1000 reviews. 7 days.

[Blake]

We didn't start the fire. But we're certainly going to keep it burning.

We kick off our first community marketing project with a simple task, but one that shouldn't be underestimated: boosting our ratings at top download sites like download.com. While our percentages at such sites are impressive, the number of users who have reviewed the product is decidedly not. For example, at the time of this writing, only 79 users have voted on and reviewed Firefox. This is not going to sway the millions of folks who frequent download.com. It's not going to launch us to the top of the popularity lists. And, most importantly, it's not going to get us featured on the prime real estate that is download.com's front page. We've spoken to c|net editors. It's the applications that are generating the buzz that make it onto their front page for weeks at a time, and that make it into their news stories.

In light of that, we introduce our first community marketing project with a, er, modest goal: One thousand reviews of Firefox. By next week. Your job is to go to <a href="http://www.download.com/Mozilla-Firefox/3000-2356-10299359.html?tag=lst-0-1">the Firefox product listing</a> (Mac version available <a href="http://www.download.com/Mozilla-Firefox/3000-2143-10299358.html?tag=lst-0-2">here</a>) and vote on/review Firefox. Your next job is to get five people to vote also. Your final task is to spread the word about this campaign in one public area (blogs work well for this). We are not telling you how to vote or what to say in your review. We are just asking you to get out the vote.

Please don't take this task lightly. We've spoken to c|net, and it really does have a major impact on the future success of our product. Thanks for all your help, and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do this week to spread the flames.

[shadowD]

... Mission accepted. *adjusts brim of hat* Wish me luck, comrades.

[TheOneKEA]

Off I go.

[michaell522]

Excuse me being the first to pour cold water, but is it really that effective to get a large number of votes for 0.9.1? Would seem a better moment for this is immediately after the next release.

If we want to be launched in the popularity, then the easy way to do that is to push all the downloads over to download.com instead of having the mozilla ftp mirrors.

Edit: I've just seen that we're apparently going to have a 0.9.2 - surely it would be best to hold fire with this campaign until after that?

[BenBasson]

I'll do this for version 1.0, but not before... I'm sorry, but I don't think I can really give Firefox 0.9 the review I think the browser is worth overall (if I'm realistic and fair) and I don't use 0.9.1 since I have no extension problems. Without a doubt this is the best browser I have used, but if I am to write an honest review it will contain caveats, and I'd rather leave it until the most obvious of those are removed.

[inpheaux]

Edit: I've just seen that we're apparently going to have a 0.9.2 - surely it would be best to hold fire with this campaign until after that?

i'm concerned about this aswell, it seems like download.com votes/reviews don't get carried over between versions. so shouldn't we wait till 0.9.2 or 1.0 rolls around? i can see the pros and cons of both, but see very little reason to waste effort on pumping up 0.9.1.

it's a good overall idea, but is now really the best time?

[Raftysworld]

I've just reviewed it, and going to get my whole family too later today (We all use/love Firefox). If perchance the reviews don't get carried over if there's a 0.9.2, no big deal. It's just a 10 second devotion of time to re-write the review.

[Awais]

I'll post a review right away. I have been using Firefox since the Pheonix days. I converted one of my friends to Firefox after he complained of slow page rendering on IE. <<56k connection>>

I'll ask him to post a review. I am also trying to have it installed on all the University lab's PC's as an alternate to IE. Let's see if I can convince the network admin but FF is a good enough product to replace IE, IMO.

[Linux4Life]

Added a review. Hopefully the reviews will carry over to 1.0

[clickwir]

Great idea. I do spread the word of Firefox with friends and people I converse with online.

Only problem with download.com is you have to register to review. And that's my guess why there aren't more reviews.

[soccer_dude182]

Wow, 1000 reviews. That's not an easy task.

That being said, I reviewed Firefox and I'll make sure to download Firefox from download.com from now on to boost total downloads.

[My Left Hand]

they're going to love my incoherent and strangely sexually pro firefox bable.
i tell you guys, they're going to dig that sh$t. ;)

(off to post)

[Mat]

Done!

[My Left Hand]

Done!

ditto.

[rfrangioni77]

Without a doubt this is the best browser I have used, but if I am to write an honest review it will contain caveats, and I'd rather leave it until the most obvious of those are removed.

So include them anyway!

Every single program we all use has some little things about it we don't like, or could be improved upon....that's nothing new. I think potential new users would be better served if some of the reviews HAVE some of these caveats included. Think about it...gushing nothing but praise won't be good if a new user encounters issues (which they most certainly will) they aren't used to when dealing with a browser. However, if they are aware of them going in, it won't be an unwelcome surprise.

A well-written review that <i>includes</i> caveats about known issues, which the reasonable, mature forum members like you are very capable of writing, will go further toward helping Firefox than unconditional praise that glosses over the issues we all know are present.

Just my $.02