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This week: Public Versus Private Reviews Edited by: Aennaytte: Free & Wild in GoT  
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Public Versus Private Reviews
What is the difference and why is it important to have both options?
Private Review
A private review is, as the name implies, a review that only the author and the reviewer can see. The review, once sent, lives in the reviewer's portfolio under "sent reviews" and can be seen by the reviewer, but not any visitors to his/her portfolio. A private review lives in the author's portfolio under "received reviews" and also in the item under the "reviews" tab. The author can share this private review by forwarding the email to somebody else if they choose to, but the private review is as private as anything else you put up on the internet that has some sort of filter on it.
Private reviews are really the tool of choice when sending out and in-depth edit-style line by line review where the whole text was copied and then the comments inserted. This type of review should really never be public. For one, it really takes away the mystery for a next possible reader. Since they can read the whole story right then and there, why read the original and send in a review of their own?
A private review might also be the tool of choice when some more critical reviewing is needed. I'm not talking about a review where you just rip into the writer and destroy their spirit. I'm talking about the type of review where some glaring grammar or other mistakes are shown to the writer in a respectful and encouraging way, but nobody else needs to see this so that the writer has a chance to go in there and revise before showing it again.
A private review can be seen by Writing.Com staff. Never use a private review to harass somebody. They have seen it all and know what a critical, even harsh, but valid review looks like versus something that is designed to bully people.
Public Review
Every review is as public as the item you reviewed.
If an item shows Access: No Restrictions, everybody who is logged in to Writing.Com can see it.
If an item shows Access: Registered Users and higher only only registered users at Writing.Com who are logged in can see your public review. It's not visible to visitors to the site.
Item access restrictions are tied to your access level. As a registered author, the highest level of access restriction you can give is to other registered authors and higher. Registered users, even logged in, and visitors to the site can't see your item or the public reviews for it.
Item access restrictions can also be tied to a group. If you're a member of a group who can create "group only" items, your item will only be visible to members of that group. Reviews, even if labelled public, will also only be visible to group members.
Should I send a public or a private review?
If you're reviewing for a reviewing group where somebody will send you reviewing credit, you must send a public review. There is no way around it. You can also send public reviews so others can see how in-depth, fun to read, or informational your reviews are. Public reviews are a great way to advertise for an item here on Writing.Com. There are some members who check out the public reviews and choose items to read based on the reviews sent for those. This is great for the authors since they get more than one review and therefore get more input from readers.
You should send a private review when you read something that you don't want to share with anybody else, but you want to leave the author a comment. Don't want reviews for XGC items visible in your portfolio? Send them a private review since it keeps content invisible in your portfolio too. As mentioned above, send a private review when you send a line by line review where you copy and paste the whole thing into the review body.
What about anonymous reviews?
You can send anonymous reviews either public or private - as long as you have a paid account. Other members will not know who sent the review. Writing.Com staff can see who sent the review. That means, if you use that function to send out a review to bully somebody, you will lose your ability to send out anonymous reviews, or you might lose your access to Writing.Com.
Anonymous reviews are useful when you want to send a review without worrying about somebody feeling they have to return the favor. You can send anonymous reviews as a surprise to writers as a secret gift. There are a few good and valid reasons to use that function, so don't overlook it as an option, but, again, never use it to cause trouble. The trouble will be yours.
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For my last newsletter "Writing in Summer" , I got the following responses:
Joey's Spring has Sprung  wrote: Hey Giselle,
This past February, I had the honor of attending a lecture at the University of Detroit Mercy where one of my favorite American authors Mr. Elmore Leonard and his author son spent two hours speaking to us about Mr. Leonard’s career and his insights on writing fiction. His first rule is never open a story with the weather. His second is never go anywhere without your pen and note pad. He told us the reason that he is considered the king of dialogue is that he sees, hears, and writes down one of his next best lines everyday. Sometimes it’s in the diner down the street, sometimes it’s in the checkout line at the bookstore. He says some of his best lines came from restaurant restrooms.
In short he was telling us that his success (and wow does he have some,) is all due to his taking notes of the world around him. Anyway, I think that when one of our craft’s uber-masters is kind enough to share his secrets we ought to listen. Realism in our work comes from our notes on reality. I no longer drive went I go anywhere, not because I can’t. No, it is because I am afraid I might miss seeing something that I can use in one of my stories. Your letter this month is one of the most important suggestions for new and old writers alike. I think those that heed your advice will go far. Those that don’t … well you know, what our mother's always told us about not speaking ill of the handicapped.
Great job on this newsletter, thank you for contributing.
Joey C
Wow, Joey. Thank you for this reply. The first thing I thought when I read your comment was, "Yikes, I started my newsletter with the weather."  Then I saw that there the rest of my newsletter would have found favor with Mr. Elmore Leonard, and that made me feel pretty good about my newsletter.
Dennis Walker wrote: Life and the mind is a beautiful thing and unique to each individual. I want to see the world through you're eyes and I wanna share mine. Life is awesome!!! Live to the fullest.
I agree.
Quick-Quill  wrote: Summer is a great time to PEOPLE WATCH! This is a time to START looking for plots, characters and conflicts to fuel your NaNoWriMo in November. Not to early to start plotting.
Never too early to start plotting. After July comes August, then September, then it's already October Prep and then NaNo brings the hammer down. We should start plotting the next NaNo on December 1st, really.
BIG BAD WOLF is hopping  wrote: "Have fun; That's an order!" - Lieutenant Jean Rasczak from Starship Troopers "Anthros Versus Zombies"
Now that you mention it, I can see how that movie might be fun to watch. (I didn't make it past the first ten minutes.)
infinity421 wrote: There is too much colour around these times. My subconscious dwells upon darkness for reasons unknown to me, inflicting bizarre nightmares upon me when I should be studying.
Too much light. "Invalid Item"
Franz Kafka and Edgar Allan Poe would like to take a long walk down a narrow winding path in a city forest that is densely overgrown sandwiched between towering buildings that lean forward and accusingly glare at you with their dark windows while the trees shiver in the icy wind and provide you with a soundtrack of creaking wood and flapping leaves while your feet make loud crunching sounds with their dead leaves on the ground as the sun hides behind the new moon and bathes the world in darkness.
Edword wrote: I wrote this one day when I couldn't think of anything to write, but knew I had to get back into the habit of writing more often. Your newsletter is so spot on! There is a "plethora" of things to write about! "Just Right Even if it's Not Write"
Thank you. And the beauty of writing down tidbits and things is that you get better and more detailed the more you go on. It's beautiful.
Mark Allen Mc Lemore wrote: Sorry, it's Summer, no comment.
I can hear your four-track bustin'.
Orquet wrote: I noticed a lot of clubs, rewards, and promotions are geared towards public reviews and public reviews only. Right now, there are only two kinds of reviews: public so every Tom, Dick, and Harry can look at it, or private where it's swept under the rug as a taboo subject, never to see the light of day.
Where's the balance?
Do people look at my profile and think I've only reviewed two items, so they don't even bother approaching me? I hope not. I am quite willing to help out any author. But the majority of my reivews are private. I'm not going to examine flaws and lay it bare for the public to see. That's between me and the author.
But it would be helpful for authors hopeful for a review to see the average statistics on all my reviews. Just not the content.
Hello Orquet,
Once you send out private reviews, those will show in your community area. The content won't show, but the number of reviews you sent will show. As an example, my community area says "4,772 Total Reviews Given" and "3,953 Public Reviews Given." That means my approximately 800 private reviews given still are accounted for, just nobody can see them.
I think you raise a good point, and you gave me fodder for this newsletter. So, read above for my thoughts on the subject.
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For Authors: July 17, 2013 Issue [#5755]
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