#1 What makes a good review "good?"
- The auther nows how too spel and the righting is clear and straitforward.
- The author gives support for their claim. They share specifically why they feel the way they do. They help us to understand how they interpreted the text and what it meant to them. If it did mean something to them, I suppose.
- The author is not writing the review from a emotionally reactionary place. If they are writing just because they hate their English teacher, their words are not valid.
Compare this to this to learn more.
#2 What makes a reviewer have credibility? What would make me want to follow them?
I really tried! I commented on multiple recent reviews, liked a few reviews, and even joined a group on Goodreads that had comments that were only a few hours old! But I was not successful in having anyone engage me back. (Except for a few likes from individuals in my English class. Thanks Emily and Jenna, you guys rock.)
#2 What makes a reviewer have credibility? What would make me want to follow them?
- Once again, they must exhibit that they are thinking human beings.
- Take this how you will, but they have more credibility to me if I tend to agree with them. I wouldn't follow them if I was constantly disagreeing with their opinions. Reviews are opinions.
- If their reviews are immature, mean, or pointless they are not credible.
- The reviewers that become the "Top Reviewers" on Amazon review a TON of products. If you want to be a credible reviewer you must review many, many items.
Click here to see a list of top reviewers on Amazon.
#3 How did it go doing my own review?
- I tried to follow my own criterea under #1 and #2.
- I shared my personal experience so that others might know what to expect for theirs/
Check out my review here!
#4 Is it socially acceptable to post reviews to Facebook?
This is not something that I wanted to do. I am not really the most active out there in the social networking world. It isn't exactly my personality to put my opinions out there, especially on Facebook. But I did it! I posted a link to my review of the book "Heart of Darkness." The response?
I got 5 likes! Woohoo! (Sure, one was from my friend that knew about the assignment and another from a friend that is SUPER into Goodreads, but still!)
Conclusion: People will not hate you if you share about books on Facebook.
#5 Do people respond when you reach out to them through their reviews on Amazon and Goodreads?
So overall, how did my experiment go? Pretty well. I feel like I am beginning to really understand the social map of these two sites and how I can fit into them. I can be a contributing member of the current literary commmunity!
Your first bullet point under number one is perfect! So many people had incorrect spelling in their reviews. I find it funny because it isn't like speaking where we can say it and now it's said. When you right a review, you can edit it or revise it until it's basically perfect before you post it. I also love that you made your post into an "experimental project". Thanks for your comment on my review on Goodreads!
ReplyDeleteAmen. Amen. Amen. I really identify with this post and found many of the same things to be true. People won't hate you for posting your book reviews! Your post encourages me to keep trying, despite the discomfort. Your words about wanting to be a life-long reader being your motivation for becoming proficient on Goodreads, etc, resonated with me. Whenever I don't want to post online because it makes me nervous I think of Dr. Burton's research and the ideas he presents in class and say to myself: "Suck it up, this is the future!"
ReplyDeleteThis was a perfect outline of your use of this! I think we get so caught up in thinking people we know will hate us for our reviews, and people we don't know will think we're crazy. But in reality, it's neither! It's a good progression into the digital world for us, and while it can be scary, I think it's important we remember this is our future, and the only way we can make it better is to try it out and help create while we're still in the transition age.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Saren on this one. I think that this is part of that whole idea that people care a ton about what we think...when really they don't. They don't judge us for reviewing a book or liking a status (but possibly for certain pictures) because they're too busy worrying about what we'll think of them! But honestly, the more active you are online, the more weight your opinion has. It's kind of a cool theory that I'm finding to be true!
ReplyDelete