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Re: Information (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
Some things do call for more detail true. I simply do not believe that just because someone does not include all the facts,ingredients,hours, etc. that it makes it only somewhat helpful. I believe if you have shared your opinion and good information it deserves a helpful as long as it has been well written, makes sense and has some content to it. I simplt think sometimes peoples opinions are hit with a somewhat helpful based on they have not put in every little thing about the product.
Thankyou for your comment.
Kim
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Mar 10 '03
2:32 pm PST
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Re: Absolutely! (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
Thankyou for your comment. I agree this is exactly my point.
Kim
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Mar 10 '03
2:28 pm PST
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Information (Reply to this comment)
by glomarrone
Hi,
One of the things I look for in a review is how long the reviewer has been using the product. If it is a brand new purchase-only a month old it really is less helpful to me than a review from someone who has been using the product for over a year. I am most interested in how satisfied/unsatisfied you are with the product and why. Many times short really can say it best.
But lots of times I look for more information. For example if a restaurant is reviewed I like to hear how you enjoyed your meal & service but I'd also like to know what else is on the menu, hours of operation and how long the restaurant has been in business, etc. Including a Website for more information is always important. If the product is really expensive - like a car, I'd probably want to know everything you can share about it.
Good job!
Gloria
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Mar 10 '03
5:59 am PST
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Absolutely! (Reply to this comment)
by pfalcioni
I've just begun writing opinions here, but have used Epinions for a few years now to make decisions about products and services.
During that time, I'd always looked up the 'statistics' on a specific item from other sources, the I came to Epinions for the dirt! I didn't care about name, rank and serial number here -- I already had that information -- what I wanted was Opinions! What people thought of how a certain item or service worked (or didn't work) for them.
Now that I have begun to write here, I have been asked to add detail to my opinions on a few occasions. I did add to one of my Epinions because I did not have enough information on how a particular item worked (as was pointed out to me in a critique). However, I have two other Epinions that were critiqued as not having enough data, but I feel that the 'nuts and bolts' had already been covered better than I could in other opinions.
Why should I simply parrot the same information in mine (the hours are 8am to 5pm, kids under 5 are free, etc.)?
I guess it's nice to have 'one stop shopping' where each opinion can stand on its own, however, does anyone read just one opinion on a particular item? It seems if the basics are listed in each opinion (in order to garner the highest marks), people will be confronted with multiple opinions which have a majority of the same information in each one.
I don't think this is a real service to the casual user.
However, I do see the point of asking for details. It does winnow out the casual 'money grubber' and creates a more professional looking opinion.
As I said, I'm a complete newbie here, but this has already come to my attention as a possible problem.
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Mar 09 '03
10:07 pm PST
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Re: Hi Kim ... I could have written your post ... (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
Thats funny. See that is the whole reason I wrote this. I wanted to vent a little, and see what others thought. Funny that you had written about it back 2 years ago.
Thanks for the comment.
Kim
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Mar 07 '03
8:59 pm PST
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Re: The other part (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
Oh no I agree. You cannot simply put I enjoyed it or something like that. Which I thought I did cover much more than that in my review, but I was only using that as an example anyway.
My main point is that I have seen many reviews get down graded simply for missing out on a bunch of technical mumbo jumbo or ingredients and along that line.
Good points.
Thanks for the comment.
Kim
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Mar 07 '03
8:56 pm PST
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Hi Kim ... I could have written your post ... (Reply to this comment)
by elainehn
... well actually I think I did, back in October 2001 - http://www.epinions.com/content_2257035396
I was very frustrated with the 'gotta include everything but the engineer's specs.' kind of attitude I seemed to be seeing ... and I vented about it.
But over time my reviews have become more content heavy ... something some people approve of while others don't. I try to blend product detail with personal insight without going overboard on either ... but then again, I'm sure there are those who feel that I go overboard one way or the other or with both. Honestly, in the grand scheme of thing ... who cares? You can't please all of the people all of the time. You know?
You can take constructive comments to heart and make improvements where you feel they are justified (we can ALL always improve) and then just disregard the snitty ones that are more self-important rantings of those who think they are the Epinions gods. You'll never please everyone, so please yourself and those who are willing to be pleased. Write because you enjoy writing ... write in style that makes you happy ... write as yourself, not as a cookie cutter replica of some other writer ... and write what you feel will help actual consumers (who supposedly are the whole reasons for Eps anyway.)
Have a SUPER day!
Elaine
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Mar 07 '03
8:52 am PST
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The other part (Reply to this comment)
by AliventiAsylum
I forgot to put in my first comment is an explanation I give to a lot of newbies on the site (3 kids in the morning, I got distracted).
If I ask a friend about a product, I have a good idea of how their tastes go. I know them for a certain period of time and I know their technical ability, some of their likes and dislikes. I can make a judgment about what they are saying because I know how we compare in those areas.
We can't do that here. All we have are the words on the screen. Therefore, the more details the better. If someone says in a movie "I thought it was hilarious" it could be something I find offensive. The same for products - what is considered a convenience for them might not be for me. What I would look for in a refrigerator might not be the same thing they would.
In the case of your video game, I would not purchase it for my family - but that's just me. I know enough about this one from the media. But just saying that you and your family enjoyed it wouldn't resonate with me unless I know a lot more about the game.
Patti
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Mar 07 '03
5:19 am PST
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Sometimes yes (Reply to this comment)
by AliventiAsylum
sometimes no.
I know I have been frustrated at times when I am downrated in certain categories because I am not a "techie" and therefore do not know all of the terms, etc. This is supposed to be a consumer-based site, not a professional one.
I also don't think there is a need to post all the information about the company in the review. If it's there, it's a nice bonus, but not something I would look for.
However, there have been times I have gone looking for specific information on a product and not been able to find it in all of the reviews, even the VH ones.
That's the difference, in my opinion, between H and VH. Is it easy? Not at all.
Honestly, I wish there were more options on rating besides just helpfulness but I think it would make the site more complicated than what people are looking for.
Patti
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Mar 07 '03
5:13 am PST
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Re: It depends (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
Thankyou for your comment. I do agree there are some things as in your example that are good to know. I am speaking more along the line of things that you can read on the bottle or package of something.
Thanks again.
Kim
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Mar 05 '03
10:40 pm PST
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It depends (Reply to this comment)
by klueger
I like short but I also like some details. To be honest I don't want to have to read 100 reviews to get the details on a product.
I think my rating is higher than some but I also want certain things for instance you can write a lot on a hotel but if you don't tell me about the cleanliness I'm not going to give you more than a helpful. I want to know about that because if the hotel is dirty I'm not going to stay there.
I do think though sometimes people are looking for way to much stuff that does not need to be in the review. Some offer way to much information though I tend to go off on personal tangets myself.
Good review thanks for asking people to check themselves.
Klueger
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Mar 05 '03
6:05 pm PST
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Re: Personally... (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
I am happy to see others agree and see my point. I was not sure how I would be taken. Thanks for the comments
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Mar 05 '03
4:45 pm PST
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Personally... (Reply to this comment)
by 4-1-1
I am with you. I prefer opinions, rather than essays. A straight-up opinion based on a user's experience is more helpful to me than an understanding of how a product is made or marketed.
Best,
Tom / 4-1-1
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Mar 05 '03
11:44 am PST
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Re: Thank you... (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
Very well said. This is exactly what I was trying to say.
Kim
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Mar 05 '03
8:43 am PST
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Thank you... (Reply to this comment)
by mnehr
Great point..
My thought has recently become that the review should be your opinion based on what was important to you in choosing to use/buy that product.
Personally I feel an essay is a waste (unless there is a discrepancy in what Epinions lists as features and what the features are or how they work.)
After all, that is what the product details button is for on the top of the page.
What sets a good review apart from a bad review, in my opinion, is personal experience.
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Mar 05 '03
7:09 am PST
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Re: hey there... (Reply to this comment)
by kimzstuffz
I actually consider a helpful a good rating. My point was simply many times someones opinion is rated with a SH based on not enough information about the product. I was using the GTA game as an example only because of the person who said the doubted I would get higher than all SH's.
A better example would be and I have seen this before:
Somebody say uses MCI for long distance. (I am taking this from experience lol). They do not know all of the details about the company or all of their plans. Their review consists of maybe 2 paragraphs describing their horrid experience with the customer support. Now in a situation such as this the review may not be chocked full of information, but I myself would find it helpful to know such a thing. Now I have seen a big share of writers get SH's inthe same type of situations. This is what is bothering me.
As for books, I used to write about childrens books. Honestly that is my favorite thing to write reviews on. I am sure I will be getting back into the motion of things soon. Thanks for the invite.....(smile)
Kim
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Mar 05 '03
5:44 am PST
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The short, sweet and simple version (Reply to this comment)
by SurgRN911
I agree!!!!!!!!!!!
Di
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Mar 05 '03
5:00 am PST
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VH (Reply to this comment)
by stockholder
I think you are right, BUT
AND I read your review and consider it to be VH.
STOCKHOLDER
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Mar 05 '03
12:44 am PST
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hey there... (Reply to this comment)
by sleeper54
.
Very nicely said...
Of course I had to go look at the GTA/Vice City review (and I recognize that is not why you are here now!) All 'Helpfuls' with the exception of one 'VH' and one 'SH'. And yes I found it helpful to me also.
It is a common belief on the site that 'Helpful' is not a good rate. I see the GTA game has fifty visible reviews and sixty(!) rated 'SH' or below. So for your 'Helpful' review on that product, that is probably not a good overall rate. It will be buried by higher rated reviews.
Which is why I try to write on stuff that has not been reviewed yet. Where your words carry more weight, where your epinion won't be lost in the pile. Whether they are rated 'H' or 'VH'.
But I have also written on the popular stuff too. Because I had a different take on it. Because I wanted to do so.
I know I haven't really addressed your point of perhaps being aware of length vs rating. But you can find lots of examples of great 'short stuff' on my 'lean-n-mean' write-off on my user-page. And I'll keep you in mind when I do the 'stealth' follow-up...
Anyway, come write something in 'books', OK?!?
...tom...
"In writing and politicking, it's best not to think about it, just do it." —Gore Vidal
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Mar 04 '03
10:37 pm PST
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