Is it objective? (Epiphora's challenge)

That was generally what I was trying to do. I was staying away from the personal aspects of the product. Comparing it to things that were know. Providing as much factual information as possible about the toy. Couldn't compare it to another vibrating toy in the shower - I don't have one. Besides, very few people are going to have the same "pair" of toys so I'm not sure that's the right approach.

Even in the descriptive reviews, the experience section has to have some sort of a personal touch. It's true that it might not remind you of the 70's, but I need to provide some information that shows it's a container that's bright, metal, (in my opinion- tacky and "cheesy") and distracting. I wanted to back away from the toy just because of it's packaging. That's not what I wrote.

A lot of you that are reading the review are rating it very low. Why? Tell me what additional information should be there. less

I have bolded subjective statements. My comments are in italics. I think this would be a fine review, but it is nowhere near objective enough to be considered a description.



This toy didn't excite me. I was distracted by details, and didn't really like it. I think it's a reasonable toy though, and I couldn't break it! The summary is entirely subjective, as it deals exclusively with your experience with the toy.

Pros:
It's waterproof, quiet, and mild.
Cons:
Battery compartment may not remain functional to change batteries after extended use.


At one point in time I got a surprise package. I opened it up to find a shiny tin metal case- bright red, silver and black. Prominently displayed through a plastic window was a purple vibrator. Taking it out, my first thought was jelly because it's shaky and floppy. (I asked my husband for a comparison and he said it reminds him of a limp dick!) These are your and your husband's thoughts and opinions. They are subjective. It's not completely firm because this toy has three distinct sections. It's not jelly. It's TPR- meaning it can't be sterilized, and it's phthalate free. Then I read waterproof.

OK. This toy is not for me. I don't play in the shower. I'm not fond of vibration in general, and floppy? Two months later I decided to challenge myself. Again, this is subjective since it deals with your personal preferences and not with a description of the toy.

Sarou wrote a review on this. It never even occurred to me not to use this in the shower. This is a personal thought, not an objective description. She didn't, and actually really enjoyed it. She pointed out that it has ribs which she loved. That is one aspect of this toy that I never even noticed. Subjective.

Battery installation was fairly straight forward. Twist off the end, a battery tray slides out. Two double A's and instructions as to which end went back in. This compartment is watertight. I left the vibrator on the floor of my shower, then checked it. Jumping ahead, I have some concerns about the battery compartment. I removed the batteries because I wanted to try to break the vibrator- it didn't seem durable to me. Your perception of the durability is subjective. The batteries removed easily, but I had some difficulty replacing the battery tray. When writing the review, I tried to access the battery compartment again, and it is no longer able to even be removed.

Trying to get interested in this, Your interest level is subjective. I experimented first with the vibrations. Vibrations are controlled with a single button at the end. Press once for low. Press again and you're at medium. Next is high, then off. Personally, I'm not fond of the ramp it up style of controls. Your preferences are subjective. In the shower low, and medium were barely audible. High sounded loud to me. Again, your subjective experience. Similar to what a lawn mower outside would sound like. I'm sure that nobody outside would have heard anything though. The vibrations can barely be felt through the entire shaft- they are concentrated in the tip of the toy.

Later, I tested the durability of this. After removing the batteries, I was deliberately trying to break it. Having three distinct sections- they stretch. I tried to stretch and bend it to the point where it would break. I didn't succeed, but the power wires do travel all the way down and are visible with pulling and stretching. I don't know how fragile they actually are to the abuse I was giving this! This isn't exactly subjective, I'm just not sure what the point is.
Experience
This toy has a lot of qualities that just distract me. Your attention level is subjective. The box that it comes in reminds me of disco and the 70's. Things that trigger your memory are subjective. The company name is "Evolved." Only they print the first four letters backward. So what you have is something that looks like "EVOL ved" and I kept wondering what was up with the backward love. Your confusion is subjective. It's on the box and the toy.

The shower is a place where I relax and think about the day. I hate my bathroom, so it's just not a great place for sex. Your level of dislike for your bathroom is subjective. Perhaps it would have worked better with lube, but I'm trying to get clean. Your purpose in the shower doesn't objectively relate to the toy. Even with direct stimulation against my clit on the highest setting- just holding it, the vibrations on this toy weren't very strong. Several times I accidentally pressed the controls and found that I shut it off.

I did not like this toy for internal thrusting either. I found that it was too soft when I was half standing and my natural reaction was kegels! Internally, the vibrations were barely noticeable. Your likes and dislikes are subjective.

Eventually, I just gave up. This toy may work for others (and Sarou loved it), but it's not my style.

Your style is subjective. less

As much as you might have been trying to stay away from personal aspects, the review read as a personal one. Yes, it's true- very few people have the same toys. But people might have different ideas of what "loud" is also. I was just trying to come up with ideas that would provide factual information.

Perhaps the experience section should be left out of descriptions? Since there is no way to make a personal experience objective, maybe it should be disregarded altogether.

The fact that the bright metal container is distracting is your opinion, therefor subjective. Others might not consider it so. This is where there have been problems- what is considered objective to some might not appear so to others. This is the difficulty people are having when trying to write a completely objective review. less

Good point. There is no way to include a "experience" section in a review and have it be objective.

But if there is no way that you found the toy satisfying or that you personally believe most people would find it satisfying, then what do you do?

I actually believe that this toy is pretty mediocre, and will be for most people. I think it's completely useless in the shower. I was honestly surprised to find that Sarou enjoyed it, which was why I specifically linked to her review. less

How the heck do you add formatting in the forum? I'm impressed.

OK. My style is personal and subjective. Not sure if I agree, when most of the review is objective - you need some connectivity and background. That's ok for now.

I started this post specifically with an example to discuss, and pretty much knew based on the forum that it would get chewed up.

I want to see if constructive, positive alternative wordings can be offered. Not just negativity. Do you have two or three descriptive reviews that you can demonstrate that are at least this objective that will serve as an example to look at? less

This is part of the reason I think Description Reviews should be called something else. If we aren't supposed to be subjective (and therefore say how well they worked for us personally) then should it be called a review?

If it was JUST a "Description" with no star ratings, then there would be no need to go into how well the toy worked or anything personal. That would be done by whoever actually reviews the product. less

My point is that the statements I have bolded are not only subjective wording-wise, they are conceptually subjective. No amount of re-wording is going to change that, and I don't think these statements have any place in an objective review.

As for more objective reviews, here are some links: Glo G-Spot and Night Moves Infatuation.

There's a significant difference. less

Love to know why.. That cracks me up because I mostly deleted stuff from Betty's review. She wrote a really negative review of it. I probably would never have seen it except for the forum. I have to admit that I'm somewhat intrigued by the Bliss now. less

I'll look at the links in few minutes.

I too would like to see the description reviews distinctly labeled, and perhaps have the personal experience section removed. Or at least labeled. That may be the only section of a description review that should not be objective.

Agreed. That is the issue that Betty faced. Yet, I took "her" review, deleted most of her emotional statements and Carrie Ann says that it's more objective than the one that I wrote from scratch. Should we look at that one in more depth as well?

Therefore, regardless of how objective the review on the Symphony is- it is possible to write a more objective review. They may be dry and boring as the desert. Perhaps the goals of the description program still need clarification.

Toygirl2 posted my review here with several statements that are "subjective." Let's take one.

"Taking it out, my first thought was jelly because it's shaky and floppy. (I asked my husband for a comparison and he said it reminds him of a limp dick!) These are your and your husband's thoughts and opinions. They are subjective."

That is descriptive. When reading the review for the first time, did you have a good idea of if the product was firm or tends to flop somewhat. Especially when held in my hand and shook. I was looking for a comparison because this toy is unlike anything I've ever seen.

What would be a better way to describe it? less

I'll look at the links in few minutes.

I too would like to see the description reviews distinctly labeled, and perhaps have the personal experience section removed. Or at least labeled. That may be the only section of a description review that should not be objective.

Agreed. That is the issue that Betty faced. Yet, I took "her" review, deleted most of her emotional statements and Carrie Ann says that it's more objective than the one that I wrote from scratch. Should we look at that one in more depth as well?

Therefore, regardless of how objective the review on the Symphony is- it is possible to write a more objective review. They may be dry and boring as the desert. Perhaps the goals of the description program still need clarification.

Toygirl2 posted my review here with several statements that are "subjective." Let's take one.

"Taking it out, my first thought was jelly because it's shaky and floppy. (I asked my husband for a comparison and he said it reminds him of a limp dick!) These are your and your husband's thoughts and opinions. They are subjective."

That is descriptive. When reading the review for the first time, did you have a good idea of if the product was firm or tends to flop somewhat. Especially when held in my hand and shook. I was looking for a comparison because this toy is unlike anything I've ever seen.

What would be a better way to describe it? less

Hmmm...

In the rewrite you did, the focus is on the toy and it's properties and how it works. In your review, the focus is more on how you felt about the toy and it's packaging.

I don't think the experience part can really be all that objective. It's just not possible. I don't think it really needs to be, though. Even for a descriptive review, I'd think that so long as the summary and main review body are focused on the toy, some subjective experience and feeling is okay in it's appropriate place.

What bothers me most about some of the descriptions is the summary. I think - personally only - that they should be about the toy, not the experience.

Like...

Instead of saying "This toy didn't excite me. I was distracted by details, and didn't really like it. I think it's a reasonable toy though, and I couldn't break it!" - which tells they buyer nothing about the actual toy - there should be more toy oriented details. Something like "A waterproof, multi speed vibe with pinpoint vibrations concentrated in the tip, this vibe is great for those who like a less firm, more giving vibe."

Cuz... when someone is looking to buy something, they want to know what it IS when they look at the description/summary. Not how much you liked it.

Make sense?

I'm eatings soup and typing and I"m very distracted! less