[request/rant] To all reviewers, amateur and pro...

[BSF]

Speaking as somebody that has just watched the process from the outside:

I think Staff Reviewers are the people that have already established they can write reasonable, consistent reviews on a regular basis. Rather than have publishers try to personally hunt down Morrus (or in the past, Eric) and send stuff to try to be reviewed, Morrus provides the contact information for the "Staff Reviewers". Morrus has a vested interest in EN Publishing products, so offloading the reviews to a different team reduces accusations of favoritism.

The benefit for EN World is that a steady stream of reviews comes in from members of the community. The reviewers have a link that lists all of their reviews. Publishers can contact the "Staff Reviewers" if they want to send out product for a review. If a reviewer consistently fails to provide reviews, I imagine a publisher could notice Morrus and Morrus would have them removed from the list.

The only "qualifications" are just reasonable, consistent reviews. If Morrus has any other criteria, I am not aware of it.

EDIT: Hey, check that out. Crothian responded quicker than I did.

 

[Turjan]

Even very popular companies rarely seem to get fans that buy their books to write a review on it.

That reminds me of Allan Varney over at rpg.net, who begged people several times to write at least one review of his books. Though enough people openly state that they like what he writes, nobody seemed to want to write a review. Luckily, after his last appeal, this has changed now.

 

[Crothian]

That reminds me of Allan Varney over at rpg.net, who begged people several times to write at least one review of his books. Though enough people openly state that they like what he writes, nobody seemed to want to write a review. Luckily, after his last appeal, this has changed now.

Ya, I saw that. I'd love to review some Paranoia and might one day but there is a lot of stuff I'd love to review but just can't. One thing about being a Staff Reviewer is the odd sense of responsibility to the publishers. I think I put more presssure on myself then the other guys do though.

 

[diaglo]

...is the odd sense of responsibility to the publishers.

this is the part when you ask yourself what others mean when they say to you about your reviews being swayed.

i know you. but maybe like Shadowslayer was saying. not everyone does.

people are tired of schtick. but people need to hear it or lest they forget.

you need to follow the same guidelines the other reviewers do..


edit: heck, wotc does it in the own products about OGL. or other noncore books repeating the same old feats. swift actions and so forth...

 

[Turjan]

Actually, the one I would like to know is what's the difference between a staff reviewer and Joe blow gamer? I mean, you have a title...so does it actually mean anything? Or is it just a matter of who your mates are?

Most of them write lots of reviews, and many people grew to like those reviews. That's more or less it. This doesn't mean that there are not a lot of excellent "fan" reviews around.

In the end, even following the guidelines from the review page doesn't mean that the reviews are in any way fair or give you some good guidance (not that I want to imply that this is the case ). I think that also the reader or reviews has to do his part of the work. If I just look at EN World's staff reviews, I know what to expect from which reviewer. This is not meant as an objective judgement, but more in the way of how well the respective reviewer's opinion reflects my own. It's a real learning process. After some time, I knew the likes and dislikes of the reviewers, how to compare them with my own likes and dislikes, and I was able to adjust the reviews according to my own needs. In the beginning, it was not easy, but it paid off.

 

[Crothian]

this is the part when you ask yourself what others mean when they say to you about your reviews being swayed.

My sense of responsibility is to get what I am sent reviewed and that's all. And that's a lot.

 

[Odhanan]

This thread contains some interesting points but somehow I always come back to the reader. I understand that some gamers maybe don't make the difference between a bad and a good review, but somehow, I doubt they visit EN World regularly.

What I mean is: the vast majority of us can make the difference between a good and a bad review. So why not trust ourselves to make the difference instead of pointing the finger at reviewers?

 

[WhimsyTheFae]

This thread contains some interesting points but somehow I always come back to the reader. I understand that some gamers maybe don't make the difference between a bad and a good review, but somehow, I doubt they visit EN World regularly.

What I mean is: the vast majority of us can make the difference between a good and a bad review. So why not trust ourselves to make the difference instead of pointing the finger at reviewers?

I visit EN World way too often, yet I don't always know the difference. I can tell the difference between a well written review and a poorly written review, but that doesn't always guide me toward a good purchasing decision. A well written review may still be a poor review, in that it contains inaccuracies or misleading information or outright lies.

So, while I am replying to Crothian throughout this thread, I am talking to all reviewers so that they can take steps to avoid misperception, provide good reviews and if necessary look at themselves in the mirror. Crothian actually makes a pretty good target, since (aside from the jab at Shadowslayer on page 2) he doesn't take the debate too personally and, from what I know and have heard about him, is an honest reviewer.

I do agree with you, the reader needs to take responsibility as well...

 

[Crothian]

Crothian actually makes a pretty good target

I need to go as Decoy, the Pig Hostage from Tiny Toons for Halloween next year.....

I'm just happy to get feedback. Most of the time I'm reviewing in a vacuum it seems. When I do get feedback it is rarely helpful.

 

[Pinotage]

I visit EN World way too often, yet I don't always know the difference. I can tell the difference between a well written review and a poorly written review, but that doesn't always guide me toward a good purchasing decision. A well written review may still be a poor review, in that it contains inaccuracies or misleading information or outright lies.

I do agree with you, the reader needs to take responsibility as well...

The problem is that there's often only a single review of a product and nothing to weigh a review up against or compare opinion with. Which is why I think people should be encouraged to write more reviews so that Joe User can make a better decision based on multiple reviews rather than trying to determine if a single review is a good review or a bad review, even if it's well written.

There is, of course, a comments section under each review, so Joe User can ask further questions if he's unsure about the content of a review, or post about the product on the main forums. I agree, readers should take some responsibility, by making sure what they read is correct if for some reason they don't trust a reviewer. I'm sure most reviewers would appreciate honest comments and critique on their reviews.

Pinotage