Consumers vs Peers - The Verdict (What is opinion writing all about?)

Member Name: cmh4135

Product:	What is opinion writing all about?
Date:	15/11/07 (235 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Chance to make a difference

Disadvantages: Far too easy to fall into the trap of going with the masses

The last month has given me much to think about in terms of "what opinion writing is all about". To put this into context for those who are reading this after the date on which it was written or who just don't know, dooyoo decided that October/November 2007 was to see a competition where members were challenged to write 30 opinions in 30 days with the lure of a couple of nice prizes at the end of the quest. Further, during this period I've also tried to use dooyoo to research some potential purchases. As a result I've had a month's worth of intensive activity on the site and have formed quite a strong view of what opinion writing is all about and what I think it should be about.

Opinions have always been held but opinion writing has only really been available to the masses since the advent of the internet. Pre-internet, the public were fairly limited in the ways in which they could share their opinions with other members of the public. There were letters to the press and radio phone-ins but that was about it. Now, however, the environment is completely different. We have many websites and outlets on which to vent our spleens, sing a product's praises or simply share our rather bland experiences. Over the last 8 or so years several websites have come into their own specifically designed for such opinion sharing, dooyoo being one such site.

What is the point of such sites and what, more specifically, is opinion writing all about?

I think the questions need to be tackled from two angles, that of the consumer and that of the writer. Unfortunately, as I found out this month, the two don't necessarily coincide.

I'm looking to purchase a couple of major kitchen appliances, an oven and a freezer. As a consumer I want to make sure I'm getting value for money and purchasing a product that is suitable. Of course, one can look at professional resources such as Which? But these don't always tell you what a product is like in day to day use.

As a consumer (and this is ME as a consumer, not necessarily what YOU want as a consumer) I want to know how someone used something. To me it's relevant if its in daily use or used only occasionally. I don't really care how much you paid for it or, unless difficult to source, even where you got it from. As a consumer I've probably already found the item and am just looking for additional information.

As a consumer I'm not looking for a review of a 40p chocolate bar - if I want to try one I'll just go out and buy one. I might be tempted to try something very new or different on the strength of an opinion but, once readily available I don't see the point. Some foods and drinks are different. Speciality products, wines and beers for example are things I'm interested in reading about and might actually seek out such a product after reading a review.

As a consumer I'm looking for validation for my purchasing decisions or maybe an idea or two. Other people may have thought about things that I haven't, what might seem on paper to be a perfect product might have a major flaw that you just wouldn't know about unless someone told you (the remote doorbell that suffered intolerable interference springs to mind now and had the owner opening the door to no one!).

So, how does that fit with what actually appears on site?

Well, from experience, it doesn't fit that well.

If you look back through the archives of sites such as dooyoo you'll see that, in the beginning, things were not quite as they are now. The majority of opinions were short and, sometimes, sweet. Opinions that were rated "very useful" back then would, in the main, not warrant much more than a "somewhat useful" today but were they really that bad?

I think not.

Over the years opinion writing had changed immensely and it's still changing from week to week, month to month as writers come and go. We go through phases where opinions contain every conceivable piece of information about packaging (including the position of a bar code at one stage), lists of ingredients, prices and so on. We've had short opinion challenges where the idea is to write a very useful review in a minimum number of words (90 and 120 spring to mind). We've even had poetic challenges on the go.

All of these things are all well and good and provide colour and interest to what, for writers, might otherwise be a rather bland platform. However, rarely do they coincide, in my opinion, with what the consumer actually wants.

One might ask why there's such a mismatch and I think the answer's fairly easy. Peer review.

We're a fairly opinionated bunch here, by our nature, and those who last more than ten minutes on sites such as this tend to strive to achieve the nirvana that is 100% very helpful and a crown (or its equivalent elsewhere) for every piece that we write. What this tends to mean is that we get a whole bunch of formulaic opinions that follow a lead opinion. One person adds a detail about packaging and suddenly it's de rigeur for all opinions on similar products to include such details. Opinions get longer and longer and, dare I say it, further from the kind of opinion that most consumers are looking for.

Now, of course, not all long opinions are bad. It IS possible to write a novel on certain things, keeping it relevant and interesting. Unfortunately that 1000 words on a Mars Bar isn't such an opinion.

And then there's the navel gazing! Alongside those useful or not so useful product reviews a big side of opinion writing seems to be directed towards opinions, such as this, on how to write opinions, what's right and wrong with opinion sites and so on, almost all of which seem to lose sight of the fact that the people who should be benefiting from the sharing of opinions are the consumers and NOT the other writers on the site who are just trying to garner favour and get return reads, trust or, dare I say, nominations.

We're so self-centred here that we write "great opinion - nominated" everywhere. This adds NOTHING to the consumer's experience. A string of comments expressing agreement or disagreement with the reviewer or adding additional information is far more useful for the consumer.

I can't think that this will ever change and there's a simple reason; opinion sites such as this pay for your opinions. For as long as this occurs the site will never focus on the consumer because we're all too desperate chasing that extra 1.5p to care whether we're actually helping the consumer. If we could all forget the money, accept that what I want from a review isn't the same as what everyone wants from a review (and thus accept that we should be getting a range of ratings on opinions) and forget that we're just trying to get attention then maybe, just maybe, we could get an opinion site that actually focuses on the consumer at whom, supposedly, the opinions are directed.

A few years ago my "trademark" on opinions was to write a "bottom ten tips". On a product opinion these would be directed towards questions that one might ask if looking to buy, on an advice opinion it would be my ten most pithy bits of advice on the topic under discussion. Thankfully, both for me, and consumers at large, this has not been copied full scale. I think now is the time to resurrect this trademark!

*** Bottom Ten Tips for opinion writing ***

*10* - Before writing a product opinion, decide whether you actually have anything to say.

Sounds obvious but it's not daft. Before starting the 30 in 30 challenge I wrote a list of products I could write about intending to knock them off one at a time. It didn't work out that way because, if your heart's not in it and you don't feel inspired to write you're not going to churn out anything that's much use. It's also worth not trying to review a product after just one use....

*9* - Think what YOU would have wanted to know about a product before purchasing it and include that in your opinion.

Do you really care what the packaging was like (you might, if it is excessive or hard to dispose of)? Would you have bought the product if you knew it worked in the way it did? It also helps to set the scene letting people know how you use a product along with any other information that might put the review into context for a potential consumer.

*8* - Decide who you are writing for.

Are you looking just to attract reciprocal reads or do you genuinely want to impart information to potential consumers.

*7* - If you're feeling creative go and have a look at Speaker's Corner (on dooyoo or equivalents elsewhere) which is an excellent place to let your creative juices flow.

*6* - You can be creative in a consumer opinion but don't do it at the expense of the information.

I can think of a few, very, very, creative consumer opinions but I can point you to so many more that just miss the point and make it very hard to extract the relevant information.

*5* - Keep your comments on opinions relevant to the opinion content.

The only real exception I can think to this is if you are rating against the grain and want to explain why. Consumers can (well, at least I did) look at comments sections and garner much additional information.

*4* - Use the peer review system properly - rate according to how useful YOU think the opinion is, not how long, detailed or funny it is.

Remember that your opinion is just that. It's unrealistic to expect that everyone will find your work as useful as the next.

*3* - You can earn just as much money from opinion sites by writing consumer-specific reviews as by writing reviews aimed at your fellow opinion writers.

*2* - Don't be afraid to buck the trend and remember that your opinion is just that, YOUR OPINION.

If you think that something is relevant include it. If you think it's not, don't, even if all of the other opinions on similar items include that thing. If you think that you need to report in a certain way, chances are, someone in a similar position to you will think that too.

*1* - Enjoy writing.

I found that the 30 in 30 days challenge was not enjoyable. I had to write whether I felt like it or not as I did not have a stock of opinions that I had previously written ready to be posted. I wasn't prepared to compromise my standards though. I enjoy writing when I feel passionate enough about a product to share my thoughts, in my time.


Opinion sites can be such fun. There's nothing better than the warm, fuzzy feeling when you get good feedback from an opinion, a note of thanks or even a question that's genuinely relevant to your work. There's a chance to make real friends both online and off. I hope that these sites continue to flourish for many years to come and, dare I say it, become the consumer's choice for product information. Nirvana or just pipe dream?

Summary: Is your opinion for you or the consumer?