down into the sections as indicated below.
- The review should be submitted in plain text. This means no special characters (such as curly quotes), and no hard returns (except between paragraphs).
- Paragraphs should be separated by a blank line (no indentations), and each section labeled by a section name (e.g., In Use, Summary, etc.).
- All reviews should have an appropriate number of screenshots. Submit JPEG screenshots as a zipped attachment, and in the text of your review, specify <<insert graphic [filename] here>> (where [filename] is the name of the JPEG or GIF file).
- 1. Overview
- What is the software?
What need does this software satisfy?
Who is the intended user?
Who makes the software?
What are the primary features of the software?
What makes this software stand apart from other software?
How much does the software cost?
Is it commercial, shareware, or freeware?
What is the URL of the vendor website?
What are the requirements to use the software?
NOTES: Try to keep a perspective that includes all users in general. Assume that the reader may never have heard of the software, so give a good overview of what type of software it is, what it's used for, and the intended target users.
- 2. Setup
- What is the process of installing the software?
What is required to begin using the software?
Describe the difficulty or ease of installing the software.
Is it one simple installer?
Is it multiple CDs?
Does it require the CD to be in your CDROM every time you use the software?
Are there any necessary configuration options that must be set before using the software?
NOTES: When you receive the software, perform the installation immediately and take notes on the experience.
- 3. In Use
- Introduce the primary interface of the software.
Is it intuitive to use the interface?
Describe the primary features of the interface.
Describe the primary functions of the software.
How easy is it to customize the software for personal preference?
Include a screenshot of the interface.
Provide 2 to 4 examples of using the software.
For one of the examples, list in detail the process of using the software.
What did you use it for?
How well did it work?
Was it easy to perform the function?
Were the results what you expected?
How does it compare to other software that does similar function?
What are the shortcomings of your experience?
What are your delights with the experience?
Include screenshots of the interface while doing the examples.
Include screenshots of the results (if applicable).
Briefly describe all the features of the software that might be important to other users, but not explored or explained in detail in the above paragraphs.
What is your descriptive opinion of the software's user interface.
What are you favorite features / highlights of the software?
What kind of documentation is provided with the software?
What kind of documentation / support is offered from the vendor's website / email?
Did you have any issues requiring support? If so, describe the results.
NOTES: While using the software, you should take notes and jot down opinions. Don't just skim the product's features. Your review should show some depth in knowledge of the product. Be specific, and give the reader a feel for what it's like to use the software. If it helps explain things, compare it to other similar titles, or use analogies.- 4. Summary
- Re-introduce the software, this time incorporating descriptive adjectives which depicts how strongly you appreciated the software. Provide a summary of the primary functions, the interface, and the drawbacks. Wrap up the summary with the highlights of the software, and who would benefit the most from the software (and how much they would benefit). To whom do you recommend the software? Include any final words you want to say about the software.
NOTES: Your summary should stand alone as a "mini-review", so that if someone only read the summary, they would still get an idea of the product being reviewed, and your opinion of the product. Be sure to summarize all the relevant information.
- 5. Pro's & Con's
- Using short and brief phrases, describe the highlights of the software that stand out in your mind. Think of the aspects of the software that you really liked, as well as aspects which make it stand apart from other software.
Likewise, list aspects of the software that caused you a hindrance, or you think could use some improvement.
NOTES: All pro's and con's should already have been described in detail somewhere earlier in the review. If you think of a pro and con that has not been mentioned, go back and edit the review to add the details (versus deleting the pro or con). A good list of pro's and con's usually has about 4 bullets each. Each point should be relevant and important. Some of the more polished software titles may have fewer con's.
- 6. Rating
- On a scale of 1 to 10, how did you like the software?
Use the following ratings descriptions:
- "Abysmal" - this software should never have been released to the public, no redeeming qualities, and may even be harmful to your productivity.
- "Terrible" - This was not ready for release; non-functional; useless; not fun.
- "Poor" - Serious flaws in the interface and/or functionality; shows some potential, but currently unusable; buggy; flaws interfere dramatically with enjoyment/usefulness of software.
- "Mediocre" - A few significant flaws in the interface and/or functionality; works for the most part, but it works poorly; missing/broken features; flaws hinder enjoyment/usefulness of software.
- "Potential" - Great potential for this product, but overall unremarkable; bugs need to be worked out; features are missing; recommend waiting for the next release.
- "Good" - Interface needs polishing; not user-friendly; some bugs and limitations; however, it provides needed functionality and/or strenths outweight weaknesses.
- "Solid" - Some limitations to this product, but for what it does, it does it well; useful; fun; recommended.
- "Great" - Great product; just a few insignificant problems; easy to use; fun; highly recommended.
- "Excellent" - Meets all of user's needs; hard-pressed to find fault with; great interface; intuitive; lots of fun; highly recommended.
- "Awesome!" - Superb product; does everything it should without flaw; easy to use; polished interface; the right price; awesome user experience; a blast; a "must have".