'Jab Tak Aadmi Jail nahin jaatha, uski Zindagi Saarthak Nahin Ho Jaathi' - Laloo Prasad Yadav, Hon. ex-Chief Minister of Bihar( not to be mistaken for Tihar jail) ['A man doesn't become perfect unless he goes to jail' ]
Why write reviews?
Why thousands of reviews on a site, which advices us to keep our'MouthShut'?.In my Not So humble opinion Faisal(CEO of this consumer site), a master strategist & brilliant businessman hit the Jackpot with just the name. The general tendency of the masses is to do what they are told 'NOT TO DO'.
Like many others, I found this site while searching Google for a product, liked some of the reviews written by some members here & started writing reviews of my own to contribute my mite to the community. Reading reviews written by several leading members did help me, as I have always got a better rating than an average newbie - Read first how others write & learn how to write your own.
Though I was inspired by many writers here, never did I try to copy their style, nor did I ever try to write like them. Be your natural self. Develop your own style while learning from others.
What should we write on?
The natural answer would be write on those topics which are strong at, have a lot of understanding about for e.g. Computers & Internet, Media etc. Then there are those topics like Hollywood & Bollywood movies & Books where almost anyone can write a review( any doubts why I started with a movie review?).
Write more on those topics which you feel passionate about & write passionately about it. But a word of caution. Let not your passion blind you. If there negatives in a product you like be honest in mentioning it, similarly highlight those positives even in the product you hate the most.
How to write your reviews?
The simplest answer is E X P E R I M E N T.
Try to make every review different from all your previous reviews.
Should I write long or short reviews?: This debate is as old on MS as the Coffee V/s Tea debate. Use the size that is right for you. Before even you write the review, draw a brief sketch & out-line of what you want to write about, what points you want to emphasize, what points to avoid etc. Don't cut short your reviews for lack of space( given 8K MS limits) if you feel just cannot be done to the review by editing things out. At the same time don't write whatever comes to mind just to fill the given 8K limits.Write the right size.
Should I format my reviews? Again a point of debate on which MBs of bandwidth & disk-space can be wasted. In my personal view, I always give more importance to content & style of presentation. Given a choice between adding more content, more punch, more humor into the review in place of drawing all the ASCII art, paragraph spacing, lead spacing etc.; I would go for the former as a matter of personal preference.
Formatting does help those reviewers writing short, brief & crispy reviews. To give the extra formatting touch, you need to use a word processor like MS Word. But a word of caution. Not every option in'MS Word' is supported on MouthShut.
How much Humour is Okay?: Again a topic that could be debated for hours.
Most of the people read reviews in the evenings after a hectic day of work. Given the little free time in their hands & the need to feel relaxed, it is more likely that they might read a Bollywood review rather than the review about a Pulitzer prize winning epic novel. It should also be unsurprising if they chose to rate only those reviews that made them smile & laugh. ignoring the more serious, informative & detailed reviews.
How can I write a review that can please & be liked by everyone?
Simple and clear answer is - YOU CAN'T, if it is already not apparent to you after reading the last few paragraphs. Readers have different, often divergent & differing views. Long reviews Vs Short, Humorous reviews Vs. Serious reviews etc. Queens English goes well with the classy, but not so well with the masses. Any Hindi, Sanskrit, Urdu, SMS Lingo etc. makes the elites twitch their noses.
Write from you Heart. Rest doesn't matter. Those who'll like it will anyway like it. Those who don't will object, no doubt. But you have done something that should make you proud .Being Yourself
I am a newbie & my reviews are ignored. While senior writers get away with Murder.
As far as I know, newbies are given more leeway on MS than established writers. Most members HR the newbies as long as the review is Okay, to encourage them to write more & better.
Readers have a higher degree of expectations from established writers & it is always not possible for a reviewer to rise upto these great expectations in every review. A review that would have been great if written by an intermediate writer sometimes looks mediocre if it is penned by a Star Writer(unmet expectations). Let us not forget these writers are also human & no matter how genius a person is. he/she cannot produce great stuff all the time. After all we are amateur writers here despite all the Star titles endowed upon us.
The newbie pangs are also natural, as it happens whenever you join a new college. Lots of people don't recognize you, appreciate you. while some people corner all the attention. But remember it is just a matter of time. If you have IT in you. you'll reach there no matter what happens.
Don't fall for temptations or short-cuts to achieve success. Try your best & leave the rest to fate. Honesty & hard work always finds recognition. May be sometimes soon, may be sometimes late. But it always does
So concentrate more on Review writing. Make it better. Try to improvise. Dare to experiment. Dare to differ & be different than the rest. Let it be a lively experience & not a mediocre chore.
That brings us to the conclusion of this review & what Laloo-ji meant. May be he is right! How do we know Jails in Bihar or Tihar are bad? May be they are heaven & a haven for politicians like him. We never know & will never know, as we have never had an'accomplished' (Saarthak) life like him. But now that he has spoken his Opinion(Review) we know his fascination with the Holy place & why he keeps being a regular visitor there.
Conclusion: Your opinions matter, only when you express them. Silence Speaks. only when Keyboards work
Rest all as the Sprite Ad puts it. Baaki sab Bakwaas(give it a skip)
