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It may be most helpful but.....Oct 23 '01 Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Epinions is a great place to visit but I wouldn't want to live here!
As the title of this review implies, one of the things that I'd like to cover in this review is the recent addition of most helpful to the choices you have when rating a review. I, also hope to answer some of the questions that have been asked of me by way of email and, with any luck, help some of the newer members by doing so. First off, I'd like to address the newest rating that you have to choose from and that is the most helpful rating. As most of you on my Web of Trust have noticed, I don't give out any of this type of rating. It's not because some of you aren't deserving of such a rating because you are but I'd rather not hurt other members feelings by giving such a rating. As most of you know, numerous members write about the same thing giving their point of view and every writer that's on my Web of Trust is on there because they are excellent writers. So, in my opinion, giving one person a most helpful is the same thing as telling other members writing about the same thing, that their reviews aren't good enough to merit such a rating. Now, I'm not out to hurt anyone's feelings and I personally think that some members may take it offensively so I'd just rather not do it. Added to that is the fact that in order to deem one members review as the most helpful, would mean reading each and every review on that subject. Although I don't mind reading and rating reviews, I can't see myself reading numerous reviews on the same topic unless I'm looking for information on a particular topic. Some may wonder what if the member writing the review is the only one that has written about a particular topic? It may stand to reason if there's nothing to compare it to then why not give it the highest rating if it's an excellent review. My feelings are that in order for someone to say a person's review is the most helpful, it has to be compared to something but that's only my opinion! The bottom line is, there are many great writers out there and rather than take the chance of hurting someone's feelings, I'd prefer not to use such a rating. Some of the other things that I wish to touch bases on, has to do with the writing of reviews. While most members do a great job of explaining certain things about the topic that they're writing in, there are some, in my opinion, that do not. I'm going to list them by category along with what I've seen (or haven't seen) in some reviews and what I feel could make them better. As always, this is only my opinion and it may not reflect the opinion of others! Restaurant Reviews When writing a review in this category, it's okay to let other people know of your like or dislike for the place that you're writing about but it should be understood that we are here to help people in forming their own opinion and therefore, you should also tell something about the restaurant in your review. Too often, I've seen people express their feelings about a place without bothering to tell them something about the restaurant like what they serve, how expensive it is and how the food and service was. Although I do take into consideration how other members feel about a place, I also want to know all about it as well. Most people, myself included, do not talk about more than one visit at a particular restaurant and because of this, one's opinion could be written off as just a bad experience rather than a bad restaurant. When I read someone's review about a restaurant, I want to know the types of things they serve, the cleanliness of the place, the cost of an average meal, was the meal good or bad and how the service was. People can have bad days so I try not to base my opinion solely on the service although I do feel it's important. The quality of the food is also very important but we all have our own opinion on what constitutes as a great tasting meal so I try not to totally base my decision on whether or not to eat there just because several people may not have liked it. The three things that do weigh heavily on my mind when deciding to eat somewhere is the cleanliness, the prices and what they serve. It's not that the other two are any less important to me but the three I've listed can be written in all restaurant reviews and, in my opinion, should be. If I'm in the mood for Italian, I certainly don't want to go to a Mexican restaurant and if I'm on a fixed income, I don't want to be paying $50.00 for my meal either. And I don't think I need to explain about why cleanliness is important to me because I'm sure no one wants to eat in a filthy restaurant! Movie Reviews When writing a review in this category, it's very important to express your opinion on the movie because that probably is the biggest factor for people wanting to rent or buy it. If the vast majority of reviewers felt the movie stunk then it probably did and who wants to watch a movie with such a low rating anyway. However, if the movie was good and you enjoyed it very much, doesn't it stand to reason that writing more than 100 words on it should be quite easy. Now, I'm not here to tell anyone how to write a great movie review because I don't even know how to myself but I do know what I look for in a review of this type when deciding how to rate so I'd like to share that with you at this time. When reading a movie review, the first thing that I look for is if the writer has named any of the actors or actresses who starred in the movie. Call me crazy but there are certain actors/actresses that I'd just rather not watch so it's very important to me who starred in the film. Even if you say that your opinion reveals no details about the movie's plot, there's still no reason not to at least list the main characters that were in it. Another thing that determines my rating is the length of the review but not for the reasons that you may think. I only base my ratings on length when someone says that they've revealed everything about the movie's plot and yet, they just barely jump over the 100 word limit. I don't honestly believe that anyone can reveal everything about a movie in 100 words or less and if you can then you're truly an amazing writer. If you're claiming to reveal major details then do so but don't label it as such if you barely said anything at all about the movie. The same goes for the review that claims to reveal no details about the movie and ends up telling you everything instead. While some people may want to know everything about a particular movie, some may not so it's important to know the difference before reading the review. I, for one, just like enough to get my attention about a movie that interests me rather than know all there is to know about it. Automobile Reviews Even when the person writing the review actually owns the vehicle, I find countless reviews with little to no details about said vehicle. When someone is interested in buying a new car, it's considered a major purchase because of the amount of money they'll be laying out for it so saying it runs great or looks good just don't cut it in my book. If I'm going to go into hock for a new car, I'd certainly want to know exactly what I'm getting for the money and if it fully fits my needs. Although it's possible for some to decide on whether to buy one or not with little to go on, I'm not one of those people. With the price of gas right now, the first thing I'd want to know (other than the cost of the vehicle) is how many miles to the gallon it gets. Some people have big families (like me) and need lots of room so seating capacity and leg room should be covered. Safety features is another very important factor for everyone when deciding to buy a vehicle so I'd want to see that listed in the review as well because that information will help in making their decision. The point that I'm trying to make is when you're writing a review about things of this nature, try to give as many details as possible because, even though, it may not seem important to you, it may be to others. Book Reviews For me, there have been few books that I've read that have kept me interested long enough to finish the whole book. There are only certain types of books that keep my attention and this is the case with most people so the first thing I'd want to know is what type of book it is. After it's been determined what category it falls into, I'd like to know as much about the book as I can without someone giving it all away. Another very important thing is knowing who wrote the book because most authors tend to stay in the area of their previously written books such as romance, mystery or science fiction and if you've liked their work in the past, you'll probably like their newest one. This category is an especially tough one to write in as there's a fine line between too much and not enough so pleasing everyone is next to impossible. For this reason, I'm a little more flexible when it comes to rating book reviews. My Opinion First off, I'd like to state for the record that I'm not claiming to be a great writer but rather someone that feels he knows what people look for in a review. If nothing else, I certainly know what I look for in a review and I hope that by conveying this to you that I've helped someone in some way. I've read many reviews that are very well written but lacked what I consider to be important information and this, in my opinion, is what keeps a helpful review from becoming a very helpful review. In the past, I've been reminded of this myself but until someone took the time to tell me about it, I had no idea and I do appreciate it and I hope you will too. Before I post this, I want to first thank the people that have taken the time to send me an email to ask how I'm doing because it truly is appreciated. I'm in an uphill battle for my life right now and hearing from nice people like yourselves helps more than you can possibly imagine. God Bless!  |
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