It's good to talk (What is opinion writing all about?)

Member Name: Coxy1974

Product:	What is opinion writing all about?
Date:	13/04/07 (135 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Relieves frustrations and allows others to read before buying

Disadvantages: Can be subjective rather than objective

What is Opinion writing all about? A good question and a topic that requires some thought. It's interesting to read other peoples opinions on what this all about too as each of us will have a different one and different reasons for sharing this with us.

For me writing about things I have tried, places I have been and just really taking part in the fun of writing and expressing myself helps me to vent frustrations and express pleasure at a positive experience. It’s good to share information too.

Really an opinion is defined as a personal belief or judgement that is not founded on proof or certainty. Thus it means that you will be expressing your perception of a particular place or product. Sometimes you are able to quantify your opinions with facts as in tried and tested products but sometimes when we have experienced things then this affects our overall perception of the company or person or place.

Different people will have different opinions and I think that this is the most important thing to remember when writing and reading others opinions. I could write an opinion on something (and indeed have done) where I have had a really positive experience and highly recommended it whereas someone else has either heard or had a bad experience so their perception is different to mine. It has also worked out differently the other way for example – my house. The builders were awful and I still haven’t had repairs repaired properly however, others have had really positive experiences with the same builder!

One thing to remember about opinions is that they are exactly that and no one is wrong because they are your opinion. I’ve seen some sites where people have been slated for an opinion that they have written – is it wrong to have an opinion? No it’s not but there is a way in which you should go about expressing your opinion.

In our house my Dad is very opinionated and he is always right in his eyes. Nothing wrong with this but he won’t listen to others opinions and is completely closed off to anything else. If we listen and take into consideration others opinions we just may end up being better people and making different choices in life.

Opinion writing is also about making sure that you keep the reader interested. There’s nothing worse than reading a really long opinion on something if the actual writer cannot keep your interest. I have read some where I have been interested in the topic but because of the writing I have been unable to continue with it and skipped bits. Maybe I take it too seriously though!

In my opinion a good review should clearly outline what you are talking about, give useful information such as cost, results, things to do, where the product can be bought etc along with your experience of the place or product. Keeping it concise, free from grammar and spelling mistakes and spacing things properly will save your reader from having to scroll through reams of information to find key facts. Also if the review is too long then you may lose the reader along with making sure that the review follows in a logical order.

I suppose you could liken a good opinion review to a presentation with a beginning, middle and ending. A bit like reading the news really. Now I’m getting on my soapbox and at risk of turning this into a written training session about opinion writing!!!!

One good thing about opinion writing is that you can share information on your experiences with a company or using a product that can help them to make a more informed choice about whether or not to use the company or the product. I have found that using others opinions of companies for energy companies I have been influenced over which company to use but only after reading several opinions and experiences so that I can make a balanced choice and not just plump for the cheapest. I’ve often gone for the cheapest supplier and found out later to my cost that they were not the best company to be dealing with. If I had known beforehand of the existence of Dooyoo and other review sites then I could have read before I bought and this would have influenced me to go for maybe a better company that does charge a little more but is actually there in case of a problem.

I think sites where you can express your opinions in a constructive way are an excellent way of sharing experiences as so many people now research things on the internet as opposed to other more traditional methods. I certainly use these sites a lot more now and I am constantly on the internet.

The fact that you also get paid for doing it (albeit not much) is fantastic as it does allow you to get little extras that I might not be able to afford otherwise and it also gives me new things to express further opinions about.

The things that I generally tend to write about are hotels as I travel a lot and will be in the Isle of Wight next week so there's another review coming up. I have loads of makeup and other skin care stuff so have a fair few of those up my sleeve, I have bad experiences with power companies and generally disaster seems to follow my every move - honestly everything I put my sticky fingers on seems to go tits up. I've had a bash at some recipe reviews and a DVD review but I am fairly new to this sort of thing.

I do find it good to get feedback from other more longstanding members and taking this on board I have been able to produce some more quality reviews. I've not made a huge amount of money by sharing my opinions with the community but for me that's not what it's about. It's a chance to share my thoughts with others.

Thanks for reading!

Summary: Express yourself and get paid to do it!