new site for rating courses, good helpful idea?

[robin wood]

There are lots of bushcraft type courses out there and I suspect they vary from folk that have been deeply involved and committed to mastering skills for many years to those who first did a course themselves a year ago and want to share their new knowledge. There has been talk about accreditation of courses and I have no doubt that many here just know by word of mouth the good providers but it must be difficult for say a wife who wants to get her hubby who enjoys watching bushcraft on TV a special present to find that really great course. So what about a simple review system, like ebay feedback or amazon reviews, are they helpful?

I just saw the website of a new member here Richard Fishburn which gives folk the opportunity to do just that sort of review and to find courses by region. It is clearly new and needs lots of reviews before it is of use but I think it could potentially be a good thing. What do you think?

http://www.survivalcoursecomparison.co.uk/

My only concern is that most folk who go on just an odd course think it is great and it is only those that have a bit more experience of doing several courses that can really judge one from another. http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk has an excellent review section which I find helpful and I could see this building into a similar resource.

 

[Toddy]

Tbh, I think most of us would have a greater regard for a review on a site such as this one from people we feel we know, from either their posts, or long association.

Courses, and Tutors, are so very diverse; how can 'contrast and compare' be anything but bald statistics ?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[sccadmin]

Robin - thanks for starting the topic, any constructive feedback is welcomed.

Toddy - I understand where your coming from and agree that I would trust the opinions of my 'friends' more than strangers but a couple of points to remember:

1 - I would be surprised if you could find among one set of friends a group that has attended every course available.

2 - It can bit a little more than 'bald statistics', I realise everyones opinions can vary and expectations before a course maybe different. Therefore rating a course on a star system is open to interpretation but actually being able to comment in free text I think adds value. You can quickly see what percentage of people valued the course from the rating and then delve into detail in the comments and see real opinions, how you act on this is up to you.

3 - Not everyone has access to a group of friends or community involved in bushcraft and survival.

4 - There are lots of courses that vary in length and cost, a simple system that lists availability, duration, cost, location etc can add value without needing to focus on the ratings or comments. You can create your 'short list' and then research further.

So I personally think there is still some value to the site, even if you do have a group of experienced friends to rely on.

Let me know your thoughts, this is a non-commercial project simply trying to help the community.

Cheers

Richard

 

[robin wood]

I agree to a point Toddy I would certainly pay more attention to a single review here from someone with a history of good posts but the new site offers potential two things, one is an easy searchable listing of all courses by area (if that info is easily available on BCUK then I have not learnt how to search it properly yet) and potentially in the future multiple reviews of individual courses which over time will average out and take away the effect of the occasional good or bad experience/review and give a true picture of quality. I find cinema reviews very useful. A 5* review by 60 people does not necessarily mean I will enjoy it but it means I am more likely to than the film with the 3* review. I would hope that it may also help folk to address any areas of consistent constructive negative feedback leeding to improved standards.

If BCUK chose to do this in the way song of the paddle do with their canoe review section it would be potentially useful (first and best place I looked for impartial reviews when choosing my canoe) though far more potentially controversial, giving a poor review on a canoe is one thing, running down someone's course entirely another.