I had a free day today. The watchmen was on leave bole to the guy who keeps a watch on me silly ;-)
I thought let me go through the reviews. I know the navigation was a bit difficult but then my
priority was to read.
What I found there is making me write this review and if it means too many posts and reviews from me in recent times then let it be...I want put across my point....
~~ The 90% of the reviews were neither read nor commented upon.
Confidence building for the new writers.
~~ Unlike some junk diaries the maximum number of reviews were
Original & well written.
~~ Compared to old times when reviews from Paul or for that matter even mine used to get minimum of 30 ratings. Now the average is down to 25 at most.
~~ At one hand I can see the members are active as we can see them
posting diaries & gifting but I don’t see them writing reviews or rather
visiting reviews also.
What does this mean????
~~ Our focus is not on writing/ reading/ reviews but posting/ reading & commenting upon diaries.
~~ Lets leave aside the time constraint think over when was the last time that you went through the reviews of any new member???
~~ No am not talking about difficult navigation, this is a new thing. Even much before that the Number if hits on reviews have fallen drastically.
~~ How does an average writer becomes a better writer???? From my experience writing regularly, getting support & feedback from of members.
Have we been doing that??? (Line edited as Sanjoy pointed out that I was not making any sense...point taken)
~~ What’s the easiest way to earn quick points???? I know the popular answer would be Rating n Commenting Pictures.
But writing a review gives you more points but do you think of it as an option?
We ourselves are so busy into diaries that reviews have stopped interesting us.
Are these not signals enough for MS to concentrate less on reviews and more on other things.
I myself was saying that a survey should have been conducted before making such drastic changes but then when I think now their survey is based on number of hits & we are a culprit there. It is us who have failed.
If we all say that MS is no more focusing on reviews then we are to be equally blamed for the shift of focus.
Am gaining nothing out of these ramblings but the fact is that as a member of I have failed. I have no write to shout murder because I am equally guilty.
I had thought I’ll write a post on this but then thought
What a way to promote Review Reading & Writing....Nah!! It has to be a review.
My only request is that next time when we say that the focus has shifted we should see when was the last time we ourselves wrote a review and when was the last time that we had gone to a review of a member whom I didn’t know or when was the last time we had gone for the review because of the product reviewed not for the writer....
It is us who make this site and it is our actions which speak louder for the management. And our actions said it....Reviews are secondary......
Why Have I written this review??? (Sorry that I wasn’t clear my thoughts so adding this now)
What I wanted to say is that since the change in MS we have been crying that the focus of the site has shifted from reviews to social networking. This is correct to a larger extent but we have been equally responsible in this change of focus. We as members have stopped visitng reviews and are mostly more interested in other aspects. Am not pointing fingers niether am I asking people to go to reviews all I wanted to say was that we are as much responsible for the shift.
PS Comments & brickbats are most welcome...
PPS These rambling is on the review part of the site only, please don’t assume that am fully happy with the changes.