Are lengthy reviews always the best?

Now before I start, I know that say travel reviews need to include a lot of info, and so would be longer than a review on Toilet roll.
Lately I've been reading lots of VH reviews I must add, but ones that tend to be giving the bible a run for its money in terms of length.
While when reading a book review it's useful to know a little about the author and other books they've done, I don't think it's necessary to overally pad the review. Here is a made up example : -

A review on Tesco's

My family have been going to Tesco's for many years, since my mother ripped her tights one day and desperately needed another pair.
So off we all went in our Ford car that is falling to pieces, to find our nearest store.

Now imagine the review carries on like that for another 20 or so lines, and then finally mentions the store. Only for at the end for the review to continue on for another 30 or so lines, with quotes form various papers about the store and the history to how tesco's began.

For me anyway, although sometimes it can make for an interesting read I don't think all that padding makes for a easy on the eye and interesting review.

What do you all think? Lisa x

I agree, but perhaps my example wasn't clear. Just imagine a review does contain everything you would want to know about a product. At the start and finish however it's contains lots of padding with lots of unnecessary info. Lisa x

Exactly! It's like a book review, all I mainly want to read is what the book is about, and what the reviewers opinion of it. I don't want to read streams and streams about the author, and quotes from the book for example. Lisa x

I think reviews need a certain amount of padding, but so long as it is in good proportion to the actual content. A few lines of intro and a few lines in summary is just a nice way to start and end a review, rather than launching straight into it.

I agree, but at times there are huge chunks at the start and finish. An interesting intro and a good summary is plenty in my opinion, as well as the stuff in between obviously regarding the product. Lisa x

I acually agree. I have marked down reviews because I simply had to wade trhough about three or four paragrphs of irrelevent trip just to get the information i needed. i suppose something like food revies it does not matter.

Quotes and lyrics can be good if they are short and ilkustrate somethingf but not whole verses of songs.

My pet hates are historys if the company whereit has no relevence, toilitires ingridents (unless they are natural products) and saying both about the alerrgies and the fullingridents lists on food reivews!!

I often mark down slightly if a DVD box set lists each and every episode with short synopsis of each, every boring when there are 20-25 episodes, list of extras and virtually no personal opinion.

CD reviews I take on a more individual basis, sometimes I don't mind individual tracks, other times it should be kept to a general feel of the CD with track listing at the end - if not too long if wanted - as I can skip over it.

Company history, biographies of actors, lists of actors, discography or singer/group from cradle to grave is not necessary in particular when combined with track by track listing of songs.

I once rated a food review pretty low due to the fact it talked about virtually everything other than the food it was supposed to discuss. My comment was "But what does it tastes like" after fighting my way through 3000 words of padding. Got a lot of stick for that.

Minnitee wrote:

My comment was "But what does it tastes like" after fighting my way through 3000 words of padding. Got a lot of stick for that.

I can believe that! I think some people are under the illusion that a lengthy review is the way to go for an award. While certain reviews such as travel will certainly need to be longer than a toilet paper review, over padding with unessicary info makes the review a hard read. Lisa x

I agree with the sentiments in this thread. Some of the travel ones go on forever and people will insist on sticking in lengthy histories about places that it's just as easy to look up on the Net. It's opinion that counts, not write everything you can about a subject and hope for the best.

So if a bra review had too much padding, rate it down ??

Depends what sort of padding, lol. Lisa x

badcompany77 wrote:

So if a bra review had too much padding, rate it down ??

That really made my day!!!!

No but I might if it were a review of underpants.

I recently rated 3 really long reviews H, they were all by the same person and to be honest they were so long I lost interest and forgot what I was reading so did not take in all the information...I was then subjected to a lot of abuse by a group of members who thought my ratings were unfair!! Firstly Helpful is actually a good rating and secondly a long and lengthy review does not appeal to all, I rated according to my own preference and shall continue to do so , despite the consensus of opinion amongst those few that disagreed !

Let's not get this thread any more specific please. I do understand. I gave someone a VH and they demanded an E in my private guestbook. I ignored their plea.

Thingywhatsit wrote:

Let's not get this thread any more specific please. I do understand. I gave someone a VH and they demanded an E in my private guestbook. I ignored their plea.

Yeah, sorry about that Rachel..

LOL to you Helen ! I thought for a moment you had been undiplomatic and I had to read the whole blimmin thread cos I knew you wouldn'y ask for an E

lisa2062 wrote:

Exactly! It's like a book review, all I mainly want to read is what the book is about, and what the reviewers opinion of it. I don't want to read streams and streams about the author, and quotes from the book for example. Lisa x

I think it can be very useful to have relevent and short quotes from a book,especially if the writing style is particularly worth noting.

Furthermore, I am not convinced that people are telling the truth about this subject. I think the trend is to rate these reviews as E but to moan about them privately later.

I know my travel reviews are long but i try to cram in as much personal experience and opinion as I can. I would only include the bare minimum of historical detail in a review but acknowledge that there are people who will write about every person who ever lived in a castle and a room by room account of the experience of visiting it. It pretty much spils it for me - what would there be left to discover for oneself?

Thingywhatsit wrote:

Let's not get this thread any more specific please. I do understand. I gave someone a VH and they demanded an E in my private guestbook. I ignored their plea.

God damanding an E. That's a bit much!! Perhaps we sghould stop ratitng ll together and just let the review sites that has a little compute with a little formula, Subject, length of words minus waffle!! I'm sure Duskman would come up with one

fizzywizzy wrote:

Furthermore, I am not convinced that people are telling the truth about this subject. I think the trend is to rate these reviews as E but to moan about them privately later.

But then what's the point in being a member on a forum if you can't complain?

What I'm trying to say is that people follow the heard or even feel obliged to give Es but then they come here and moan about the long reviews when they could have rated as they really felt.

This is true, after all that's what ratings are there for? My point earlier wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. I just think that travel ops don't really need a big piece around, for example, the history of a castle etc although a couple of lines might help to set context. It's a bit like a book review where a few lines about an author helps but a potted history detracts from the review of the book.

I am normally put off a review if it is way too long but in some cases depending on the topic you cant get away with writing a short review. I do skim and before anyone butts in saying I skim everything I dont. I can skim a long review and still take in everything about the review, tisan art I guess...

But hey if long reviews arent yer thing then dont read them, if my reviews arent to your liking same thing, dont read em. I READ only things that interest me or sometimes if I have time I will check out the odd newbie. I know, I just am a caring sort of guy...

Jeeez this comment has got long and boring hasnt it and to be honest I have even forgot what I am replying to. I am gonna just sneak off now

Like Mara, I try and put a couple of lines in for context, and to whet the readers appetite to discover more e.g. travel, new author etc. After all there is not much point repeating what can be found on the WWW.

I also think skimming is a pretty normal thing to do. Who reads the paper cover to cover, para for para, but we can all still get a grip on the news, I assume. (So I am agreeing with you there Art, but by agreeing I am therefore disagreeing that it is an art...!)

'Tis funny though, I wrote a really long review recently and expected to get slated for length, but really felt there was nothing to remove from it, and I didnt, got overall E, first time ever! (Proving no one reads anything )