Fragrance Oil Review Chart Link

[bountifulsoaps]

The MMS EARTH is great. I blended it with Virginia Cedarwood and it smells just as I wanted. I did not like MMS Sandalwood/w Vanilla mainly it turns out anything sweet like vanilla is my problem. I felt Bergamot/Chamomile was to expensive if you have to use at 6% you might as well buy the essential oils. I did the lavender flowers which I like but again I will use only the essential oil in the future. I really only used essential oils and had hoped to use a few fragrances to make the soap cheaper but I do not think they are cheaper and I can smell a synthetic in all but the Earth.

 

[lisele]

I was just checking this list for Aroma Haven/RE scents, and the sheet for is it gone! It was last on the spreadsheet July 6, and one I've checked before for purchases so I was specifically looking for it. I'm not sure if anything else might be missing in the current sheet or what else may be out of order - someone more familiar with it can check hopefully? Don't think I can restore anything. I'd hate to have anything gone and no one notices!

 

[Rusti]

I was just checking this list for Aroma Haven/RE scents, and the sheet for is it gone! It was last on the spreadsheet July 6, and one I've checked before for purchases so I was specifically looking for it. I'm not sure if anything else might be missing in the current sheet or what else may be out of order - someone more familiar with it can check hopefully? Don't think I can restore anything. I'd hate to have anything gone and no one notices!

Looks like in the edits someone anonymous deleted it around the 7th of this month. I found it, copied it and pasted it back. I do not know how complete it is.

(ETA: Saved a copy of the workbook into my own Google drive as of today.)

 

[reinbeau]

This is why we need to have more control over how this file is accessed.

 

[Rusti]

This is why we need to have more control over how this file is accessed.

Agreed. I'm not sure what the solution is at this point though. A google form, maybe, that dumps into a spreadsheet, accessible to *view* with a link, but I'm not sure if you can make the form differentiate between sheets in a workbook like the document is set up right now. Research is needed.

 

[KristaY]

DeeAnna's now the moderator of the spreadsheet so hopefully she'll be able to fix the problems. I went in search of something for Nature's Garden on the spreadsheet earlier today and found a small handful of reviews, when I know there were A LOT last time I looked.

 

[DeeAnna]

Update -- I finally, finally figured out yesterday who the owner of this doc is. Turns out it's not the original guy who created the doc -- I think that's who the SMF admins had tried to contact with no response.

I sent the current owner an email asking if she was willing to transfer ownership, and (YAY!) she kindly did that late last night. So now I can actually do more than just clean up messes and do backups.

 

[anjouwu]

Great news. While I believe 99% of users are honest and helpful, you've always got to contend with that 1% who might ruin everything. Glad this resource is being preserved!

 

[IrishLass]

Oh happy day! That's wonderful news! I can't for the life of me figure out how you were able to figure out who the owner of the doc was, but excellent sleuthing! Thank you so much, DeeAnna!





IrishLass

 

[DeeAnna]

I simply lucked out, Irish Lass. Honest. I was about to give up, but thought I'd muck about one more time, and I got lucky.

I find Google Docs to be easy to use for simple stuff, but difficult to understand the more complex stuff. The Help files are sometimes so simple that they're basically not helpful at all.

Anyways, I created a form today that could be used to submit FO reviews. I'd like others to have a voice in how it's set up, so I'm asking for your input. Here is a link to the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/12IbsJRfqAyuXFAUs3q0hffoZh0ed1cIPF7gbcLIrvho/edit?usp=sharing Only those who have this URL can access the form for now -- it's not available to the general public.

You can edit the questions and answers in this form as you see fit. Or you can comment in this thread and I'll make the changes to the form. Either way works for me.

 

[DeeAnna]

I'm now the owner of the SMF Fragrance Oil Review sheet. <gulp!> as well as the creator of the proposed entry form for FO reviews (see my previous post for the link).

If you want to see how the entry form will look to a person who is filling it out, look in the upper right corner for the symbol of an eye -- the preview button. If you click that, it will open a new window with the form as it would be used by a regular person, vs an editor person.

At the moment, the form is all one long continuous page. It can be broken up into separate pages by adding "sections" to the form. I'm all ears to hear if you think it should be broken up and if so, where you'd add the page breaks. Tell me more in this thread! (Please don't add sections to the form, however. I'd like to focus on editing the content at the moment.)

 

[DeeAnna]

Permissions changed for accessing the FO Review sheet

After reviewing the edits made for the past several months, I have decided to change the permissions for the FO Review sheet.

Anyone with the link to the sheet can view the sheet just as before, but anonymous users can no longer edit the sheet. The link to view: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...uh-yaTdRf1M/edit?usp=sharing&authkey=CMTEtswL

If you want to also make changes to the sheet as you have done in the past, please PM me with your email address. I will enter your email address to the list of authorized editors. Then you can use the link to view and directly edit the sheet as normal.

Which brings me to ask another question --

Should there be a posting limit and a time limit before new members can have direct editing access? I'm thinking something like the restrictions for posting a member ad in the Member Classifieds forum: "...active membership of at least 6 months and ... a minimum of (50) posts..."

I don't want to limit access any more than necessary. But the problems of unlimited access are getting more serious. I discovered (and restored) a second entire page (Natural Candle out of Australia) that had been deleted about July 1. This is in addition to the deleted Aroma Haven/Rustic Escentuals sheet y'all restored earlier today. Two entire pages deleted in a week -- arrrggggh!

I will keep working on the submission form so anyone can submit reviews, even when the person doesn't have editor access. I want the FO Reviews to be as useful as possible to the soaping community while also keeping the information as safe as possible.

 

[reinbeau]

DeeAnna, I messed up your form. I didn't understand it and now I do. Sorry!


ETA I guess it's just not obvious where to put your cursor. I have no idea if my info I just posted 'worked' or not.

ETA again - I do think the access needs to be limited to trusted members of SMF only - and I do like the vetting time mentioned in your post.

 

[DeeAnna]

I think I got it fixed back, Ann. It is tricky, isn't it?

Changes are automatically saved as you work. If you goof up, the best way to fix it is to do an undo.

One way to undo is press the "Control" and "Z" keys (Microsoft desktop command). Or, if you look in the upper right-hand corner of the window when you're editing the form, you'll see a column of three dots. If you click on the dots, you can choose "Undo" in the drop-down list.

 

[reinbeau]

I think I got it fixed back, Ann. It is tricky, isn't it?

Changes are automatically saved as you work. If you goof up, the best way to fix it is to do an undo.

One way to undo is press the "Control" and "Z" keys (Microsoft desktop command). Or, if you look in the upper right-hand corner, you'll see a column of three dots. If you click on the dots, you can choose "Undo" there.

Yes it is tricky, but now I know

 

[KristaY]

Happy days, DeeAnna! That was some excellent detective work on your part!

I just read through the form and it looks good. All the info I'd be looking for is there. I just have a couple of questions about it though.

1st, would we fill in the form, submit to you, then you add the info? At least until a member fits the criteria of 50 posts, at least the certain amount of time as a member, etc? This sounds like a full time job to me!

2nd, will we be able to edit (or add to) our reviews? I might review an FO I used 2 days ago but in 2 months my opinion changes.

 

[DeeAnna]

Thanks, Krista!

First question -- yes, that's pretty much the way it would work.

But it may not be hugely complicated. I understand from my reading (not having done it myself) that the data from the forms is accumulated in a file. This file can be downloaded, edited as needed, and then uploaded (or copied and pasted) into the FO Review sheet.

If the job involved hand typing everything from the form into the FO Review sheet, I'd not be too excited about that. I hate transcription. But I don't think this will be necessary, so I'm thinking the job won't be too horrible of a chore.

Second question -- I agree. I also update my reviews from time to time as I get more experience with the scents.

I'm working on a form for edits too. Here's a link to this form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/18q6u9UPXsmHAwFmrOyV2qe1lSIMjV8kz-Rb9ggW5dlQ/edit

This proposed form is going to be simpler than the first form for people to fill out, but that up-front simplicity is likely to be more work for me on the back end. I may have to re-think this idea -- it may be better to create an update form that is more similar to the new review form. The more yes-no, multiple choice answers you create in a form, the easier it is to deal with the data. Open-ended essay type questions (as are currently in the draft update form) have to be digested into a format that fits the database.

Happy days, DeeAnna! That was some excellent detective work on your part!

I just read through the form and it looks good. All the info I'd be looking for is there. I just have a couple of questions about it though.

1st, would we fill in the form, submit to you, then you add the info? At least until a member fits the criteria of 50 posts, at least the certain amount of time as a member, etc? This sounds like a full time job to me!

2nd, will we be able to edit (or add to) our reviews? I might review an FO I used 2 days ago but in 2 months my opinion changes.

 

[KristaY]

Oh, thank goodness! I was picturing you toggling between tabs transcribing or copying/pasting. I feel better it won't be such an enormous undertaking.

I like the edit form. Very simple and to the point. This is the form I'd add more of an essay type response like "it morphed into dirty socks" or "it gradually discolored over 6 weeks to purple", or whatever. So if you only have to copy/paste a few sentences or a paragraph, that wouldn't be overly time consuming.

 

[Arimara]

I think the form is a great idea. I'm glad you are the new owner, DeAnna. That will help keep this database safe for a while longer.

 

[MySoapyHeart]

It would be such a shame if the form had been ruined or deleted by someone, by accident or on purpose from someone with their own agenda.

So, thank you for doing this, DeeAnna! We all understand this will take up some of your free time, and give you some extra work. But I really do appreciate your willingness to take this on!

I like the edit-form too, easy to read and not confusing, and with the possibility to ask for editor privileges.