Extended Form Reviews

I actually find the extended format to be slightly confusing, believe it or not. Not sure why, but I think it might be the way it's ordered: my brain wants to switch the categories around so that they don't feel so scattered. It's silly as all hell, but the lack of flow makes me trip up every time I try to use it, and it's just easier to set things in order myself.

Reading this, though, makes me think that I really ought to try again. Maybe for my next review I'll do my best to get rid of the weird nitpicking my head does and just go for it. Knowing me, once I can get past it once, it'll be easy the next time I do it. It's true that extended format looks a lot cleaner and makes it easier to seek out the information you want, and that's a definite step up.

Honestly, I think it probably doesn't have to do with whether the reviews written in standard format are really well written.

One of the things you have to remember as a creator of content is the needs of the consumer. Now of course, there are people out there who will patiently read every word of a review and carefully consider the quality of information and tactfulness of the writing etc. But, fact of the matter is, we wouldn't have so much fast food in this country if quality and creativeness were the top consideration for consumers.

People want all the information, but they want it in a clear and simple format. In an extended format review, if all you care about is what the person said about the toy's performance, you can just go there. If you took all the same information that was in an extended format review and put it in a standard format review, I truly think there's a good chance it would not be as highly rated as the extended format form because the fact of the matter is people have to work harder and think more to find the information they're looking for.

Plus I think standard format has a lot more potential for abuse. I've seen several reviews that are literally just a couple sentences (with tons of grammatical errors to boot). I'd like to think the people who post that type of review do it honestly, thinking that it's what a review looks like here, but more often than not I really think it's probably some person just writing some crap to get the points for submitting a review. Because the extended format REQUIRES you write things in multiple boxes, I think it automatically holds people to a higher standard.

I do think there are many people who write great standard reviews and I don't think it should be discouraged. But unless you're one of those reviewers who has a legitimate reputation for quality and has a standard viewership, I wouldn't be surprised if readers are more inclined to dismiss the review.

I AM LONGWINDED HEAR ME ROARRRRRRR!!!!!

I don't like the extended format. I won't even read a review if it's in extended format. I think it's generic and they're basically all the same thing. If I do read it in EF I skip to the very end to their experience. I know that's kinda bad, but I really don't like that format.

There were some very good points made about it being separated into sections for easier consumption. Sometimes, you've already read a review but it didn't cover everything so you go to another review and you want only one section out of it. Or maybe that's all you care about in the first place. No matter, it's just better-looking and easier to read in the Extended Format. And generally-speaking, reviews are better when they're in this format, though I have still seen horrible, awful reviews that only have a few sentences per section. Blech.

I absolutely LOATHE the Standard Format. This is mostly a personal opinion because I hate, hate, hate when I have to use it. SO much of quality writing gets thrown out of the window (or shoved into the Comments section) because flipping lingerie reviews can't have an Extended Format. This frustrates me to no end. I just finished a lingerie review today (well, it's in limbo until I take pictures tomorrow) and a HUGE section of it is going to have to go in the Comments section where many won't see it simply because it wouldn't fit in the main review. And this is especially saddening because the content which I have added has not been offered in its specific format in any other lingerie review that I have ever seen. So my "something special" is going to be lost because I can only write some 800 and 500 words apiece. Even without that section and the other going with it, I STILL had to delete words and sentences from my review because there's not enough room. And it's just so messy. It's so messy that I actually turn it into a short of Extended Format review by having my own "Use", "Material/Care and Maintenance", etc. sections within it. But I digress. So there you go. That's my two cents and I'm sticking to it.

I think the extended format is good for beginners because it gives them an idea of what to include in reviews. After getting the hang of reviewing and knowing what to put then the standard format could easily be used to produce equal quality reviews.
I personally find that some items are easier to write in extended and others in standard.
It also depends on the person, we are all different and having the option of the two is good so we can choose the one that works best for us. It it's someone's first or second review I will recommend the extended format. I suggest to my students to try atleast one in the extended format if they haven't already but I let them know that one is NOT better than the other and it is best to use the one they are most comfortable with and do the best work with.

I think new reviewers should use the EF until they learn the basic details that people are looking for in a review. Once they gain experience, then use the review format that is comfortable for them. I use both, depending on the item I am reviewing. As far as reading a review, it also depends on the item and the points I am looking for. You can make both formats very interesting to read if you put an effort into the review, which most people do!!

I dont really like the extended format. What I will sometimes do it write it in standard format but have the extended format screen up in another window as a reminder of all the categories to write about.

I have yet to read the responses to this thread... so give me a few moments to get caught up and I'll respond to the others but I'm going to respond to the original post right now.


I PREFER the standard format. The only reviews I have in the extended format are my descriptive reviews (which I have no choice but to write them in this format).

A lot of my reviews are lingerie though... which only has a standard format.

I find (for myself anyway) that the extended reviews makes the reviewer repeat a lot of the information in previous sections.


I wouldn't say that people down vote for the standard format though. My very first review was in standard format and I received a lot of EU votes for it. I think what is important is that you include all the details that you can, regardless of which format you decide to use. Well, that is the way I vote anyway. I personally don't care which format people choose to use.

I use the extended format because most of the time I run out of room typing in the standard format. There are great reviews in both formats, but the extended template helps keep ideas organized. I prefer to read the extended template because I get side tracked reading, so I know where I am in a review if it is broken into sections.

More than half of my reviews have been in standard format just because extended is not offered for them. Having used extended a bit too helps me to remember things that need to be added to the standard review. Plus, for my lingerie reviews, I have started dividing them out into workable sections. The word limit can be challenging sometimes, but it isn't so bad. It may be better to have a limited word count, actually. I know my attention span sometimes wanders before I get to the end of a long, long, long, extended format review.