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Demisemicenturian 
"Four ever European"
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 Posted - 08/14/2008 : 09:53:35
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Apologies for putting this in a separate thread (I generally hate threads about one tiny point when there are existing broader threads), but as there are two quite different issues here it's just clearer.
I submitted "Bear repeating" for Gentle Ben 2.
Issue 1: The MERP changed it to "Bear's repeating". This is so annoying! Why did they do it? To bear repeating does not have to be applied to the third person singular, so the pun worked fine as it was. Benj, please could you correct it if it is still there when you read this?
Issue 2: I then saw RockGolf's older "Bears repeating" for Brother Bear 2. This makes my review pretty redundant. (I don't go along with those people who think there is value in just using the same pun again and again.) The only thing stopping me deleting it is RockGolf's newer review for Gentle Ben 2: he thought of the idea first, but I thought of it first for that film. I think I'll still delete mine but I guess I just want convincing! (I'm not asking for RockGolf's permission to keep it, since my view on cross-film duplicates isn't going to change.) |
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demonic
"Cinemaniac"
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 11:58:05
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In the first case I'd say the Merps were right. 'Bear's repeating' makes more sense, and is a better review than 'Bear repeating'. As a two word review you're not reflecting the phrase which people actually use.
In the second if you thought of the review before you saw Rockgolf's I think it's still legitimate. It's a matter of personal honesty I think. Cross film duplicates are never going to be policed - it's practically impossible; therefore if you think the inspiration for a review is unique, it's valid. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 12:19:32
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quote:
Originally posted by demonic
In the first case I'd say the Merps were right. 'Bear's repeating' makes more sense, and is a better review than 'Bear repeating'. As a two word review you're not reflecting the phrase which people actually use.
No, I don't agree with that. People don't really say the two words on their own. They say "It bears repeating" or "They bear repeating" etc. The former may well be more common through circumstance, but the latter is perfectly normal. Without other words being present, I wanted to allude to the uninflected infinitive form. The MERP form is also only a pun phonetically, whereas mine was correct visually as well. It's really not up to MERPs to make that sort of change. They have also made my review less different to both of RockGolf's than it by chance was before.
quote:
In the second if you thought of the review before you saw Rockgolf's I think it's still legitimate. It's a matter of personal honesty I think. Cross film duplicates are never going to be policed - it's practically impossible; therefore if you think the inspiration for a review is unique, it's valid.
Yeah, I still don't buy it, I'm afraid. As I've said before, it's not about blame but what actually adds value to the site. I'll see if I can do something else with it. |
Edited by - Demisemicenturian on 08/14/2008 12:21:53 |
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Whippersnapper. 
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 12:59:53
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I must have submitted well over 5000 reviews, and I can't think of one case where a MERP has altered my review.
Does this happen to other people, or is the problem exclusively Salopian-related?
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Beanmimo 
"August review site"
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 13:04:22
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Not I, Whip. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 13:21:19
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It definitely occurs sometimes. Downtown has mentioned that it has happened to him, and Benj has said that it can happen.
I have got a good memory and choose the wording of my reviews very carefully -- others are less likely to notice a small change than I am, therefore. |
Edited by - Demisemicenturian on 08/14/2008 13:22:05 |
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Yukon
"Co-editor of FWFR book"
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 14:17:52
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quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
I must have submitted well over 5000 reviews, and I can't think of one case where a MERP has altered my review.
Does this happen to other people, or is the problem exclusively Salopian-related?
It's never happened to me. But what has happened is a MERP declined one of my reviews because of a spelling mistake and added a message saying "Did you mean to write...."
If it wasn't for that message, I would have just been wondering why the MERP declined a good review, not knowing it was my dumb fault. |
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Whippersnapper.
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 14:28:06
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
It definitely occurs sometimes. Downtown has mentioned that it has happened to him, and Benj has said that it can happen.
I have got a good memory and choose the wording of my reviews very carefully -- others are less likely to notice a small change than I am, therefore.
Well, that may be so, but quite a lot of us around here have pretty good memories and also choose to word our reviews carefully. Personally, I think I would notice if it happened with any frequency, although I can't say for sure that it's never happened to me at all.
It's interesting that Salopian and Downtown are both sufferers from this perceived problem. I'm just wondering whether any of our, shall we say less angry reviewers have had the same experiences.
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 16:12:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
Well, that may be so, but quite a lot of us around here have pretty good memories and also choose to word our reviews carefully. Personally, I think I would notice if it happened with any frequency, although I can't say for sure that it's never happened to me at all.
I think you would notice too, but I am still confident that I would be more likely to notice than most F.W.F.R.ers.
quote:
It's interesting that Salopian and Downtown are both sufferers from this perceived problem. I'm just wondering whether any of our, shall we say less angry reviewers have had the same experiences.
What is that supposed to mean? Perceived in as it may not be happening at all or it may not be a problem? And it's clearly not based on how angry reviewers are since it has not happened to you. |
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benj clews 
"...."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 17:21:50
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Personally, I think the review makes a whole lot more sense in the modified form. In it's original form it just sounds wrong if you think of it in the same manner as RockGolf's entry- like The Hulk am writ it or something.
However, I'm still surprised it was modified.
After seeing the kind of ire it inspires in some folks, I don't amend reviews anymore (unless it's a glaringly obvious spelling mistake that isn't a pun)- if I feel a review doesn't work as it is I'll more likely decline it with an editor feedback suggesting the reworking.
I'll have a word with the offending MERP  |
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Whippersnapper.
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 18:08:09
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
Well, that may be so, but quite a lot of us around here have pretty good memories and also choose to word our reviews carefully. Personally, I think I would notice if it happened with any frequency, although I can't say for sure that it's never happened to me at all.
I think you would notice too, but I am still confident that I would be more likely to notice than most F.W.F.R.ers.
quote:
It's interesting that Salopian and Downtown are both sufferers from this perceived problem. I'm just wondering whether any of our, shall we say less angry reviewers have had the same experiences.
What is that supposed to mean? Perceived in as it may not be happening at all or it may not be a problem? And it's clearly not based on how angry reviewers are since it has not happened to you.
Perceived means that you feel its a problem. For my part I am neither ruling in or out any possible explanation without evidence, although I do accept that your account is based on your honest perceptions of what has happened.
And I was referring to was a general tendency towards anger rather than specifically linked to this topic.
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BiggerBoat 
"Pass me the harpoon"
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 18:17:48
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quote:
Originally posted by Whippersnapper
It's interesting that Salopian and Downtown are both sufferers from this perceived problem. I'm just wondering whether any of our, shall we say less angry reviewers have had the same experiences.
I seem to remember one of my reviews having some capitalisation changed that made it less good. At first I was stressing over it - wondering if people would perceive me differently, whether it would appear that I had let both myself and the English language down, and whether whatever God there may be would knock a few points off my total score. But then I realised that I didn't really care so I went and did something fun instead. |
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Whippersnapper.
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 18:28:04
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BB, you are just so weird!
Anyhow, and not missing your real point, if there was one that is, and I suspect there was, you can just change letter cases without the review being reconsidered. You just edit it with the changed case and it gets auto-approved.
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Josh the cat
"ice wouldn't melt, you'd think ....."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 22:25:25
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I have had spellings and grammar corrected over the years and I am generally quite glad; I hope, if a MERP saw that something was wrong they would correct it hence gaining me a new approve review.
I also think carefully about the wording of my reviews but I accept that I make mistakes and sometimes require assistance.
Cheers MERPs for assisting us, Salopian some people try to help and I choose not to complain about that.
Josh the cat |
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Josh the cat
"ice wouldn't melt, you'd think ....."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 22:26:17
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Sal if you don't want the review you could always smithee it.
Josh the cat |
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thefoxboy 
"Four your eyes only."
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Posted - 08/14/2008 : 23:18:37
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
I have got a good memory and choose the wording of my reviews very carefully -- others are less likely to notice a small change than I am, therefore.
I wish I was perfect.
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Bear repeating repeating
