Archive for October, 2008
There's still time to win!
Friday, October 31st, 2008
Today is not only Halloween but also the last day to enter the October iPhone prize draw and the monthly cheesecake competition. The good news is that it’s not too late to test how lucky you are!
The sleek sophisticated iPhone…
Any review that you write today will count as a ticket towards the iPhone prize draw. To participate all you have to do is search for your favourite place and share your experience with the BView community.
Tips: Make sure the review is public and of at least 50 words in length. More information on this can be found on our rewards page. The more reviews you write, the higher the chances are of you winning!
The ‘divinely delicious’ cheesecake…
The topic for October is technology. So far the girls have been winning the cake competition so it’ll be interesting to see who wins next week. We have had amazing reviews of the cakes sent out to our past winners. The cake lasted three days for one winner! You can read about the company and see pictures of the cheesecake here.
If you write an impressive review on any of the following brands, you could soon be indulging in a quite a few slices of perfection too!
Napster | iTunes | McAfee | Microsoft | Corel | Adobe
Tips: Reviews for the cake contest win kudos for having a catchy title, showing honesty and being descriptive with photos. Don’t forget to make your review public, otherwise I can’t link it to you! I also need a copy of your review too so enter my e-mail address when it prompts you share your review: samina.haffajee@bview.com
Your reviews help the community to make smarter decisions when dealing with companies. We appreciate all members who have contributed and invited their friends to join us. We couldn’t do it without you! Rewarding you is our way of saying thank you. Keep an eye out for our November rewards!
Tags: BView, cake, Competitions, iphone, reviews, rewards
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Use social networking to strengthen your business
Thursday, October 30th, 2008
This morning I read an article in The Metro’s business section titled ‘cast a wide net’. In the article, Laura Shannon provides real examples of how start-ups and small businesses are widening and strengthening their networks by using websites such as Facebook, MySpace and LinkedIn. In an era of financial crisis, using existing platforms is a cost effective and simple way of connecting with existing and new customers.
“Websites are a cheap and effective way for start-ups to promote themselves” – Laura Shannon
As a business owner you are able to use BView in a similar way but you also benefit from your listing appearing higher up in search engines. BView is a large community of customers and businesses, the platform provides the chance for business owners to carve their own community within BView. The community works in many ways and relationships are not just one way between business and customer.
Relationships in the BView Community
The BView community is made up of different types of relationships
Businesses <-> Customers
Businesses and customers connect. Businesses can share their news, address customer concerns and foster relationships. Customers can have their voice heard and can use BView to support local or national businesses.
Customers <-> Customers
Customers can connect with other customers. They become better informed about businesses, highlight rogue traders as a group and are able to seek advice within the BView community. Customers are more likely to enquire about your business if they read the good experiences of others.
Businesses <-> Businesses
Businesses are able to recommend other businesses. This makes it easier to share suppliers and also benefit from referrals. As mentioned in BT’s Upload magazine, on BView it is possible to check the credit score of another business before deciding to trade.
Simon and I have put together a few tips to help you efficiently manage and optimise your online listings. We have also provided examples of how businesses are customising their listings.
Tags: BView, customer service, laura shannon, marketing, online marketing, small businesses, Social Networking, the metro
Posted in Business, Social Networking | 1 Comment »
Another helping hand
Monday, October 27th, 2008
Since BView launched back in March our community has expanded faster than we could have imagined – and we’ve trying our hardest to focus on what matters most: our members.
To make sure that each and every one of you gets the attention you deserve I’m happy to introduce you all to Samina H – the newest addition to the BView team. Sam will be working alongside me to help keep all you BViewer’s up to speed. Please give her big welcome – I know she’s keen to get stuck in and help you all get the best out of BView.
I know Sam is really interested to hear from you all and to find out a bit more about what you think would make BView a better place – so get in touch and let her know.
Our developers are just putting the finishing touches on to the latest BView features, and Sam will be telling you all more about that just as soon as we’ve ironed out the last few bugs (well, I hope they’re the last few anyway). I’m not allowed to tell you what the new features are yet, but I reckon you might just like them…
Laters.
Simon
(Samina says “hi” too)
Tags: BView, community, News, team
Posted in Announcements, News | Comments Off
Deals to meet your DIY needs this winter
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008
Some time ago we shared a voucher link for Gap. Now, our DIY category is decorated by discount deals, perfect if you are planning an autumn revamp to scare away winter blues.
I spent part of my Sunday in Homebase, finding items to add a touch of zen to my environment. Whenever I visit the store I anticipate cringing at my credit card statement the next month. However, this time I was pleased to find prices on plants and home products slashed by half. Across the UK, the Homebase stores have managed to maintain a relatively high average BView score. You can read some of the reviews here or even add your own experience.
If you are purely looking for tools and DIY bits, Screwfix Direct’s offer is definitely worth mentioning. They have achieved an outstanding BView score of 92%. Reviewers have been commenting on their great selection, cheap prices and efficient service.
TyTy Smith
BViewer, TyTy Smith, was so impressed that he wrote ‘think I will be doing all my DIY shopping from here in the future.’
At the moment Screwfix are offering 10% off orders of £50 and free delivery, you can get the voucher code here.
DIYEssentials have not been reviewed yet but they are giving 10% off orders and a free gift. The voucher code can be retrieved here. If you do make a purchase please review it! The Big Bathroom Shop are holding a sale of up to 50% off and the Tap Centre are taking 10% off orders. Others offering discounts include Wickes Building Supplies Ltd , Bathroom Heaven and DIYTools .
Read the reviews, shop around and share your feedback! It’s the only way others know whether it is worth shopping there or not.
If you have any discount codes to share with others, please contact Olu on 0845 680 2001 and he will make sure the site is updated.
Tags: BView, customer service, discounts, DIY, home improvements, homebase, reviews, screwfix direct, shopping, the big bathroom shop, the tap centre, wickes
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Scammers and Bullys?
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008
It’s been quite a day for bad reviews. In the last few hours we’ve had two businesses highlighted by our community.
First thing this morning Mr. John from Ilford let us know about his experience with London based loft conversion specialists, Loft Magic.
Just a few hours after that another shocking review appeared on the site. This time it was Kayleigh B in Nottingham. Her horror story documents her dealings with Bournemouth based Post Net – it doesn’t make a pleasent read, reports of dishonest trading practices, dodgy charges, and unhelpful staff.
At BView we encourage conversation between businesses and their customers, if you’re a representative from either of these businesses please register and leave a comment against these reviews to put forward your side of the story. Similarly, if you’ve been a customer (or victim) of these or any other dodgy dealers please leave a review.
We previously covered some poor reviews for Chestnut House and Gwent Fleet Management
Tags: bad business, dishonest, dodgy dealers, loft magic, post net, scam
Posted in General | Comments Off
Your views on computer companies + Cake= Cake 3.0
Monday, October 6th, 2008
In Kat’s absence we have been ordered to write on her behalf and tell the BViewers that this month’s cake competition is dedicated to computers and PC Software.
You can write about how much you love your computer and how wonderful the people who helped you to set it up are! Alternatively you can write about the pains of your technological journey. You can even write about the software you are using and show us some pictures of your creations! It’s really up to you!
Pssst…..here are a few tips for what Kat looks for:
o Photos (you’ll win extra super points if we get photos of you with your technology!)
o Witty Titles
o Dialogue in your text
o A description of your experience with the business
o If you are a secret geek, you’ll gain extra kudos for submitting an entry for the industry expert section of Computers and PC Software along with your review!
No need to be shy if you are new to BView, you can still sign-up and join in the fun!
Contest closes on October 31st and remember you will also be entered for the iPhone Prize Draw.
You can enter as often as you like, but make sure you share your review with kathryn.neville@bview.com (or send her a link to your review)
Tags: BView, cake, cake competition, computer, contest, reviews, software, win
Posted in Competitions | Comments Off
The Winners for Cake 2.0: One for the Animal Lovers
Monday, October 6th, 2008
Well it’s been a hard month for me. People have really started to step up and write some great reviews for my contest! So, I’ve decided to award two prizes, one for the overall best review, and one for the most unique experience!
Top 3 (Overall)
And the winner is…
Bonnie! Bonnie Torp wrote a fantastic review of Pennard Practice Ltd called “Our Cat came home Toothless!”
ne ne ne ne ne, raspberry!
It’s a touching ‘tail’ of her cat’s visit to the vet. She adds great photos of her adorable kitty, and adds a lot of good info about the practice. Great tone to her review!
In close second is Alix C from Glasgow! Her review of Pets at Home describes her adventure to purchase a new hamster. Her tone is playful, she adds some great photos (including the little guy playing in a cardboard tube), and you can sense just how much she loves her new hamster. She also gives the price of the products she purchased, but didn’t go into detail on other products unfortunately… If she did, it would have been a perfect review!
In third place- Joy, Joy, Joy! Your reviews are always so thorough. Joy W’s review of Graves Park Animal Rare Breeds Centre is a great read… and the pictures of chickens are so cute. Well done Joy!
Most Unique
Most reviews are for the same sorts of things, so when I actually read about a really interesting store or concept, I’m hooked!
Prize for the most unique animal experience goes to Elizabeth C. Her review of The Pigeon Fancier has a great title, and a hilarious, quirky tone. It makes me want to check out this store! (Elizabeth wrote a few other animal reviews… all of them gave me a chuckle! I recommend reading her short but sweet review of Pets Parlour as well.)
Congratulations Bonnie and Elizabeth! Prepare for cake!
(… and thanks to all the other entries… It was very hard to choose!)
Details of the next competition coming soon!
Kat
Tags: animals, BView, cake, graves park animal rare breeds centre, pennard practice, pets parlour, reviews, vets
Posted in Competitions | Comments Off