Help with making reviews

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

I want to start making product reviews in this subsection, but I am a bit perplexed as what I should be adding as far as 'ease of readability' goes.

So far, I have a couple reviews saved on my computer, but the I feel that both of them could be vastly better. They are a few paragraphs, and I think, a bit everywhere.
Instead of writing a review and working from there, I want to try and make the best review I can and THEN work from there.

So I ask this: for product reviews, what are YOU looking for in a good review article? what are things that don't need to be in a review? Should it be broken into sections? If so, then what should those sections be?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! And thank you for your time!

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

When I write a review I write a paragraph on different aspects (i.e. instruction, quality, price) with number ratings (x/10). This allows people to just get a glance of what I think of it if they rather not read through a final rating of (x/10). People who don't mind reading can read thorough explanations as to why I rated the aspect the way that I did. For the final rating I share my collective thoughts in an "overall" aspect.

 

[Fox13]

Hi Brett,

I would say go for the non-obvious stuff. I am very picky when I buy stuff for myself, so I want to analyze every angle possible. For example, most deck reviews will go through the box in details, then display the add, the jokers, the ace of spades. But I want to see details that were not shown by the seller. Then some reviewers play a bit with cards saying "it riffle shuffle well, does color change" and so on, that's not informative. MagicOrthodoxy goes beyond by telling what the stock, cut, and finish is: that is information we can use to have an idea of how the cards will handle, something that's not even mentioned on the product page most of the time.

So, go for the tiny details that you can only see once you've bought the product and that's not visible nor referred to in the ad. What would you have liked to know beforehand but was not shown or explained?

Magic product reviews are not obvious because you don't want to give away the secret. Take a look at Ekaterina youtube channel, she is doing reviews of magic props. She's not giving anything away about the trick itself, but she's explaining what she liked or not, what worked or not.

Also, compare what the ad says versus what you get. We all know ads like "no sleights" involved is not totally true. Handling the prop itself is sleight of hand. How simple is it really, what could go wrong with that prop? Where were you let down by the product description?

 

[Rev]

I can tell you what not to do, and I see this a lot.

Don't copy and paste the ad copy, and then just say 'I think this is a great trick' 10/10 Recommended.'

That's not a review.

Rev

 

[Lyle Borders]

On a side note, something that is really broken in the review world is the scoring. In the real world, if you take 100 reviews, the average score is probably 7 or 8. In a system of 1 to 10, 5 needs to be average.

5 is a perfectly acceptable number in that sort of system. It represents the "par for the course". What you would expect.
6 is somewhat better than average.
7 is significantly better.
8 is much better.
9 is amazingly better.
10 should almost never be awarded, and would represent perfection in nearly every aspect.

On the flip side:

4 is somewhat worse than average.
3 is significantly worse.
2 is much worse.
1 is abysmally worse.
0 (if you are using it) should only ever be used for something that is an insult to the community in every way and has no redeeming factors.

I see "This is the same kind of production value you would expect. 8/10" I HATE this sort of review statement. If it is merely what you expect, why are you giving it a high score?

I like this trick. 6/10
This is an amazing trick. 7/10
This is perhaps the best trick I have ever seen. 8/10
Neither I nor any of the people I have discussed this with have ever seen a trick more amazing than this. 9/10
The universe is literally imploding around me because this trick is so good. 9.9/10

Obviously this is a little dramatic, but don't be afraid to HONESTLY review products with an actual meaningful scale. If you don't give your scale integrity from the beginning, it means nothing. There SHOULD BE as many sub-5 reviews as there are above-5 reviews. Rating a below average product with a below average score is just as important as rating an above average product with an above average score.

// L

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

That was something I was wondering about: is a scoring system necessary for a review? On one hand, I find it a bit handy, on the other hand, I think that people would jump to the score and not read the rest of the review.

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

information we can use to have an idea of how the cards will handle

Let's face it 9/10 theory11 decks handle the same, so if the person is just reviewing medallions they could say "handles like every other t11 deck."

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

That was something I was wondering about: is a scoring system necessary for a review? On one hand, I find it a bit handy, on the other hand, I think that people would jump to the score and not read the rest of the review.

People like numbers, if they choose to read your review the numbers add to it. If they don't they still get a glimpse as to what you like about it.

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

People like numbers, if they choose to read your review the numbers add to it. If they don't they still get a glimpse as to what you like about it.

People can also become dependent on a number system and inadvertently trust it--even if it is biased. They won't know if it's biased or not just reading the numbers. I like Lyles method and reasoning, but a 5 out of 10 could register a 'bad review' for a lot of people.

All right, no numbering system for me.

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

5 needs to be average

While that is true there is a common association with the letter grading system. People are too use to seeing 7/10 and thinking "Okay, that's a C", because of that if the standard is five that could REALLY throw some people off. If people associate five with an F grade people may be thrown off if someone says "I give this trick 5/10, I wasn't disappointed but it's nothing special." 5/10 sounds to a lot of people like you're really disappointed about whatever you're reviewing.

If you were to use a number rating system like that you should turn it into a chart so people can see exactly how you're rating things.

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

People can also become dependent on a number system and inadvertently trust it--even if it is biased. They won't know if it's biased or not just reading the numbers. I like Lyles method and reasoning, but a 5 out of 10 could register a 'bad review' for a lot of people.

All right, no numbering system for me.

Funny thing I was working on a response to that...

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

For my reviews I use numbers this way:
10= Best state that aspect could be
9= Very good
8= Good
7= Okay (meh)
6= Disappointed
5= Very disappointed
4= Worst thing ever
3-0= Added insult based on how bad something is.

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

They won't know if it's biased or not just reading the numbers.

I thought there was always bias in reviews.

 

[Tower of Lunatic Meat]

I thought there was always bias in reviews.

But a number system pretty makes the text irrelevant, it seems

 

[Bryant_Tsu]

But a number system pretty makes the text irrelevant, it seems

Number rating systems are like the star rating systems. most people look at the stars but people who actually want to read the review to find out why the review got what it did make the text worth adding.

 

[acd]

one blogger used this wording for one to five stars

1 – hated it
2 – did like it
3 – liked it
4 – really liked it
5 – loved it

I like the wording used by MagicSeen Magazine (one to five stars)

1 – poor
2 – OK
3 – reasonable
4 – good
5 – excellent

 

[leighelkins]

But a number system pretty makes the text irrelevant, it seems

Personally I'll ignore a number rating on individual reviews, and the reason why is evident in this thread. On a 1/10 I would expect 5 to be average, which contrary to what the media tries to tell us, isn't a bad thing. Other people though will say a 5 is bad and to them a 7/10 is average... Look at the differences between what Lyle's numbers mean compared to Bryant, they are drastically different. Also, if I want a number rating then I will look at the product page which typically will have an average rating of multiple reviews.

As far as structure goes, I love it when someone will make a statement such as "I love this product", or "This product sucks" for the very first line of the review, and then goes on to explain why. Reviews aren't stories, they don't need cliffhangers. As for content, first I want to know does the product match the description, is the dealer really selling what they're selling. After that I just want your opinion on anything that you think is worth mentioning. It doesn't need to be scientific, it's just an opinion so tell us what you think.

The one thing that will drive me away from a review quicker than anything else (aside from poor spelling and grammar which isn't an issue here) is an "Unboxing" review. I don't want a first impression of the packaging, I want to know if the product works. If I want to know about a restaurant I'm going to ask someone who has eaten there, not someone who has just looked at the menu.

Good luck.

P.S. Remember to enjoy it. If you're not enjoying it then what is the point?

 

[acd]

one blogger used this wording for one to five stars

1 – hated it
2 – did like it
3 – liked it
4 – really liked it
5 – loved it

I like the wording used by MagicSeen Magazine (one to five stars)

1 – poor
2 – OK
3 – reasonable
4 – good
5 – excellent

The first number two should have been didn't like it

 

[CrazyClement]

For me the most important things are:

I'd like to know how the trick is for a real world performer because we as magicians are there to entertain and inspire, not just do moves. Therefore things like angles, difficulty and method really comes into play.

And of course a bit of humour. Haha.

Additionally, what you think is also important because like how we see a certain performer for his character, we all would like to read your reviews just to see your style.

And I really like your Tenyo Tuesday reviews right now, so I'd like to say, keep up the awesome work!