I am not a fan of any kind of quid pro quo system, or having writers review other stories to be part of the community. I haven't written one review yet, though I do intend to do a couple for some very old stories, but it is mainly because I don't read anything (many reasons for that not needed here). I can't review what I have not read.

What I have found personally (and I haven't been at this for long) is that each time I really only get a review when a new chapter is posted. They always happen within a day or two of the update so it definitely ties in to having your story on the front page. If you story was written a long time ago the likelihood of some new reviews is low. The problem with this is that people comment on unfinished stories and while it's great if the feedback is positive, it can sometimes be detrimental to comment on a deficiency in a story, as you see it, that will be explained or expanded upon in a later chapter and people never go back and edit a review - but there are pitfalls to everything.

The review system is massively important though, as some people use it as their sole tool to choose what to read. There is so much stuff out there that you just can't read it all, and if you try to find something to your liking you usually waste a lot of time on misses rather than hits.

While I love to see new reviews (yay for positive ones), they let me know that it will be easier for someone to find a story of mine through the search tool, my most valuable source of feedback has come from people who have contacted me personally. Most of the people I converse with, or who have just emailed to let me know they enjoyed the story or with some more in depth feedback, have not left reviews. Some have sent me close to a hundred emails over time and yet not left a review - that must say something for the process itself.

And even those reviews that are one line, they still have value and merit. Someone has enjoyed the story enough to write that, when the vast majority do not. I am thankful for every review I receive because I know how rare they truly are. Maybe the registration process is detrimental, a lot of stuff could be a lot more user friendly, but I feel it is necessary. A lot of people aren't interested in posting to the forums ever so having the registration tied to it may just be putting some potential reviewers off.