Things Not to Include In a Review

Technology & Electronics - Websites

By: vivasuzi 11-Feb-2012

Introduction:

I have been writing reviews for years, and there are many things I believe are not needed when you write a review. If you review a product or place, I would leave these things out. I know some picky people feel otherwise, but I disagree. Here are 5 things I would not care to see in a review.

Ingredients List

Some people will review a food and think they need to include a list of all the ingredients in the food. I disagree. This is just dull! If I wanted to know the ingredients I could look at the package! What I would like to know are the KEY ingredients, the reason the food is really good. However, you don't need to copy / paste the ingredients word for word. I've seen people argue "well if I'm allergic to Soy, I'd want to know if there is Soy in there." I say, if you are allergic to Soy, you should be looking up the ingredients yourself and not trusting some stranger on the internet to tell you if it's in the food they are reviewing. That's not their job.

Details You Did Not Experience

I once knew someone who got rated "not helpful" for their review of a hotel because they did not talk about the pool. Well this friend did not go in the pool at the hotel, nor did they even see it. I think it is ridiculous when people write about details they did not experience. The point of a review is to share YOUR personal experience, not list facts that can easily be found on the hotel website.

Your Life Story

So I went to the restaurant, I sat down, I pulled in my chair, then the waiter gave me a napkin.... You see where I'm going with this? You do not have to include your life story in the review. Instead you should focus on the parts of your dining experience that mattered. Don't mention insignificant things. People are looking for a review to decide if they should go to this place, not to know exactly what you did step by step.

Too Much Humor

A little humor is fine in any review, but if you are writing to try to get laughs you really need to start a blog and stop writing reviews. When I am researching a product, I'm looking for reviews that get right to the point. I don't want to wade through jokes and side-comments that only a few people will understand. Like I said, a few jokes, where it works, are ok, but your review shouldn't be overridden with them.

Personal Information

For goodness sake, do not put anything too personal in your review. I don't include my name or the names of people I know in my reviews. If I'm reviewing a local place, I won't detail how close or far it is from me. You never know what sort of weirdos are out there so you shouldn't include anything too personal in your reviews.

Final Thoughts

Some people may think a few of these things are OK or even REQUIRED when writing a review but I disagree. I'm not going to copy/paste nutritional facts or list the hotel fact sheet just because someone tells me I should. Reviews should be enjoyable to write, not a chore! Write about your experience and the important facts, but leave everything else up to the product or hotel website to list.

Give this list a high five!

Comments

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clewand550 2/11/2012
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Great list of things not to include in a review Thanks for sharing this list.
TigerStripes 2/11/2012
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:)