Reviews

[cbtboyuk]

Sorry to complain everyone, but i am getting so tired of reading reviews on the site along the lines of "Not for me 2 stars" or "I don't like the (insert fetish item here) 2 stars" or "(Insert gender combo ie m/m, fm etc) doesn't do it for me 2 stars".

Clearly we all have a right to our opinion, but unless your opinion is that 1) the basis of the story is fundamentally unacceptable....a line of critique which needs some pretty good supporting argument on a site like this or 2) and far more significantly, the writing is flawed in some way i don't want or need to hear that you disliked the story. I'm a gay man, so i'm not frantically interested in, say f/f stories, but it would be nonsensical of me therefore to give f/f stories bad reviews and bad ratings cos they don't turn me on: what absolute tosh. I could perhaps rate a f/f story badly because it's dreadful grammar made it unreadable, or the formatting was appalling, or the prose was lifeless, but not simply because girl on girl doesn't float, as it were, my boat.

Clearly, some authors disagree (some more reasonably than others) with their reviewers. And some reviewers and authors draw the line of constructive/destructive criticism in rather different places. I still think there is a clear difference between those reviews (with which I may or may not agree) who have tried to make a salient and rational point about the quality of the story, and those who simply review the choice of content. Having posted a couple of stories, I know however how demoralising this sort of review would be...surely not the point of this site (I found it upsetting enough when the site lost some of my nice reviews and the codes on one of my stories ).

Some reviewers also clearly feel that certain subjects are taboo. I confess i do not know where I stand on this issue, particularly on clearly labelled stories. People seem very selective about which subjects are problematic, and I suspect that any arguments suggesting this would not stand up to really rigorous logic in terms of the purpose of the site as a whole. However, I suggest that even this is infitely more acceptable than "your choice of material does not interest me". Then don't read it, and certainly don't give it a poor rating. Good grief.

One of the most annoying reviewers, who's appalling, lazy and annoying reviews I seem doomed to encounter all over the site (and whose indolent, inexpressive, unhelpful banalities have provoked this rant), put, in one of these "I live in the USA, where we have a right to express our opinion", which is not only a fatuous argument and a fundamental misunderstanding of the crucial points of freedom of speech, but also a total failure to understand the responsibility such a right confers. Of course you do, you silly man(? woman ?- I'd happily name and shame, but feel that's innapproriate), but so does the author. They have the right to put up a story and have it judged on style, pace, talent, panache, etc. Just putting "not my thing" is hurtful, destructive, negative and fundamentally redundant. Of course it is. Everything on this site is "not someone's thing". In fact, the whole point of the site is surely to provide sane haven from the madness with which the world tends to persecute those who are "Not my thing". If you are on this site at all, and any of it appeals, then there are plenty of powerful people who think you are "not their thing"...I say Pope, George W Bush and the religious right, God Hates fags etc etc and unendingly etc to you. Some nice boys in Malawi have just been put in jail for 14 years because they are "not someone's thing." Say something worthwhile or be quiet. Nobody needs to hear about your "thing" if that's all you have to add to the conversation. I don't like parsnips, but i wouldn't give them a bad review. It makes no sense. Grow up.

Sorry. I'm taking a breath. :-)

I wonder if we might begin some campaign of replying to this sort of review, labelling it for the negative, lazy, unhelpful, (and crucially) INTOLERANT nonsense that it really is. If everyone started to reply to these reviews in the manner they deserve (by which i mean assertively, calmly and politely pointing out why their remarks are unacceptable and unhelpful), we might even see an end to this sort of thing.

Oh dear. First time I've been on the Forums in ages and I'm a banshee. My apologies. I love this site though, which is why I've contributed my time, my words and my money. It has given me many, many erections and some mindblowing orgasms. (Fewer possibly than I might have liked, but that's chastity for you! hehe)

I feel much better now. Much love, really.

[Ozme52]

Tosh?? How dare you point your tosh at us.

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I do mostly agree with your point. The topic, fetish, themes, should be off limits unless they are poorly conceived.

But I don't write reviews at all anymore, not after being lambasted (elsewhere) for objecting to a story that only got harder and harder to read after the opening line:

"His pail steal blew eyes were hawnting."

[Dejah Thoris]

"his pail steal blew eyes were hawnting."

wow.

[leo9]

One of the most annoying reviewers, who's appalling, lazy and annoying reviews I seem doomed to encounter all over the site (and whose indolent, inexpressive, unhelpful banalities have provoked this rant), put, in one of these "I live in the USA, where we have a right to express our opinion", which is not only a fatuous argument and a fundamental misunderstanding of the crucial points of freedom of speech, but also a total failure to understand the responsibility such a right confers.

Speaking from the benighted lands where we have to make ourselves heard without the blessings of the US Constitution...

You will find, if you read more widely than the reviews, that this slogan usually indicates a belief that it absolves one not only from any need to consider the effect of one's words but also from any need to check one's facts or give evidence for one's statements, and that anyone questioning the accuracy of one's pronouncements is attacking one's sacred freedom of speech. In other words, it gives fair warning not to try to engage the writer in any kind of reasoned debate, because they have given notice that they don't do that kind of thing.

[Omega22]

I suppose review that says "story is sickest thing ever written" is more like compliment here.

I think there would be more than one rating, one should be to rate how sick or acceptable is the story another may be to rate general story quality.
All hater could do nice job by rating stories they hate as sick, what gives perfect idea for other perverts what stories are best to read.

[H Dean]

IN this particular case I think we should all be pro-active. That is, when I see a review that is completely off base I will often read the story merely to give it an accurate review. I will also note in my comments how idiotic the poor review was. I will also add a comment to the poor review. Many people are loath to do such things. They feel it is a reviewers right to review the story as they see fit. However, a poor review because the story is gross to the reader is not acceptable. As an author I feel the need to respond for other authors who receive such poor and unjust commentary.