I beg to differ... Review on Commenting on Reviews

Some thoughts:

Often I wonder as to what a site like Mouthshut(MS) is all about. A platform to share opinion, a place to display your writing skills, a place to contest for prizes or a place to build friendship… to me most importantly it is a consumer review site. I am not saying that it is wrong to consider the site as having any other benefits. In fact I have made some real good friends on this site with people I have never met before in my life, some of whom I may never ever meet. I have gained a lot of confidence with regard to my writing skills, something for which I will always be thankful to MS. I have even won a prize. but all that notwithstanding for me MS will always be a site where consumers log in to share their opinion(or learn about) about products, places, services and personalities.

Why comment.?

For an opinion to be really useful, the person writing about it needs to be objective, honest and straightforward. There are times when knowingly or unknowingly a person deciding to write a review(advice) loses focus and goes on a tangent. I have done it so have many other members. Now when that happens it’s the duty of the other members to try and point out the same. There are also times when you see that an opinion is extremely useful, you just loved the way it was presented or the way things were analyzed, the humor injected that you can’t resist saying “Wow! Now that’s what I call a review”. It is usually at these times that a comment comes in handy.

Comments are also useful when you disagree with a member who has expressed an opinion; you have something, more to add to what the reviewer has mentioned in the review, you want to point out a few errors(factual or otherwise) in the review, you simply want to encourage someone or justify why you have rated the review higher or lower than most other members.

Comments and Me

When I started off on the site I was an avid “commenter”. There was a time when I used to comment on every new member’s first review. But then as time passed on and I found that commenting on all reviews is virtually impossible. Now days, I limit my comments to the reviews that touch me in a special way or the reviews with which I don’t agree in principle. Most of us love to receive feedbacks, it’s a recognition that someone out there cares for you. I love reading comments on my review. I don’t really care if it is a comment praising me or one that exposes the flaws in my review. Someone once suggested that it would be wise to have two critics(who would point out your drawbacks) around yourself than ten “so-called” admirers who would always insist that you are flawless.

Leave nice comments.?

If we as members can log on to this site and tear apart products as useless and crap, defame and degrade the goodwill built by reputed multinationals over several years in business with just an 8000(often much lesser)words review, don’t we also need to have to have the mettle to take on criticisms about our own reviews. Anyone in public gaze is bound to be scrutinized. MS is a public platform. Whatever you express here is bound to receive a feedback. At least that is how it should be. If you can’t take the heat then it is probably best to take a bow(verb).

I am not suggesting that comments need to be abusive and derogatory. What I am implying is that comments need not necessarily be sweet. Yes, when you are commenting on a new comers review, you need to be a little sensitive to the fact that he/she is new and is learning the ropes on the site. But why should anyone spare the words for experienced reviewers who know exactly as to what the site is about. I am also not suggesting that diplomacy needs to be thrown out of the window; I am only implying that it is not a must in all your comments.

Comments VS M2M

There is a theory that is dong the rounds on MS that comments always need to be appreciative and critical comments are best passed on as M2Ms. I don’t agree one bit. Look at this for an example, a member writes a review about a product which has factual errors, what is the fun in M2Ming the member and letting it know that there are errors, by the time the member receives the M2M and decides to edit the review(many don’t even bother to do that) many a members would have already read the review and formed an opinion about the product, which may be incorrect. A comment usually forces a reply or action(especially critical comments) and that leads to an interaction(debate) and when there is a public debate it’s the members who benefit from it. M2M is okay if you have something personal to convey to a member, if you have something that you think the entire community needs to know I don’t see any good in passing it on as an M2M.

Also if you disagreed with a review in principle and rated it low, sending an M2M alone would not suffice, as it is not just the member who wrote the review, but also all members who would be reading the review who need to know the reason for your rating; So that they can form a better opinion about the review and through it about the product. A low rating or a high rating against the popular vote, without explanation often is looked upon as something fishy by MSians.

My concerns:

I see that reviews are often not rated, instead authors are rated. When this happens I guess the whole concept of MS is cheated. We tend to make friends, we also form trust circles. Then we rate our friends and people on our list very high. Star writers are often rated with reverence. Of course the opposite also happens. People log in on duplicate ids and rate other members low, intentionally. Leave abusive comments. Add members to their distrust list.

There is also this theory that new comers should be careful with their ratings and comments…someone please explain why.? If you have the right to judge them, how could you deny their right to judge you? I have seen senior members here react in a tone that suggests “you dare not tell me how I should write a review”. Well I believe that every member on this site has the right to express his/her views… if not there would not have been a Mouthshut.com.

I have a suggestion to members who rate and comment without having written a single review. If your comments and ratings need to be taken seriously, try your hand at writing a review. It is often tougher than you would have imagined it is, to come out with a review. What happens when you rate and comment without having written a review is that members often assign motives or assume that you are someone on a duplicate id.

Just some pointers:

• Never use abusive language or racial prejudice in comments

• Debate! Don’t argue.

• It helps if you have a sense of humor, but then it is not at all precondition.

• Comment if your rating doesn’t match with the rest of the members, especially if you have rated much lower or higher than the rest of the pack. Also leave a comment when you are not rating a review for any specific reason.

Should I say “Please leave a comment”?