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Ratings will always be subjective, no matter how hard we tryMay 05 '01 (Updated Mar 03 '03) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Ratings will always be subjective - but we can do our best to develop objective standards for ourselves.
All right, I've been here for not quite a year now, and I finally feel like I'm getting a handle on how I rate. And while there are certain personal guidelines I try to adhere to, I've reached one conclusion that few people seem to echo: Ratings are subjective. It's unfortunate but true. We are human beings. Our moods and the things we're thinking about cannot help but affect how we rate on any given day. If I'm feeling irritable about stumbling across a whole bunch of really superficial reviews in a category, then I'm probably going to rate a little more harshly in that category for a while. If I'm in a happy, relaxed mood, I'm more likely to say "well, the review wasn't perfect, but I feel like I know what the product is like, so it's good enough." If I notice that an "imperfect" review is one of the first few put out by an epinions member, then I'm more likely to say, "well, she has promise, and everyone's first few reviews are imperfect, so I'll be a little more gentle on this one." If it was written by someone who's an advisor with 400 reviews under his belt, I'm less likely to be lenient. That's the way the world works. That's the way the human mind works. So while I try to apply consistent standards to my ratings, there will always be variation from day to day. All that said, I believe that the best way to be as consistent as possible and to avoid whimsical ratings is to attempt to develop your personal ratings standards. More as an example than as an attempt to define a "perfect" means of rating reviews (ha ha!), I'll define my standards as I see them. I fully expect other people to develop their own standards, which is one reason why I don't flip out when someone rates one of my reviews in a way that I don't understand. Length This one has become something of a hot topic recently. I believe that quality is much more important than quantity. I'm always impressed when I read a brief, two-paragraph review that really does succinctly and clearly communicate the pros and cons of an item. It does happen, and I rate appropriately. However, I also believe that, in general, it takes a bit of quantity in order to achieve quality. A two-paragraph review of a monolithic work like "The Lord of the Rings" is unlikely to get across an even somewhat thorough view of the work. Obviously some subjects need less detail than others; most reviewers won't have as much to say about a beer as they will about a 1000-page book (although there are exceptions to every rule...). So, I don't automatically rate high for long length, or low for short length. But if I feel that there isn't enough information there, then I'm not going to give a VH. A mild pet peeve of mine is "top ten" lists that don't go into any real detail about what the ten items are or what makes them so amazing. This is an example of a place where, in my opinion, you need at least a little length. Practical Detail vs. Subjective Detail I also believe that a review needs to balance the practical detail of the item with the subjective detail. This is for a couple of reasons. 1. The person who reads your review might not have heard of the item you're reviewing. They also might not have read any other reviews of the item - they might have stumbled upon yours first. This means that you need to provide at least a minimal level of detail about what the item is. Book reviews that don't even mention the genre or the premise of the book are pretty useless. Movie reviews that do the same are similarly useless. Even if you don't want to give away the twists and turns of the plot, you can still describe a little of the initial set-up, or at least the genre and type of book. Always assume that the reader knows nothing at all about the item you're reviewing - you're almost guaranteed to be correct in at least one or two cases. Similarly, try to explain references that you make to outside things - otherwise some people won't be able to tell what you're trying to say. 2. However, a description alone is similarly useless. A description doesn't tell me whether the characterization and dialogue were good. It doesn't tell me if the acting is wooden or overblown. It doesn't tell me if the book or movie is paced well, or if the vacuum cleaner stood up to actual use. You need both description and subjective, personal detail to make a balanced review. I'm not going to hand out a VH for a review that only has one of the two. The Obligatory Grammar and Spelling Note I'm not a huge stickler for grammar and spelling, although I've experienced redlines & rewrites enough to wince a bit when they get bad. However, if they're so bad that I can't tell what you're trying to get across, then yes, I'll mark the review down a bit. If I can't tell what you're saying then your review isn't very helpful. Not Helpful I reserve "not helpful" for reviews that appear to blatantly be attempts to hit the 100-word mark and get a few pennies without actually reviewing anything, and similar abuses of the system. This means that I almost never NH things, which is fine by me. Similarly, I don't revenge-rate. That's just silly, and it doesn't help anyone. So what if someone gives me an SH when everyone else gives me a VH? It isn't like it negatively impacts my life at all. Humorous or Witty Reviews There are plenty of reviewers out there who are capable of being clever, witty, and humorous, without sacrificing the helpfulness of their reviews (see also epinionator jkkelley for the ultimate example of funny and helpful). There's little reason to substitute wit for helpfulness. I love funny reviews, and even funny essays that are meant to make a point, but not funny pointless ramblings that are sitting where a review is supposed to be (or pointless ramblings that are believed by their authors to be funny but actually aren't). There are better websites for things like that. If you can write a really helpful and funny review, you're virtually guaranteed a VH. But if you're only funny, you're virtually guaranteed not to get a VH. (Somehow whenever I've seen someone complain that they're just trying to be funny and shouldn't get rated poorly for that, I've checked out their stuff and found that they didn't seem funny at all.) Added later: Besides, now we have the Writer's Corner for people's random, funny stuff. There's no need to put it where a review is supposed to be. Giving Endings Away This one is a pet peeve of mine - people who give away the endings of books and movies without any warning. It's okay to say what happened if you really want to, just try to set it off a little with a warning. Leave it for the end and put spoiler warnings up. Give it a subheading like, "If you don't want to know what happens at the end of this movie, then skip to the next section." That isn't so hard, is it? Giving away endings without warning will sometimes cause me to lower my rating unless the ending is pretty darn irrelevant to the item. Also, try not to summarize every single bloody plot twist. Sometimes I read a review that describes the book plot so thoroughly that I can't help thinking, "so... why should I read the book now?" "Leave 'em wanting more" is a good mantra for reviewers. When it comes down to it, I rate based on the attitude that reviews are reviews, which is to say that they're meant to be helpful to consumers who haven't bought, seen, read, or used the item in question. If your review is totally unhelpful to someone who hasn't bought, seen, read, or used the item you're reviewing, then, well, a "very helpful" isn't an appropriate rating for it.  |
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