I've noticed that several of the members who are listed as 'reviewers' have a distinct lack of reviews on the forum. I'm concerned that they may just be using the title as an ego inflation and are not actually doing anything constructive.
I can't speak for all Reviewers, but I know that some of us are just busy with other stuff. We're supposed to review stuff in the Workshop, though work critiqued in private counts as well.
Hey, being busy is fair enough. It's just a voluntary gig and doing work for me for free is always something I'm very grateful for. It's just that taking on that title, while just a silly forum banner, means the person is volunteering for a particular commitment, and if they can't meet that commitment, should not adopt the title and simply review work on occasion like the rest of us. Some reviewers are doing a tremendously good job, while others don't seem to have posted a single one since meeting their initial quota required to post in the workshop. Speaking of which, I thought there were quotas initially established when the idea was floated, which is why I didn't volunteer because I couldn't meet it. Just sayin'
Ideally, we would like to do 1-2 critiques a week, which may not seem like much, but some of the critiques take a while. And for those of us still in school, we have to worry about homework and tests, so we may sometimes take a few weeks off.
As @thirdwind pointed out, the goal is 1-2 critiques per week per reviewer. I believe that is meant to be an average. There is a private thread for the reviewers in which we post every time we do a review. There are stretches over which I can't do as many reviews as I'd like. I try to balance that with more reviews when I can manage them. If @Wreybies, who runs the reviewer project, thinks that's a problem, then I'll be glad to discuss it with him and see what we can do or if I should withdraw from the project. OTOH, @Selbbin, if you think it's a problem, then that's your problem.
I was agreeing until that last line. Dismissing it as me having a problem is pretty childish, don't you think? Basically you are stating that my opinion is irrelevant. As a member of the forum I think I should be allowed to express a concern. Just because Wreybies may not think it's a problem (hypothetically) doesn't mean that the fact some 'reviewers' don't do reviews isn't an issue.
Well, let's see...you've conveniently removed yourself from any responsibility by declining to participate in the project; and if you had a legitimate complaint about any reviewer not doing what you, as a nonparticipant in the project, think they should be doing, you could have simply PM'd your concern to Wreybies (or one of the other mods, who would have, I'm sure, forwarded it to to him) to be dealt with directly (you could also have PM'd the specific reviewer or reviewers that you felt weren't pulling their weight, but we can guess how that would have turned out). But instead, you chose to make a general, unspecific post, thereby casting aspersions on the entire group of reviewers. So, yes, I think your opinion in this matter is irrelevant.
I'm going to agree with Selbbin on this matter. I wasn't even really aware of such a system of "official Reviewers" but I did make a recent post about the lack of attention given to the workshop. There's only been about 10 or so new short stories posted since I've joined and they're by far among the least viewed threads on the forums. It was the single most important reason I joined, however, I'm hesitant to even post my writing because of some of the hostility (not from reviewers) I've seen too.
I think you are making a different point. There are many forum members who do not participate in the workshop, and that's a shame because it's one of the most valuable aspects of the forum. The notion of "Official Reviewers" is a project started by @Wreybies to assure that everyone who posted a piece for review would have at least some critique from people experienced in giving it. Selbbin is complaining because he didn't think he would be able to meet the minimum posting requirement, and now he's miffed because he thinks that some of us who volunteered for the project aren't keeping up our end, but we have the "Reviewer" label and he doesn't. As I posted nearby, if he was really concerned about the project, he could have contacted Wrey, who maintains a "reviewer accounting" thread and so can see who is doing what. But even if the official reviewers are exceeding our quotas, it doesn't address the issue you raise, and with which I agree.
Lol, no, that's not why I am 'complaining'. I don't care about not being a reviewer. I don't want to be a reviewer. I'm pointing out that some of those who made the commitment to review are not honoring that commitment. All they want is the label. (which is really sad, btw). I mean, if it's not taken seriously, what's the point? And last I checked this was the feedback forum. I am providing feedback.
Everybody should understand that anyone who posts a review is doing so on a volunteer basis. Nobody is being paid to review the work of others, not even members who have the Reviewer banner. Posting a piece of work for review does not give you a claim on the time and effort of others. We should all be grateful for any attention our work gets, positive or negative. We always try to emphasize that the reviewer is the one who benefits most from the review, but it seems that many members haven't grasped that yet. @Selbbin, @Chaos Inc., if the lack of reviews is bothering you, then feel free to do more reviews yourselves. Lead by example. Complaining doesn't often produce the desired results.
I'm not bothered by a 'lack of reviews'. At no point did I say this. I have been very satisfied with the reviews I have received and highly respect and thank the people who take the time. This is not in question. I'm questioning why some people have a reviewer banner on their Avatar when they don't do many, or any, reviews. It's that kind of pompous unjustified badge wearing I am against. I haven't even named the specific people I'm referring to out of respect. There are others who have sure earned the 'right' and I highly respect them. Peachalulu for example is an excellent, prolific, and highly dedicated reviewer.
I think a lot of people don't review because they don't know how. Another issue i think is lacking the skill to review, i personally cant review on grammar and sentence structure or hell, most technical aspects of writing, i can however review on how i feel about something or if i think something doesn't quite sit right in a story, but for me that doesn't seem that useful to the writer and i often think others could provide a much better critique. The banner issue is something entirely different, and i personally don't pay attention to them and couldn't care less I do understand your point though @Selbbin
I'd just like to put the brakes on. Officially from the seal of Selbbin: I am NOT complaining about a lack of reviews in general. Just from some of the people who claim to be part of the official review team. Clearly this is a sad reflection of my poor writing skills as I didn't make the heading as clear as it should be. Alas, we are but mere mortals.
Personally, I only ever really bother to review stuff in the fantasy section as those I like/understand the best and my advice is better. I gander at the others on occasion, but rarely ever write a review.
On a not too unrelated note, I've also noticed a drop in unsolicited, irrelevant smartass comments from some of the resident wise-cracks. Although we have no official forum tag, I believe there is a tacit obligation to detract from threads with our elementary humor.
Not only do I take offence to your condescending attitude and uninformed comment I'm more appalled that this is coming from a staff member.
I feel I'm woefully unqualified to provide much useful feed back on someones story. With my approach on someone's writing style or story I can't really criticize on things that might bug me about it. It's like saying something about coloring outside the lines or someone who's painting abstract. I don't like abstract, however, I understand that my bias prevents me of being a good judge of it.
Be aware the the "official review team" thing is still experimental. It came about because some people noticed that some postings in the Workshop were not getting any reviews at all, and people volunteered to attempt to rectify that problem. If you think it's not working, offer another suggestion. Ideas are always welcome!
Absolutely. Hence my feedback. I'm not trying to be negative. Just pointing out a weakness in the idea (which I totally support, otherwise this wouldn't bother me). People who sign up to be reviewers need to take it seriously and respect the commitment they volunteered for or there's no point. What's the point of forum reviewers who don't review? While many do, others don't, and that's a damned shame. I love the reviewer idea. My only suggestion is to enforce or police a minimum and strip those who cannot generally meet their obligations of their banner.
Probably the best way to become qualified is to practice. Offer critiques. As I pointed out, most of the benefit goes to the reviewer, not the writer. By assuming that you're unqualified to provide critiques, and therefore not providing them, you are denying yourself one of the most significant benefits of being on this forum. Give it a try. There really isn't any downside.
