Help & Feedback Discussion Board

A few tips for the new reviewers..

CyndiA — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 23:38:23 GMT

Careful on the thesaurus. I had a student from another country use one. She stated that AIDS was popular in the United States. This was in a speech. I was baffled. I asked her about it, and she used the word rampant I think and then shifted to "popluar" per the thesaurus.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

CrystaBush — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:35:44 GMT

Yes, I often refer to my Thesaurus because sometimes the word is on the tip of my tongue and I just can't spit it out! Plus, it helps me sound smart! lol

A few tips for the new reviewers..

kevin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:08:34 GMT

scorpioeyez said…
~ Read reviews before you start but not reviews of what you're about to review:

Great insight. This is a gem right here.

As a casual reviewer it's easy to say "let me get my thoughts together by reading what others say about X". But as you indicate, then you end up rehashing everyone else's ideas and not contributing your own unique insights.

On the other hand reading a lot of reviews on a wide range of topics helps to show how others approach writing and presenting their opinions. You can then take these structural ideas and apply them to your own writing style.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

scorpioeyez — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 18:57:40 GMT

Here are my tips for new reviewers...

~ Read reviews before you start but not reviews of what you're about to review: Don't attempt to write a review with no idea on how to do it. A lot of us started that way *whistles innocently* and that made the learning process much steeper. Just read a few reviews from a few different people or if you stumble upon someone you like, read lots of their reviews.

Don't read the professional opinions of someone who has reviewed the item you're about to do as its really easy to read their talking points and subconsciously look for those things yourself. Suddenly you're using someone else's talking points instead of watching and deciding for yourself what are the talking points. If I'm reading a review, I want to hear what YOU think were the important talking points, strengths and weaknesses.

~ Spell Check and Grammar Check: Use them. Love them. Make them into your odd technological adulterious affair if you have to.

~ Extras: One thing that never ceases to amaze me when I read DVD reviews is how many people forget to review the extras or just don't bother. Don't tell me about just the feature, tell me about all the goodies I'm going to get to justify my $30.

Those are my three primary tips I think.... course, I have a whole slew of others that just relate to anime reviews but that's so not needed here. ^_^

A few tips for the new reviewers..

PattyTherre — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 20:03:19 GMT

Good points. I always tell people to think about what they would say to a neighbor if they wanted to describe an experience wirh a product or service. I can't imagine that a person would just say they hated the thing without giving reasons why. I actually just did a review in real life this weekend. I love a certain mascara and someone asked me what type I was wearing. I launched into the name and formula, what it does for me, how much it costs, and the fact that it really adds volume. She was sold and I had review - but I already wrote it. lol.

But if you can get into the mindset of thinking about what YOU would want to know to make a purchasing decision, I think everyone can write a well rounded, solid review. And please, no chat room lingo. It's not hard to spell "to" compared to typing the number 2 is it?

A few tips for the new reviewers..

Fardreamer — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 19:03:05 GMT

LisaCarey said…
A few tips from all the really great people out there who helped me get started before we had this great discussion board
1. read a few reviews in topics you like, it will give you excellent ideas
2. use spell check, the dictionary, thesaurus or whatever you need to help you with words and spelling.
3. reviews aren't chat rooms, but they are friendly. Chat language detracts from the review itself -- things like ur or other short cuts.
4 use your bolds for the product, it helps with your placement in search engines, so people can better find your review. not to mention all bold makes it hard to read.
5. remember the saying ALL CAPS IS LIKE SCREAMING AT SOMEONE? is true, now that you see it you can see that it can be distracting.
most of all give a few details about why you like a product, pretend we are talking about a movie after just leaving the theater and most off all make friends and have fun. welcome to all, and thanks to all who have helped me so much get used to writing here.

Point three is very important to me as a reader. To me, there's nothing more off-putting as seeing Instant Message-type abbreviations in a review. It really doesn't grab my attention, and it looks...well....like the writer doesn't care about making a good impression on the reader.

Another thing that doesn't work well in a review is saying that one likes/hates something (particularly the latter) and not bothering to describe the product or even saying why the review writer feels the way he/she does.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

GeorgeChabot — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:58:50 GMT

Brevity to me means it's been edited down to a good piece of writing.

Sometimes you jot down a lot of thoughts and they are all good but they are disordered. When you edit you put like things together, make paragraphs, and try to stick to one point per para. Have a common theme to the piece, tell your story, and when it's over - you're done.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

vivasuzi — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:16:08 GMT

I agree Kid-kansas, I need paragraph breaks :) I have a short attention span and tend to lose my place. It's funny that some will write real short reviews and use lots of breaks, and others will write real long and use none.

I also like bold headers but it's not a requirement, just a nice plus :) I like to be able to skip sections that don't matter to me and only read the sections that do.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

kid-kansas — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:33:01 GMT

Just bumping this one up for New Reviewers here.........It has been mentioned before but I have seen it happening a lot.....Break your reviews up into paragraphs....One long chunk looks more like a run on sentence and is hard to read.

The reviews I am seeing like this have great info and character but there are no paragraphs breaks in them. Some that have made above writer I are even doing it. I am not an expert by any means but I am just trying to help. ;) Ron

A few tips for the new reviewers..

williampinn — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:32:57 GMT

Be myself? I'm not sure that's a good idea. LOL!

A few tips for the new reviewers..

PattyTherre — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 16:40:28 GMT

I'm just bumping this up so new visitors have a chance to see and read this thread.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

bkovacs — Thu, 22 May 2008 13:48:25 GMT

CyndiA said…
Write when things are fresh. Right after you see the movie. Right after you read the book. As soon as you get back from vacation. Once the dinner dishes are done (or before - haha) on food products. It's hard to capture that spark if you let the moment slip away.

That's very true, and I use that approach many times for many products. However, sometimes I like to think about what I just read or saw before I write, especially with more thoughtful books and movies. Nine times out of 10, it's best to write right away, though.

--Bob

A few tips for the new reviewers..

CyndiA — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:59:38 GMT

Write when things are fresh. Right after you see the movie. Right after you read the book. As soon as you get back from vacation. Once the dinner dishes are done (or before - haha) on food products. It's hard to capture that spark if you let the moment slip away.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

GeorgeChabot — Tue, 20 May 2008 18:34:35 GMT

Good points, Ron!

I suggest new reviewers read some reviews, ponder what makes them attractive, find an area they love, and write with passion. Brevity is the sign of careful consideration. A good review that contains all helpful decision making material and remains brief is much more polished than a six page dissertation that covers the same material but backtracks and diddles around.

JMTC ;>

A few tips for the new reviewers..

SpokaneMan — Tue, 13 May 2008 16:34:36 GMT

PattyTherre said…
Yes, keep it simple. Break up paragraphs. Subtitle. Don't go too nuts with bold and italics but make use of bold for subtitles and such. I sometimes back out of a hard to read review because, well, it's hard to read! lol.

And please, use the name of the product or service at least once in the review. It's good for the search engines but also keeps me from having to go up to the top to see the name of the thing I am reading about. I sometimes forget or whatever and I have to go to the very top and read what the product/service is. I probably am the ONLY person who reads a review and forgets what the review is on but, for search engine purposes, the name of the thing you're reviewing in the review would help. And help ADD me. lol.

Those are VERY good tips. The all-caps and all-bolded single paragraph reviews tend to hurt my eyes! :)

A few tips for the new reviewers..

PattyTherre — Thu, 08 May 2008 06:27:49 GMT

Yes, keep it simple. Break up paragraphs. Subtitle. Don't go too nuts with bold and italics but make use of bold for subtitles and such. I sometimes back out of a hard to read review because, well, it's hard to read! lol.

And please, use the name of the product or service at least once in the review. It's good for the search engines but also keeps me from having to go up to the top to see the name of the thing I am reading about. I sometimes forget or whatever and I have to go to the very top and read what the product/service is. I probably am the ONLY person who reads a review and forgets what the review is on but, for search engine purposes, the name of the thing you're reviewing in the review would help. And help ADD me. lol.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

BayouBengal — Wed, 07 May 2008 20:21:47 GMT

Another tip for Newbies---

I ran across a review today written in all italics. This was just as hard to read as ALL CAPS. Just remember if your review is hard to read, more people will skip it than strain their eyes!

A few tips for the new reviewers..

LisaCarey — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:32:39 GMT

I tend to just simply introduce the product, then break it down with whatever features that I think are important or the reader would want to know. Then usually the my viewpoint section tells about my personal experience as well as I try to do something different or unique, like adding sales, coupons, recipes etc so that the product review is not just information, but useful for other reasons too. After all, may as well tell someone how to save money when trying the product if I can. :-)

A few tips for the new reviewers..

PattyTherre — Sat, 03 May 2008 00:25:38 GMT

Way back when VP was an infant, I was told to write a quick summary of my experience at the top of the review for people who want to just know if I liked or hated it. I do that now with every review. I have a "Quick View" section that sums up my experience in a paragraph.

Then I move on to more detail. I really can't stand to read very long reviews without subtitles or something to break up the text. I may want to skip over a section and just read the conclusion or whatever so I really think that reviews that are longer than just five or six lines should have subtitles for easier readability.

Also, if I sense a person is just reporting facts they read from the website but aren't giving me tidbits of their personal experience, I don't feel like the review spoke to me and I will continue to look for another review where I feel the reviewer has an experience to share.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

Jo — Fri, 02 May 2008 23:02:18 GMT

Just to add to all the wonderful tips:

Anyone can take info from a website. Anyone can write the facts. What is the most helpful to me as a consumer is your experience. How you felt when you used it, watched it, read it, worked it. Without personal experience a review isn't a review - it's a fact sheet. Jo

A few tips for the new reviewers..

RachaelsView — Fri, 02 May 2008 05:05:18 GMT

Write with Efficiency

Make a point, inform your readers, keep it interesting, and keep moving! First and foremost, answer the questions you yourself would like to see addressed in a review, then, try to make it interesting, please? We're not robots reading binary code! If I want product stats listed in alphabetical order, I can check the manufacturers website (if you add the link). A good rule of thumb to go by, choose relevant features that make or break the product; add as necessary.

Ahh...the past

Draw from previous experience - If you've read reviews of similar products and thought to yourself ..."Well good lord! if it's that loud, how do you turn the blasted thing off!" It's a fairly good indicator that certain things you review in the future might leave others wondering the same thing. Apply accordingly.

Speal Cheque

(Spell check) Enough said.

Efficient + Educated + Informed = Great Viewpoints Reviews!

A few tips for the new reviewers..

LisaCarey — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:06:32 GMT

A few tips from all the really great people out there who helped me get started before we had this great discussion board

1. read a few reviews in topics you like, it will give you excellent ideas

2. use spell check, the dictionary, thesaurus or whatever you need to help you with words and spelling.

3. reviews aren't chat rooms, but they are friendly. Chat language detracts from the review itself -- things like ur or other short cuts.

4 use your bolds for the product, it helps with your placement in search engines, so people can better find your review. not to mention all bold makes it hard to read.

5. remember the saying ALL CAPS IS LIKE SCREAMING AT SOMEONE? is true, now that you see it you can see that it can be distracting.

most of all give a few details about why you like a product, pretend we are talking about a movie after just leaving the theater and most off all make friends and have fun. welcome to all, and thanks to all who have helped me so much get used to writing here.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

Luv2Bargain — Thu, 01 May 2008 17:20:49 GMT

Don't forget, for those who can seem a little lost at times, or repetative with certain descriptive words, THESAURUS is your friend, i personally go to thesaurus.com

A few tips for the new reviewers..

ChrisJarmick — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:06:20 GMT

Read some reviews. Not just one or two... but 10 or 20. Read the comments.

What kind of reviews impress you ... as a reader. Yeah, sometimes you realize it is not easy to write a really good review. So if you are kind of over-whelmed with some of it.. also think.... you know what? I have something interesting to say about the product and I don't think anyone has said it in quite the same way as I would. I should write a review about that.

Then do it.

Take a few extra moments to check what you wrote for spelling errors and make sure you have white spaces in your review. Don't have your paragraphs become really long and large.. break them up. Have some paragraphs be three or four sentences... others a couple sentences and others a bit longer than that. Variety is the spice of life and it makes your reviews easier to read.

Practice.

Write, write, write. If you have the desire to write. Do it. Write and try to get better and better every single time you write something. Improve your writing skills, improve your communication skills.

Improve for yourself. Improve for your best friend or your Mom or your Dad. Imagine your loved one reading what you wrote. Write so they would be proud of you.

Anyone can throw down some words on a page. Be better than that. Write because it matters to you. Write to communicate to others. Write for yourself.

I've been writing regularly since I could talk and I still have room for improvement. It's an evolving, changing, wonderful process and experience to write and write some more. There is an art to very good writing, but even if you are not trying to be artistic in your writing, strive to always be better at what you do. It's a good habit to get into in ever facet of your life. Practice it here with your writing. Let it flow over into other areas of your life.

Oh... and have fun!!! Make sure people know you are having fun. We like positive fun people. We like passionate people full of personality. We like opinionated people with strong views. But don't be negative just for the sake of being negative. Don't stir the pot because you are an unhappy crab and want others to be miserable too. Strive to be better-- baby steps...

Some people will be happy to give you their opinion on what you write. Some may not have the time or may not want to comment on your style.. but some will. Ask if you want to know. And don't have too thin a skin that you can't take some critical comments. Also remember... some critical comments don't have to be taken to heart or even listened to. People have different opinions and styles. Doesn't mean one person is more right than another person for everyone.

Have fun.

Keep reading. Good pointing. Discovering new writers.

Keep writing.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

BayouBengal — Thu, 01 May 2008 15:04:09 GMT

Patty makes an excellent point for newbies about reading some reviews before you get started writing them. When you are new to a site, you don't know what to expect. Take some time to do some reading and look at the different styles of writinghere. Then using your personality develop your own style. Just remember to tell it like it is and make the review easy to read with good grammar, paragraphs, bold, titles and headings. It will all come together and make your review stand out! --Karen

A few tips for the new reviewers..

Jo — Thu, 01 May 2008 14:48:55 GMT

I really agree with Laurie. For anyone new (or even on staff:) use paragraphs; use headings; use bold. Not only is it easier to read it looks better. JMH viewpoint, of course. Jo

A few tips for the new reviewers..

LaurieM — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:35:17 GMT

These are all great tips and so helpful. When writing a review, breaking it down into sections and bolding the name of the product here and there will make it much easier for the reader. Like the others said, humor is always great to incorporate. I agree with Rudi about writing the review as if you are talking to someone. It makes it much more personable and easier to understand! Although I'm not a newbie, this thread actually helped me and gave me some great ideas! Thanks everyone! =)

A few tips for the new reviewers..

LibbyMcMillan — Thu, 01 May 2008 13:24:04 GMT

Hi all,
Your Florida-based travel junkie here! ;-) I've so enjoyed reading everyone's reviews, and for me, a little humor helps a lot! Keeps me interested, AND shows me a reviewer isn't just a critic but enjoys life. Of course, not everyone is funny, but if you feel a little pun coming on.....let 'er rip! ;-D

I also like reviews that are forward-thinking....so if you know that something new or different is on the horizon regarding a product, service or destination, let readers know, so they can factor that in to their decision making.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

CrystaBush — Thu, 01 May 2008 12:43:17 GMT

Rudi...you hit it dead on! I like to read reviews as if the reviewer is talking to me, where I can hear their personality, etc.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

RudiXeno — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:34:45 GMT

I like reviews that speak to me. Write them like you'd say them. Write in your own voice and tell me what you like and dislike about the product. Tell me a story as you were having a converstaion with me.

It's amazing how much you can find to say when writing like this and how much useful information you can get across. And, if you have any questions or need a tip or two, don't be afraid to ask. You can always get to me through my Profile page. Have fun while you're here!

A few tips for the new reviewers..

AmyA — Thu, 01 May 2008 10:13:44 GMT

All great points! I know I use VP's on a daily basis not only to write reviews, but as a shopper. Reviews are a big help and I know have saved me a lot of coin. I feel like a smarter shopper.

Be yourself, have fun, don't copy and paste! Just tell what you know and you don't have to have tons of extra info. Keep it simple, but tell us how you feel about the product, good or bad. Questions can always be asked if more info is needed.

I know I have learn A LOT since joining VP's and I am a better person and the money I have saved (very good) and the money I have spent...it was for good and not evil.

Amy AKA baabsy

A few tips for the new reviewers..

stef42678 — Thu, 01 May 2008 06:18:10 GMT

Just have fun! Viewpoints is amazing because you get to review your favorite products and I always feel good about helping others out. Think about what products you would want to know about, and it is a great excuse to try new things.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

kid-kansas — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:43:36 GMT

I have been seeing a lot of reviews that spend more effort on the Pro's and Con's...Write this in your reviews and you will get your point across much better.

Ron

A few tips for the new reviewers..

SpokaneMan — Thu, 01 May 2008 04:48:14 GMT

Great tip about having fun! The best way to share your thoughts is when you enjoy doing it, because you can be so very helpful in your writing as a result!

--Spokaneman

A few tips for the new reviewers..

PattyTherre — Thu, 01 May 2008 04:43:21 GMT

This is the beauty/exercise freak (or just the freak in general?). My advice to new writers is to think about what YOU would want to know about the product or service and remember some people have no idea what the product/service is so add a little info so we are informed. Then give your opinion and back it up with your experience. And spell check! You don't want to turn people off of the review just because of a bunch of spelling errors.

I also suggest reading some reviews from people who have been around a while and churn out reviews regularly. You never have to write like anyone else but you can get an idea of the info you may want to include.

Lastly, HAVE FUN. Be yourself! You're not being tested and graded. People like you come here to read reviews and get opinions. Heck, I have purchased products and services because people like me said they were good. And I have steered away from things because people said they weren't any good. Reviewers are consumers too so just write the way you want to read and everything will be awesome!

Patty

A few tips for the new reviewers..

kid-kansas — Thu, 01 May 2008 04:35:27 GMT

Not a problem Jolie...maybe we could terrorize the local mall...lol ;) I like to help people whenever I can, it's just me and I had some very nice people help me when I started so I want to pass it along to others ;)

A few tips for the new reviewers..

Jolie — Thu, 01 May 2008 04:08:40 GMT

Love the neighborhood redneck. I look like the neighborhood robber with my ski mask. :) What would we do without you! Thanks for the great tips and advice for new writers.

A few tips for the new reviewers..

kid-kansas — Thu, 01 May 2008 04:05:55 GMT

Always let your personality shine when you write, don't be afraid to just be yourself and your writing will soar to new heights. Tell us what you like and don't like about the product and try to include everything that you yourself would like to know before you buy. One last tip....We are not professionals here, we are normal (well close to normal...lol) people here but the best thing I can tell you is to use the spellcheck feature when you write. I know my fingers are big and I sometimes type a wrong letter, the spellcheck has saved me from making spelling errors.

Remember: Have fun with your reviews and let your inner self shine....I am the neighborhood Redneck here and I love meeting new people and reading reviews. I look forward to reading and writing here for a long time.

Your Resident Redneck Reviewer,
Ron aka kid-kansas