Okay Geek Farm
Everything You Need to Know About gdgt 2.0
Jason Tsay
Today marks the glorious release of version gdgt 2.0 — the popular gadget social networking site. Launched back in mid 2009, the site started as a proof of concept with its massive product database which users could easily add to and edit. Since then, people have been using the site to get all sorts of questions answered and to find out more about their favorite gadgets. So what’s new in version 2.0?
Upon visiting the site, you’ll find yourself looking at a completely new interface. The main screen displays slides that you can cycle through. These contain reviews, new additions to lists by your friends, and questions users may have. Above this box and tabs allowing you to ask a question, write a review, start a discussion, or simply view a stream of activity from your friends.
You’ll notice that the question asking process has been greatly simplified and optimized to ensure the best answers possible.
The gadget browsing interface has also been streamlined and makes for a much more pleasing viewing experience. You’ll still be able to find what you’re looking for in each category of gadget as well as participate in discussions about the most popular gadgets.
Individual gadget pages have been retooled to be more question-centric and to give a better feel of what people think about it, with a more prevalent reviews area. In addition, you are now given the option to choose which specific version of the gadget you own (ex. iPhone 4 32 GB CDMA as opposed to just iPhone 4).
Each users’s gdgt profile has also been given a slight makeover. Rather than having a tiny widget with lists to scroll through, all of the user’s gadget lists are now represented by a four item wide grid. To the right, you’ll be able to view the user’s activity. So what’s the box in the top right corner?
“Reputation points” have also been introduced in this build of the site. Basically, it’s a system to express how helpful a certain user has been to the community and acts as a sort of incentive to do certain things around the site. For example, you get 5 points for doing a review and 3 points for answering a question. To make things a bit more fun, there are variations such as gaining an additional 2 points for answering an unanswered question. We’re not going to bore you with the details so here’s a page with each and every way you can build up your reputation on the site.
After beta testing gdgt 2.0 for about 2 weeks and using the official release for a day, I have to say there’s no going back to the old site. The new site is really centered around questions and lets users discover new things as well as share ideas with others. Doing product reviews are much simpler and the ratings system has been altered for reviews that are easier to understand and compare. All this awesomeness does take a while to get used to but once you do get accustomed to the new site, you’ll find that it’s so much easier to use. There’s no reason you shouldn’t check it out right now!
