Challenge Yourself 2005 is here! Jan 10 '05 (Updated Apr 07 '05)    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Books Mark Billingham - Death Message From $20 Michael Abadie - Shiny Side Up: Motivati From $13 The Bottom Line Get your thinking caps on and challenge yourself... after all, it is 2005... Since the first Challenge Yourself Write Off was a comparative success (with 40 entries) and proved quite popular, I’ve decided to host another one this year. The rules are pretty much the same – you have to challenge yourself to write in a category you’ve never written in before. The aim is to prove yourself a versatile writer by going outside of your comfort zone and reviewing in an area that might be difficult or uncomfortable for you. The ensuing reviews last time (especially, it seems, from those members that complained the most about being made to write in an area they weren’t used to!) were tremendous. I can honestly say that I’ve never known a write off to produce so many reviews that were rated Most Helpful. (Not that there aren’t any, but I haven’t noticed them.) For some it also proved to them that they were more flexible (in the writing department) than they thought they were. It’s too easy to just stay reviewing the same sort of things time and time again – we know that after a while we can get Very Helpful ratings with very little effort. Last time I wrote in Restaurants, Health and even, would you believe, Beauty. (Why are you laughing?!?!?) It was a good challenge though and I may even write another Beauty review one day. (In fact I could enter it in this year’s WO…) Obviously some members may have written in every conceivable category. So there is one concession to the rule – it doesn’t necessarily have to be a category you’ve never written in before, but your reviews in that category must make up less than one percent of your total reviews. This is pretty harsh since it would exclude me from writing another music review as an entry, and I’ve only written 4 in over 340 reviews. But that’s the point - Challenge Yourself. If you want to take it easy, go for one of the survey write offs… I want to make you work for your ratings! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA… So this year I’m aiming to infiltrate another three new categories: Cars (an accessory), Home & Garden (a dehumidifier/heater, and Computer Software (a graphics package). I may even revisit the categories of Beauty and Restaurants. The WO is open from now till the end of April 2005. I know it took some people quite a bit of time to get their entry together last time round, so there’s plenty of time available here. Product reviews only please. I would appreciate a link back to this page but it’s not a condition of entry. It would be really nice if we could beat the 50 mark this time so I hope plenty of you are up for the challenge! Please leave a comment if you are planning to enter, and of course if you actually do. (Last time 29th_Candidate [we miss you, Jim] suggested that Proxam, for a change, wrote a beer review as his entry. I think this would be a splendid idea. Of course, it would be immediately disqualified, since he’s reviewed more beers than most of us knew existed, but it would still be a splendid idea.) NB - no-one should feel under any obligation to read all the other entries, rate them VH if they’re not, or rate them at all. Just treat them as you would any other review. Related Links The original “Challenge Yourself” WO page My first ever Beauty review! And my first Restaurant review And finally, my first ever Health review Entries to the Challenge Yourself 2005 Write Off 1 - Kids & Family Review by DBCINT 2 - Online Stores & Services Review by DanielleBeeson 3 - Online Sotres & Services Review by Dionne25 4 - Restaurants & Gourmet Review by DanielleBeeson 5 - Home & Garden Review by DanielleBeeson 6 - Electronics Review by CR01 7 - Personal Finance Review by DanielleBeeson 8 - Kids & Family Review by PilarzMom 9 - Online Stores & Services Review by Krissingene 10 - Wellness & Beauty Review by Spiderkid 11 - Restaurants & Gourmet Review by heymrdj2k 12 - Online Stores & Services Review by CaptainD 13 - Computer Game Review by PearAnnoyed 14 - Home & Garden Review by Scotte1218 15 - Wellness & Beauty Review by Poprocks 16 - Restaurants & Gourmet Review by DLStewart 17 - Wellness & Beauty Review by CaptainD 18 - Home & Garden Review by PearAnnoyed 19 - Sporting Goods Review by PearAnnoyed 20 - Computers & Internet Review by DizzyBint 21 - Electronics review by KLD718 22 - Business & Technology Review by KLD718 23 - Computer Hardware Review by PPerky1954 24 - Home & Garden Review by Heymrdj2k 25 - Hotel & Travel Review by DizzyBint 26 - Computer Supplies Review by Jazdia66 27 - Travel Review by Heymrdj2k 28 - Cars & Motorsports Review by Serc 29 - Restaurant Review by jchapkovich 30 - Computers & Internet Review by JanKP Thanks to everyone who's entered! (NB - these would have been entries but ended up in Writers' Corner instead since they couldn't be added to the database.) X-Kings - a free multiplayer online game (intended for Online Stores & Services). Air Checkers - a car accessory intended for Cars & Motorsports.

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