Having written over 100 comments in various reviews now, I think I’m eligible enough to write under this topic. And although there have been some great reviews written under this one (check out the ones by premjit and just_did_it!!), I want to voice my opinions on the same. So here goes…. Buckle up….
Why Write Comments In The First Place??
Well, according to me, to justify your rating, and express your personal opinion about the review and the product. I strongly believe that one should justify the rating one gives (which I myself am guilty of not doing many a times!!). It not only helps the reviewer improve, but also lets you introspect yourself on whether you’ve been fair in your rating or not, and you’re more careful in assigning ratings in the future.
The First Comment!!!
I think for a newcomer to MS (and I guess for most others too), receiving a comment is the ultimate pleasure…. Especially if it’s a positive one. I still remember how thrilled I was when I got the first one…. Someone actually had the time to read, rate as well as express their views on my reviews!! WOW!. And for me that’s the ultimate motivation to write more and more.
Soo… Let’s start writing the comments……
Here are some types of comments that we usually come across (Take your pick and tell me what sort you write):
- The ‘Just for the sake of it’ comments: These can be both positive and negetive. Just by reading these you get a feeling the reader is writing the comment half-heartedly and just for the heck of it. He has not really read your review and wants to comment just so that you do the same to his/her review. I really don’t like such comments (though I haven’t got too many as of yet!), and feel it would have been better had the comment not been written in the first place.
Eg. “good review!! I’ve written on the same, check it out!!”
- The encouraging comments: These are mostly positive by nature…. And are mainly for the newcomers. If written well, they can be extremely encouraging… as in my case. But you have to be careful you don’t cross the thin line between this and the first…. Some people who excel at this type are: Ankita (starpluswatcher04) and Lyla (cousin2)
Eg. ” Hi! Welcome to Mouthshut! That was a great review first up!”
- The ’can improve’ comments: These are somewhat positive by nature. But can be very very helpful. They usually present healthy tips and constructive criticism to improve your writing, presentation etc. I still remember I got one from Ali (coolcritic) on my first review that said ‘divide it into more paras for better understanding’ and its really helped me grow as a writer!! I truly appreciate such comments…..
Eg. ” Hey! Good review there….. But if you…….. it would be much better!”
- The ‘loved it’ comments: These are the ultra positive ones… The types where the commentor is obviously very happy with both your review as well as you (am I being too cheeky??)!! These comments give you an immense amount of confidence and joy for sure…. I personally love these comments! But they should not be saccharine sweet, ’coz don’t know who’s dibetic and who’s not!!
Eg. ”Hey there!! What a fabulous review… loved every bit of it!!”
- The ’interactive’ type: These are usually comments that you love answering. Because the commentor presents a debate about the product/your review and it makes things really interesting for you as well as well as others. Very interactive… and always draws a healthy response from the reviewer, if written politely.
Eg. ”Hey! I don’t quite agree with your views on….. According to me…..”
- The ’innovative’ type: These are comments that I absolutely love reading! They are comments that are the ‘life’ of the comments section. They almost always leave a smile on the face of the reader. They could be bi-lingual as well, and always reflect the essence of the review in the comment! A ten-on-ten to such comments……
I haven’t given an example for this category ‘coz the space for innovation is too huge to be restricted to an example!
- The ‘downright rude’ type: These are perhaps the most unwelcome comments of all! They are rude.. and how! They go around criticizing the reader, the review and anything else that comes in the way. And not to mention, I’ve also been graced with such a comment… but it doesn’t really affect me. ‘Coz I know there’s something wrong with that person, and not me! Comments that can spoil an entire comments section….. what more can I say?
Eg. “Pathetic review! You don’t know anything and are….. blah-blah-blah (yawn?)”
Comments likh di?! Now comes the time to answer them….
Contd. in the ’comments’ section...