Reviewers Anonymous

I love your reviews, Agnie.

I don't mind a thumbs down, if balanced somewhere by a thumbs up. (Or not, if the piece really sucks eggs. It happens.) As you said, if it's not about ME, personally, I don't feel hurt or offended.

It's better than getting gonged on The Gong Show. Kind of makes me think of Siskel & Ebert, in which case, even with a thumbs down from some reviewers, we're in good company.

Don't even get me started on canned review outlines/forms. Blech. They're fine if they're really organizational and contain some meat. But if there's nothing in a section, OMIT the section, eh? And omit all "boilerplate" - that means nothing at all to me. I don't mind form reviews, provided it's crystal clear that the reviewer has read what I wrote and given it serious thought.

I really hate a lot of fluff and cutsy use of WritingML and graphics, though.