Strawberry Barrels.............?

I've not grown in one of those but have had a smaller herb planter along similar lines.

I found that the compost dried out quite quickly at the sides, and that when watering from the top, the water ran out through the holes.

I suggest you would need a central watering pipe of some description to ensure watering from the middle.

I grow strawberries in a planter, though not quite as big as the one shown. As Yorkie says it needs frequent watering - I put a central tube in with holes and gravel to help with the water distribution.
My biggest problem is also vine weevil  
I do not want to treat with chemicals and it hardly seems worth buying nematodes for one pot. Last year I lost all my plants - the pot was full of larvae. Fingers crossed for this year.

Mine is on a wheeled trolly so it gets turned regularly - oh and you have to net to keep the birds off 
Not trying to put you off, the strawberries are lovely!

Elaine

it looks like this one comes with the watering pole in the centre anyway so that solves that problem 

I was thinking of converting an old bue water barrel for strawberry planting. Good idea or waste of time? 

We have an old copper water tank - similar shape and size to these -  which we lined and made into a planter and grew strawberries very successfully in it for a few seasons. My main concern with this would be how to create pockets down the sides of a plastic container.

I got the same one three years ago and had all the same problems that AlaninCarlisle mentioned.
I wouldn't get one again, as the yield didn't impress me at all, compared to the ones in the ground.
The central water pipe helps, but even still, its difficult to evenly water, with water coming out the bottom and overspilling the catch reservoir long before you've soaked the compost through... so its not very water efficient in my book... and similar problem with feeding- half the liquid feed comes out the bottom...
It was also flimsier than i expected, like plastic coated cardboard, though its still standing after 3 years, it looks quite cheap. Not nearly as nice as the terracotta ones for the patio. If i was to get one again, i'd opt for terracotta.

Or grow strawbs in hanging baskets out of the way of slugs... i find it easier to water / liquid feed hanging baskets by filling a water barrel and dunking the basket into it until its absorbed as much as it can... then hang over the barrel to allow it to drip back into the water barrell... no waste of liquid feed!

Don't mince words, gobs, get to the point   

Once upon a time I also had a nice little terracotta strawberry planter - the cute little lipped planting holes turned out to provide the perfect homes for woodlice, and the stems of the strawberries the perfect fast-food for them (they didn't even have to ring up for home delivery!) 

(I don't have gob's unique way of expressing myself but suffice it to say I was underwhelmed by it - almost any other growing technique is likely to work better.)