There's been some discussion on another thread about voting on reviews, so I thought it would be helpful to start a fresh thread on this.

Reviews have the option of being voted Extremely Useful, Useful, Somewhat Useful, Worth Reading but Not Useful, and Not Useful at all. Think of it like a grade scale, where Somewhat Useful is a C.

We aren't allowed to vote on our own reviews for a reason. It's the opinion of others on our review that matters, not our own.

Obviously, if a review is voted Extremely Useful, this is good.

If a review is voted Useful, this is also a good thing, not a bad thing. I think a lot of us get hung up on getting Extremely Useful votes, but everyone needs to keep in mind that Useful is good. It means your review was useful to the reader, it covered the bases, and helped give them an idea about the product. Useful is not a "down" vote at all.

It's often not appropriate to PM someone about why they voted the way they did on a review. This can put someone on the spot and make them uncomfortable when they shouldn't be and cause them not to vote and express their opinions on reviews.

We all need to not take votes we receive so personally, and not worry so much how people are voting, but that they are voting honestly on the review. less

There's been some discussion on another thread about voting on reviews, so I thought it would be helpful to start a fresh thread on this.

Reviews have the option of being voted Extremely Useful, Useful, Somewhat Useful, Worth Reading but Not Useful, and Not Useful at all. Think of it like a grade scale, where Somewhat Useful is a C.

We aren't allowed to vote on our own reviews for a reason. It's the opinion of others on our review that matters, not our own.

Obviously, if a review is voted Extremely Useful, this is good.

If a review is voted Useful, this is also a good thing, not a bad thing. I think a lot of us get hung up on getting Extremely Useful votes, but everyone needs to keep in mind that Useful is good. It means your review was useful to the reader, it covered the bases, and helped give them an idea about the product. Useful is not a "down" vote at all.

It's often not appropriate to PM someone about why they voted the way they did on a review. This can put someone on the spot and make them uncomfortable when they shouldn't be and cause them not to vote and express their opinions on reviews.

We all need to not take votes we receive so personally, and not worry so much how people are voting, but that they are voting honestly on the review. less

I have not rated anything below a somewhat useful, and even that I do not like. 90% of the time people are trying there best, sure things can be improved, and its nice to help people. If it is too bad I may not vote on it, or comment. I am a coward maybe, but I do care a lot about peoples feelings, whether I am wrong or..

Me not wanting to vote not useful has little to nothing about what others may think, but more of how it may make the reviewer feel. If I had a tip, I might suggest it, maybe PM the reviewer. Good writing takes practice, good example is, my first reviews were not the greatest, and I feel I have grown and become better (not saying they are great now or anything like that)

I read a review where someone whom first language was not English, and yes there were quite a bit of mistakes, and it was difficult to read, but I applaud the user for taking the time and even writing a review in another language. I can see where people can expect, or want better, but it was an effort.

I am guilty of the asking why when I got a useful vote, I now, after discussing it with others see the errors of my way.

anyway, I just thought I would say this.

Anyway, I think after every review, I will make a point to say "Any tips on ways to improve my writing is greatly appreciated but not mandatory" or something along those lines, then again I am not so sure I want someone dissecting a review and telling me this is what they would have done line by line, but tips are fine/ less

A really good point was made elsewhere, I forget by whom, that I think bears repeating. We all need to be a little less emotionally caught up in the voting and ranking. The votes and ratings do not reflect on you as a person. Votes aren't personal - "good" ratings aren't done to make you feel good, nor are "bad" ratings done as a personal attack (whatever good and bad may be).

A lot of people have lost sight of what this is really about. It's not a social networking site where the goal is to be the most popular, to be at the top of some ladder. The reviews are there to help people with their toy-buying decisions. They are REVIEWS. Customers who aren't part of the community often won't pore over every review for every toy they consider. They usually grab maybe one or two reviews and read those. If a review just isn't all that useful, feel free to vote accordingly, knowing that you're helping steer someone who knows much less about toys that you do toward the best information we have to offer. less

There's been some discussion on another thread about voting on reviews, so I thought it would be helpful to start a fresh thread on this.

Reviews have the option of being voted Extremely Useful, Useful, Somewhat Useful, Worth Reading but Not Useful, and Not Useful at all. Think of it like a grade scale, where Somewhat Useful is a C.

We aren't allowed to vote on our own reviews for a reason. It's the opinion of others on our review that matters, not our own.

Obviously, if a review is voted Extremely Useful, this is good.

If a review is voted Useful, this is also a good thing, not a bad thing. I think a lot of us get hung up on getting Extremely Useful votes, but everyone needs to keep in mind that Useful is good. It means your review was useful to the reader, it covered the bases, and helped give them an idea about the product. Useful is not a "down" vote at all.

It's often not appropriate to PM someone about why they voted the way they did on a review. This can put someone on the spot and make them uncomfortable when they shouldn't be and cause them not to vote and express their opinions on reviews.

We all need to not take votes we receive so personally, and not worry so much how people are voting, but that they are voting honestly on the review. less

Sammi, I've noticed a lot of negativity about votes recently. I always try to vote fairly but as of yet, I haven't been approached for a bad vote. I think that if people are upset about how others vote they should be able to ask about improving their reviews. Perhaps there should be a thread or guide as to what should never go in a review? less