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Airbolt 
"teil mann, teil maschine"
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 Posted - 09/30/2008 : 00:20:46
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Most regular FWFR's appreciate the fine work done by the MERPS on a purely voluntary basis. After all, this is a fun site which provides us with a unique outlet for our imaginations. To that end, you usually take the rough with the smooth and say " Ferget about it!".
However...every now and again you get a review rejected three times (for no given reason)and you wonder why. Anyone who puts up reviews regularly gets a feel for what works, what is marginal and you just know when you have a winner. I thought i had fashioned a reasonable pun which was relevant to the film AND also referenced the title of another film ( I put this in the explanation after i got a "Don't understand" ).
To be fair, it's not that often it happens but do any other FWFR's get that " WHY?" feeling from time to time?
BTW In light of the news about the Bail out failure, maybe i should re-prioritsie my worries!
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Edited by - Airbolt on 09/30/2008 00:37:02 |
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Demisemicenturian 
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 00:30:17
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I find most rejections unreasonable, since I don't usually submit reviews that I consider invalid.
The MERPs (i) make a lot of errors, (ii) get to see reviews early and be involved in the process, which is fun, and (iii) are not doing a job that I (like many others) wouldn't happily do, without wanting thanks, so I don't feel the need to constantly tell that I am grateful. |
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benj clews 
"...."
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 00:49:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
I find most rejections unreasonable, since I don't usually submit reviews that I consider invalid.
The MERPs (i) make a lot of errors, (ii) get to see reviews early and be involved in the process, which is fun, and (iii) are not doing a job that I (like many others) wouldn't happily do, without wanting thanks, so I don't feel the need to constantly tell that I am grateful.
Actually, I'm not sure many people would be happy to put in hours of effort every week into an unpaid job on which they're regularly criticized and yet can't respond directly. I'm not sure who these many others you're referring to are, but very few people email me asking to process reviews and, frankly, I don't blame them.
Since I find myself disagreeing with quite a lot of what you say, I highly suspect that, were you ever to process reviews, I'd also consider a great many of them mistaken or unreasonable decisions. |
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[matt]
"Cinemattic."
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 03:29:38
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quote:
Originally posted by AIRBOLT
Most regular FWFR's appreciate the fine work done by the MERPS on a purely voluntary basis.
However...every now and again you get a review rejected three times (for no given reason)and you wonder why.
To be fair, it's not that often it happens but do any other FWFR's get that " WHY?" feeling from time to time?
That's exactly how I feel; unlike Sal I do (at least, most of the time) feel the need to express gratitude towards the MERPs simply because it's such a time-consuming yet thankless job. However, when I get reviews declined with no explanation at all, it does frustrate me because often I don't have a clue why it's been rejected, so I have to waste one of my precious 20 weekly subs (  ) not really knowing what to change/explain.
If I get a review declined and it comes with an explanation - even if I don't agree with it - I don't mind so much, because at least I know why. Some have even come back with suggestions:
"Nice pun, but it could apply to other films. Could you please resubmit a review more specific for this film. Just a suggestion, but since you have another possible word, you could use the director's or lead actor's name and keep the pun."
This kind of thing is really helpful, so thanks to that MERP but my last 7 declines have all had no explanation! A couple of them 2 or 3 times!   |
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w22dheartlivie
"Kitty Lover"
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 11:37:59
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quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
I find most rejections unreasonable, since I don't usually submit reviews that I consider invalid.
The MERPs (i) make a lot of errors, (ii) get to see reviews early and be involved in the process, which is fun, and (iii) are not doing a job that I (like many others) wouldn't happily do, without wanting thanks, so I don't feel the need to constantly tell that I am grateful.
Actually, I'm not sure many people would be happy to put in hours of effort every week into an unpaid job on which they're regularly criticized and yet can't respond directly. I'm not sure who these many others you're referring to are, but very few people email me asking to process reviews and, frankly, I don't blame them.
Since I find myself disagreeing with quite a lot of what you say, I highly suspect that, were you ever to process reviews, I'd also consider a great many of them mistaken or unreasonable decisions.
One has to ask? Gee, and all this time I thought the Choosing of the MERPs was part of a highly secret brother/sisterhood ritual, not unlike the Masons: 1. You do not talk about MERP Club. 2. You DO NOT talk about MERP Club.
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Whippersnapper. 
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 12:22:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
... I don't feel the need to constantly tell that I am grateful.
I don't either.
But I am.
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 13:48:53
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quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
Actually, I'm not sure many people would be happy to put in hours of effort every week into an unpaid job on which they're regularly criticized and yet can't respond directly.
Well, if you ask, you can find out whether or not this is the case. It may be unpaid but it is totally voluntary, and so the MERPs are perfectly free to not be MERPs if they don't enjoy it. They may not officially be able to respond directly, but they can respond to issues in the guise of ordinary F.W.F.R.ers, and I feel certain that they do.
quote:
I'm not sure who these many others you're referring to are, but very few people email me asking to process reviews and, frankly, I don't blame them.
It probably hasn't occurred to them to e-mail you, but lots of different F.W.F.R.ers have said that there should be more MERPs when the topic has come up several times. I am sure you are not suggesting that these people are asking for more MERPs but would not be prepared to be ones themselves. There's no reason to think that any F.W.F.R.ers are that selfish.
quote:
Since I find myself disagreeing with quite a lot of what you say, I highly suspect that, were you ever to process reviews, I'd also consider a great many of them mistaken or unreasonable decisions.
I don't buy that. You might disagree with me on various things, but that doesn't mean you disagree with me much over what is and isn't a valid review. More to the point, if you remember, when MERPs were first brought in I was the one who suggested that candidates judge a sample of reviews and the ones closest to your own judgment be taken on.
I'm certainly not going to be obsequious towards them on the baseless notion that I would do a worse job. |
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Beanmimo 
"August review site"
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 13:54:11
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quote:
Originally posted by AIRBOLT
However...every now and again you get a review rejected three times (for no given reason)and you wonder why.
I was under the impression that after the second rejection that the review wouldn't be considered again?
Am I missing something?
As always I am grateful for the work of benj and the merps, who don't do a thankless job as i'm sure many of us have threaded wishes of encouragement to them before....though it has to be said that dissenting voices tend to be louder. |
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Whippersnapper.
"A fourword thinking guy."
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Posted - 09/30/2008 : 14:15:14
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There's plenty of space between the obsequiousness, to which you reasonably object, and the complete lack of gratitude which you openly express, which, if nothing else, is plain bad manners.
Obviously Benj does not want you as a MERP as he wants people who will follow his guidelines, not people who will insist that they understand which reviews should or shouldn't be accepted better than he does. It doesn't take a crystal ball to see that things would just not work out.
As you know I asked many times for more MERPs to be created, but let me assure you that I would not be prepared to do the job myself. I don't see anything remotely selfish about this as any new MERPs who would come forward would do so voluntarily. Some people clearly like doing it, so I say if they're good enough, let them.
Getting back to Airbolt's original point, tell me about it. I've just had the same thing happen to me and I've resubmitted asking that the review either be accepted or a reason given, as in this case I really cannot imagine any sufficient reason for rejecting the review. I know it's not more than four words and it can't be generic and I know its central to the plot and its witty too. We'll see what happens.
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benj clews
"...."
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Posted - 10/01/2008 : 01:06:04
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quote:
Originally posted by Salopian
quote:
Originally posted by benj clews
Since I find myself disagreeing with quite a lot of what you say, I highly suspect that, were you ever to process reviews, I'd also consider a great many of them mistaken or unreasonable decisions.
I don't buy that. You might disagree with me on various things, but that doesn't mean you disagree with me much over what is and isn't a valid review.
I disagree. I'm referring in particular to my general disagreements with what you believe should be passed or not. |
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randall 
"I like to watch."
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Posted - 10/01/2008 : 22:46:41
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I think MERPs are like news stories: there's no remarkability, and thus no chatter, regarding the many decisions they get right, and judging from my own submissions, it's most of 'em. But that's not newsworthy: "dog bites man" and all that.
Over the years, I too have been miffed over benj's or a MERP's periodic inability to appreciate my ineffable brilliance. Nearly every fwiffer must have had a similar experience. But frankly, I like hearing back from the editors if their reasons for declining me are presented constructively, and so far they have been, without exception.
I distinctly remember a Titanpa review for FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS, something like "Six raise 50." This was before MERPs could talk back, and evidently they kept declining it as "inaccurate." I know this because there was a big Fourum discussion over precisely how many soldiers lifted the Iwo Jima flag, when -- as we all should have realized -- the problem actually lay with the second number Titanpa cited. Downtown eventually solved the problem, the corrected review is on the site -- but if a MERP had been able to talk back, Titanpa would never have been frustrated in the first place. So yeah, I'm frustrated sometimes too, but so far it's all worked out for the best. |
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lemmycaution
"Long mired in film"
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Posted - 10/01/2008 : 22:57:54
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| As my sainted mother used to say, "can't see the forest for the trees." |
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Third Rejection
