Reviewing @ Writing.Com

Reviewing @ Writing.Com
There is no doubt about it, high quality feedback is invaluable to writers. Reviewing is an extremely important part of the Writing.Com community. Helpful, honest reviewing assists our authors to improve their talents and is beneficial to everyone involved! For more information on reviewing, please see "Guidelines To Great Reviewing" .

Public Reviews
The Public Reviews page displays recent, public reviews (250 characters or more) given by Writing.Com members to various items within the site. This page can be found by clicking "Reviewing" from within the site's main navigation or "Public Reviews" from within your Item Jumps pulldown menu or click here: http://www.writing.com/main/my_feedback/freelance/writing/action/rrs

Since this page is such an excellent tool for finding new reading material on Writing.Com, making your review public is a great way to give exposure for an Item that you enjoyed reading and reviewing. Other members perusing this page are likely to read your review and decide to also read the item!

Awarding constructive criticism, not just criticism...

Rewarding the Reviewers
If you see feedback on the Public Reviews page that was helpful to you or you appreciate the time spent helping another Author, you can recognize and reward the Reviewer for a job well done! This means that the entire Writing.Com community works together to reward the best reviews given!

To award Gift Points to a Reviewer, simply choose the number of GPs you'd like to award and click "Send!" This will produce a small popup window allowing you to include a comment with your awarded Gift Points. If you would like to send the reward anonymously, just click that option.

You may also award anonymous reviews that have been posted on the Public Reviews page. Just choose the number of GPs you would like to reward and click "Send!" The system will maintain the reviewer's privacy throughout the process.

Each review may only be awarded one time, but you may award multiple reviews from the same Author. Similarly, you may award Gift Points to various Reviewers of the same Item.

Reviewing Credits
When a member awards a reviewer with Gift Points using the Public Reviews page, Writing.Com also assigns 3 to 25 Reviewing Credits to the recipient. The number of credits assigned is based upon the size of the Gift Point award and the length of the review.

Reviewing Credits are valid for 31 days. This keeps each member's credits current with the level of activity he or she is putting forth within the community. This also allows for equal recognition of members regardless of paid membership status, portfolio level and/or account seniority.

Top 100 Reviewers
By tabulating the Reviewing Credits of our members, Writing.Com ranks and displays the Top 100 Reviewers within our community. This list can be found from within the Public Reviews page. From the Top 100 Reviewers listing, you can view all Public Reviews that each member has given.

Ranking is determined by combining the credits earned and the Reviewer Influence of those awarding Gift Points. Our Top 100 list consists of the most active and influential Reviewers on Writing.Com.

Reviewer Influence
Defined by Webster's, influence is "the power of producing an effect without direct exercise of command." An expert in any given situation has more influence than does a novice. Therefore, the expert's opinions have more power for producing an effect than does a novice. This is due to the number of credits, such as degrees, experiences and recommendations, that an expert carries behind his or her name.

Some real life examples of more influence versus less in various situations are:
          A Politician versus an Individual Voter in government.
          A Professor versus a Student in a classroom.
          A Licensed Expert versus a Part-time Hobbyist in a courtroom.
          A Doctor versus an Intern in the operating room.
In each case, the expert's opinion has more power than the novice.

Writing.Com has adopted this real world system of influence. Members who have received more Reviewing Credits than others are treated as having a higher influence within the system. In other words, members who have been awarded Gift Points for helpful reviews will have more influence than members who have not received an award. Compared to our above examples, those members with more influence are considered our "experts".

As with any expert, the opinion given is weighted more than that of a novice. When a member of influence sends Gift Points through the Public Reviews page, their influence magnifies the credits awarded by Writing.Com and they are weighted higher than that of a novice reviewer. Essentially, we are automatically giving more credit to their opinion because other members have already assigned credit to them.

In addition, the reviewing system weights a member's portfolio level within the community as part of their influence. Preferred Authors are weighted higher than Registered Authors, Moderators higher than Preferred Authors and so on. The weighting given to each case is very slight (a fraction of a percentage), but this weighting does exist none the less!

Using a mathematical algorithm, the system generates a "magic number" of influence for each member and multiplies the standard number of Reviewing Credits awarded by that number. The number of Gift Points given will not change depending on the amount of influence carried by the member, but the actual reviewing credits awarded may be higher.

About The System
This system is new, unique and proprietary to Writing.Com and, as such, will be enhanced and upgraded as time goes on. We are very proud of this innovative, interactive system and are quite excited to see where it leads!

This is a free system provided by Writing.Com. There is no fee for receiving the Reviewing Credits and 100% of the Gift Points are transferred from one member to another. Writing.Com does not take a commission for providing this service; its primary purpose is to promote good, honest, helpful reviewing among members of the community.

System Integrity
Incorrect usage of the Review Crediting system may be modified by staff to maintain system integrity. Attempts to cheat this system will not be tolerated. Writing.Com, in its sole discretion, will remove the influence of any members found to be intentionally or unintentionally cheating the system, unethically using the system to boost the position of him/herself/others or is using the system in a way that is not balanced or consistant with maintaining a fair and balanced ranking system.

Since the reviews are public, if a member is found to be rewarding only specific individuals rather than reviewers as a whole, or is, in our sole opinion, cheating the system intentionally or not, that member will be removed from our Reviewing Credit system. He or she may still award Gift Points, but that member's Reviewing Credits will not be given by Writing.Com. Thus this member will no longer carry any influence.

Content Ratings of Reviews
The content rating of a review (both public or private) must be equivalent to or lesser than the content rating of the item being reviewed. For example, if the item being reviewed is rated 13+, then the review itself must stay within this rating level of 13+ or lower. If the item being reviewed is rated E, then the review being sent must be kept within the E-rating.

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Related Items:
"Guidelines To Great Reviewing"  [E] by The StoryMaster
    Writing a detailed review takes time. Follow these guidelines for best results!

"Comment-In-A-Box"  [E] by The StoryMistress
    My view on and methods of rating items on Writing.Com.

"Public Review: Tool or Weapon"  [E] by Vivian Zabel
    What I believe a public review should and shouldn't contain.

"Are You Qualified to Write a Review?"  [E] by Jessiebelle™
    I cringe reading "I'm not qualified to review this!" Here's why you are!