Aaargh- I just wrote over 1000 words on the issue of rating and commenting and then just pressed a key accidentally and lost it all! Anyhow, this is what I was intending to say on the subject of rating reviews on Dooyoo!

I try to be honest but fair when I rate other people's work. I know that I really dislike receiving anything other than a 'Very Useful' for my reviews and I'm sure that most members feel the same, particularly when they've put a lot of time and effort into the review. I tend to rate the vast majority of the reviews I read as 'VU', because as a general rule, most of them are. Sometimes, I do give lower ratings if I feel the review has something missing. Here, for what it's worth, is the rough 'system' that I tend to use:

Very Useful
A review that gives relevant information about the product/topic being reviewed, including the writer's personal experience and opinions of the item. This does not necessarily need to be overly long but I do tend to find that reviews that barely scrape past the 150 minimum word limit just don't contain all the information you'd want if you're considering a purchase.

Useful
Usually a well-written review that is lacking either in specific details about an item or contains just basic facts (ingredients lists, track listing, information about the company) and no actual consumer opinion. Often these are written by newer members who just stop writing once they reach the minimum word count and see the pound signs!

Somewhat Useful
A review that is either quite badly written or doesn't cover many of the details about the item in question. I don't tend to use this rating very often and, when I have done, I generally leave a comment explaining my reasons for my rating. This, at least, gives the writer the opportunity to edit their review and make it a genuinely useful one for other people to read.

Not Useful
I've only needed to use this rating once. That was for a book review where the writer literally wrote a couple of lines about the author of the book and then said that she hadn't actually finished reading the book so couldn't say whether it was any good or not! Quick tip - try finishing the book before you attempt to review it!

As I read other people's work, I often add a limit comment too. I really like getting comments on my own reviews and add a little note to reviews if I feel that I have something to say about the product or just to comment on the quality of the review. I never say in my comments whether I've nominated a review or not. I like the element of surprise!

The two key isses about rating, though, appear to be revenge rating and returning rates. When I first joined Dooyoo, I was very reluctant to give out low ratings in case people gave me low ratings in return (otherwise known as revenge ratings.) As I became more confident with the site and the quality of my reviews, I have been more accurate and honest with my ratings, rather than just not bothering to rate poor quality reviews. I have had a couple of 'Useful' ratings that I suspect are 'revenge ratings'. I haven't reported these, though, as I understand you can do, preferrring to take it on the chin and keep the dooyoo miles, regardless of the rating!

A couple of the 'useful' ratings I've received have come from guides, with no comments left as to the reason why they felt my review was lacking in any way. Indeed, my first crowned review was rated as 'useful' by a guide. The Dooyoo team obviously felt that my review was crownworthy but the guide obviously felt that something was amiss. Unfortunately, seeing as s/he left me no feedback, I was left none the wiser for the next time! Never mind, the privilege of earning my first crown and those bonus dooyoo miles softened the blow, I must admit!

As regards returning rates, I believe that it's just a matter of courtesy and good manners to rate the reviews of people who have taken the time and trouble to rate yours. Not everybody on here agrees with the 'return rating' approach - even some of the guides don't bother to rate people who have rated their reviews - but I certainly try to return rates, although I don't necessarily do this immediately. I'm often on catch up, depending on work and family commitments but I will get around to returning that rate. It just makes the site work better and encourages people to write better and more useful reviews.

My biggest bug-bear are those members who churn out vast quantities of poor quality reviews but don't bother to rate any other people's reviews at all - let alone return rates! I know that some people get irritated by churners because of the quantities of reviews they submit. My issue is just that they fail to appreciate the reciprocal nature of the site. These same members almost invariably write the poorest quality of reviews too. The sad thing is that, because they don't bother to read other people's reviews, they don't actually appreciate the quality of most of the reviews on here and the sheer amount of effort that goes into them!

So, my thoughts on the topic are:

- Always try to rate honestly and fairly according to how useful a review has beeen to you
- Never revenge rate. Life's too short!
- If you do leave a low rating, also leave a comment explaining why to give the writer an opportunity to improve the review
- Above all else, don't take ratings too seriously! It's only a website after all!