I'm still trying to actually churn out a review or two. Not that I'm anywhere as good (or as morbid) as Hopkins, but nevertheless:
O then if in my lagging lines you miss The roll, the rise, the carol, the creation My winter world, which scarcely breathes that bliss Now yields you, with some sighs, our explanation.
Well, there was never much rise or roll, but inspiration is certainly required.
Some General Rating Information
For quite some time I was in the habit of leaving comments with every Somewhat Recommended or Not Recommended rating I left. This is no longer possible, as I read and rate many reviews and time, unfortunately, is not infinite. Additionally, I'm reluctant to simply supply "canned" comments... I don't think that's fair to the writer. If the guidelines given below are insufficient to explain my rating philosophy, or if you have any questions about a rating I've left on one of your reviews, please feel free to e-mail me and I'll provide a full explanation. I'm always more than happy to provide whatever advice I can to new writers so we can make Epinions the most helpful site it can be.
Highly Recommended A Highly Recommended review should contain highly detailed information about the product, allowing the potential consumer to form a strong idea of its benefits and drawbacks and make an informed decision whether to purchase it. The review should be well-written, and there should be minimal spelling or grammatical errors.
Recommended A Recommended review should provide a basic description of the product's benefits and drawbacks and provide reasonable justification for the reviewer's rating. The writing should be competent, and enough care should have been taken that there are few spelling or grammatical errors, though this last is not always essential in the case of an otherwise excellent piece.
Somewhat Recommended A Somewhat Recommended review will be a non-abusive opinion that fails to meet the standards for a Recommended rating. It will contain little or no information useful to a potential consumer, will often be poorly written (one 100-word paragraph, for instance), and may be a minefield of spelling and grammatical errors.
Not Recommended The Not Recommended rating is reserved for opinions that are abusive in some manner. Examples include: plagiarism that can be documented, a review written on a product the writer has not personally used, opinions that malign other members of the community, "padded" opinions, and gibberish.
Finally, a thanks to everyone in the Epinions community... I've met some incredible people here, and I've had the chance to read some truly fantastic writing. The creative outlet I've found here has been invaluable as well... if I languish in my office or in pointless meetings all day, I know nevertheless that there's a review to be written when I arrive home, and I look forward to the prospect (despite my flare-ups of writer's block. :)
Be sure to visit Epinion Addicts, a site for relaxed discussion of all things Epinions-related...
