What type of rating does this review deserve?
Nov 09 '00
How do I rate this review? The author makes many good points, but I don't agree with anything that she says! Should I ignore this and rate it on her writing skills? Or should I let what she has said in the review dictate the rating that I give it? Should I leave a comment?
These are just a few of the questions that I'm sure has gone through every member's mind at least once. Epinions.com is a wonderful site. You can write your opinions on virtually any product that you want, and you can see what other members think of your writing. However, there are many members who do not practice 'fair rating'. That is why this category here at Epinions is crutial: each member should browse through it at least once. It's important to have an idea of what the expectations of other members are, and that you adhere to these ideas, which for the most part, are common ideas amongst the members.
There are a few points I would like to make with regard to rating reviews. I've been annoyed on numerous occasions by those who refuse to imploy good rating practices. I hope that this review can help everyone improve the way in which they rate opinions.
It's important that your method of rating be constant. Decide a guideline that will dictate what rating each review will get. For example, if you decide that a HR rating should be given to any review that has very few spelling errors, gramatical errors, and that all points are backed up well, then every single review that you read should receive this rating. You cannot be inconsistant in this by, for example, giving your best friend all HR ratings just because she is your best friend.
I think that whether or not you agree or disagree with an opinion should have absolutely no bearing on the rating that it gets. For example, if I was to write a review in which I praise Marilyn Manson, and you think that he is the Devil incarnate, you should not give my review a NR rating just because you disagree with what I am saying. You should rate the review based on such things as spelling, grammar, articulation, and how well all points are backed up. It is unethical to do otherwise. Every person has the freedom to think and write what he or she wants to. You cannot give someone a NR rating just because they express a different opinion than that of your own. It instills the idea that each person should conform to the majority's opinion of certain things. If a reviewer speaks out against, let's say, the Holy Bible, they have the right to do so, since each individual is intitled to his or her own opinion. As long as it is a well-written review, it should receive a good rating.
Once you've decided the 'right way' to rate reviews, there is another important aspect to consider. I don't know how many times I've been annoyed by a SR or NR rating when the member responsible fails to leave a comment explaining why they rated my review this way. If I honestly tried to write a concise, educational review, I would like to know why it got NR ratings. If I have no idea what I did wrong with the review, then how on earth am I going to be able to improve on it? This is a major problem among raters. If you give someone's review a bad rating, then leave a reason why. This eliminates 'revenge ratings' as well. If I get a NR from a certain member on all of my reviews, I'm going to begin to wonder things like 'does she think I look like a freak in my member's profile? Does she think all of my ideas are a load of cr@p?'... and other such questions. To some members, this is enough to inspire them to look at the member's reviews who gave the NR ratings and be as unjust. Most of us realize how childish and trivial revenge rating is, and that members who practice this are extremely invaluable to the site.
In conclusion, I think that rating reviews and rating them well are crutial to the successfulness of this site. It is a great way to build your Web of Trust. Please take a look at the ideas regarding rating that I have expressed in this review -- I know of many members who are guilty of these things. If we can all learn how to rate and rate well, this site will be a much more friendly place to frequent.
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
melanierose
|
|
Member: melanie
Reviews written: 74
Trusted by: 31 members
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.