Commenting on others???. Review on Commenting on Reviews

Preamble

I had written two pages worth on commenting on MouthShut and suddenly I pressed the wrong buttons and I lost the entire data.  I was disheartened and thought of giving up, but then I thought that accepting defeat is like giving up hope.  I am an optimist.  I started to pick up the threads and started again.  I hope I can recapture my chain of thought(probably improve upon it!).

I joined MouthShut some six months back as a stranger to writing reviews and a total stranger to commenting on what other people write. When I wrote my first review, it was very strained and when I got my first comment, I was thrilled.  When I wrote my first comment, I wondered whether I should praise the reviewer, pull his leg or boost up his morale.  In the last six months I have learnt a lot with the help of all the wonderful people who form a part of this small yet wide world. It was a learning process which was both difficult and strenuous, but never-the-less it was interesting.

In these six months I have written 27 reviews(this is the 28th) and a fairly large number of comments.  When I look at Cousin2 who has written her 300th review, I feel very small(will I ever reach that pedestal?). I am just penning a few thoughts on commenting. Nothing comprehensive, just a few thoughts.  I do not know if it will be useful, but this is how I feel so bear with me.

Relationship between a Review and a Comment

I have learnt that if a Review is the brain of MouthShut, Comments are the heart.  Both complement each other.   Can the brain exist without the heart or the heart without the brain?   A good review without a comment or bad comments is an insult to the reviewer.  A bad review with complementary comments is a disgrace to mouthshut.

Relationship between Rating and Comments

It is my considered opinion that Rating is too frivolous a method to express one’s opinion about a review.  You can rate a review just by the press of a button!  Imagine the injustice!  A reviewer puts his heart into his review, works hard to project his point of view on a product or issue and you just express your opinion by pressing a button!   I find it deplorable, specially if one is rating a review  “Not Recommended” or “Somewhat Recommended”. A comment is a better form of expressing one’s opinion.  You can tell a reviewer where he(or she) went wrong in your opinion or where you agree with him(or her). You can pull his(or her) leg or you can give a compliment.   Rating is at best a complement to the comment and not the substitute.  A comment conveys much more than a rating and helps in building up a rapport between the members of the MouthShut fraternity.  Disagreement does not necessarily mean hatred, nor does agreement necessarily mean liking.  One can agree to disagree or disagree to agree.

When to Comment

A comment should not be based on individual fads.  I may not watch serials on TV, that does not give me a right to pull down people who write reviews on TV serials.    I may be a youngster who likes to read kids magazines and write a review on it, that does not give a person who may be in his 40’s or 50’s a right to call him a dude because he likes a kids magazine.  If you feel that the review is beyond your purview, just ignore it and pass it by without commenting or rating.  Read it by all means, but that does not mean that you are not duty bound to rate or comment on every review you read.  MouthShut has thousands of members of all age groups, religions, sex, creed and regions.   Everyone’s experience and situation in life is not the same.   Find your level and stick to it rather than making another person feel like a fool.

What to Comment on

One can not lay down any rules for commenting, as it depends on individual thinking, views and outlook, however, a comment should be comprehensive. It should encompass some or most of these

 Just a few points on the subject(If you have too many points, write your own review)

 agreements and or disagreements with reasons

 words of encouragement(never discourage with snide remarks or abuse)

 constructive criticism( harsh words to be reserved for P2P). without belittling the reviewer.

 comments on the style of writing with  suggestions for improvement if any

 tips on language and formating if the reviewer has made it difficult to read

Never Hurry

Never comment in a hurry(I have made this mistake many a time and later regretted).  Remember “haste makes waste”.  I have realised many a time that by commenting in a hurry or by trying to be the earliest one to comment, I have gone off beat and had to edit my comments several times.  Take your time. MouthShut is not running away. The review is not being taken off the air.  A place on the comments page is not being denied to you if you delay.  You have ample time to give a good thought and write suitable words.  You can’t spit and then lick it up, but you certainly can swallow if it is still in your mouth.  Re-read a review if required.

I would love to write a lot more but then I will be repeating what others have written so I will stop here.