Helpful Reviews

Just received a vote on Amazon that a review I wrote was helpful. As an experienced reviewer, I have learned not to be overly reactive to the voting system and yet learn from it as I continue to write. If a review is "helpful," does that mean the reader appreciates the writing style, or the book itself, or the information found therein? Does that mean the reader already read the book in question or was considering it? Conversely if a vote is negative, that is that the review was not helpful, what does that mean exactly? Did the reader not like the writing of the review or the content or it just did not meet the reader's expectations.

I suspect most people who read Amazon reviews are curious as to whether they should purchase the item or not. The review should provide a general summary of the item without giving away endings or spoiling anything for the reader or purchaser. But a good review is also a type of assessment tool of the book by one person who may or may not be qualified to pass judgment. I am certainly not qualified to give my expert opinion, especially given that I am not an expert, and yet I am qualified by virtue of my humanness, my experience, and the simple fact that I have used the product. Somebody hopefully values my opinion whether worthless or not and is willing to read my own slanted and narrow views of the item.

If in fact someone does find my review helpful, this becomes a strong vote of affirmation that I am meeting the needs of the reader in my reviews. It does not lift me to any kind of expertise level nor sustain every element of my ability as a reviewer, but it does provide supportive feedback for my effort. I cannot take the vote to the bank but I can make a small deposit of credit in my ego bank and use that to continue to review books and products. On the other side, a negative vote is like a withdrawal and while I choose not to allow one negative to withdraw too much from my esteem bank, it does have a slight affect.

But in truth, if there is a negative vote, perhaps there is something I can improve about my review or reviews. There must have been a tone or a flaw or a slight problem that caused the reader to shrug and decide the review was not helpful. I do not think one negative vote is worth a wholesale change in style, but I do think it should make me pause and study on how to improve. One positive vote should not make me feel like running for President, and one negative vote should not make me want to change professions or put myself in a cage, but at the same time feedback--good or bad--enables us to improve ourselves and grow regardless of what we are doing.

I enjoy writing reviews and I like to believe I am helping other people to read or not to read certain books or to buy or not to buy certain products, but it would be easier not to worry about what people think. Yet I feel compelled to continue to write, hoping to make some kind of difference for those seeking my opinion. It may be a slanted opinion or not based on any kind of expertise and it may not be valued by everyone but in some small way, it gives me an opportunity to express myself. Onward to more reviews!