Encouraging folks to do more reviews

[Jdvn1]

Preferably someone who hasn't reviewed E.N. Pub materials before, just so I can spread the freebies around and get some diverse exposure.

I've only done one, do I count? Oh, I'll let someone else take it.

 

[trancejeremy]

I will caveat that -- a publisher however cool and generous is best asking a reviewer if they can/are willing to review before sending -- I am sure that most do but it would be a slight imposition if say an unexpected PDF arrived in my E Mail with a little note "I'd appreciate if you would review this" as I might not have time and I would hate to feel obligated --

No matter how small the endaevor rather a review of a PDF or a small game company professionalism is always a good thing

Actually, I get a lot of PDFs sent me just out of the blue, without asking (since I've written a lot of reviews, both here (147) and at RPG.net (97)). Unless it's the first product by the company I don't review those. But then if they do ask, I usually decline, since I just don't like PDFs much. Unless it's something I really am interested in, it's not worth my time spending hours and hours reading and writing a review for something that generally costs very little. It also takes me a lot longer to review PDFs, since I personally can't print them out nor do I have a laptop.

OTOH, if someone actually sends me a physical book, I'll always review it, even if it is out of the blue (I have my mailing address on the web page in my sig, and I've actually gotten about a dozen books that way). Generally within a month (though it can take a while for RPG.net to actually post the reviews). Because in that case, the company the sent it is definitely out some money themselves (the cost of the book, and the shipping, though I imagine they can write it off on their taxes)


But good points, Ace.

But then I sympathize with Mr. Reed. It's pretty tacky to have someone ask for a review copy, and then have them never write one.

 

[diaglo]

Like what? Now the only reviews that get deleted are the ones that are not up to par. We request them to be revamped by the reviewer first, but frankly I haven't seen any that needed revamped in quite a while.

As for the responses, there is nothing that can be done to generate them. Either people do or they don't. But you should not be writing reviews expecting respones.

Those are the two complaints that you have voiced, what else you got?

without naming names i personally don't have any respect for at least 2 of the reviewers and they know it.

part of it i believe stems from a tiff over biased reviews for freebies received. and part of it stems from the fact that i don't hold back. i let them know exactly what i think of a product i spent my hard earned money on.

Joe and Psion can disagree if they like.

but i never got a chance to do anything with my reviews. i put them up. and when i went back they were gone. no email. no notice. no nothing.

 

[Eosin the Red]

The problem I have with sending out comps is that it's reached the point where I have to send 5 comps to get 1 review. Many people that request to review something never write the review.

That is a pisser, to be blunt. I feel like a turd if it takes me more than two weeks (and some of the Hero products are huge reads) but twice I have gotten ill and that set me back into the 3 week range. I don't have much interest in reviewing crunch books (books of PrCs, spells, or classes) which cuts the field down by 75% making my review load workable. (I know there is some irony in me reviewing Hero products and at the same time disliking crunch)

 

[Vigilance]

Maybe it's my Unpublished perspective on this, but I don't see it as that weird. My reasoning is that it doesn't stop people from commenting on products (which I see on forums all over), why would it stop them from an in-depth review?

Or, maybe I don't take the hobby seriously enough?

An in-depth review should begin from as unbiased a place as possible. If there is a bias, it should be disclosed, but ideally if there is a large bias, you shouldn't write the review at all.

If I playtested a game for example, or wrote a competing game, I wouldn't write a review of it.

I have done an occasional comment on RPGNow, when I bought a product and had a positive impression on it, but I am more likely to drop a private line to the writer of that book than I am to write a review.

Chuck

 

[Wayside]

An in-depth review should begin from as unbiased a place as possible. If there is a bias, it should be disclosed, but ideally if there is a large bias, you shouldn't write the review at all.

I wish there were more idiosyncratic reviewers (i.e. biased reviewers, but not at the level of an individual product--biased as reviewers, and very articulate about their biases), as I'd definitely be more interested in their reviews. There's always a bias, it's simply a question of whether or not it's the common bias.

 

[Crothian]

without naming names i personally don't have any respect for at least 2 of the reviewers and they know it.

So, becauise you are unhappy with two reviewers you don't want to do more reviews? I can't help you with that.

 

[Eosin the Red]

An in-depth review should begin from as unbiased a place as possible. If there is a bias, it should be disclosed, but ideally if there is a large bias, you shouldn't write the review at all.

I don't know that I agree. I reviewed Dark Champions but clearly spelled out up front that I am a Dark Champions fanboy. There was some nit-picky stuff that only a fanboy would ever pick up but overall the review was just as useful as any other I have done. I also like reading critical reviews by fanboys, they tend to know the flaws better than anyone. I would say that writing a review that said "oh, my god!" 50 times would be a waste of time and effort but a biased (but critial) review is still worth reading (IMO).

If I playtested a game for example, or wrote a competing game, I wouldn't write a review of it..

Got a point there. However, what is competing in the d20 market? If you wrote a module does that mean that you wouldn't review any other published modules? It gets somewhat hazy and very subjective, the important thing to me from both sides of the isle is that it clearly and boldly spelled out right up front.

 

[pogre]

I looked over the reviews page and I'm not sure how to submit a review. I've been around here long enough to know - but I don't. Do I submit it to a staff reviewer?

 

[Yair]

I looked over the reviews page and I'm not sure how to submit a review. I've been around here long enough to know - but I don't. Do I submit it to a staff reviewer?

When you go into a product's page (not a review's page), there is a little link/button below the descriptive blurb and existing reviews for "New Review". I think you won't see it if you are not logged on.
You can't review a product that doesn't have a page yet - a product that isn't in the database. For that you need to ask in Meta for the Powers That Be to enter it into the database. (I asked in general, that works too...)

Edit: The intro & FAQ for the review section could be improved. For that matter, so can the search and the scoring. It used to work fine