Some of You Asked: My Rating Criteria for Auto Reviews
Nov 12 '01 (Updated May 13 '02)
The Bottom Line So now you know: what does it take to get a VH from this editor? and what elements of an opinion will immediately earn you a NH rating?
Through some arcane formula or other, I've been annointed an editor in the Epinions Autos and Motorsports category. While this may or may not mean I have higher qualifications than other auto reviewers -- it probably doesn't -- it does mean that my rating of a review carries just slightly more weight than that of others. To non-members, it might appear that I'm a demi-god, although long-time members are well aware that it's not indicative of anything so important.
Still, I try to take the "responsibility" that comes with this position seriously, and so I try to read and rate as many automotive reviews as I can. You may, then want to know what are my criteria for rating those reviews. So, without further ado, here they are:
The Reviewer's Duty
The stated purpose of Epinions is to help people make informed decisions on purchases great and small, from books and music to makeup to electronics to cars and trucks. Our automotive reviews are a valuable resource to consumers, because they deal with what is often the most expensive purchase any of us makes in our lifetime (excluding real estate), and they deal with the goods from the consumer's point of view. Only an dummy would skip the research phase before making a $5,000 or $50,000 purchase that is intended to last for years. The auto reviews -- yours and mine -- are here to help in that research.
What does this mean? To me, it means:
+ Tell both sides of the story: I do not rate hatchet jobs VH; because to my knowledge there is nothing in this world that is all bad (although I haven't seen a review of a Lada yet).
+ Details are important: describe your vehicle and your driving experience. Remember, though, that your car's color really isn't all that important.
+ Compare and contrast: if you have the experience, compare the vehicle with others in its class or with other vehicles you have owned or driven.
+ Balance your review: The insertion of personal detail tells us something about the reviewer, and makes his/her experience with the vehicle more immediate to the reader. However, the description of the driving experience must comprise the majority of the review. I have seen 200-word reviews in which 150 words described the owner's buying experience at the dealership. Sorry, not particularly helpful.
+ Be honest: Any plagiarism will automatically be rated NH and reported to the abuse team. Google is but a click away!
On Specifications
I see lots of reviews that say "I won't do the specification thing." Sorry, you must do "the specification thing," because the options on your vehicle are what makes your driving experience unique.
But keep this in mind:
+ Doing a cut-and-paste from the manufacturer's website will not get you extra credit; it can irritate readers instead (including me). There's a link on every opinion page that will get you more information about a vehicle's specifications; if I want to know more I can open that window myself.
+ This is not to say that you should not put in specifications: you should list the important specs of the car you are reviewing: engine size and type, transmission, model, body style, etc. That information is germane to your driving experience and therefore to your opinion.
+ Copying information direct from the manufacturer's website (remember, Google!) will get you downgraded, as will simply copying the information from a sales brochure. I am not interested in what an advertising copy writer has to say, I am interested in what you have to say.
On Details
This is the most important part of a review. You must give details of your experience with this vehicle or the review is of little help in making a purchase choice. Details are supremely important!
Details you must give:
+ "Drivability": How does the vehicle behave when you are driving (acceleration, cornering, rough roads, climbing...)
+ Reliability: If you have had this vehicle for some time, your experience with its reliability is valuable in helping others make their informed decision. Note however, that writing a review that does nothing but complain about unreliability is, in my book, a hatchet job (see above). If you rented the car, I don't expect information about reliability unless you can point to problems that were present in the rental vehicle.
+ Economy: Discuss gas mileage, owners should detail cost of repairs (honestly and considering the mileage on the vehicle), relative cost of insurance...
+ Comfort and convenience: Discuss cabin size and passenger space; storage space (trunk, etc.), climate control, cockpit layout.
+ Quality of construction: Do parts fall off at stoplights? does this happen at 5,000 miles or at 230,000 miles? Are all the body panels the same color? do the components fit properly?
If any of the "musts" is missing, you will probably not get a VH rating from me
Details you should give:
+ Quality of components: is the dashboard made of cardboard? do the doors dent when you lean on the car? Give an honest assessment of the quality of the materials, if you can.
+ Design: styling, both interior and exterior (this is definitely an case of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder").
+ Design: ergonomics and driver-vehicle interface. Discuss layout of controls and ease of use. Can you lay down seats with one hand? Do you keep hitting your head on the open liftgate?
+ Owners should detail how easy it is to do your own work or how easy it is to find repair shops
+ Noise: road noise, engine noise, cabin noise -- compare to other cars where possible.
+ Creature comforts and convenience: power ports, cup holders, cargo nets, roof racks, anything the manufacturer added to make this vehicle different from or competitive with others in its class.
+ Safety: airbags, ABS, side-impact bags, and the like; also mount points for car seats. Much of this information is available elsewhere, so don't sweat not putting it in there.
Details that are useful:
+ What cosmetic options are on your vehicle; others that may be available.
+ What "loading" is on your vehicle: power mirrors, remote locks, power windows, heated seats...
+ Stock sound system quality
+ Seatcover composition (leather, vinyl, fabric)
Details that I don't find useful but others may:
+ Vehicle color.
+ Aftermarket additions, unless they were made necessary by bad design.
On Duration of Driving
It is my personal opinion that you cannot get to know a vehicle in a single five-mile test drive. Therefore, I often downgrade reviews that do not state involvement of at least one full day's experience with the vehicle, either as a loaner, a rental, a lease, or by ownership. Perhaps you feel this is harsh, but think about it his way: would you write a travel review about, say, Denver, if your exposure consisted only of having once changed planes at Denver International Airport? I didn't think so.
+ Do you own the car? tell us how long you've owned it and how many miles you've driven it.
+ Did you lease the car? for how long; how many miles?
+ Did you rent the car? again, for how long -- duration in miles and/or days. If you did rent it, how is it different from your personal vehicle.
+ Did you merely take a test drive? How long in time and distance? If the dealership let you keep it over the weekend, then good. If you drove around the block with the salesman in the back seat, I'm sorry: I don't think you have enough experience with the car to review it.
+ Did you borrow it from a friend to run to the store, or drive a drunken buddy home from a night of clubbing? Again, not enough experience.
With either new or used cars, careful research and practiced observation combined with a thorough road test can substitute for long-term ownership. This only makes sense, for few (if any) Epinions members have the wherewithal to purchase a new vehicle for review every few days! You should note, then, that many reviewers perform careful research on a vehicle -- including but not limited to online research and keeping current with auto-industry magazines -- before ever sliding into the driver's seat. Their preparation shows in carefully written and thorough reviews, which I gratefully accept as VH. A review of a thorough road test that is insightful and informative can still earn a high rating from me; and will do so if it meets the criteria I've outlined here.
On Structure and Grammar
I was taught to pay careful attention to my writing. I expect that out of all reviewers as well; without exception. I will usually drop the rating of poorly-written reviews by one step.
This means that you should:
+ Spell everything right: There is a spell-checker that sprays blobs of yellow all over the "preview your review" page. Reviews that spell the name of the vehicle wrong (I've seen "Corola," "Camero," "Seabring," and "Infinity" lately) will incur my special wrath. The name of the vehicle is prominently displayed at the top of the page!
+ Proofread for grammar: Fix sentence fragments, check subject and verb agreement, check for non-parallel construction, and do all those things that your tenth-grade English teacher taught you.
+ Organize your review: Write in narrative form (sentences and paragraphs); group similar observations together. Try to use white space, bolding, and italics to make your work more readable.
As an aside, I realize that nobody's perfect. An occasional typo (or thinko) is acceptable, and I'll often point out a few grammatical mistakes and (in a comment) ask the reviewer to edit. If you perform the requested proofreading and editing, I'll be happy to re-rate and to remove my comment about proofreading. If English is not your first language, you have my undying admiration. I can usually tell, but if I comment about your grammar, please inform me of this fact and I'll take it into consideration.
Automatic Grounds for NH
I will not give an NH (or any specific rating) simply because I disagree with your evaluation of a vehicle -- no matter how inexperienced, stupid, or wrongheaded that opinion may seem to me. There is, however, certain content that will immediately earn a Not Helpful rating and a comment regarding its presence:
- Plagiarism: I search on random sentence fragments of reviews using Google and other search engines, especially if the review seems "too good to be true."
- Duplicate Reviews: reviews of two different model years or "name-plate twins" that are identical. The Epinions TOS requires one hundred words of unique content, but I expect more -- and that's my right.
- Offensive language (note, however, that I'm not easily offended).
- Ridiculously off-topic reviews.
- Incitement to illegal activity: DWUI (yes, I've seen it here), on-street racing, off-roading in prohibited venues.
Any Questions?
If you want more information, e-mail me. If it seems like I forgot something here, I probably did -- let me know and I'll update this opinion. Thanks for your kind attention!
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.