Do you rate a product based on how useful it was for you?

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phoenixfire

--and how well it met your expectations? Or do you rate it based on how useful you think it would be to the general public? Or some other combination of factors I hadn't considered?

Case in point: I just received a beginners BDSM kit to review as part of the mentor program. I am very much into BDSM, so I suspect that this kit is going to be too tame for me and won't stand up to long term use. However, I think it might be good for a beginner, someone who just wants to try BDSM, which is the target market, after all.

Now, I can clarify all this in my review, and I plan to do so, if my expectations prove true. But how do I decide how many stars to give it?

It will probably help me that my husband is not really a BDSM person. He explores it to please me as he understands that it is my kink (and I think he enjoys my reactions), but I might get a different response when he is the sub than he'll get when I am. You see what I mean?

Just wondering how you decide the borders between, say, a 2 star and a 3 star review, or a 3 star and a 4.

Thanks Eden!

12/19/2012

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MrWill

I would think in the case of something marketed to a beginner, I would write my review from the standpoint of a beginner. You obviously were one at some point, how do you think said kit would have worked for you then?

At the same time, I would definitely throw some information out for the more veteran users also. Everyone wants to try something new sometime!

12/19/2012

- Kira -

My default rating is three if something was useless to me but I feel like there would be a wide audience for it otherwise. If I hated it and feel like the people who would get use out of it is small, then two stars. One star for something that's useful to no one.

I always rate based on my experience, but I try to take into account if others would like it. So I wouldn't ever give a great product that just didn't work at all for me one star.

When I'm working with an item that didn't work for me, what separates the two and three star ratings is the quality of the item and how wide the potential audience would be.

12/19/2012

js250

If there is a differing amount in the rating for you and future users--explain it under the comments section. Then for the rating, average it out between your opinion and the others rating.

12/19/2012

Gunsmoke

Most toys we buy are selected to play a specific role in our bed room - and part of my rating is based on how well it filled the need. However, some toys have multiple uses - and I take all of them into account. Finally I take into account the overall quality of the toy.

Since we buy high-end high-quality toys, I rarely rate anything less than 3. Most are legitimately 4 or 5 star.

12/20/2012

K101

Quote:

Originally posted by phoenixfire

First what do you mean you got an assignment to review "as part of the mentor program?" You mean your mentor assigned it (Push-Assignment?)

Anyways, you should be writing strictly from your point of view. And your partner's if you had one involved.

Some people fill the pro's and con's section of a review with things like this "might not fit all users." "Some might not like the ingredients." "Might be too big for some." What? That's confusing and you don't write the pro's and con's that OTHER people might have. You write what the pro's/con's were for you, what your very own experience with the product was, what worked for you, which ways you liked to use it, and then you can mention in the actual review any warnings for other users. But the review is yours, not someone else's so it doesn't make sense to write from some vague "maybe" point of view.

I know, I'm being complainy, but not toward you. That is an example though that I just wanted to get out there.

So, to really go better in-depth and answer your question...

What you'd do in your review is speak about how it worked for you. Say "this is a little too tame for me as I'm into and used to more intense BDSM, and then in the actual body of your review (perhaps the use section as that would be an appropriate section to describe who/what the product is best for) say that it's best for beginners and state why.

I hope this was helpful.

12/20/2012

Girly Juice

I rate products on how they worked for me - unless the problem I had with the toy was so specific to my anatomy or tastes that I don't think very many other people will have the same problem with it.

12/23/2012

Mwar

I try and rate independent of my opinion. Even if it's not great for me I try to think how it would appeal to the "average" user. How it fulfills its intended purpose, its quality, versatility and value is also what affects my rating.

12/27/2012

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