This seems like such a harmless topic to write an opinion for, but from past experience on other review-writing Web sites, I know better than to try to tell other people how to rate. The most I can do is tell people how I rate, and hope that I don’t end up with several dozen people adding me to their distrust lists.
I took a long hiatus from this site due to exhaustion and writer’s block. I enjoyed it, but felt frequently discouraged from so many ’’dot-bombs’’ (writing and pay-per-click sites that I subscribed to folding, closing up shop, and deleting all of my hard work from their servers, my Google links never to be seen or clicked on again) biting the dust. But I really enjoy Mouthshut, and rating reviews has been just as fun as writing them.
I will admit, I am a wimp. I hate NR-ing a review. I avoid it to the best extent that I am able. The only thing that will trigger that rating from me is if there is something that is offensive in its content. It has to really make my blood boil.
My alternative to NR-ing a review is emailing the author offline. That is what the member-to-member messaging links are for, in my opinion. For that purpose, as well as responding to someone’s comments they leave on your review.
I SR a review if it doesn’t teach me much about the product or service. The review can be short, even as short as the 100-word limit, but if it tells me the most useful features of a product, first consumer impression, over level of satisfaction, and the caveats to buying or endorsing it, then that is fine. I will at least Recommend it. But if it is a long and rambling review that doesn’t have much to teach me, then I will consider an SR. A long review that actually has useful information to the tune of at least one salient point per paragraph is one that I will Recommend.
Highly Recommended reviews are the ones that grab my attention, have a catchy title that is appropriate to the content, is reasonably researched, that go into detail about the experience of using the product, are descriptive, and that don’t assume that the reader is an ’’expert’’ on the use of the product (or inept, for that matter). If you want me to rate you fairly, don’t talk down to me.
Another thing to consider about rating: The comments section does not give you license to vent your spleen to the author, whether they tick you off in their review or not. This can add insult to injury when you give someone a poor rating. Another thing that I do not like is when people tell me ’’I might change my rating if you change this about your review.’’ That might be helpful in terms of accepting constructive criticism and learning to write a better review, or for posting it in a more specific directory of the site, but that doesn’t mean I will just jump right up and do what I am told. I could change it to suit one person, while 99 other people thought it was fine as is.
I appreciate honest comments as much as the next person (even though I can’t say that some of them haven’t chafed me a bit, call it writer’s ego). Just make sure they are not phrased as an attack.