Seems I stirred up some folks when I tried to explain my rating system in a recent interview with Temple Library Reviews. Some took my cowardice comment personally. It's a shame, but it happens.
James from Speculative Horizons, Joe from Adventures in Reading, Larry from OF Blog of the Fallen, and Jeff of Fantasy Book News & Reviews have all come to a consensus: I'm an idiot. Like retarded banana pepper level of idiocy. And a likely cross-dresser.
Well, I could have told you that.
Which makes me wonder: should I drop the number grade from the end of my reviews here on Blood of the Muse? Do you as the reader find it helpful or superfluous? Does it even matter?
There's a poll on the right, so cast your vote now. Whatever people decide is what I will go with.
Oh, and vitriolic comments and emails are welcome. Thanks for playing.
Poll - To Number Or Not to Number
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Posted by Paul at 8:09 PM
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11 comments:
If you like the number system and it works for you, stick with it. Writing/reviewing style is up to the reviewer to judge for themselves and for settling into some sort of comfort level.
However, when you don't point to a specific person and make a blanket statement using a word like cowardice, you know are going to get a reaction. Why else would you toss out the word and statement? And that's where you offended a lot of online reviewers, myself included.
"..since many online reviewers don’t want to upset publishers or authors... See, words lie; numbers don’t. And I don’t want to lie to my audience. So I score every book on a scale of 100."
Again, here you're passively condemning other online reviewers and calling into question their / our integrity.
RobB,
I knew the statement would be provocative and bother some people. Am I questioning their ethical integrity--yes.
But what is wrong with that? Questioning the ethical integrity of bloggers who get free stuff from publishers is a legitimate question. How are they trustworthy? It's the foundational ethical question for book bloggers; it is a clear conflict of interest. If we are receiving materials from publishers, we are all fair game to having our motives questioned. No one has an pass.
I see your point, to a degree. But the way you make it sound is as if anybody who doesn't use a point system for reviews (or reviews in line with how you review), then none of us (blogger/reviewers) have any ethical integrity.
This free books for review thing has been going much longer than either of us has been blogging - in newspapers and critical magazines.
Now we're towing a line - between motives for blogging/reviewing and ethics. I know I didn't start reviewing because I wanted free books - I wanted to let people know what I consider the good books are.
But how are some of the bloggers trustworthy? That's a fair question too, now that we are actually discussing it. If a reviewer continually points you in the right direction and their review synchs up with your experience, then there's a bone in their favor. IF they come across as honest and provide a balanced review, another bone in their favor.
I just don't think a numbering system is the only way to build up trustworthiness and integrity for reviews. It is one way, but not having a number / ranking system as part of the review doesn't infer that said reviewer is dishonest, lacks integrity and is unethical.
I don't think Paul was truly condemning anyone, as the Inquisition has yet to arrive here (they're usually so fast, too). As a casual reader of all things blogged and wiki'ed, I take for granted the ease and subsequent falability of those things. No matter how many superlatives I find myself agreeing with whilst reading a review, it is far too easy to become lost in a sea of vague. The intent of the review is easily masked in looping prose. With a number system, I instantly can tell and therefore remember if every book reviewed is oddly a smash hit (Authorgate?!). Gladiator fights weren't determined by asking, in 500 words or less, who the audience thought should die, but instead with a thumb gesture. Easily understood, just like a numbered ranking.
This arguement= 87/100. Minus points for no police involvement.
Idiot? Nah. The cross-dresser bit is between you and...whoever. The comments made in that interview, though? Worthy of being ridiculed, yes. I could care less what style one uses for a review; I rarely bother with most unpaid reviewers these days, to be honest. As for the paid ones, well...depends on what buys with that money, I suppose.
There is nothing more infuriating than reading a review where the reviewer is all over the map, praising one aspect of a book, criticizing it elsewhere, at the end of which you really have no idea where he really liked the book and recommends it or thought it was barely above smelly cat food. Most blog reviewers lack the ability to put proper emphasis on what they say which is important and what's not and everything they say comes across with equal weight. A numbering system cuts through the mush and helps put the review in proper context. And yeah it takes balls to do a number rating and stand up for it. There's no hiding behind weasel words what you really think of a book.
You'd be hard pressed to prove that your are not a hypocrite if you ditch the numbers. To me, such a change would be a bigger strike to ones credibility as a reviewer than using numbers or not.
I like your reviews.
I do not like what you said in the Temple interview.
You said you knew the comment would bother some people, but now the shit storm is here and you're surprised. There is nothing wrong with a contentious opinion but don't feign shock, merely bring an umbrella.
If you saw all this coming, and believed in your opinion that much when you made it known, why change your mind now?
Conforming for the sake of conforming is so unattractive. While I don't agree with it, I for one hope you don't change a thing as far as your reviews are concerned. I feel your written words stand up well enough without numbers to 'justify' them.
@RobB,
My mistake was trying to explain why I use a number system, while trying to take a swipe at blogger ethics. I confused the issue. Whether someone numbers or doesn't number in a review doesn't bother me as much as reviewers who are trying to fudge their reviews.
"I just don't think a numbering system is the only way to build up trustworthiness and integrity for reviews. It is one way, but not having a number / ranking system as part of the review doesn't infer that said reviewer is dishonest, lacks integrity and is unethical."
I believe a numbering system is a way to build up trustworthiness, and that is why I use it. Not having a number system also doesn't imply that said reviewer is honest, has integrity and is ethical. And the same can be said about using a numbering system. It implies nothing.
Did I throw a large group of reviewers under the bus? Yes. Did they all deserve to be? No. But are there reviewers hiding in that group who are dishonest in their reviews? Yes.
I agree with you that in the end, one's audience makes the decision whether the reviewer is trustworthy or not.
I've always liked your number system since it's so different from what everyone else uses (including myself). Stick with it!
Most of the books I review are not books I've received from the publisher. I read so widely that if I relied wholly on what comes in the mail, I'd run out of reading material pretty quickly.
And I don't use a number system.
No cowardice; I just don't find it useful in formulating my thoughts about books. I was a liberal arts major, not a math wonk.
If it works for you, fine; but condemning those who don't use it as "cowards" is absolutely a useless exercise.
Which doesn't mean I'll stop reading your blog. But I have to tell you, I find what you *say* about a book much more useful to my decision whether or not to read it than your numbering system.
Hey Paul, I am not weighing in on this topic, but wanted to tell you that your blog is AMAZING and I hope that you come back soon! I have an award for you over at my blog:
http://bookblabbing.blogspot.com/2009/11/awards.html
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