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The Obligatory "How I Rate" EditorialJan 24 '01 (Updated Aug 13 '01) Write an essay on this topic.
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The Bottom Line Here is my manifesto: Spelling counts. Helpfulness counts. I don't have to agree with your opinion to give it a good rating. You can read the rest.
The column no one was waiting for… how I rate! If you're wondering what on earth I was thinking when I rated your opinion, I hope this will clue you in. :-) First, the big picture: Since Epinions changed their ratings from various degrees of Recommended to Helpful, I have tried very hard to rate based on how helpful a particular review is. If Epinions is going to survive, it will be on the strength of product reviews. I don’t have to agree with your opinion (either a product review or editorial), but I have to understand why you feel that way, and you must present your point of view well. I will never give you a lower rating just because I disagree with you, but if your opinion is based on flawed data or ignorance, I will rate lower. For example, I rated two opinions today on a product that I had used and liked. One reviewer had used the product, didn't like it, and explained why. I rated this review Very Helpful, even though I disagreed. The other said she had never used it, but still didn't like it (how did she know?) and gave a couple of weak, non-supported opinions. I had to give that review a Not Helpful. When I rate, spelling counts. Grammar counts. Punctuation counts. They don’t have to be perfect (mine aren’t), but the mistakes must not be so bad that they’re a distraction. I never rate based only on spelling or grammar, but they do matter, and there’s a good reason. I know spell-checkers aren’t foolproof, but when I see an opinion sprinkled with errors that I know would have been flagged, it tells me that you didn’t put much care or effort into your opinion. And that makes it less trustworthy. Perhaps I shouldn't admit this, but entertainment value counts, too. I will never give a low rating just because a review was on the dull side, but anything that makes me laugh out loud is likely to get bumped a little higher. Now, the individual ratings: Very Helpful This has to be a thorough review. Not necessarily long, just complete. And, obviously, very helpful to anyone looking for information. For a product review, any questions I had about the product were answered, possibly questions I didn’t even know I had (the one exception to this rule is when the product is a safety hazard, such as a poorly-designed car seat -- if it's a dangerous product, I don't care how easy it is to use, so I will often rate higher for reviews that point out the product's dangers even if they don't give as much information about other aspects of the product). It’s obvious you have used the product long enough to form a good, valid opinion instead of writing based on your first impressions. For an editorial, I know exactly how you feel why you feel that way, you have given advice when appropriate, you have provided references if applicable, and you have not ridiculed those who disagree just because they disagree. Your review, either product review or editorial, has to fit the category. If the category is “Advice on Buying Toys,” for example, and you write an editorial complaining about how much toys cost, you might get my sympathy but you won’t get a VH rating from me, since you are offering no advice. Helpful If you write a good opinion but one or more items are lacking from the Very Helpful description, I give a Helpful. It might be that you left me hanging by not answering all of my questions, or it might be that you had a good opinion but it was so riddled with errors of spelling, grammar, and punctuation that I was too distracted. Somewhat Helpful When I give a Somewhat Helpful, it’s usually because the writer had a few good thoughts but did not follow through. This is often combined with lots of grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Sometimes it’s just a short description of a product, the kind of description one could give without actually using the product. Or perhaps it’s an editorial that doesn’t fit its category or doesn’t seem to have a point; just a series of disconnected paragraphs. It could also been a review that might have been helpful if it weren’t so rude toward anyone who disagrees (for example, an informative editorial on a parenting practice which also happens to be full of unnecessarily derogatory remarks about people who don’t parent the same way). I have also given Somewhat Helpfuls to people who obviously and intentionally put their review in the wrong category simply because the right one doesn’t exist. How helpful can it be if it’s in the wrong category? There are lots of things I’d like to review that aren’t in Epinions yet, but I’m going through the appropriate channels, so I have no patience for those who hijack other categories instead. Lately I have started leaving a comment when I give a Somewhat Helpful rating, explaining why I rated that way. Some people appreciate this (I do) and some don’t. Not Helpful There are several reasons I have given Not Helpfuls. Some are cases of abuse – the “a a a” drivel, or the repeated “this sux, this sux” type of “opinion.” I’ll also give a Not Helpful to an editorial if it is based on obviously incorrect information, if the writer is extremely negative toward those with opposing viewpoints without a good reason, if there are signs of prejudice or bigotry, or if the writer admits they don’t know what they’re talking about (and it’s amazing how often that happens). A review of a product you have not used will generally get a Not Helpful. I will never give you a Not Helpful simply because I don’t agree with your opinion. I have also started leaving a comment when I give a Not Helpful rating unless it’s an obvious case of abuse (I think these people know what they’re doing and don’t need any explanation from me). I’ve gone back to some of my older opinions and have realized where they fell short of my own standards, so I’m revising as I can. If you revise an opinion I have rated, I would be happy to re-rate it. And if my rating of your opinion seems odd based on what you've read here, let me know... there's always the chance my finger slipped and I clicked the wrong button.  |
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