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Don't Make AssumptionsMay 08 '01 (Updated May 11 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line The Only Assumption You Should Make: Assume your reader has been living in seclusion for the last fifty years, take no foreknowledge for granted.
Like many others, I had sworn off Community Center reviews. It seems that everyone reads them, and that everyone ignores them. Perhaps it is because I have been reading more book reviews lately, but I have been noticing that many people make the same error, and make it over and over again. That error is the error of assumption. WHEN YOU ASSUME... For anyone old enough to remember The Odd Couple (the TV show, not the movie), this statement may be familiar: When you ASSUME, you make an A_S_S of U and ME. Many reviewers seem to feel, especially when writing about a series of books (like the Left Behind series) or about books by specific genre authors (like V.C. Andrews), that the reader of the review is familiar with the subject at hand. Although this is more common in book reviews than in many other categories, it is something that can happen in any category. The author presupposes a knowledge that his reader may not have. A lack of background information can result in a less than Very Helpful review. VISUALIZE YOUR AUDIENCE When you are writing, you must visualize your audience. Visualize them as people who are ignorant, as members of a lost tribe. Visualize them as people who have never heard of the topic which you propose to review. No matter how simplistic it may seem to you, you have to give the basics. While I know a lot about many topics, there are even more topics of which I am totally ignorant. It is not condescending to assume your audience is ignorant. No one person knows everything, and at least one person who reads your review will have absolutely zero background knowledge of your topic. Write your review for that person. The more detail, the better. Reviewing a television? Someone out there doesn't know how a television works (I don't), doesn't know why the technology of your TV is superior. In laymans terms, explain why your flatscreen WEGA set is best (or worst). I don't want to hear what the box it came in says. The box always says that the product packaged therein is the best. I want to hear what you say. Reviewing a book in a fantasy/sci-fi series? You can't assume your readers are familiar with other books in the series, or the characters or general settings. I am a huge sci fi/fantasy buff, and have never read the Xanth series. Don't write your review for someone already familiar with the book; write it for someone who has never heard of it. If someone has never read the Harry Potter books, how helpful is a review that says "In this book, Hermione loosens up a bit"? You have to tell us just who Hermione is, and why loosening up is significant for her. Someone, somewhere, has never heard of Harry Potter. That is the person your review should be aimed at. QUOTING THE BOX Please don't quote the box. For some products, performance is objective. A can opener either opens cans, or it doesn't. For others, it is subjective. A pet food product or infant formula may claim to be the best (I have never seen a food product claim to be less than the best), but that doesn't mean that the claims have any basis in fact. What is in this food product? Again, I don't want to hear what the packaging says; I can do that in the supermarket. I want to hear what you say about the ingredients and nutritional value of a food product. I don't trust corporations, but I may trust you. I want to hear what you have to say, not what the manufacturer has to say. If I wanted to know what Hills says about Science Diet dog food, I'd go to their web site. I came to Epinions because I wanted to know what you think about it. Quoting the box is about as valuable as saying "This stuff rocks". Every individual has unique insights about every thing they come into contact with. This is what makes your opinion valuable. I WANT TO KNOW EVERYTHING When I am reading a review, I want to know everything you know. I want you to teach me. I want to believe what you believe, I want to be convinced that your opinion is correct. If you do not give me all of the details and all of the facts (as you know them), I cannot make a solid decision. I know nothing, and you know everything. Write your review for me, the ignorant. I have never seen a review rated down for too much information. Keep that in mind.  |
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