You will notice that I have entries here for things, places, and programs that I rate. Heck, I may eventually decide to rate people, too. Why do I bother with this when there are review sites out there? Because I am probably the most objective person you will read reviews by. I will tell you when I have a bone to pick or previous bias or experience, but I also do my best to be objective and give you a review that can assure truth.
When you read reviews on Yahoo or other sources, you have no way to know if the person is a customer, client, friend, or fan of the rated entity. For all you know, there could be a bunch of employees padding the ratings to assure their jobs.
That doesn’t mean I see myself as the best reviewer, or the only person that can give you a real review. In fact, I may not even have the palate or expertise to give you the most accurate information. If you have been reading my blogs or pages, this statement will probably surprise you. You are expecting me to say I know better than anyone what you should have or do. You probably think I would say that you should take my reviews as gospel. Perhaps not in reviews, where things should be consistent and objective to be truly informative. Of course, I will still offer my personal opinions as regular articles. You will still find my biting reviews and comments in each rating. I didn’t say I was changing, just being more objective.
Webster’s defines “Objective” as:
a: expressing or dealing with facts or conditions as perceived without distortion by personal feelings, prejudices, or interpretations <objective art> <an objective history of the war> <an objective judgment>
b: of a test: limited to choices of fixed alternatives and reducing subjective factors to a minimum
I will present all elements I notice with my senses. I will certainly have personal feelings in most cases, but will disclose this so you can get an idea of my perspective and reason for my statements. Is this confusing? Once you read the first one, you will understand.
I won’t be rating movies, television shows, plays, concerts, or things of a temporary nature. I may review venues, bands, and performers as they relate to the local area. That way, if they excel, or don’t, you can know to watch for their future performances. There may be a business or service professional that I may rate to let you know how thorough, informed, or helpful they are. I will certainly review restaurants, stores, and businesses to give you an insight whether they have good service, products, prices, atmosphere, or value.
I will do my best to find the good and bad of each place, as well as give you a rating of the basics. I will rate on a scale of 1 to 10. I feel that 1 to 5 does not give enough flexibility in showing nuances and variations. If I give two restaurants each a rating of 4, that is vague compared to 7 for one restaurant and 9 for another. Which one is more informative? Neither would rate a 5 our of 5, but both would rate a 4.
Here is the breakdown of the factors I will use for review points:
1) Quality of service and products;
2) Value of service or products, pricing will be noted;
3) Atmosphere and appropriate venue for the service or products;
4) Service and knowledge of staff, thorough performance; and,
5) Selection and fulfillment of expectations appropriate for the business.
Of course, there may be other factors I look at, but I will certainly disclose them in addition to the ones shown here. I will give you the breakdown of factors for each of those areas and how they impact the total review points.
Does that explain everything? Let me know if you need any more clarification. Either that or just go with it and take my word as gospel. After all, that is the best thing to do with this blog. I really do have the best opinion about everything.
The Opinionator OTCC
