Reviewing responsibility
I note the polarisation of reviews on here. Is there anything that doesn't have passionate followers and detractors, and one can wonder how these people could have experienced the same work and come out with such different responses?
I noted that those who love a particular book I just read speak of connection. They seem open and compassionate. Those who don't like it – and who well articulate why, and that's rarer – judge and label the characters, and also sometimes make assumptions about the writer. I think that's something we have to watch, especially when we post public reviews. I think we do have responsibility in what we write, and such diagnoses and disparaging remarks are inappropriate and not responsible.
Who of us are qualified - and don't just mean in terms of professional certificates - to make such assertions, and in public?
We're in a culture where people publish their thoughts about products and each other. I note Goodreads policy can decide to close the account the person objecting to the review if they contact the reviewer in a way deemed (by them or the recipient) as threatening. Thus the system here seems more weighted against the author of the book than the commenter.
If you make assumptions about the health (especially mental), proclivities, writing prowess, career and personal life of others in public, then that's not acceptable. It also invites libel suits.
We need a protocol which is respectful, and which allows feedback on feedback. It's often been suggested that a good writer will just accept criticism, but that makes for imbalanced relationships. Like any advice, the person giving out should be prepared for repercussions. Few reviews are constructive. Hence many writers don't read them. To say, 'this didn't work for me' is one thing. To be specific about why in a way that might help an author is desirable, but we know that no work is loved by all, and we shouldn't feel we need to try. Thus I'm saying, not all feedback is equal. But I object to the comments I've read here and elsewhere about actors, writers, and each other.
I'm not saying this because I've had such a review yet, but because of what I read today written about others. We also need moderators to be in support of those whose work is on here, and not make customer comments a place of allowed bullyingly and defamation in the guise of honest reviews.
I noted that those who love a particular book I just read speak of connection. They seem open and compassionate. Those who don't like it – and who well articulate why, and that's rarer – judge and label the characters, and also sometimes make assumptions about the writer. I think that's something we have to watch, especially when we post public reviews. I think we do have responsibility in what we write, and such diagnoses and disparaging remarks are inappropriate and not responsible.
Who of us are qualified - and don't just mean in terms of professional certificates - to make such assertions, and in public?
We're in a culture where people publish their thoughts about products and each other. I note Goodreads policy can decide to close the account the person objecting to the review if they contact the reviewer in a way deemed (by them or the recipient) as threatening. Thus the system here seems more weighted against the author of the book than the commenter.
If you make assumptions about the health (especially mental), proclivities, writing prowess, career and personal life of others in public, then that's not acceptable. It also invites libel suits.
We need a protocol which is respectful, and which allows feedback on feedback. It's often been suggested that a good writer will just accept criticism, but that makes for imbalanced relationships. Like any advice, the person giving out should be prepared for repercussions. Few reviews are constructive. Hence many writers don't read them. To say, 'this didn't work for me' is one thing. To be specific about why in a way that might help an author is desirable, but we know that no work is loved by all, and we shouldn't feel we need to try. Thus I'm saying, not all feedback is equal. But I object to the comments I've read here and elsewhere about actors, writers, and each other.
I'm not saying this because I've had such a review yet, but because of what I read today written about others. We also need moderators to be in support of those whose work is on here, and not make customer comments a place of allowed bullyingly and defamation in the guise of honest reviews.
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