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I think Epinions is a wonderful place because it empowers consumers to share the truth about products and consumer experiences.

While I enjoy reading the occasional well-written 10 page review on a simple item, I typically prefer to see folks concisely share their experiences. The more reviewers, the merrier. The corollary to my stated preference is that I don't like to read fluff (unless it is really funny fluff, of course) and I certainly don't want to burden folks with making fluff up when they have one or two really good facts to share. I find the following types of reviews Helpful:

• "I've Been Bitten" - This is your account of something unexpected that others should know about. It doesn't have to be long to be helpful to me as long as it is well written, to the point, and genuine. These are rated "somewhat helpful" by some folks. I would rather see a lot of reviewers than just a couple, so if the review meets the above criteria, then it will likely get a Helpful rating from me. If it is more rant than meat (facts), then it will likely get SH. The Epinion community should encourage participation from the general public without requiring an overburdensome writing effort on the part of someone who has a good fact or two to contribute. This category includes customer service experiences, quality problems, and other findings not obvious to the average consumer.
• "Not Chosen" - If you used and compared multiple products then I find it helpful to note why you did not select a particular product. I encourage you to write a short review on the items you used but did not choose. If you wrote a helpful review on the item you ended up choosing, then I am not going to burden you with writing a comprehensive review on the items you did not select just to get a Helpful review on the unworthy item.
• "Personal Experiences" (aka, "The Typical Review") - This review should be a decent list of your needs and expectations, and things you like and don't like about the product, as well as why you would or would not recommend it to someone else. As long as you concisely cover most of the major areas that I would use in the decision making process and it is well written, to the point, and genuine, then it will likely get a VH. Humor, creativity, pleasant formatting, and anything that makes the review fun gets bonus points. I deduct points for fluffing up so much that it obscures the main purpose of the review. I don't deduct or add points for regurgitation of a feature list that I can find in the Details View or manufacturer's web site.
• "Fit For A Magazine" - While I find it useful to list and comment on every single feature of a product, I am savvy enough to find the manufacturer's webpage and look at the details view to find out the interesting features of a given product or service. While these will almost always get a VH, this is not the only type of a review that gets a VH from me. I am most interested in the actual experiences of a given user and how he or she found the product or service to be suitable or unsuitable.