More than Just a Rating discussion

Spoilers are a big issue for some readers. I know there's a way to hide part of your review (can anybody explain clearly how?) for spoilers. Or you can just mark the whole thing as hidden due to spoilers. But please, for the sake of those who care, it's not just mysteries that we have to be careful about!

What other cautions do you all want to remind us of?

Plagiarism! Y'all know, I'm sure, not to copy other's reviews and pass them off as your own, right? But be aware that copying a book description is also wrong. If you really really want to use someone else's words to describe or summarize the book, please put the copied text in quotation marks, and note the source (flyleaf, GR description, publisher's blog, whatever). Thank you!

The spoiler tag: (view spoiler)[ "< spoiler > put your spoiler between the spoiler tags. You won't use the quotes or spaces as I've done here spoiler >" (hide spoiler)]

Thanks!

My reviews have been plagiarised before, on GR in fact. Best thing to do is report it and flag the suspect review.

I use spoiler tags for spoilers in my reviews - sometimes it is necessary to discuss a twist in the tale but as a courtesy to other readers I put it in spoiler tags.

I love the “spoiler” function!

Using it is like belonging to a secret club. You don’t want to reveal anything to the uninitiated, but those that have already read the book and open the hidden spoiler recognize the secret handshake.

The spoiler itself is a mystery. (view spoiler)[ Aren’t you just dying to open it and see what is hidden there? (hide spoiler)] I always peek!

Almeta wrote: "I love the “spoiler” function!

Using it is like belonging to a secret club. You don’t want to reveal anything to the uninitiated, but those that have alrea..."

I had expressed this opinion elsewhere, and some had responses that weren't so enthusiastic.

Apparently if you don't read discussions with spoilers directly on the website, but rather, let's say through your cell phone (other devices), you will be sent to the website for viewing. This is apparently an irritant. (One that I can't speak to since I don't use that method.)

I know when I read my digest updates in my email and click on a spoiler that I am sent to the Goodreads website. So this must be similar. However, I don't mind the transfer.

Almeta wrote: "Almeta wrote: "I love the “spoiler” function!

Using it is like belonging to a secret club. You don’t want to reveal anything to the uninitiated, but those that have alrea..."

I had expressed..."

Well the poll in that group about using spoilers shows the majority vote for using spoilers. So, not to worry about the minority that find them irritating.

The hard part is to resist opening a spoiler before you've read the book. I soooo want to peek. But that would be like paging to the end of the book to see how it all turned out, right?

Spoiler tags are a saving grace when you're trying to review a series and you're like "So this is about 3 months after A. and B. got married and it seems like the character's personalities have done a 180 for no reason" and then think, oh wait... that spoils the entire first two books.

Is there a way, does anybody know, to 'hide' pictures? I have a good friend here on GR who makes pretty good use of pix to enhance her reviews, and I'd like to know there's a way to accomodate both her and BunWat... - ?

BunWat wrote: "Another thing, some reviewers like to add pictures, and I do wish they wouldn't as it really slows down the loading of the page, especially if I'm on my phone."

I second that, I like pictures, but they do slow down the website and sometimes, I find them a bit distracting.

I like pictures as well, but some reviewers use so many of them that the entire review becomes a pictograph of (usually snarky) images and posters.

I do like the feature that GR has added, where the pictures themselves only show up when you go to the review -- they are blocked on the update page.

I don't think any of my friends have ever used a picture in a review, thank goodness.

I have also never seen a picture used in a review, it seems odd to me to have a picture in a book review...

I also have to send some love to the spoiler tag. I hate seeing members who hide their whole review because of spoilers, especially when the review is one of the more popular ones. If so many people liked the review, I want to see what they had to say. But I can never be sure if there are going to be major spoilers, or just one tiny spoiler. The tags make it easy to mark of that one tiny spoiler so you don't have to hide your whole review.

One caution that might matter to some is about Privacy.

Apparently you can mark your profile private, but your review is still viewable. If you write an oft 'liked' review, it may even show up in google when someone just searches the web for the name of the book. Of course your profile data is still hidden, but don't assume that means your reviews are hidden.

In fact, never assume anything online is ever truly private - that's the safest thing. Or, be like me, and don't care. Just be aware.

I used pictures for the first time in a review after I noticed a friend who had done it in hers and felt it added to the review. The book I did this for is an OOP historical fiction. I included a old map of a principle battle and a contemporary artist rendering of the marriage of two of the characters.

I never realized or thought about it slowing things down for those using other devices. I do wish there was a way to add the photos in a standard, smaller format. I agree with Tammy on picture overload reviews and the snarky or poster type images. Even with those if size could be set to a certain format for reviews or be hidden by those who don't wish to see them, both sides should be satisfied.