I’ve discovered a way to read/rate a lot more reviews than ever.
When I tell you what it is, some of you will say, “DUH!”, but please remember, I am still technically a newbie on MS…
and besides that, my brain is tired.
Anyway, what I do is start at the bottom of the most recent 30 reviews(on the MS home page) and work my way up. New ones are being added all the time so the list keeps growing and I don’t stop till I’ve gotten to the top. The thing is, by the time I get to the top it’s not the top anymore.
So, now that I’ve mastered the skill of speed read/rating, I’ve actually read more reviews in a few days than I had in the whole last month because I’m more organized now.
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Being exposed to so many more reviews means that I am now reading reviews by people I normally wouldn’t have bothered with before. Unfortunately, almost half of these new reviews I’m discovering are maybe 100 words long(that’s like 10 lines folks!) Some reviews have little or no description of the actual product and/or no opinion by the writer.
This is a review site. The point here on MS is to:
A. Find a product you have had experience with(a movie, a restaurant, a motorbike, etc.)
B. Describe the product and it’s different parts(the actors, the service, the engine, etc.)
C. Explain how well the parts do or do not work together.
D. Explain how you did/do or did not/do not enjoy the product and why.
HOW I RATE A REVIEW
I rate on content and A trough D(mentioned above) is what I consider acceptable content.
I hate short reviews, I feel like less effort goes into short reviews. On the other hand, I have seen some very short reviews but with important points made. I saw one review in which the writer used one or two word descriptions of the features, his basic opinion and some manufacturer information. I was annoyed with how short the review was but I couldn’t argue with the content, so I gave him a HR.
When I see a review that the writer says something like “This is the best(product) ever. I have never regretted getting this(product). Not only that, but I look really cool when I use it. My grandma had an earlier version but this one is so much better. I suggest everyone go buy this(product).” I don’t know what to think.
Technically, the writer has given their opinion, but no details on the product.
I usually rate this SR.
SR stands for “somewhat recommended”.
I interpret this to mean it’s not a great review, but the author did give their opinion so it does have some(albeit minimal) merit to it. If a prospective consumer sees this review he comes out of it with ONE persons opinion. That is somewhat valuable so I somewhat recommend it.
I give a recommended rating to a review when it’s a lovely review, written nicely but there’s some detail missing. This person put up an effort, they did their homework, but they overlooked one thing(i.e. actors names, price range, features, etc). I give them a recommended and leave a comment.
I give HR to reviews that have everything. Content, details, opinion, etc. My trusted circle consists of people who I consider excellent, or at least extremely entertaining writers. (You know who you are)
If you think you are an excellent writer and you’re not on my list, then I probably haven’t read you yet. M2M me, not a problem.
Now, about the dreaded NR rating.
NR stands for not recommended. I hate this rating.
I personally feel a review should not get this rating unless it’s really, really bad or offensive. When I say “bad”, I don’t mean an opinion that is disagreeable. All opinions have opposing opinions, if that makes any sense. When I say “bad”, I mean the reviewer didn’t check their spelling, wrote in all caps, was incomprehensible, or sounded like a 5 year old having a tantrum. If I give you an NR, trust me, it was really bad.
SPECIAL REQUEST
I know people here give NR ratings to a review in the wrong place.
May I suggest something?
If a review is in the wrong topic/category, don’t rate it. Leave a comment saying it’s in the wrong place so you can’t rate it, suggest they have it moved and then you will rate it.
The reason I am suggesting this is because I read a couple of reviews that were given NR ratings across the board for being under the wrong topic and they were actually excellent reviews. These writers took special effort and wrote an excellent review, but unfortunately put it under the wrong topic. It’s a shame this great review will have the NR label cast on it.
I say don’t rate it NR for bad categorization, don’t rate it at all. But help the person out. They’re probably new to MS. Or maybe just blundered. Tell them how to fix it.
MS to me is a place to share your opinions, make friends and express yourself