tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post505098842824694714..comments2024-03-28T17:11:52.333+00:00Comments on The Pub Curmudgeon: The world at your fingertipsCurmudgeonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-80194218217346899452012-12-14T00:02:55.005+00:002012-12-14T00:02:55.005+00:00CAMRA has a stated aim to try and help the plight ...CAMRA has a stated aim to try and help the plight of pubs. It doesn't have "as long as they serve real ale" tacked on the end although I think this needs clarification because too many active CAMRA members infer the aims have the words "real ale" tacked on the end. So IMO it should cover all pubs as every keg pub today is potentially a real ale pub tomorrow. But I know, as author of www.camrahops.com, that this isn't a universally accepted POV. And yes, user comments are a good idea but maybe not right at the start. Run before we walk sort of thing.Rob Nicholsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14871887147718814739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-17372841541894571142012-12-12T16:52:32.991+00:002012-12-12T16:52:32.991+00:00Yes, it does include keg pubs, but it doesn't ...Yes, it does include keg pubs, but it doesn't return them by default as search results and in general doesn't say much about them.<br /><br />The search is also a bit clunky - I prefer the approach of PubsGalore and Pub Explorer where you are given a full listing of all places with a pub within one geographical area.<br /><br />I said on the CAMRA forum that it needs to make its mind up whether it is primarily a real ale guide or a general pub guide.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-41643338794156945482012-12-12T16:23:44.708+00:002012-12-12T16:23:44.708+00:00If whatpub.com
(a) included keg pubs, and
(b) allo...<i>If whatpub.com<br />(a) included keg pubs, and<br />(b) allowed user comments,<br />it could clean up this market.</i><br /><br />WhatPub? will include <i>all</i> pubs. As long as the local branches submit the data...<br /><br />I believe the long term plan is to allow commenting on entries by members and possibly the general public.Fishterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10196761190239992881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-78723156359884925992012-12-12T13:05:31.891+00:002012-12-12T13:05:31.891+00:00Hi there,
Good summary of the major pub sites!
I...Hi there,<br /><br />Good summary of the major pub sites!<br /><br />I generally use BITE, pubs.com or fancyapint.com, but having looked at pubsgalore.co.uk, it also seems pretty good. I agree that BITE can be a bit outdated, and the overall scores are also always very low!<br /><br />The last couple of years have seen more general user review sites like Tripadvisor become massive. Another couple of sites in the same category are Yelp.com and Qype.com. I find these more up to date as far as reviews go and they have a large active community. Qype has recently been bought out by Yelp though, so the way I see it going is towards Tripadvisor and Yelp, so that's where I'll be writing my reviews. There are just too many sites to add a review to them all! <br /><br />As an aside, if you're looking for a nice old pub in London, I recently released an iPhone app <br /><a href="http://bit.ly/TxB5ki" rel="nofollow">Smith Finder</a>, which shows locations and details of all the Sam Smith pubs in town. Being Sam Smith's, you know what you're getting beer-wise, but there are some really nice old pubs worth checking out! <br /><br />I use Yelp to power all the reviews in the app and when researching the pubs, it seemed to be the most comprehensive site. I guess quite a few of the pubs I was researching are fairly obscure hence the other sites just didn't feature them. <br /><br />CheersAppshhhttp://appshh.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-8884258439298246032012-12-12T08:27:18.846+00:002012-12-12T08:27:18.846+00:00Hi Dave,
Thanks for the comments. I think Pubs Ga...Hi Dave,<br /><br />Thanks for the comments. I think Pubs Galore out of these is the site with most potential and you will note it is the only one that merits a link in the sidebar.<br /><br />I have also added a few pub descriptions under my own name.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-2894800055347335572012-12-12T06:03:27.593+00:002012-12-12T06:03:27.593+00:00Just looked at Beer in the Evening for Swindon 120...Just looked at Beer in the Evening for Swindon 120 pubs listed at least 20 of them closed including the two with the highest rating. I don't think I'll bother with it when I visit somewhere else. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-37873382216718520082012-12-11T23:53:32.387+00:002012-12-11T23:53:32.387+00:00The frustrating thing is that BITE remains the mos...The frustrating thing is that BITE remains the most highly ranked in Google and therefore gets massively more traffic than all the other sites even though it is not really kept up to date any more.<br /><br />Good Pub Guide, Pub Explorer, Pub Utopia and Pubs Galore all get very similar amounts of visitors to each other - but BITE gets about 7 times more than any of them! That makes it very difficult to compete in some ways.<br /><br />I am one of the admins of Pubs Galore. So just thought I'd also add a couple of stats of what I think is good about my site. We have 54,000 pubs listed, 40,000 of them have a photo, 23,000 have a review and 19,000 have a link. I think the only one of those metrics that we aren't the most comprehensive on is reviews - I believe BITE has about 33,000 reviewed.<br /><br />The really good thing we also have is the active community of enthusiasts who use our forum and do lots of work to keep the site up to date. As you say one site just needs that critical mass and I think that will only come with a major shift in Google - I just hope it is for my site! ;)Davenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-78928553373981084852012-12-11T13:37:03.332+00:002012-12-11T13:37:03.332+00:00I have to say BITE is the one of these sites I use...I have to say BITE is the one of these sites I use most, precisely because it has plenty of user comments which, as I said, can be quite telling. <br /><br />But the lack of new pubs being added (although the template has been updated) is disappointing.<br /><br />If whatpub.com<br /><br />(a) included keg pubs, and<br />(b) allowed user comments,<br /><br />it could clean up this market.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-33627879429567592762012-12-11T13:31:31.997+00:002012-12-11T13:31:31.997+00:00NB The Black Swan isn't in the Beer Guide (yet...NB The Black Swan isn't in the Beer Guide (yet, I presume), so I presume hasn't yet been visited by the sort of people, like me, who go on GBG recommendations. I'd always assumed that it of East Cheshire to be a beer desert, based on Irlam.Martinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-87902246936356031552012-12-11T13:24:52.005+00:002012-12-11T13:24:52.005+00:00I use Beer in the Evening more for storing my own ...I use Beer in the Evening more for storing my own comments on pubs and ratings, and comparing notes, rather than as a guide. <br /><br />BITE relies entirely on contributions, and I think the difficulty in creating new pubs can mean it feels a little out-of-date (the fabulous Organ Grinder in Nottingham isn't there yet).<br /><br />BITE can be an entertaining read; some of the complaints (mostly about food service) are hilarious, and comments on beer quality are more useful, if subjective, than bland comments in most CAMRA publications.Martin, Cambridgenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-79888189046292294352012-12-11T13:07:06.069+00:002012-12-11T13:07:06.069+00:00There's also Yelp.com as a generic pub/restaur...There's also Yelp.com as a generic pub/restaurant/etc finder. The entry for the Black Swan is currently no more than the default information, but the facilities exist to rate and review it and add photos.<br /><br />http://www.yelp.com/biz/black-swan-warringtonTruckosaurushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04886713865760141400noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-25039300860126844932012-12-11T13:00:54.395+00:002012-12-11T13:00:54.395+00:00Having registered and looked in to Ratebeer, the c...Having registered and looked in to Ratebeer, the coverage is very poor. The only venues in Stockport are Crown, Magnet and the High Peak Beer Company market stall.<br /><br />I suppose if all you're looking for is the local go-to multi-beer pubs it might have some use.Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-87440854412082541892012-12-11T12:35:24.923+00:002012-12-11T12:35:24.923+00:00@Steve - I'd never even thought of Ratebeer as...@Steve - I'd never even thought of Ratebeer as a pub guide. One obvious drawback is that you have to register before you can do anything,<br /><br />@Cookie - how about the Tesco Express app? Turkey, bacon, cranberry and stuffing sandwich, 4 chilled cans of Carling, sorted...Curmudgeonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02558747878308766840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-9333830791559029582012-12-11T12:31:51.231+00:002012-12-11T12:31:51.231+00:00How about whether it is useable on a smartphone?
...How about whether it is useable on a smartphone?<br /><br />All I need is the Spoons App. Wherever you are in blighty, it tells you where your nearest beer & burger offer is.Cooking Lagerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02830924433230427226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5623537812609722663.post-77224176011535762982012-12-11T12:24:08.463+00:002012-12-11T12:24:08.463+00:00Ratebeer has the ability to pull up pub guides by ...Ratebeer has the ability to pull up pub guides by area, but its limited by what has been added by users. A plus side is that it includes offlicences in the area too.beersiveknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13293913182389157112noreply@blogger.com