We now have over 5,000 reviews on our site! That is quite an achievement considering we only “officially” launched in August 🙂 Thanks to all you writers for that, this achievement is something for all of us to be proud of. If you’re a reader of TSL and not a poster, why not join in and post your first review today!
New Badges and Ranks!
We also have a brand new set of badges for our writers. All the images were specially created for TheSmartLocal.com. They start of simple and as your rank increase, so do the designs. The final ones look really awesome! These badges will be displayed under your name automatically every time you make a review. Simply put, the more reviews you write, the higher your rank becomes! Check them out!
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1 Review: New Reviewer
5 Reviews: Apprentice Reviewer
10 Reviews: Junior Reviewer
20 Reviews: Adept Reviewer
35 Reviews: Experienced Reviewer
50 Reviews: Veteran Reviewer
100 Reviews: Journeyed Reviewer
300 Reviews: Master Reviewer
500 Reviews: Grandmaster Reviewer
1000 Reviews: Legendary Reviewer
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August 2012 Writer of the Month!
Kexin “pandaexpress” Yu.
We had a contest in August for the best reviewer of that month. Kexin had put a lot of effort into his reviews, often going the extra mile to be helpful and descriptive to his fellow readers. It was during his holiday break just before he started school in Belgium. You can view all his reviews here! For his efforts, Kexin walks away with $50 SGD and the title of TheSmartLocal.com August 2012 writer of the month. We did an interview a while back which you can now read here!
Q: How are you preparations for Belgium going! Why did you choose Belgium as your exchange program? Â
A: I chose Belgium as my exchange program because it is in the centre of Europe and so travelling all around Europe is easy. Plus I love waffles, mussels and fries. Â
Q: How do you find TheSmartLocal and what do you like the most about the site?
A: It is really comprehensive because it reviews more than just places to eat or places to shop like other sites. Instead, it’s a one stop station to find out what you want to know about where to go, what to eat and what to do. Â
Q: What are the top 3 places you feel tourists should visit in Singapore?
A: First, tourists should visit a ‘proper’ Hawker Centre which is not a tourist trap (IE stay away from Newton Hawker Centre). For example, Tiong Bahru Hawker Centre or Whampoa Market both have very good food, tourists also get to check out the real residential areas of Singapore as well!
Second, Chinatown is a must see too. It is slightly gimmicky but that’s part of the fun. And finally, they might want to visit lesser known heritage sites, such as Orchard Road Presbyterian Church; it is so near the city centre (opposite Plaza Singapura) and has a long history as well as probably one of the biggest pipe organs in Singapore. The church conducts open days on Wednesdays.
