HOW TO RATE: Will You Join in This Crusade?
Mar 03 '00 (Updated Aug 08 '02)
The Bottom Line In with the good, out with the bad... it's that simple. Nothing personal.
Okay guys, here's the skinny on how I rate reviews, and why. For those of you who clicked on this editorial to see why I rated you the way I did, please read on, and hopefully it will make sense to you. Why should you be interested, you ask? Because it pays off for everyone in the long run.
Having been a member since October of 1999, I have probably rated thousands of epinions. I've also received a good number of e-mails asking me why I rate the way I do. I never thought it required a whole lot of explanation, but after seeing hundreds upon hundreds of reviews being rated way too generously, I felt an explanation was needed of how I rate, and quick! Hopefully you'll understand my reasoning and will want to do the same.
SOME IMPORTANT THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW FIRST!
Before I go into the specifics of how I rate, let me tell you the most important thing that you should know: when you rate, do it with little fear and without looking back. Sound overly dramatic (like the title)? Maybe- but many reviewers in this section have expressed their reluctance at wielding the "Not Helpful" sword. Why is this bad?
Picture it this way: let's say you actually need to research a product... just your luck, you have your favorite website of all time, Epinions, at your disposal. You are delighted to see that the product you're researching is rated by, say, 100 people! Wow- and 86 of them are Very Helpful! Surely this will be a cornucopia of information!
Well, not really. You see, a few of those reviews are totally worthless: some aspiring poets write poems having nothing to do with a product, and other members make you wonder if they know what the heck the product actually is. Still other reviews are plagiarized from other sources, including fellow members on Epinions. So, that strikes out about 10 of them. Okay, there's still 90 reviews left, so what?
Well, the problem doesn't stop there. It's also apparent in reviews that are good but not great... this time almost all of those are "Very Helpful," so now you have no idea which one is just okay and which is very helpful. Worse still, this does no justice for the Epinions member who writes an excellent review, only to see an okay review rated just as highly and sometimes getting more hits. Look for yourself: check out any popular category, and click on "show all epinions." You'll discover that you have to scroll down for days until you finally reach the reviews that have been rated "Helpful," no more.
So... in my effort to combat this and improve the quality of the site, I decided to let you in on my little system of rating. I have also included how I rate car reviews because the Auto Section is where I hang out the most. Here is how I rate, plain and simple.
VERY HELPFUL:
I make this promise to you: if you go out of your way to describe a product I will rate it "Very Helpful," even if I don't agree with you. There are some factors that really convince me to click on the "Very Helpful" link. If you do at least some of the following...
1) Describe in detail what you love about a product and why (required!)
2) Describe in detail what you hate about a product and why (required!)
3) Use correct grammar and spelling (NEWSFLASH! There's a built-in spell checker when you preview your reviews)
4) Use broken paragraphs (line breaks) for easier reading
5) Write at least 400 words (don't worry... it's not hard)
6) Provide in-depth analysis that I wouldn't find elsewhere, like in Consumer Report
7) Provide accurate facts
... I'll reward you with a high rating, and maybe a positive comment. Again, not all of these guidelines have to be followed, nor are they listed in any particular order of importance. But I hope it gives you some insight on how you should rate others. It's NOT overly demanding. What it will do is raise the standard on what deserves a high rating. Members would work harder to write better and honest epinions- and you know what would happen? The whole site would benefit because it would be a much more reliable source of gathering information.
For car reviews: I'm particularly strict when it comes to giving out "Very Helpful" ratings for car reviews. Why? Because cars a major investment for anyone... it's not just a matter of shelling out $8 for a movie! So, all of the above criteria that I listed strongly apply to car reviews. Here's a miscellaneous example: most commonly, when people have lemons for cars, they write a list of all the problems a car has given them, and leave it at that. The reason why I give just a "Helpful" rating for a review like that is because not all cars may have those problems... assuming they don't, what else is there to learn about the car in that review? Not much. Don't get me wrong... talking about your pain and suffering is paramount in warning the consumer. Still, try to say the things you liked about the car during the "honeymoon period", if there ever was one. Very rarely, I'll give an "VH" to a review like this, but only if I'm totally dazzled.
HELPFUL:
Many people view this rating as bad. Well, that makes sense if the only ratings that are being given are "Very Helpful" or "Helpful!" As for me, I do not see this as a bad rating at all. I give this rating to a review that makes an honest attempt at helping the consumer. However, that alone won't convince me to issue a "Very Helpful" rating. As I said before, it just wouldn't be fair to the other reviewer who worked hard to produce an excellent epinion, nor would it do the whole site any good.
For car reviews: A "Helpful" rating for car reviews follows these criteria to the letter. Again, if your review is nothing but a list of problems you had with the vehicle (even if it's pretty thorough), you'll get this rating from me (see above for more detail).
SOMEWHAT HELPFUL:
Sadly, this is the most common rating that I give now. For the most part, it's new members who receive this rating. I can't fault them too much since they don't know the mechanics of this site, and since most websites that ask for consumer opinions are just fine with a few lines of text on a product. Of course here at Epinions, where good reviews are what's keeping this site alive, one must be more stringent.
Put simply, I rate an epinion in this manner if it's just not detailed enough: if it's fewer than 10 lines -even if it tries to be helpful- I can't rate it any higher than "SH". How hard can it be to write just a few more sentences about the product you're reviewing?
DON'T BE FOOLED, THOUGH! Length is not the only prerequisite for a good review! I see it all too often: someone will write a long review, perhaps with some nice formatting, yet fail to give any pertinent information about the product that someone can use... and then be given a "Very Helpful" rating! Obviously, many of us are not reading carefully enough. A review must truly be helpful, not just long... (we don't give "VERY LONG" ratings, now do we?) It takes a keen and careful rater to discern what's helpful and what's not. In any case, I'm not afraid to give a "Somewhat Helpful to a review even if a book (about NOTHING IMPORTANT) has been written.
I also give this rating if I feel there is something awry about a review. For instance, if it seems to me that the reviewer doesn't really own (or never touched) the product, but happens to provide a few facts, I'll give it this rating. If the review is somewhat off-topic, factually inaccurate, or has very poor grammar, this is the rating I feel it deserves.
For car reviews: To sum it up briefly, watch out for the 15-line zone! If the review is around 15 lines or less, I give this rating without hesitation, even if the review is honest. It's not tough at all! Besides, you're writing about your car! Surely you can come up with more than 15 lines about it! Do the consumer a favor and take a little more than 5 minutes to write about it. I am very strict with this rule because of the kind of investment that a car is. If I were looking for a car, I would want a lot more detail before going out to make an informed decision.
NOT HELPFUL:
Ah... the big guns. The rating that no one dares to use, unless they're "triple-dog-dared!" Quite frankly, I dish out these ratings all the time and without any remorse. Sadly, there are tons of reviews that are:
1) profane
2) sexist
3) plagiarized
4) padded ("hi hi hi hi hi hi hi" ring a bell?)
5) completely off-topic
6) totally inaccurate, or
7) totally useless.
... I slap such reviews with a big, bad "Not Helpful" without thinking twice about it. Am I wrong for doing it? Apparently a few of those reviewers think so... sometimes I'll see a "Not Helpful" slapped on one of my reviews a day or two later. That's fine by me. Fear of retaliation should no longer deter you from giving this rating! The Web of Trust is what matters. Plus, most members will view you as an honest judge of reviews, and a member that genuinely cares for the collective good of the site.
For car reviews: Okay, abuse aside, let's look at another situation commonly seen in the Auto Section. Suppose you want to buy a car, like say, a BMW. Quite an investment there! Now let's say you click on a review and see this:
"Oh my gosh! This is the coolest car I've ever seen and driven. It's just such an awesome car. You will get chicks with this car. This car is so smooth and fast. It is expensive but fast. I think you should get this car. I have six of them. I could live in this car. The stereo is so cool. The seats are so luxurious. Go get this car right now!"
Hmm... not the biggest help, is it? Guess what rating I give it?
ANOTHER THING: SHOW THY FACE!
I never hide my member ID when I give a rating, good or bad. I want the reviewer to know who it was that gave the rating. Many times I'll leave comments for good and bad reviews alike. Again, if they try to make themselves feel better by exacting their revenge upon you, who cares? What you did was show that you are a serious participant, serious about making this site a better place. And you know what? Not only will people will respect you for that, but they'll also notice you more! Translation: you'll probably gain a larger audience to read your reviews! That means more hits, members who trust you, and prestige on the site.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, A WORD ABOUT THE WEB OF TRUST:
The Web of Trust. Epinions' hallowed tradition. This is the yeast in the dough that makes the site rise (my attempt at a metaphor). Like I said, I've been around for a while, but have inducted relatively few members into my Web of Trust. Why is that? Well first of all, I just don't have the time to be on Epinions 24 hours a day to seek such members. Sorry, my fault. I really try, though. The main reason, however, is that my Web of Trust is a reflection of who I am on the site. I have been e-mailed countless times with the "I trust you, now trust me" phrase, and frankly I find it amusing. Trust is not about back-scratching! It's gained. It's earned. It takes honest, hard work to do that. I've done it, and am honored to have earned the trust of many members. The way I see it, I really earned that trust. How do you earn my trust? Simple. If:
1) I rate a good number of your reviews as "Very Helpful" and
2) see that your motivations are in the right place (i.e., to help others make a decision)
3) Your Web of Trust (as in, the web you choose) seems well-selected... it affects who I get to see when I'm using the website to choose a product.
... then I'll trust you at the drop of a hat. Because Epinions is based on the Web of Trust, think of how much better it would be if it operated in this fashion! Yeah, it sounds like a bit of a pipe dream, I know. But I'll still do my part.
I really hope you've gained some insight on how you should rate, even if you disagree with me. Feel free to drop me a line in either case. Until then, best of luck, and happy "Epinionating!"
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Epinions.com ID:
vara
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 in Cars & Motorsports |
 - Top 200 |
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Member: Daniel Ramirez
Location: Miami Beach, FL
Reviews written: 121
Trusted by: 449 members
About Me:
You want a 15 word autobiography? Are you mad, sir?!
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