How to rate and comment

How to rate and comment

Reviews:

When writing a product review you must always take into consideration that you are trying to help someone make the choice to purchase a product based on your knowledge. Reviews should always be honest and to the point, not filled out with pointless or useless information that will not help the consumer. The same is to be said of rating a review. A rating will determine your agreement with the reviewer that their review is not bias or pointless and will ensure that given the information you have produced, it will help the consumer decide on whether to purchase or not. Ratings should always be honest and used in a way to portray to the reviewer that if you (the rater) were considering buying the proposed product, the information given to you was helpful or not. Comments should also be used to give constructive criticism or to add your own views on what was stated or any other possibly unanswered questions about the product, not for pointless remarks or other useless information that will not help a future consumer.

But, this being a paid website some members will take advantage of the fact money is involved. In this case, do NOT behave childish or unprofessional. There are always some issues within any community, and a internet that pays is certainly going to have some. I say again do NOT behave childish or unprofessional. There are reports to use in extreme cases where members are ‘playing the systems’ but unfortunately it happens, it is the internet after all. Instead of rating not helpful, do not rate at all and comment on why it is un-helpful and what they are doing wrong.

Ratings:

Ratings are used to portray your thoughts and analysis of a review. My best advice is to always give a review based on your opinion. Do not give the same rating that other members have given if you feel that the review given is not deserving of it. There is always pressure within a community to ‘behave a certain way’ and ‘look a certain way’. In Ciao there is the pressure to ‘rate’ a certain way. Stand your ground. Most reviewers will ask you to elaborate on why you gave them a specific rating if they feel they covered every aspect of that product. Hopefully these explanations on the rating systems will help you give a comprehensive look on a product - as all individual ratings contribute to an overall rating.

Exceptional:
Referred to as ‘E’ and should be thought of as a 5 out of 5 scoring review.
These should be considers as nuggets of pure platinum - precious and not a lot of it. You can only give 5 exceptional ratings every 24 hours, and you should use them wisely. 'E’s' I feel get thrown around very easily and are seemingly ‘easy’ to achieve in some members eyes. ‘E’ reviews should only be used on reviews that fulfils all the needs of a consumer by providing an extensive knowledge of the product and answering all the questions that a consumer may potentially have. In short, a flawless review.

Very Helpful:
Referred to as ‘VH’ and should be thought of as a 4 out of 5 scoring review.
‘VH’ reviews are probably the most obtainable rating if you put the effort in. They contain extensive knowledge and information but maybe lack 1 or 2 things that a potential consumer may need to know, and therefore the consumer would have to check another review on the product to find the missing information for a ‘full look' at the product.

Helpful:
Referred to as ‘H’ and should be thought of as a 3 out of 5 scoring review.
This rating is normally given to a review that is basically good and accurate in portraying the users experience in using the product, but lacks the extensive information needed to persuade the potential consumer in buying the item. This is sometimes the most ‘offensive’ rating you can give due to it being a basic ‘well done’ to the reviewer, do not be swayed by that.

Somewhat Helpful:
Referred to as ‘SH’ and should be thought of as a 2 out of 5 scoring review.
This rating should be given to a review that is lacking in evidence or knowledge of a product and the consumer would not be able to make any form of purchase decision based on the limited knowledge provided. Normally this kind of review is the basic outline of a product and needs more information put across.

Not Helpful:
Referred to as ‘NH’ and should be thought of as a 1 out of 5 scoring review.
This rating is normally reserved for reviews that are offensive or do not relate to a product. It should be used for reviews that have little or no knowledge presented and doesn’t containing any decision making factors for a potential consumer.

Off Topic:
Referred to as ‘OT’ and should be thought of as a 0 out of 5 scoring review.
This is normally for reviews that do not have any information on the specific product or the review is for the wrong product or in the wrong category. It will let consumers know that this review will have no information to help them make a buying decision and should be overlooked. Please, do not rate products that are copied from other sourced ‘OT’ as they technically do, but not based on this reviewers experience and knowledge. Simply report the review. Leave it at that.

Remember: Your rating is always based on your view.
Everyone is different and giving products different ratings will genuinely help the consumer and give a more extensive view of an item. Some people prefer shorter reviews; others prefer longer more extensive reviews. Some people can understand certain things about certain products and do not need certain information and others need more. As long as the information is there, it’s your choice on how you rate a review. Just be prepared to back up your views. The community can be quite harsh sometimes.

Comments:

Comments on reviews should generally be used to comment on a review. Pretty simple stuff right? You should use the comments to give the reviewer criticism on their review if it was ‘lacking’ in some information you feel it needs, or to ask a question that could later be added into the review, or to simply congratulate the review on a top notch review. Do not put simple comments such as ‘VH’ or ‘great review’ - tell them what you enjoyed or disliked about it. Reviewers prefer to get their praise with a side of justification on why they received the rate. Do not give a basic comment for the sake of doing so, or for community points.
Comment boxes are not to be used for abuse or unneeded information. Copied reviews should not be stated so by more than 1 person. If it is a copy and has been stated so simply report them. But remember, comments are for constructive criticism. Give the member the benefit of the doubt before you rate or comment on a copied review. Give them the opportunity to correct their mistake as comments cannot be deleted from a members review, but the review can be edited.
This is a community not a witch hunt.

Remember: You do not have to comment on a rate.
Only if you feel it deserves a comment do you have to give one. This can also be said of ratings. It is your choice in what you do and how you perform as a community. If a member requests that you give a reason to the rate you supplied it does not have to be done in the comments. The guest-book is there also.

My two cents

I could go into details about member statistics and ‘community point levels’ but it will turn into a rant. My main point is that this is a community and everyone in a community is different, has different thoughts and ideas, and different takes on what can be constituted as negative and positive in every aspect of this system. If you give or receive a less than admirable rate or comment do not turn it into a negative situation. Ask for the reasoning behind it if you are receiver, but do not always expect a reply. If you are the giver do be prepared to explain why and stick by your decision.
I have been on the receiving end of numerous slanders and 1 of them was due to the fact I had copied from a website. I can’t remember exactly what it was, I think it was the products ‘opening pitch’ and I also elaborated on that through my own experience with the product. I was given numerous bad ratings and bland ‘copied’ remarks in the comments but not the opportunity change my review, or even the reviewers come back and read the review again once edited. I admit I was wrong to copy, I am not saying I wasn’t, but I am trying to explain than as a community you should try to be helpful instead of jumping the gun at every little thing.
I notice that some members now do not rate or comment on ‘white dot’ members because they assume that the review will be of poor quality or their own reviews are not going to be rated. This should not be the case, you should nurture and support the new members rather than dismissing them or you will only ever have the opinion of a select few members. Everyone was a 'white dot' at some point.
Higher ‘colour’ members do not always have all the information some people feel that is needed and exceptional ratings are getting flown about far too easily in my opinion. A helpful rate is still a good rate; do not get offended if you receive one. Give the member the opportunity to come back and rate you again, but do ask them to do so. Not everyone is going to know that you are peeved at a rating you receive. You should not pressure or be pressured by other members into giving a rating or comment you feel they do not deserve. Your ‘reputation’ will not be tarnished by a lower rating than you expected. There is an overall rating on a review, remember that.

And above all: Do not be bitchy. If you do not like something that is going on ask that member why, if they choose not to reply then do not 'push' as it can be taken as abusive, as people have lives outside this community they may not get back to you straight away and do not need the e-bullying on top of situations in their own lifes. I have seen comments made about myself on other people’s guest-book and it is just uncalled for and unnecessary.

Remember children, this is a community
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Would you rather have in your community members who help and are caring, or a community like Eastenders full of Mitchell’s? Think about it.This is not directed at anyone and I hope it doesn't offend anyone - but above all I hope it is helpful or exceptional...... whatever....