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Reviews
The guidelines for posting reviews are included on the “Submit review page”. They are repeated here for information.
1 - Write in ENGLISH, we regret that we cannot accept reviews in other languages. Avoid the use of on-line translators wherever possible, they will not do justice to your efforts. Do not use ALL CAPITAL LETTERS in your reviews, standard sentence case should be used at all times. Do not use abbreviations or “texting” language. Remember to check your review for spelling, grammar and punctuation. A poorly presented review can distract the reader from the well written content. Reviews must be a minimum of 100 words preferably substantially more, no maximum.
2 - While ratings without reviews are accepted, you are strongly encouraged to write a review to support your rating.
3 - Feel free to review as many discs as you like, and to construct your reviews in whatever way you wish. (Tip, to start a new paragraph in your review, put <p> at the end of the previous paragraph.)
4 - Write in an intelligent and considerate manner. Rude or insulting language (including blatant vulgarity) will not be tolerated! Show respect for other reviewers, readers, the artists, and the CD and song titles. Do not belittle reviews posted by others, their opinions are as welcome and valid as yours. It is generally best to avoid commenting on other reviews altogether.
The following are examples of phrases which should NOT appear in reviews: "Reviewer Joe Smith is stupid for saying that...", "Anyone who doesn't like this album is an idiot", "The band which made this album is rubbish", etc.,
5 - Do not voice general opinions on matters such as whether a band/album/sub-genre should be included in the site, whether you agree with the star rating system, etc.. Such matters should be discussed in the forum. Keep the review pertinent to the specific album concerned. The reviews section is NOT the place for initiating or prolonging a debate.
6 - Try to write reviews that will be of real use and interest to other progressive music fans, who can benefit by finding new avenues for their musical exploration. Consider aspects which will be of interest to the reader such as the style of music, notable influences, similar bands, best tracks (don’t just say "this album is brilliant", explain what you like about it), production quality, musicians involved, album history, We suggest you listen to an album several times before writing a review. It can take a number of listens to Prog albums in particular to begin to appreciate the music.
7 - Remember that your reviews will be on the relevant album’s page for all to read for many years to come. Do not therefore word your review with only the front page (which shows the latest reviews) in mind. Consider whether the review will still make sense in 5 years time and more.
8 - Before assigning a star rating to an album, you should ensure you understand what the differing numbers of stars mean. Please use "one" and "five star" ratings very sparingly -- most albums you dislike will have at least some positive qualities, and not every album that you enjoy will be a perfect "masterpiece of prog".
9 - When quoting from elsewhere, ensure due credit is clearly given. Do not copy reviews or text from other sources and attempt to pass them off as your own.
10 - Any impersonation of another reviewer will be treated as an abuse of the Prog Archives site, and the offender will be barred from further use of the site.
THESE GUIDELINES are designed to help you to help us build a comprehensive reference of progressive rock (and related) recordings. By posting a review, you are indicating your acceptance of the guidelines, and undertaking to abide by them.
A special THANKS from Prog Archives to all those who submit reviews!
IMPORTANT
Reviewer names
Please note the following information about how your name is displayed with your reviews.
When you submit a review, the only information you will be asked for to identify yourself is your e-mail address.
- If you are not a forum member, or have not updated your forum profile to contain the same e-mail address, your review will display the first part of your e-mail address as the reviewer name. For example, if you input the e-mail address of mailto:[email protected]" rel="nofollow - , the review will show a reviewer name of "johnsmith".
- If you are a forum member, and the address you have added to your profile** exactly matches the one you have used to submit the review, the review will show the reviewer name as your forum name. It will also show your "real" name in brackets.
For example, your forum name is "proggy", your profile contains the e-mail address mailto:[email protected]" rel="nofollow - , and your have added your real name to your profile as "Joe R Bloggs". You then submit a review using that e-mail address. The review will show the reviewer name as "Proggy (Joe R Bloggs)". By clicking on your forum name in any of your reviews, you will be able to see a list of all of your reviews.
There will be a further update to the site shortly, making it compulsory that you have a forum ID before you can submit reviews.
** To update your profile in the forum, you have to be logged in. Click on "Settings" at the top of any forum page. You can then add an e-mail address and a "real" name to your forum profile. There is an option at the foot of the settings page to prevent others from seeing your e-mail address in your profile.
Weighting of star ratings
All reviewers should note that the following values are given to star ratings when calculating averages, top 100 charts etc.:
- Ratings without reviews (any review with less than 100 words, is considered to be a rating without a review) are given a value of 1.
- Reviews (of more than 100 words) are given a value of 10, or ten times that of a rating without review.
- Reviews by Prog Reviewers and Special Collaborators are given a value of 20, or twenty times that of a rating without a review.
These weightings are intended to encourage people to support their rating of an album with a considered review, and to recognise the ongoing contribution made by our Prog Reviewers and Special Collaborators.
We are of course always keen to see more members become Prog reviewers and Special Collaborators. For more information on this, see the FAQ's thread (link below).
Useful links
To report an inappropriate review: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28343" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=28343 http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=3317" rel="nofollow -
To see a list of all the albums which have not yet been reviewed: http://www.progarchives.com/UnreviewedAlbums.asp" rel="nofollow -
Site rules and guidelines: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13083" rel="nofollow - http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13083 http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=12981" rel="nofollow -
Frequently asked questions: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13080" rel="nofollow -
Legal Notice: http://www.progarchives.com/Legalnotice.asp" rel="nofollow -
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