Community Discussion Board at Viewpoints.com

Favorite category and why?

Fardreamer — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:11:08 GMT

I tend to be more "at home" in Movies and Books, but those of you know me from "another place" no doubt are aware that I'm an "all-rounder" as far as writing in different categories.

Your most popular review

Fardreamer — Fri, 16 May 2008 04:06:37 GMT

I betcha anything that once Indy fever dies down after May 22, anything to do with the Man in the Hat will be relegated to...not quite obscurity but still shunted off to the lower depths of irrelevance.

Mattresses...I think those will always be popular.....

Stats! Are you lovin' em?

PattyTherre — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:57:53 GMT

AnnaBanana said…
Hi, Patty! I love the stats too. They were a real revelation to me. I guess until now I thought that if I got three helpful votes, then there were three people who checked out the review! I was amazed at all the hits. Here's one odd thing I've noticed. You know, I was neither surprised nor hurt to see how many people read reviews without posting a helpful vote. What DOES surprise me is where four people will post helpful votes while only ONE person read the review! While I appreciate the generous leap of faith it took for someone to give me a good vote without even looking at the review, I was surprised. Has anyone else had this experience? Well, see ya all tomorrow. I'm off to bed.
Anne

When you look at how many people rated your review, that is over the course of the time the review has been up. When you look at the total reads, they are just counted from April 24, 2008. When you see, say, 4 Helpful Votes and 1 read, that just means that people rated the review before April 24, 2008, not that they didn't read the review.

It seems complicated but isn't really. I think it will be much easier with new reviews that start fresh with Helpful Votes and reads right out of the gate rather than votes from the start but reads from April 24. I don't even look at the number of Helpful Votes I got. I just look at the reads. Now and then I am amazed that my old reviews only got 1 GP/HV all this time. There was a time when no one rated and really no one was around to do so but a tiny contingency of us.

Favorite category and why?

PattyTherre — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:37:25 GMT

Well, I started out writing mostly beauty reviews but have expanded all over. I love writing exercise DVD reviews and exercise accessories, machines, and gear and I like writing movie (on DVD) reviews. I enjoy TV show reviews if I have a strong opinion and just about anything else. Clothes and shoes are fun too! I am not intimidated to write in any area here so I have been having fun branching out but I would say if I HAD to pick one, I could write beauty/bath/body reviews forever and not get to all I own. That's sad but true.

I completely agree with Bob about the stats. I really enjoy seeing what people are reading. I don't change what I write because of the stats but still, it's great to see what people are reading of mine.

Your most popular review

PattyTherre — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:31:51 GMT

Ahh geeze, I pushed submit twice. I guess we can't delete our posts. Sorry about that. Carry on...

Your most popular review

PattyTherre — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:30:45 GMT

As the weather gets warmer, I am seeing reviews of things like cellulite products (that don't work), self tanners, summer sandals, fans, and even certain websites that sell clothing moving up. Mattresses must get a motherload of hits because my cheap mattress foam topper is #7 on my list with a lot of reads. I love the stats. It's fun to see what people are reading and perplexing at times. Like discontinued Hanes Tights are up there. WHY? I don't even think they are selling anymore. But I'm happy as long as people are reading anything of mine!

Your most popular review

Fardreamer — Fri, 16 May 2008 03:14:15 GMT

As of today, my top three haven't changed. My two lists of romance flicks are still in the top two, with my HDTV review in third. The only change from last week is that the radio script has been edged out by not one but two Indiana Jones movie reviews, with another Indy review nipping at its heels!

Your most popular review

bkovacs — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:42:36 GMT

LaurieM said…
My most popular review is for Almay Smart Shade Foundation. It is understandable since it is a fairly new product. My second most popular is for the website, Inbox Dollars. That one actually surprises me! I have no idea why it is so popular. How strange. There sometimes is really no rhyme or reason I guess! :P

In the "no rhyme or reason" department, my review of a ho-hum movie called "The Contract" is unexpectedly popular. It's quickly leaped into my top-10, although I just reviewed it last week. Very strange.

--Bob

Favorite category and why?

bkovacs — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:39:39 GMT

I write all over the map, too, and don't really have a *favorite* category. I guess if you stuck a gun to my head and forced me to identify a favorite, it would be electronics. I've loved electronic gizmos since I can first remember and have a good feel for how they are supposed to work. However, I also enjoy writing about music, movies, car stuff, appliances, travel and just about everything else.

What is particularly gratifying as a writer is to know that people are reading what I wrote and that I'm helping people make decisions. That's why it's been such a hoot to see our stats for the past three weeks. Electronic items do well in the stats, so that's a nice reinforcement.

--Bob

If you have a lot you WANT to say, do you leave it or cut it down?

CyndiA — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:11:51 GMT

RudiXeno said…
I have been trying to keep my reviews shorter and more to the point. There are times though that I think it cuts into the personality of the review. I'm still looking for a balance.

Hey Rudi. Keep the personality. I read longer reviews when the writer is engaging and the info is great. You have a very nice online voice. I start reading and don't think about how many words.

Favorite category and why?

CyndiA — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:08:51 GMT

I've always written all over the map - here and other places. I get bored if I do the same types of things over and over.

Still . . . I find that I especially enjoy some areas and tend to write more in those areas.

I do a lot of food product reviews. I'm a food/cooking writer, and it's been nice to have a space to talk about the various grocery products and read about them too. Still looking for those baked Cheetos that Jolie wrote about. Still haven't found them in this area.

Travel is another favorite of mine. Those are in spurts as I go places. I like sharing the photos and the fun things to do. I'm chatty, and locals are so good about giving me tips of cool things to see and do. I always hope I share something that will make someone's trip even more fun.

So, what's your favorite category or categories and why?

Have you voted "No" yet?

LaurieM — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:32:54 GMT

I have voted "No" a couple of times but only because they were completely off topic. I don't let spelling errors (unless it is really bad) or my difference of opinion get in the way when giving good points. I have to admit though, I have backed out of a few that I didn't think deserved a good point. They weren't necessarily "not helpful" but they were very vague and offered little useful information.

If you have a lot you WANT to say, do you leave it or cut it down?

LaurieM — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:24:12 GMT

I used to put too much manufacturer information in my reviews which unnecessarily added length. I have cut down on that now and although my reviews are a bit shorter, I still think I need to start trimming the fat a bit more on some.

Your most popular review

LaurieM — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:16:05 GMT

My most popular review is for Almay Smart Shade Foundation. It is understandable since it is a fairly new product. My second most popular is for the website, Inbox Dollars. That one actually surprises me! I have no idea why it is so popular. How strange. There sometimes is really no rhyme or reason I guess! :P

Rating vs. Review?

LaurieM — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:08:22 GMT

I had the same problem you did Rudy. I couldn't figure out for the life of me how I got a "rating" when I never did one. Mine was also an IM Tag issue. For some reason, I just don't feel comfortable rating a product. I haven't done one yet but maybe soon I will take the leap!

Found a weird bug? Report it here.

LaurieM — Thu, 15 May 2008 22:05:05 GMT

I'm not sure if this is a bug or if there is an explanation for it but I noticed on the stats page, only 248 reviews show up when I actually wrote 295.

Stats! Are you lovin' em?

MikeMaroon — Thu, 15 May 2008 21:02:27 GMT

I on the fence about the stats. Yeah, its fun to see how many hits you have, but I really have no control of that. All I can do is write what I write and hope people read them. I guess if I see some get very few hits, that just might be a sign not many folks are interested in that. But, there are a lot of intangibles I have no control over. Do I want people to read my reviews? Sure! Can I have much control over how many do? Nah, not really.

Adding Products: Try to add all varieties/seasons as one

Fardreamer — Thu, 15 May 2008 20:17:10 GMT

mrkstvns said…
PLEASE, folks, listen to vivasuzi and do the general categories as much as possible.

Even in cases like TV shows. While there may be SOME difference between seasons, shows, etc., FOR THE MOST PART, the crux of your review is the same and it makes life a LOT easier on the reader to not have a bunch of silly, barely differentiated categories to wade through.

Many of us have seen review sites that start down the path of saying "oh, this is different though" or "consumers want to see all the silly little deviations" (without any real solid evidence to back up that assertion). What happens? Well, you get dumb things like 10 categories for the Apple iPod 30GB....one for pink casing, one for black casing, one for white casing, etc. Never mind that the functionality, hardware, features, warranty, and pricing is *IDENTICAL* for every one. You end up with beer reviews with Bud Light in the 12 ounce can, in the 16 ounce can, in the 12 ounce bottle. Again, never mind that it's the same dull horse piss going into each container.

Yeah. Keep it real. Keep it simple. Keep it TOGETHER.

Muchos thank yous.
M

Yes, I understand the logic of this and I'm sure it is relevant for such things as reality shows, and I'm perfectly willing to go along with most of the suggestions, what about series like 24, which have very different sets of characters and situations even though the thematic content might be similar?

Adding Products: Try to add all varieties/seasons as one

mrkstvns — Thu, 15 May 2008 16:46:11 GMT

PLEASE, folks, listen to vivasuzi and do the general categories as much as possible.

Even in cases like TV shows. While there may be SOME difference between seasons, shows, etc., FOR THE MOST PART, the crux of your review is the same and it makes life a LOT easier on the reader to not have a bunch of silly, barely differentiated categories to wade through.

Many of us have seen review sites that start down the path of saying "oh, this is different though" or "consumers want to see all the silly little deviations" (without any real solid evidence to back up that assertion). What happens? Well, you get dumb things like 10 categories for the Apple iPod 30GB....one for pink casing, one for black casing, one for white casing, etc. Never mind that the functionality, hardware, features, warranty, and pricing is *IDENTICAL* for every one. You end up with beer reviews with Bud Light in the 12 ounce can, in the 16 ounce can, in the 12 ounce bottle. Again, never mind that it's the same dull horse piss going into each container.

Yeah. Keep it real. Keep it simple. Keep it TOGETHER.

Muchos thank yous.
M

Questions ?????

baabsy — Thu, 15 May 2008 14:33:03 GMT

I do have a question on cereals...I have noticed this on many cereals now...you have your listing of Carbs, Fiber and sugar....now I am seeing "other carbs" under that. Are these other carbs good carbs or bad carbs? What are these "Other Carbs"?

Thank you in advance!

Amy