When the sun settled in the west, I thought, what am I here for? To do what others like, to be what others want you to be or to think what others want you to.
Am I trapped in my own body? Am I here for others? What about me?
I just want to break free. I want a domain of myself where I can rest and just be myself. I want to be there where I see and meet people whose thoughts match that of mine. I need freedom. I just want to be myself.
Then from nowhere, an E-mail came to me; inviting me to a land of words and wisdom. A land that just wants me to be myself, and forget all the worries. A land where I rule. A land that has given me all the freedom of expression and choice. A land with true democracy. That land is MouthShut.com, my personal domain.
On 6th March 2002, I wrote my first review, and now on 2nd April 2002 I conclude my fiftieth! These 27 days of freedom and choice has really changed me. For this I would like to thank the MouthShut staff, my friends and colleagues. Thank you for being my support and guiding light. If ever I could repay you!
Now let's get back to the topic at hand. How can one write an effective review? First of all, when you are writing your reviews, just glance at your top left-corner of your screen. There 4-steps of wisdom are already given. Those 4 points are very important and must be followed. I have devised my own formula to write a review. Are you all interested to have a look at it?
If yes, then please continue reading.
My own plan of act has been inspired from writers like sujay_marthi, ababbey(sorry if I mispelled it), asysis, nandakumar, Cousin2, pooj, meleakh1, and some more. This plan of acts is very simple to follow. Just read on:
1) You please write some more
When you are writing your review, do try to make it comprehensive. You have to cover many points. The 100 words limit is not the maximum, but it is the minimum. You can have a review of around 8000 words! My largest review contains around 7500 characters! I don't remember the title of the review, but it was huge.
And in return what did I received for the huge reviews? HR ratings!
Some people usually assume that if you written a huge review, you might have put in some effort on R&D and that the review is comprehensive. So, in a jiffy, they give you an HR or R rating.
This may not be true for many, as some do read your review and get into the details. Then only they leave a rating or comment on your review.
But, trust me, writing big does helps. So be comprehensive and write a detailed review.
2) Didn't you mentioned that point earlier too?
By writing big, I do not mean that you write the same point in different manner. Be unique. Every point of yours must have the degree of excitement and freshness. Avoid being monotonous and dull.
By repeating the same points you are just wasting yours and my time. Let me give you an example of repeated example:
'Coca-Cola is a great drink, better than Pepsi'
'You should avoid Pepsi, and have Coke, as it is much better'
'If you are having Pepsi, you are doing a wrong thing, as Coke tastes much better'
'People having Coke have done the right thing in their life, as Pepsi is of no good'.
These four sentences can be a part of a review on Coca-Cola, or even Pepsi. Just read all the four sentences and tell me, which sentence does not mean the same as the others?
So, avoid being repititive, just to write a big review.
3) How dare you say that thing to me?
Avoid being too harsh on people and products. Use of offensive languages might see you being flagged or sealed by the great MS staff. So, mark your words.
Even in your comments, do not use harsh languages. There might be people who might just do double of your acts. Be stern and gentle. Your good words should work for you. And no'F' words, please.
4) How did you got to know all that stuff?
If you say that a product is good or bad, back it up with details, proof or your past experiences.
Write what you think of that product, and not your friends think of it. There is always a chance that you might have liked a movie, but your friends would not have. You immediately change your views and say that the movie was a yuck. So, write your honest and personal opinions. Your friends can always help themselves.
5) What that damn thing meant?
Check your spellings and grammar.
Being innovative is good, but do not invent new words that cannot be found in any dictionary. But some new words can be good. Something like'Plopped' meaning bursted, or'phussed' meaning gushed out would add some colour to your review.
You can always avoid Jargons and technical words. Be informative. Write in a way that even a novice can understand your thoughts.
Check your punctuations. NEVER USE ALL CAPS WORDS AS IT GIVES A YUCKY FEELING TO YOUR REVIEW. and also do not write everything in small letters, as it too is not doing any good for you.
6) A little humour won't cause too much harm
Yeah dude, I know you are a serious person. But I am not. I face a dull guy everyday I wake up, move around and do my shopping. What I want is humour.
I want something really cunning and different. Something twisted and turned. This really boosts up your review.
I like humourous reviews. One of my favourite is by asysis who wrote a review on Filmfare Awards. It is too good.
I try to do a little bit by cracking jokes in middle of a serious review. It just sets the tone for the the reader.
7) Have you heard of Plagiarism?
Plagiarism means compiling a written work copied from somewhere else.
There are many means to copy a review. You might just type in the topic in a search engine, and there you will receive huge written materials on it. You just have to copy, paste it. And there you have a complete work of copied art!
Avoid doing that! We want to know what you think. I know it is a good time-saving method, but it is not helping you.
Be original, be unique.
8) Last point of wisdom
Nobody is forcing you to write a review. Just enjoy the moment. You will get a good sigh of relief after you have submitted your review.
Don't be in a hurry, and write well. There are thousands of people who are going to read your reviews. So, your respect and dignity is in your hands. What you write, is what you get. So, be good and have happy times at MS.
So, people, I have covered my points.
I thank you again for your kind support. I wanted a special topic for my fiftieth review, and I did got one.
Bye then people.
See ya later.
