Site news: some new toys for folks to play with

A few changes to the blog, some will affect folks and some won’t. After I rebuilt the site I started browsing plugin sites and thinking about what other functionality I might like to add…and I found a few toys. There are still a few kinks to be worked out; and I know that there’s more I can do with the Ratings - sort according to highest rated, most often rated, that sort of thing. I just haven’t figured out how to implement those, and am still debating what features I do want to use. I don’t want this to become an all-purpose rating blog like Kaboodle; but I do want to give readers another way to gauge product quality and to add their voice if they choose.

1. Ratings: logged-in members now have the option to rate every product, every look...just about anything that isn't straight "news" or op-ed. It's on a fairly basic system: 1 circle is the lowest rating, 5 circles is the highest. I've actually put the rating options into English, rather than using numbers - less chance that folks will get confused. Personally, when I rate products, I try to rate the quality (cost, effectiveness, staying power) rather than whether or not I personally liked a thing; but that may be a little too objective for folks. Rate however you wish, and if you want to add to your rating, leave a comment. (Currently, if there are no ratings on an item, you'll either see the rating-form or a link telling you to log in to rate a given item. I'm working on fixing that, though.)
2. Comments: I've opened up comments on all entries again - largely so that if someone rates an item and wants to leave qualifying / quantifying statements, they can do so. All non-member comments are still moderated, to prevent spamming; and I will delete any trolling comments or flamebait. A further caveat: please post your buying philosophies on your own blog. I do not buy from indie companies because of a certain sociopolitical viewpoint. Buying from the indies costs me less money, I get a wider selection than I do from The Biggies, and the product quality's the same or better than most big-commercial loose-powder makeup. I know that some folks feel quite firmly about only buying from woman-owned businesses, or only from companies that create vegan products, or other factors. Your reasons for buying what and where you do, are your own. Respect my choices, and I'll respect yours.
3. Memberships: Not a change, really, just some information. All memberships have to be manually reviewed and approved - so if you want to rate something but aren't yet a member, it will probably be a few hours between the time you register and the time I approve your registration. While I'm at the computer quite a lot, I do occasionally have to sneak off to feed my face or use the bathroom. Or do that "sleeping" thing.
4. New category: Kits and Collections. Rather than have the kits mixed in with the eye, face, lip, or nail products, I've broken the kits and collections out into their very own category. I'm even debating making category-specific RSS feeds, for people who want to see when I write up a kit but don't want to see my looks, the nail polish posts, or suchwhich. (Any thoughts? Would people find that of any value, or do folks just not care that much? I'm not planning on removing the main feed, just adding these others.)

And just in case folks are wondering...this entry doesn't have the ability to rate it.

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