Writing for whom???. Review on Writing Reviews on MouthShut

Prelude

This review of mine will make up the trinity, having written a review ofncommenting and rating earlier. Although normally, a review is written first then it is rated and finally comments are added, I have gone in reverse order. I first wrote a review on commenting the on rating and now on writing of reviews. Some of my friends may find it strange to be moving backwards instead of forward, but, I basically like to see the end product and then work backwards and see what went wrong where. (Reverse engineering?).

I know a lot has been written on this topic earlier. I have deliberately avoided reading reviews on this topic except for one or two. I have reserved it for after I have written my review, so that it becomes my unbiased opinion. Anyway here I go. I have desisted from naming anyone, as it is not my intent to criticize anyone individually or to pass judgement on anyone’s writing style.

The Basic Concept

The basic concept of MouthShut (in my opinion) is to present reviews written by laymen (like myself) who are the users of the end product or service for the benefit of other individuals who would like to use the product or service but want an honest opinion from other users before they take a plunge (By the people of the people for the people??).

Not that they do not want the experts to write (I see many an expert filling the ramparts of the site), but, the experts can give a view that will go over board and become incomprehensible to the average users of the products and services. They will tend to delve into the technical and statistical intricacies which will defeat the purpose of catering to the general masses. A new user wants to hear from the horse’s mouth so to say, what their views on the product or service are.

Incidental Benefits

Everything else is incidental. Honing one’s writing capabilities, promoting interaction between strangers unknown to each other (P2P), cultivating friendships, providing a platform to give vent to one’s feelings etc. We the users see the incidental benefits as the primary goals and forget the basic concept or purpose of the management. Nothing strange. What do most of the members have to do with the managements? Neither they are paying anything to the management nor is the management paying them anything. MS points? Oh that is incidental too. What does it give you? Can you encash it? It is just to give you some mental satisfaction that you have earned so many points. It is to spur you on to write more and to write better.

Types of Reviewers

The Average Reviewer. The average reviewer is a simpleton [like me (ha ha ha)]. He writes what comes to his mind, writes from his heart, writes from personal experience, has no idea what the MS points mean or what their purpose is. He accepts it as such. He appreciates what he likes and criticizes what he dislikes. He has no purpose or motive other than communicating with people. He writes just for the heck of writing and loves to belong to a place where he gets an opportunity to express his opinion, to get to interact with people, to make friends, to pass his time doing something he loves. He is unconcerned whether anyone rates his reviews high or low. He is happy if he is appreciated and unhappy if he is ignored. He treasures the good comments and accepts the criticism.

The Malicious Reviewer. Some reviewers like to pull down products or services just for the sake of sounding different, wanting to shock others, wanting to create an impact, wanting to win accolades from other reviewers with similar intent.

The Comic Reviewer. These reviewers love to make others laugh. They see humour in everything, be it tragedy or comedy. They pass light hearted comments interlaced with sarcasm.

The Serious Reviewers. Some reviewers carry out an in depth study of the topic and give detailed information with relevant facts and figures.

What Should a Review Comprise of?

One can not lay down any do’s and don’t’s as individual styles and impresions are of paramount importance. We often write a review without giving a thought about who we are addressing. A review (in my opinion) should comprise of the following:-

(a) A little personal touch to create a rapport with the readers (not individual readers but readers as large).

(b) As many details about the product or service that one would normally not find in the information brochure.

(c) Your impressions about the product or service after having used it so as to help other readers make up their mind.

(d) Your recommendations whether favourable or unfavourable with reasons.

(e) Links for additional information if known so that any reader who is interested can find out.

(f) A little humour, be it subtle or gregarious to lighten the mood.

What Should be Avoided?

Again I would like to emphasise that this is entirely my opinion. I have made many mistakes in the past but have learnt with a little experience. Many of you may not agree with me, but still here I go:-

(a) Avoid making any personal comments. Personal comments should be reserved for M2M. One must remember while writing a review that you are addressing thousands of members and millions of other non members too. (No matter whether they all read it or not, the possibility is always there)Personal comments could help build up a rapport with a few but could be irking to others. I once had a boss who was immensely liked by one and all. It was difficult to find one person who did not praise him. His method was simple. He never let it be known who his favourite was. He gave everyone equal importance. Every individual thought that he was the boss’s special man. That is the type of rapport one has to try and build (again my opinion for what it is worth). It is easier with subordinates but more difficult with peers. There lies the challenge!

(b) Avoid criticizing anything without any basis. You may be misguiding someone. Place the facts before people and let them decide.

(c) Avoid giving unconfirmed facts as they could be misleading.

(d) Avoid presenting borrowed ideas (Plagiarising). If you want to draw attention to something, mention the source along with your comments.

The list is by no means exhaustive and many more points could be added by others. There may be many varying opinions too. Comments are welcome.